The UGG Flip-Flop Sandal

When most of us think of the great Australian brand UGG we think of those cute sheepskin boots that you tuck your skinny jeans into and which keep your tootsies warm all winter - but the lesser known UGG sandal or flip-flop is a pleasure to behold (and also extremely comfortable to wear!).

Why wear a sandal with a sheepskin lining?

Ok, so a lot of us used to think that any kind of shoe with a sheepskin lining probably belonged to our Granny, but here are some good reasons for wrapping your feet in genuine UGG sheepskin!

• It's very comfortable and durable - made from the highest quality sheepskin.
• Like modern sports materials it wicks away moisture from your skin, keeping your feet dry.
• Sheepskin, as well as keeping your feet warm, will also keep them cool in temperatures up to 27 degrees centigrade.

Sandals rather than boots by UGG do make more sense when you realise it all started some 30 years ago with an Aussie surfer who went on a trip to the USA with his sheepskin boots and set up home amongst the Californian surfers... hmm I'm thinking those Californians persuaded him to make them some nice comfy flip-flops. There are more girly versions of sandals available for those looking for something to wear elsewhere than on holiday which still incorporate that all important sheepskin.

Like all girls - I love shoes and I have found this little book - its something that Carrie Bradshaw might have had on her bookshelf (for all fans of S&TC) - it has some fantastic facts about this history of how shoes developed and explains why girls love shoes like they do.

How To Choose Wellington Boots

It is true that a great deal of wellington boot purchasing goes on some weeks before the big summer festivals (like Glastonbury) in the UK - after all, from past experience, most festival go-ers know that wellies will turn out to be much more useful than a pair of flip-flops.

Remember those great pictures of Kate Moss in her wellies and shorts? Yes, as global warming is talked about more and more, here in the UK we seem to be suffering from a great global rain-cloud during the months of July and August (the author sighs at this point and looks hopefully out of the window thinking of indian summers). So - I've been doing some investigating and have come up with some top tips on how to look good in your wellington boots.

Colourful and patterned wellies

• Colour code your wellingtons with your outfit - wellies can now be obtained in any colour and pattern.
• Team your wellies up with hotpants or mini-dresses - with tights or tanned legs this is a great look.
• Go for a more shaped and fitted wellington boot - much more stylish.

Style and comfort

• If comfort is what you need look for those boots that are made from softer rubber which is much more flexible and comfortable - no one looks good when their feet are unhappy! Go for 100% rubber rather than cheaper versions made of PVC.
• Try to pick a wellington boot which has a lining and insole if you are looking for comfort over a cheaper, trendy boot.
• If you have straight leg jeans try wearing them outside your wellies and folding up a cuff at the bottom of each jeans leg giving a 3/4 trouser effect - practical as it still keeps your jeans dry and also allows you to show off your funky wellies.
• Buy your wellies with a matching carry bag so that you can take them along with you or store them in your car boot with ease.

Much as I would love to be wearing my flip-flops and sandals all summer long - wellies are so much fun and brighten up a rainy day so well. I've been looking around and here are some of my favourites - if you know of any great styles it would be great to hear about them.

The Best Ways Of Applying Mascara

We all know that when its the morning after the night before, or when we just need to pop out to the shop - we can't always be bothered or have time to do a full makeover. But it is an amazing fact that the application of a little bit of mascara can open up our eyes and make all the difference to our look. And on a night out - gorgeous long and curled lashes can add major glamour to any look.

Here are some top tips to make applying mascara just that little bit easier for you and which will give great results.

How to get rid of blobs when applying mascara

• Use a lash comb - this is not for everyone as it can be a little bit fiddly - but basically you need to apply your mascara as normal using a mascara wand, but apply the mascara to the base of your lashes only - then using a lash comb, comb the mascara through your lashes, eliminating any blobs of mascara along the way.
• Another way to ensure your mascara doesn't have blobs is to wipe your loaded mascara wand onto a piece of tissue before starting applying the mascara - emliminating any blobs before application.
• Keep a clean, washed mascara wand handy. Using another mascara wand apply the mascara as normal, and whilst still wet, brush through with the clean wand, which separates the lashes and gets rid of any excess blobs. Every so often, wash out your clean mascara wand with soap and water or fashion remover.

The best way to apply mascara

• Use a short, thin wand where possible as this is much more controllable, is less likely to brush mascara onto your eyelid and it's much easier to get this wand onto the lashes in the corners of your eyes, which are the ones which can accentuate your eyes the most.
• When you are finishing applying your mascara hold the wand loaded with mascara and "blink" your lashes over the brush, which will load up the ends of your lashes and add length and volume.
• Lightly powder under your eyes and on your browbone before applying mascara, as oily moisturisers or foundations can smudge your mascara and leave lash marks behind on your skin.
• Zig-zag the mascara wand when applying to your lashes as this will minimise clumps and blobs and maximise coverage.

How To Choose The Best Sunglasses For You

There are lots of reasons to tog ourselves out with a great pair of sunglasses - we might not be disguising our faces from the flash of the paparazzi camera like many stars today - but they are a great item to accessorize with. They can range from a few pounds to hundreds, they add style to an ordinary outfit, can be matched with other accessories and most importantly provide us with UV protection against those dangerous sun rays which can cause long term damage to our eyes.

Style Tips For Sunglasses This Season

• For the last few seasons sunglasses have been huge - talk about supersize. But from the catwalks at the end of the last season designers have been inspired to create more refined styles and glasses this season will be much smaller and more funky in style.
• Look out for styles like Wayfarers or cats-eye style frames - definitely retro and which can be dressed with high-waisted bikinis.
• Frames are much more colourful - coloured sunglasses can be matched up with your outfit, swimwear or accessories.
• Although not everyone can afford a designer handbag which may cost thousands of pounds - a pair of  designer sunglasses can be available for £100+ which makes them a great fashion statement without parting with too much of your hard earned cash.

How To Choose A Pair of Sunglasses

• Most importantly you should make sure your sunglasses, as well as looking great, provide protection against ultraviolet radiation. To protect your eyes you should look for glasses that block 99% to 100% of UV light.
• Different coloured tints offer different effects - grey lenses reduce brightness but don't distort colours, yellow lenses reduce haziness from blue light so sharpen up your view, rose coloured lenses are great for water sports as they provide great contrast against green and blue backgrounds and brown/amber lenses reduce glare but can distort other colours. Of course, you need to take into consideration whether you really think you will suit glasses with yellow or pink lenses as well.
• Mirrored sunglasses are great - particularly if you really want to hide behind your glasses - but beware of scratches. As the mirror finish is applied last it's pretty easy to scratch these types of glasses.
• When choosing glasses consider what you will be most likely to use them for the majority of the time - it could be driving, sports, or simply posing on the beach. All of these different activities might require a different pair or colour of sunglasses.
• Remember that sunglasses don't have to be expensive to effectively protect your eyes against the sun (in the UK remember to look out for the CE mark which denotes that the sunglasses fulful all EU quality regulations). This means that you can build up a collection of sunglasses which suit every occasion.

How To Make Your Eyes Stand Out

Women have been wearing eyeliner or kohl for thousands of years as they have always wanted to enhance what is one of their most beautiful features - their eyes. Knowing the best way to apply eyeliner can turn the ordinary into the beautiful and make eyes appear much larger. Once you know the basics its a very easy beauty regime to follow each day.

For everyday wear:

• Using a kohl or eyeliner pencil (which need not be black, but dark brown, grey etc) hold your eyelid taught, but not stretching the skin (we all know this is bad!) and apply the eyeliner from the outer corner of your eye to about two thirds of the way along the top eyelid. Keep a light touch for daytime.
• Eyeliner can be set using eyeshadow (in the same way that powder sets foundation - applying eyeshadow over eyeliner has the same effect). Preferably using a eyeshadow brush rather than one of those spongy little applicators, brush a darker coloured eyeshadow gently over the eyeliner.
• Finally, using the eyeshadow brush again apply the same shade of eyeshadow along the bottom eyelid beneath the lashes - again starting at the outer corner and working your way in to about half way across. Don't be too heavy handed here or you could end up with a slightly gothic look - unless that's your intention.
• Any mistakes can easily be tidied up using a cotton bud - I always keep a handy pot of these in my bathroom.

For evening wear:

• For the evening you might want to go for a more sultry and smoky look - here your eyes will be at the centre of the stage, so to speak, so don't overdo the lippy and blusher or you could end up looking more silly than sultry.
• Again, as above, line the top lid from outside to in with quite a bold line, and then using one of those handy cotton buds (which you are now keeping at your side in your bathroom cabinet) smudge the line.
• Then apply to your eyelid a darker coloured eyeshadow using a brush, blending it from a deeper hue near the edge of the lid up to the crease line of your eyelid where the eyeshadow should be faded out.

For a bold and dramatic look:

• Here forget the eyeliner pencil and opt for the liquid eyeliner - a lot of people are afraid to use this and I have to say that it does take a few practices before perfection is reached with a liquid eyeliner - but the end result is worth it for a special night out.
• Using your liquid eyeliner and again holding your eyelid taught, start from the middle of your eyelid and sweep a line to the outer corner of your eye - this line should be quite bold.
• Next starting from the inner corner of your eye (or slightly further out if your eyes are close set) sweep a finer line to meet the first one in the middle of your eyelid.
• If you find this look too harsh, it can be softened - once dry - by applying some eyeshadow to blend in the line against your eyelid.

All of these looks take a little bit of practice in front of the mirror to attain perfection, but who doesn't love playing with makeup - I know I do.