Pretty Tops That Can Be Worn All Seasons

Its nearing the end of the summer and all the high-street stores are selling off racks of summer tops in pretty colours to make room for the autumn fashion season. But hang on - should we really be eager to start wearing autumn styles already? British summers are short enough. So, how about a sensible purchase - a top that can be worn out on a fine summer evening with a summer skirt or shorts, but which is stylish enough in colour and cut to be worn as a party top towards the end of the autumn season. As everyone seems fond of quoting the phrase "credit crunch" perhaps even with fashion we can still be stylish whilst tightening up the purse strings ... just a little bit.

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  Stylish And Pretty - Black Rose Trimmed Boob Tube

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  Elegant - A Cream Strappy Top With Black Rose Trim

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  Stylish - Cream And Black Assymetrical Frilled Top

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  For Cooler Times - Light Grey Knitted Top With Black Bow Trim

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  All In One - Strapless Black Jumpsuit

Tips For Applying Blusher With A Professional Finish

Many women avoid applying blusher as they aren't really sure how to apply it properly and they are afraid it will look false and too bright. However, if blusher is applied in the correct shade and in the right way it can perform miracles and make a washed out complexion glow. Here are some simple tips to follow.

Powders, Creams Or Liquids?

• First of all decide whether you are going to use a powder, cream or liquid blusher.
• This will depend on your skin type - normal to oily skins are better with a powder blusher, whilst dryer or more mature skins will suit a cream or liquid blusher which are less likely to accentuate any tiny lines.

Applying Your Blusher

• Invest in a large blusher brush with soft bristles if you are using a powder blush, the tiny ones which are supplied with these blushers are not really any use.
• Your powder blusher should be the last item of makeup you apply before powder. However, if you are applying a cream or liquid blusher you might want to apply this as your last item of makeup as it gives a dewy, glowing finish.

How To Find The Right Shade Of Blusher For You

• A great tip for finding the right shade of blusher is to match it to the shade of your lips, but if you find this difficult a general guide is that a light complexion looks great with rose pink, olive skins love peach shades and darker skins suit apricot shades.

Where To Apply Your Blusher

• Give yourself a lovely smile in the mirror and you will immediately see the "apples" of your cheeks - this is the area where you should apply your blusher to give a healthy and glowing appearance - remember to use a light touch though as you don't want to end up with two pink circles on each cheek.

Whether To Use a Bronzer?

• As a finishing touch you might want to lightly brush some bronzer over your cheekbones and brow and lightly down your nose to give a touch of sunshine to your face.

If you know of any new products or have any different tips for applying blusher or bronzers please share all by leaving your comments.

How Far Would You Go For Fashion - Would You Wear Second-Hand Clothes?

I was intrigued today to read about a new site which revolves around "schwopping". This is the term for either swapping, selling or buying items of unwanted clothing which is all happening on www.bigwardrobe.com. I wondered if the site would be similar to eBay, but without the listing fees, so I went on the site to have a look around.

Clothing Is Donated By Celebrities For Charity

One of the main selling points of the site is that it has received donations of clothing from the likes of Russell Brand, Peaches Geldof and the Kaiser Chiefs. However, on the site at the moment it does say "more celebrity wardrobes soon" so it looks like all celeb goods have been "schwopped" out.

Clothing That Is Ecologically Friendly

The idea behind the site is that approximately 1.2 million tonnes of clothing are disposed of in the UK each year and only around 25% at the most is recycled or resold. Bigwardrobe's philosophy is why buy more clothes when you can swap the ones you don't want for something else that someone is tired of.

Ecologically sound but...

There were a couple of things I noticed whilst on the site.

• When you register it's mandatory to enter three other email addresses belonging to friends - there is no way around this if you want to join.
• In the ladies' underwear section there seems to be a lot of second-hand underwear which did make me cringe slightly - but am I the one being over-fussy here? I did notice a pair of knickers to be honest which did say "brand new in pack" - new items are listed on the site.
• Before you can list your first item of clothing you are asked for details such as your bust, waist, dress and shoe size and also literally your inside leg measurement - so its not for those who are shy of disclosing those figures (this wasn't actually mandatory - only recommended as apparently it improves your sales or "schwops").
• Listing looks fairly easy – a little bit like eBay and you can upload up to three pictures of your item for free at the moment – the site says it’s normally one – so is there to be a charge in future for additional pics?

What about you - have you been on www.bigwardrobe.com - have you joined and what success have you had in "schwopping", selling or buying on the site - let us know?

Men's Shoes - How To Choose The Right Footwear For You

This may seem an odd topic and it's in no way meant to be patronising - I'm sure there are a great number of men who know exactly which pair of shoes matches which outfit and indeed they may own as many pairs of their own along with matching outfits as the aclaimed Imelda Marcos (1,060 pairs of shoes).

However, I have often seen men on an evening out wearing a pair of casual loafers with formal trousers or shiny brogues with jeans ... and on that thought I decided to put together some tips about men's shoes which may be useful for you if you want to dress to impress.

• It's a casual night out at the pub and you are wearing your favourite jeans. Depending on the top you are wearing - jeans with t-shirts should ideally be worn with trainers, jeans and polo type shirts with tennis shoes or loafers and if you are wearing a cotton style, collared shirt pair this with something more chunky such as desert boots or Rockports.
• If you are wearing trousers such as combats or plain casual trousers with a shirt I would suggest casual loafers or plain leather pull-on boots (à la mode de Brad Pitt).
• When wearing formal pants or a suit it's important that as well as matching your suit (and also your belt if you are wearing one) the shoes you wear are elegant in styling, with preferably leather soles. If you don't have leather soled shoes, definitely pick a pair with thin soles and a low heel. These can be either slip ons or lace up shoes. I have seen men wear lace up short ankle boots with a formal suit, but this look can be unflattering when sitting down and the tops of the boots are visible.

How To Match Your Shoe Colour With Your Trousers Or Suit

• Black shoes match navy, grey or black pants or trousers.

• Brown shoes go great with khaki, brown, greens greys and earthy tones.
• Tan shades of shoes go well with blue jeans, beige, light-tan or white pants.

Each week I'll be adding to fashion-tips for men, covering some essential tips for men's style and fashion - from a girl's point of view, of course!

If you have anything to add please feel free to comment below.

Using Your Hair Straighteners To Create The Latest In Waves and Curls

A lot of us have spent many hours in the last couple of years frantically straightening and smoothing down our hair with straighteners and serums with the aim of creating the perfect and straight head of hair. However the latest styles no longer demand this perfected style and the catwalks have been awash with curls, not the perfect kind, but those created by straighteners, tongs or crimpers to give texture and body. These hairdressing tools can be used to create a wild and textured look or something more refined such as the waves Liv Tyler shows off immaculately.

What Is The Easiest Way To Create Waves and Curls?

There are some easy steps to follow if you want to create a wavy or tousled style which is perfectly attainable for day to day wear.

• Ensure that your hair is freshly washed and dried or brushed out without any tangles.
• Your hair should be treated with either a heat protection spray or serum before starting to curl.
• It's much easier to curl your hair if you can section it off with clips - have a look at the video below as this illustrates how it can be done. If you don't have the time for this though, I recommend pinning your top layer of hair up out of the way and concentrate on curling the hair underneath, then loosening the top layer a section at a time to add a curl or wave.

• Taking a section of hair approximately one inch (or about 2.5 cms) wide grasp your hair near the roots with your straighteners with them horizontal and then turn them upwards by 90 degrees allowing your hair to follow them so that your hair is wrapped around the straighteners.
• Firmly, but slowly pull the straighteners through your hair until you reach the bottom of the section - as your hair slides out of the straighteners you should have created a lovely curl or wave. How curly or wavy your hair goes will depend on your hair type, the product that you have used and how long your hair is - but just keep practicing until you get the desired result.
• Don't worry if at first your hair comes out with the odd kink or not curled at all, just allow it to cool whilst working on another section and come back to it and work on it again.
• Finally spray your hair with hairspray to hold the curls in place.

Curls and waves are a lot of fun after straight hair has been with us for so long - happy practicing and it would be great to hear from you if you have any fantastic tips.

• GHD IV styler Hair straightener
• Philips TRESemmé HP4669/17 Salon Shine Nano Diamond Digital Slim Straightener

Video courtesy of handbag.com and YouTube.