With These Top Beauty Tips For Summer You Will Want To Head For the Beach ... Now!

Whether you are holidaying at home this year and reducing your carbon footstep, or whether you plan to get away to a glorious and glamorous foreign beach destination, it's time to plan your time away and make sure you have all the essential items you need to make your holiday beauty routine run like clockwork.

With these sweet little beauty tips, you will have all the knowledge you need to turn yourself into a summertime princess that turns heads on the beach. In this article we are talking about holiday preparation - don't worry - its all fun. Next time, we have some fantastic tips for you when you are away in the sunshine.

Beauty Tips For The Week Before Your Holidays

• Get yourself to the hairdresser. The least you can do is have your hair trimmed, getting rid of any dry ends which will only split in the sunshine. If you are feeling more adventurous and want to get into the summer spirit, ask your hairdresser if they can add a few high-lights to your hair, giving it a "been on the beach all day" look before you get away. If you are light brown or fair haired, go for a few blond high-lights, and if you are darker ask for some caramel tones to be worked through your hair - either of these give your head an instant sunshine boost.
• It might be a nasty experience at the time, but get waxed rather than shaving. This will last much longer and means you won't have to deal with any nasty stubble on holiday. You should have the waxing done approximately five days before you head away to give your skin time to calm down afterwards.
• Buff your skin all over in the shower everyday with either a skin polisher or body scrub - this will get rid of dead skin cells and promote an all-over smooth glow to your skin. For the week before your go away, apply a moisturiser with added self-tan every other day, to build up a nice glow for the start of your holidays.
• If you want to go a step further, take yourself off to the beauty salon for a spray-tan, especially if you feel this will give you confidence when you first get out your bikini on your hols.
• Try to treat your nails (toes and fingers) nicely for a few weeks before going away, rubbing in some jojoba oil as your nails love this, and let them grow out if your can. The day before you go away, treat yourself to a session at a nail bar and have either a bright polish applied to show off your tan, or have the classic french polish in nude or light pink.
• Lastly, as you might be getting up in the middle of the night catch an early flight or set off on a long drive, try and get an early night. Yes, we know its difficult when you are excited about your holidays, but sleep really is beauty sleep, and you can look forward to a great first day of your holidays feeling refreshed and lovely.

We'll see you next time for some great tips on how to be the glamorous one by the pool!

How To Create The Makeup For Lady Gaga's Poker Face

Whether you admire Lady Gaga (or Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) for her style and creation of fashion or for her music, both stand out from the crowd. With regards to her music, Lady Gaga is quoted to have said that she doesn't want to sound presumptuous, but she has made it her goal to "revolutionise pop music". She states that "the last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago." Apparently, Madonna is pretty pleased with this statement and says that she sees some of her early self in Lady Gaga. With regards to fashion, Lady Gaga has stated that she is "very into fashion" and that it is "everything" to her. She considers Donatella Versace her muse. Lady Gaga has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally and which creates many of her stage props, clothes and hair styles.

Poker Face

Probably one of Lady Gaga's best known and most viewed pop videos is Poker Face, and the look she created for that song is now almost iconic, with the strong blonde fringe and silver eye shadow. Creating the look is pretty straightforward to try for yourself. You will need the following items:

• Medium to full cover foundation and loose translucent powder
• Concealer
• A shimmering light blue or silver eye shadow
• Black false eyelashes
• Black eye liner
• Rose pink blusher
• Natural lip gloss and nude lip liner
• Silver or gold makeup pen and stick on diamantes (optional)
• Depending on your own hair - a blonde wig with full fringe

How To Create Lady Gaga's Poker Face

• Step One - apply moisturiser and then foundation to create a perfect base. Use your concealer as needed under the eyes or to cover any blemishes. Using the translucent powder and a powder brush dust to set your foundation lightly.
• Step Two - Using the silver or shimmering eye shadow and an eyeshadow brush apply the shadow accurately, blending from the inner upper eyelid to the crease-line and beyond and to the outer corner of your eyelid.
• Step Three - Apply your fake eyelashes to your upper eyelids following the directions on the pack. Once these are firmly in place and applied as close to your natural lashes as possible, apply black eyeliner to the top and bottom lash lines. Lady Gaga does apply black liner to the inner lower lid as well with this look.
• Step Four - Use black mascara and apply to both top and bottom lashes, applying three coats to your upper lashes and using the mascara to blend together your natural and false lashes.
• Step Five - Apply the rose powder blusher lightly along your cheekbones, Lady Gaga doesn't sport a full blush look, but using it to high-light your cheekbones brings the look alive.
• Step Six - Line your lips with the nude lip liner and apply the natural gloss. You need perfect, smooth lips for this look.
• Step Seven - If you are going for the full Lady Gaga look you can use the silver/gold makeup pen to draw on the lightning bolt on the left side of your face and then use the stick on diamantes for extra glamour.
• Step Eight - If you are going to wear a wig, wrap up your hair with a hair net and put on the wig. This is probably only going to work if you are going for the full Lady Gaga look, but it will totally finish the look off.

If you have any tips or comments for celebrity makeup styles or about the Lady Gaga look we have created leave your comments.

Sandra Bullock - Winner Of Best Actress In A Leading Role - Oscars 2010 - Get The Look

Sandra Bullock has just had one of the best weekends of her career, by first turning up at the Golden Raspberry Awards (the Razzies) to accept her award for the Worst Actress for her role in All About Steve, where she handed out free copies of her movie in a delightfully comic way before accepting her Oscar for the Best Actress in a Leading Role with an endearing, but slightly batty speech for her part in The Blind Side. SB is an actress that we all seem to have grown up with (who remembers her in Speed and While You Were Sleeping?) and unbelievably, looking at this picture, she turned 45 last year. She looks amazing in this Marchesa silver gown with straight, sleek locks and classic Hollywood makeup, and if you want to create this style yourself here is how Sandra (or her makeup artist - Angela Levin) did it on the night.

The products Angela used on Sandra were:

• Chanel Hydramax + Active Cream
• Chanel Vitalumiere Satin Smoothing Fluid Makeup in Gentle Ivory
• Chanel Eyeshadow Irreelle Duo Brun Express
• Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Noir
• Chanel Tweed Blush Duo in Tweed Rose
• Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Colour in Paris

• Prep the skin with Hydramax + Active Cream or a similar rich moisturiser which ensures there are no dry areas.
• Using a foundation brush apply Chanel Vitalumiere Satin Smoothing Fluid Makeup in Gentle Ivory all over the face. Using a foundation brush ensures a perfect, almost doll like finish, perfect for this Hollywood look.
• Create quite a strong and structured browline using an eyeshadow brush and the soft brown powder in the Irreelle Duo Brun Express. Using shadow creates strong brows, but it is easier to get a smoother effect than when using a brow pencil.
• Again, use the darker shadow around the eyes on both upper and lower lids, blending across the upper lid. Use the lighter shade in the palette over the brow blending into the darker shade on the eyelid.
• Apply two strong coats of Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Noir for real glamorous Hollywood starlet lashes.
• Using a lip brush apply the Rouge Coco Lip Colour in the shade Paris.  Take note, all girls obsessed with lip glosses, Chanel has just launched a new campaign (with Vanessa Paradis) promoting the benefits and feel good factor of a glamorous lipstick colour - such a great way to brighten up your look with minimal spend in these credit-crunch times.
• Last of all apply the Chanel Tweed Rose blusher to the apples of the cheeks.
• Sandra's hair was finished in a sleek style by hairdresser Adir Abergel using Fekkai products, but you can do this yourself, by creating a strong side parting and then using straighteners and adding a soft, modern wave to the ends of the hair. 
• Sandra's Marchesa silver embroidered dress is amazing, and best of all Marchesa are British designers.  Unless you can afford their gowns, a similar look would be a lace or embroidered cream evening dress which is just perfect for summer parties.

Ten Top Tips On How To Wake Up Beautiful Every Day

We've all heard the term that we need to get enough "beauty sleep". But what does it actually mean, and how do we get the best out of the sleep time we have. In fact, can good quality sleep actually improve our looks?

Research into "beauty sleep" has shown that a few minutes extra sleep in the morning (you are ideally looking for eight hours sleep each night), can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is fantastic as raised levels of this hormone will accelerate the aging process.

If you are looking for a glowing complexion like that of Liv Tyler's or Cate Blanchett's then you do need to get enough, good quality sleep. Steer clear of vigorous exercise, starchy foods and alcohol before bedtime and your skin cells will have a chance to repair. Good sleep means lots of the human growth hormone will be released which is also called the youth hormone as it has anti-aging effects.

Here Are Ten Great Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Beauty Sleep

• Sleep on your back - not only does this save you from getting a crinkly chest, but sleeping on your front will also put a lot of pressure on your face, causing puffiness. Dermatologists can also tell the favourite side for a person to sleep on as they will have more wrinkles on that side of their face! Sleeping on our backs suddenly seems like a good idea.
• Wash your face thoroughly before sleep with a relaxing cleanser until your complexion is squeaky clean. Dirt and toxins left on your skin are just accelerating the aging of your skin.
• Make the most of the repairing and remoisturising process that happens overnight, and slather on a good quality, dry skin replenishing cream such as Eucerin Dry Skin Replenishing Face Cream.
• Get those romantic pillows propped up around you at bedtime - keeping your head slightly raised encourages blood flow and lymph glands to drain which means less puffiness in the morning. Another great way to avoid puffiness is to avoid alcohol!
• Before applying your repairing face cream for the night apply a small amount of self-tanning cream to your face and neck - you will wake up with a healthy glow, which is a nice surprise and creates an instant good mood on a cold, wintry morning.
• Avoid carbs when making your evening meal (bread, potatoes, pasta) and go for a light meal of proteins and salad. Too many carbs in the evening can lead to a less defined and doughy complexion.
• If you want to keep your hair silky smooth for the next day, slip on a silk pillowcase or tie up your hair in a silky scarf as this keeps hair from frizzing and knotting overnight.
• Another tip to create a fantastic hair-do overnight is to gather your hair together and twist it round and round, holding it in place on top of your head with a scrunchie. This will transform into a cascade of waves and curls with lots of body next day.
• If you are washing your hair in the morning, give your hair a pre-treatment overnight with a rich hair masque to replenish its natural beauty.
• Finally, you can get a little help from the inside by taking a slow release B-complex vitamin before going to bed. Slowly released B vitamins can promote energy and glow from the inside, helping you to wake up feeling more energised.

Tips On How To Make A French Plait Hollywood Style

If you are like me, you might remember your mum plaiting your hair for school when you were a small child - yes I remember some pretty embarrassing hairstyles, including the obligatory two plaits with ribbons. However, I totally approve of the new fashion for wearing plaits in our hair this season. The craze may have been started by Jennifer Aniston at the 2009 Oscars, but since then the style has been seen on many other celebs including Hayden Panettiere and Princess Beatrice.

The style may look pretty tricky, and you will probably have to practice once or twice before you get it perfect, but as long as your hair is at least three inches or around seven centimetres in length around the hairline, you should be able to create a hairline French plait or braid. You will need the following items before you start:

• Scrunchie or large hair band
• Comb
• Water spray
• Hair mousse or styling cream
• Hair grips/clips and small hair band

Here is how to create the look:

• Loosely tie back your hair behind your ears (leaving the section of hair in front of your ears and all around your front hairline free) using the scrunchie or large hair band.
• Using the water spray, dampen but don't soak the hair around your front hairline and comb out any tangles.
• Apply a golf-ball sized ball of mousse to the area to be styled, or if using styling cream, a smaller more appropriate amount.
• Now commence a plait or braid on your hairline where you want the plait to start. If you want to follow Jennifer's style then start the braid at the far left hand side of your forehead hairline. Divide this section of hair into three fairly slim strands and then do a left over centre strand and then right over centre strand as with a normal plait.
• Next working along your forehead hairline, left to right, with the next left over centre strand, pick up a small amount of hair directly underneath the left strand, and then do the same when working with the right strand by picking up a small amount of hair underneath this strand.
• Carry on working along your hair line in this way until you have plaited along your front hairline. Finish off the ends by plaiting them together normally and then secure them with the small hair band. Clip the end of your plait under your hair or behind your ear if it reaches.
• This style looks fabulous worn with the rest of your hair in loose waves, which you can create using your hair-straighteners. See the blog on "How To Create Perfect Waves With Your Hair Straighteners"