Bejazzled Beauty!

If you’re gonna be splashing out on a fancy new outfit for those festive parties why not indulge in some sparkly beauty treats too? At this time of the year the cosmetics counters are packed with tons of gorgeous glistening lip glosses, shimmery eye shadows, luscious liquid liners as well as an endless airy of glossy nail polishes. So let your face glow and glisten this party season with the return of party proof gorgeous make-up. Here are a few of our fav products to try out:

Eyes were once described in the film ‘House Bunny’ as “the nipples of the face”. Now that may be a bit of an odd description but there’s no denying that it is all in the eyes. To ensure your peepers are looking their most gorgeous try out some of these fantastic and surprising cheap shadows by 17 available at Boots.

17 Eye Dazzle, £3.99, Boots

17 Solo Glitter Eyeshadow, £1.71, Boots

Or if you’re feeling flush we recommend MAC’s Paint pot.  At £13.00 it’s rather pricey but it’s a perfect treat for smooth on - stay on beauty! Comes in a variety of colours but we love this one:

Paint Pot, £13, MAC

Also try out Barry M’s glittertastic mascaras and eye-crayons. Perfect to accompany those shimmery shadows.

Glitter Lashes, £4.99, Barry M

Eye Crayon, £4.59, Barry M 

And we’ve all been there when disaster strikes as our beautifully big falsies fall off half-way through the evening. But try these; they claim to last from “dusk til dawn”. For a fiver they must be worth a go!

Eyelashes, £5, Boots

To create the most kissable pout this season slap on one of these from Avon. There are so many colours too choose from in each range with prices starting from just £5.00.

Lipstick, £6, Avon

Lip Shimmer, £6.50, Avon 

Lipgloss, £7, Avon 

But it’s not all about the face, nails too are a key part of the party look and these glittery nail paints from Barry M are perfect and a great bargain at £2.99!

Nail Paint, £2.99, Barry M

And finally for that little extra special something why not puff your body in Barry M’s shimmer powder? The twinkling lights will be beaming off you all night!

Face and Body Shimmer Powder, £7.99, Barry M

By Kelly Hollidge

How To Look Good On A Cold Night In Your Skates

Yes, it’s that time of year again. You know - when the nights are getting even colder and even more Christmassy and you think how much fun ice-skating will be with all your mates. And you’re not wrong. It is great. But if you’re like us, you always regret trying to look too stylish and end up absolutely freezing or you try too hard to keep warm and end up looking like your Aunty Pat on the Christmas day walk! So what with most of London’s ice rinks opening up pretty soon (see list below) we thought we’d put together some ideal ice-skating outfits comprised of our pick of this season’s finest outer wear. Aren’t we nice? You’d better get your skates on (sorry we had pun overload and had to fit one in!) and head to the high street to snap up these bargains and ensure you look snuggly but sexy rather than cold or old this winter!

First up is this camel duffle which is the perfect blend of cosy and stylish. The fluffy fleece-lined hood is bang on trend and will keep you warm and dry and the cute heart detail adds a little something extra. It’s on sale too so hurry hurry hurry! Team with H&M dusty pink snood; there’s nothing like a snood to keep you warm on a crisp winter’s evening.

Duffle, Very.co.uk

Snood, £4.99 H&M

Also from Very.co.uk is this super sexy military trench. The shape and cut is uber flattering and will look even better with leather look leggings and these fantastic stud detailed gloves from Matalan.

Military coat, Very.co.uk

Stud gloves, Matalan

This shearing waterfall jacket from New Look looks so warm and snuggly you won’t want to take it off. It comes in 4 gorgeous colours. This deep red hat and scarf set from H & M would go great with the chestnut one.

£29.99, New Look



£7.99, H&M

Capes are in (as featured in Roar’s Oct issue of course!) and we have fallen in love with this designer looking camel military cape. We really couldn’t believe it’s available on the high street! Team with these chocolate arm warmers, also Dotty P’s.

£65, Dorothy Perkins



£10, Dorothy Perkins

A leather bomber is a must for those biker chic fashionistas and this one from New Look is a complete bargain at £39.99. Team with possibly the cutest thing we have ever seen – this panda hooded scarf-  for cute meets racy and voila you’re the hottest thing at the rink (including the hot mulled wine)! 



New Look

£32.99, River Island

Oh and these are simply the most amazing things we have seen in a long time, or quite possibly ever! Add some high glamour to the ice rink with these beauties. Team with virtually any jacket or coat, they are far too fabulous to miss out on for only £3.50! 

Matalan

And here’s our pick of THE places to go skating in your new outfits. Check out these dates, prices and special events:

Somerset House
Natural History Museum
Hyde Park, Winter Wonderland
London Eye
Westfield Shopping Centre
Canary Wharf

by Kelly Hollidge

'Copy Cat' XFactor Outfits

You may not be as addicted to the show as some of us (our Saturday evenings now involve XFactor parties and nothing else!) but even if you don’t know the names of every single contestant then you are sure to have at least seen some of the outfits hitting the headlines. Judges, contestants and celebrity performers alike have been showcasing the newest styles, creating the latest crazes and wearing the most gorgeous couture evening wear - oh, and some of them have been sporting more unusual looks (ahem, Katie!). So it’s no surprise that the high-street hasn’t been far behind those Xfactor fashionistas and now we can get their looks for less! Here’s a few that caught our eye:

Ms Cole’s simply stunning floor length pastel pink dress can be found here on goddiva.co.uk for just £35.00. Ok it may not be the exact one she wore but we really can’t tell the difference.

Danni’s shimmery one shoulder number has not only been modelled by the ProjectD designer on XFactor but has also been seen on a host of other celebs across the country. You too can look red carpet worthy with this beauty from Lipsy coming in at £50.00

Kylie wore a super mini scarlet number when she performed on the show and as a result made the headlines - so will you when you rock those festive parties in these similar styles!

£40 from Goddiva.co.uk

£50 from Topshop (Editor's Note: Phwoar! WANT IT)

 Simon may have likened Cheryl to a sweet wrapper when she stepped out in this colour block mini but we absolutely love it. Lipsy offer a similar version (see here) so we can too look like a very chic Quality Street! £60.00.

Ms Minogue oozes glamour and sophistication in this figure hugging corsage detailed dress. You won’t quite believe your eyes when you see this almost identical design for just £20.00.

Rebecca Ferguson looked drop dead gorgeous in this sensational Maxi. The good news is it’s available in Topshop, the earth shatteringly bad news is that it costs a whopping £400! And there are only 50 available. Boo Hoo!

Oh and Cheryl’s now world famous Wolford bondage tights have completely sold out (sad face) but keep checking here for information on more stock, they seem to know when new stock is arriving! They won’t break the bank either at £35.00.

By Kelly Hollidge

Street Style 1

It's getting colder, wetter, darker and generally more gloomy, which mostly makes us want to reach for the remote and stay firmly attached to our duvets. But every cloud has a silver lining: this bitter weather is the perfect excuse to showcase a beautiful winter coat.

Amy Marks, King's College London Chaplaincy Assistant, wears a River Island coat.

Photo by Angharad Mead

Newsflash: Festive Jumpers Are In!

It’s November already and we can’t help but be more than excited by the influx of
festive themed jumpers appearing across our high street stores. It looks like finally
the days where Christmas knitwear was considered completely lame (poor Bridget
Jones!) are a thing of the past and here are the days when those woolly delights are
not only cool but they have become the must have winter warmer! So it may be a bit
early (although really it isn’t as we’ve been all Christmassy since September!) but
here are our pick of the best fairisle knits. Team these jumpers and cardies with dark
skinnies or really thick tights under dresses with chunky scarfs and fluffy Uggs for
a fabulous festive look!

The pretty lace detail adds a little extra something to this festive reindeer sweater, £38.00, Topshop

Soon to be hitting Primark stores is this gorgeous monochrome jumper dress. We
cannot wait to get our fluffy mitts on this one! Coming soon, Primark

A jumper with a Christmas tree and reindeers, what more could a girl ask for in her
winter cosy?! £30.00, Next

Everyone needs a cardie and this fairilse themed red knit is a must have for the
festive season. Also comes in white and in blue. £24.99, New Look

At £18 this festive knit is a bargain! We love Love Label!
 (Love Label at Littlewoods)

This uber kitsch baby blue jumper dress is as cute as a button and would look fab
with a pair of snuggly gloves and chunky cream scarf. £24.99, New Look

By Kelly Hollidge

Our Top 5 London Christmas Shopping Destinations

London has been quite rightly dubbed one of the best places to shop in the world.
However its amazingness can be rather daunting for even the most ruthless
fashionistas. It can feel as though you are, to use the phrase, “spoilt for choice”
especially when deciding where to start your Christmas shopping.

Here to help you out is our list of the top 5 shopping destinations in our capital. So
take a deep breath, don’t panic, you’ve still got bags of time, and make sure you
head to one of these top shopping havens to buy all your pressies this Christmas!

Fifth place goes to: Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

If you live anywhere north of Camden and cannot face heading into central then
head a little bit further north for Brent Cross. This indoor shopping centre has all
of the usual high street hits plus two massive department stores packed full of
Christmas gift ideas; John Lewis and Fenwicks. This place is perfect for an all in one
all day shop. You can buy all your family’s presents plus pick yourself up a gorgeous
outfit for the party season too! A bonus is free parking too if you drive. Nearest
Tube; Brent Cross.

In at fourth place it's Portobello Market, a place for the cooler fashionistas out
there! Not only will you most probably spot a few celebs drinking and dining in one
of the bistros and bars but you can also pick up some amazing vintage, quirky and
truly special gifts. Running on Saturdays and Sundays this market does get pretty
packed but is worth it for unique gifts with a little something extra. Nearest Tube;
Notting Hill Gate.

Third place goes to Covent Garden. This is probably the prettiest place to shop in
London. With beautiful buildings and cutesy cobbled stone footpaths this is definitely
the place to take out of towners on their Christmas shopping visits to London. It is
ideal for gift shopping with little independent stores and stallls in the market centre.
Also just a stone’s throw away is Neal Street with lots of make-up branches such as
Benefit and Mac, another great gift destination for mums, sisters and your besties!
Nearest Tube; Covent Garden, but this gets completely rammed on weekends so go
for Leicester Square, it’s only a 3 minute walk away.

Westfields Shopping Centre comes in at second place and if you can’t handle
the crowds this is the perfect place to do your Christmas shopping with relative
peace and harmony in London during November and December. Always opt for an
afternoon, say Tuesday, for the least amount of fuss. The centre also offers a range
of designer boutiques if you want to splash the cash as well as great gadget stores
and a surprisingly wide range of guy stores so if you’re stuck on what to get the men
in your life this is where you need to go. Nearest tube, Shepherds Bush or Wood
Lane.

First place can go to Oxford Street. Ok so it may get completely rammed, and yes
the tourists do like to stand right in front of you but apart from that it really is basically
perfect. You’ve got Selfridges, great for gifts and everyone loves those little yellow
bags! The food hall there too is perfect for the foody lovers in your family. Primark
is a must for cheaper than chips party outfits and let’s not forgot the humongous
Topshop! During December they always hold a weekend of car free shopping too so
there might be a little more room to walk about. Be warned though, we did say a
little! Nearest Tube; Oxford Circus but this tends to shut when overcrowded, Bond
Street station is in the middle of Primark and Topshop, ideal!

By Kelly Hollidge