Kate Middleton look-a-like hired to debut £170 version of the gown that catapulted Pippa to fame. Plus, why not dress your dog as Kate Middleton this Halloween?
Naturally groomed make-up
How to achieve naturally groomed make-up and the novelty of a hair comb.
THE BACKSTAGE SECRET NATURALLY GROOMED MAKE-UP
Of all the new season's palettes, the one that impressed me most was Dior's, which offers all the elements needed to create a bespoke groomed look. The blusher, foundation and lipstick all contain the same pigments, so that all three used together will match skin tones perfectly and make for the most natural, flattering make-up. There are eight Lip Blush shades (£22.50) from the Rouge Dior range, in two colour families - skin-cooling pinks and warming apricots - including Allegro Pink (741) and Diorama (066). Match with DiorBlush Glowing Colour Powder Blush (£28) and DiorSkin Forever foundation
THE NOVELTY HAIR COMB
This pretty electric-blue hair comb by Cherry Chau, studded with twinkling stones, is a joyous departure from the classic tortoiseshell and metal ones with pearls on, and it's all you need to accessorise a little black dress. Just wrap your hair up in a loose chignon (allow some tendrils to fall freely), and slide it in randomly at the side. £52, 020-7201 8439.
THE SCENT VERSACE YELLOW DIAMOND
Like a burst of sunlight, this fresh but creamy scent combines citrus notes with floral - it mixes pear sorbet with sparkling bergamot, neroli, freesia, mimosa and nymphea, on a base of ambery woods, musk and palo santo wood. It is a lovely reminder of warmer days. Eau de toilette, £45, boots.com .
BEST BUY KAMA JWALINI
Formulated with herbs processed in skin-conditioning coconut and sesame oils, with costus and cardamom, both used in Ayurveda as a treatment for irritated skin, this oil is unlike any other I've tried - as light and non-greasy as a serum, just more fluid. A drop goes a long way, and as soon as you apply it to your skin it sinks without trace. A tonic for a dry body; use sparingly. £14.99,
SHOP AWARDS
BeautyWorksWest was opened five years ago by Susie Rogers. As well as offering cutting-edge beauty treatments, Rogers has cherry-picked her favourite niche brands to sell in a slick boutique. So you will find Kahina Giving Beauty, Sjal, LA Science and Mai Couture here, along with a BWW capsule age-defying line, Youth, which includes this Food Supplement (£64), developed by the resident cosmetic doctor, Daniel Sister. 8-9 Lambton Place, London W11 (020-7221 2248; beautyworkswest.com ).
THE BACKSTAGE SECRET NATURALLY GROOMED MAKE-UP
Of all the new season's palettes, the one that impressed me most was Dior's, which offers all the elements needed to create a bespoke groomed look. The blusher, foundation and lipstick all contain the same pigments, so that all three used together will match skin tones perfectly and make for the most natural, flattering make-up. There are eight Lip Blush shades (£22.50) from the Rouge Dior range, in two colour families - skin-cooling pinks and warming apricots - including Allegro Pink (741) and Diorama (066). Match with DiorBlush Glowing Colour Powder Blush (£28) and DiorSkin Forever foundation
THE NOVELTY HAIR COMB
This pretty electric-blue hair comb by Cherry Chau, studded with twinkling stones, is a joyous departure from the classic tortoiseshell and metal ones with pearls on, and it's all you need to accessorise a little black dress. Just wrap your hair up in a loose chignon (allow some tendrils to fall freely), and slide it in randomly at the side. £52, 020-7201 8439.
THE SCENT VERSACE YELLOW DIAMOND
Like a burst of sunlight, this fresh but creamy scent combines citrus notes with floral - it mixes pear sorbet with sparkling bergamot, neroli, freesia, mimosa and nymphea, on a base of ambery woods, musk and palo santo wood. It is a lovely reminder of warmer days. Eau de toilette, £45, boots.com .
BEST BUY KAMA JWALINI
Formulated with herbs processed in skin-conditioning coconut and sesame oils, with costus and cardamom, both used in Ayurveda as a treatment for irritated skin, this oil is unlike any other I've tried - as light and non-greasy as a serum, just more fluid. A drop goes a long way, and as soon as you apply it to your skin it sinks without trace. A tonic for a dry body; use sparingly. £14.99,
SHOP AWARDS
BeautyWorksWest was opened five years ago by Susie Rogers. As well as offering cutting-edge beauty treatments, Rogers has cherry-picked her favourite niche brands to sell in a slick boutique. So you will find Kahina Giving Beauty, Sjal, LA Science and Mai Couture here, along with a BWW capsule age-defying line, Youth, which includes this Food Supplement (£64), developed by the resident cosmetic doctor, Daniel Sister. 8-9 Lambton Place, London W11 (020-7221 2248; beautyworkswest.com ).
Haute Halloween costume ideas
From Nicki Minaj to Baby Jane Hudson, give your Halloween costume a high fashion edge with these spooky-likey looks...
Lady Gaga by Alexander McQueen
There are few scarier than Lady Gaga, especially in this bondage outfit she donned for a spot of casual Christmas shopping last year. Get the look from one of her favourite labels, Alexander McQueen, and simply add dark blue lipstick.
The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz by Lanvin
Alber Elbaz conjured up the most beautiful witches we've ever seen for his autumn/winter 2011 Lanvin collection. All this look needs is green face-paint and a broom.
Dracula by Yves Saint Laurent
A gorgeous cape by YSL worthy of the magnificent Bela Lugosi himself. Just add fake blood and fangs.
Damien from The Omen by Dolce & Gabbana
All this Dolce & Gabbana look needs is a tie and a red tricycle.
Nina Sayers from Black Swan by Topshop
Natalie Portman's wacko ballet dancer was the stand-out scary lady of the year. This Topshop Unique tutu just needs lashings of black eye make-up to set it off.
Nicki Minaj by Pam Hogg
She's loud, she's brash, she's multi-coloured and her wardrobe can be scary. Brit designer Pam Hogg has the perfect ensemble to capture Nicki Minaj's signature 'more is more' look.
Baby Jane Hudson from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Rodarte
Rodarte's romantic lacy collection lends itself perfectly to child-star-with arrested development-turned-psychopath, Baby Jane Hudson, played by Bette Davis.
Catwoman from Batman Returns by Givenchy
If you fancy trying Catwoman, but aren't brave enough to go the full PVC catsuit, nod to the look with this PVC cat earloui hat by Givenchy.
Lucia Atherton from The Night Porter by Louis Vuitton
Dark sadomasochistic Nazi flick 'The Night Porter' was one of the references cited by Marc Jacobs for his autumn/winter 2011 Louis Vuitton collection. Get the look with one of their peak caps.
Melanie Daniels from The Birds by Calvin Klein Collection
Tippi Hedren's character, Melanie Daniels, from Hitchcok classic 'The Birds' was one of the most stylish '60s heroines, even when she was being besieged by menacing feathered beasts.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs by Vivienne Westwood
Hannibal Lecter remains one of the most terrying villains of all time, never more so thhn in his hockey mask and straightjacket. Take make-up cues from Vivienne Westwood's autumn/winter 2011 show.
Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians by Topshop
Even though Cruella De Vil never actually got to make her coat out of puppies in Disney classic '101 Dalmatians', Topshop Unique dreamed up the perfect finished article for their show.
Lady Gaga by Alexander McQueen
There are few scarier than Lady Gaga, especially in this bondage outfit she donned for a spot of casual Christmas shopping last year. Get the look from one of her favourite labels, Alexander McQueen, and simply add dark blue lipstick.
The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz by Lanvin
Alber Elbaz conjured up the most beautiful witches we've ever seen for his autumn/winter 2011 Lanvin collection. All this look needs is green face-paint and a broom.
Dracula by Yves Saint Laurent
A gorgeous cape by YSL worthy of the magnificent Bela Lugosi himself. Just add fake blood and fangs.
Damien from The Omen by Dolce & Gabbana
All this Dolce & Gabbana look needs is a tie and a red tricycle.
Nina Sayers from Black Swan by Topshop
Natalie Portman's wacko ballet dancer was the stand-out scary lady of the year. This Topshop Unique tutu just needs lashings of black eye make-up to set it off.
Nicki Minaj by Pam Hogg
She's loud, she's brash, she's multi-coloured and her wardrobe can be scary. Brit designer Pam Hogg has the perfect ensemble to capture Nicki Minaj's signature 'more is more' look.
Baby Jane Hudson from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Rodarte
Rodarte's romantic lacy collection lends itself perfectly to child-star-with arrested development-turned-psychopath, Baby Jane Hudson, played by Bette Davis.
Catwoman from Batman Returns by Givenchy
If you fancy trying Catwoman, but aren't brave enough to go the full PVC catsuit, nod to the look with this PVC cat earloui hat by Givenchy.
Lucia Atherton from The Night Porter by Louis Vuitton
Dark sadomasochistic Nazi flick 'The Night Porter' was one of the references cited by Marc Jacobs for his autumn/winter 2011 Louis Vuitton collection. Get the look with one of their peak caps.
Melanie Daniels from The Birds by Calvin Klein Collection
Tippi Hedren's character, Melanie Daniels, from Hitchcok classic 'The Birds' was one of the most stylish '60s heroines, even when she was being besieged by menacing feathered beasts.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs by Vivienne Westwood
Hannibal Lecter remains one of the most terrying villains of all time, never more so thhn in his hockey mask and straightjacket. Take make-up cues from Vivienne Westwood's autumn/winter 2011 show.
Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians by Topshop
Even though Cruella De Vil never actually got to make her coat out of puppies in Disney classic '101 Dalmatians', Topshop Unique dreamed up the perfect finished article for their show.
Topshop's Christmas 2011 collection part 1
Wrap up and stay chic with the high street favourite's new offerings for the festive season.
Topshop's Christmas 2011 collection part 2
Topshop's Christmas 2011 collection part 2
5 Fast Fixes For Dark Under-Eye Circles
Dark circles under eyes plague most of us at some time or another, and they're a chronic issue for lots of people. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to give raccoon eyes a temporary lift. To see how you can brighten up your peepers in a flash, just keep reading.
- Black tea bags — Tea of any kind reduces inflammation and helps decongest the sinus area (which can be a dark circle factor). Heavily caffeinated tea is also a vasoconstrictor, so it shrinks the veins that are visible through your skin.
- Gentle massage — Everyone recommends cucumbers for puffy, dark eyes, but gently massaging the area (with the help of oil or lotion) is another spa trick that can work wonders. Just use a gentle circular motion around your eyes, moving from your under eyes up past your nose and then back around.
- Hydration — Dark circles look much worse when your skin is dried out, both because it makes your skin even thinner and because the texture just looks less healthy in general. So use oil or a heavy-duty cream, and instead of rubbing it in, let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes to plump up your skin.
- Arnica — This herb is known for helping with bruising and muscle soreness because it reduces inflammation and ups circulation, both of which help flush out retained water and low-oxygen blood that give eyes a bruised, puffy look.
- Raw potato — If your dark circles are from pigmentation, not visible veins or thin skin, using raw potato on them is a great way to temporarily lighten up. Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase that, when exposed to air, oxidizes into a benzoquinone derivative, a gentler relative of common skin lightener hydroquinone.
Nail It This Halloween With a Candy Corn Manicure
Nothing says Halloween quite like candy corn, but, in lieu of loading up on the sugary treats, save your gastronomic health with this fun, impressive candy corn manicure. The best part about it is that there's no right or wrong way to achieve it. Experiment with color placement (I made mine gradiate from orange to yellow to white instead of the traditional yellow to orange to white) or thickness of layers (try tapering each color for a more realistic effect). Want to get your candy (corn) on? Learn how to nail it now.
The Finished Product
After you've thoroughly allowed the polish to dry, peel away the strips to uncover your candy corn manicure.
Variations:
Variations:
- Use glitter polishes to add an element of sparkle. Just make sure the shades are still opaque so that the color remains bold.
- Create a runway-inspired double half-moon manicure using candy corn colors.
- Use the same "striped" technique for other holidays and festive events, such as football games, Easter, and the like.
Hello, Yellow
Start by applying an opaque yellow nail polish on the nails. I used Sally Hansen Lightening ($5). Note: allow the polish to dry completely (even a day if necessary) before moving onto the next step.
Orange Crush
Paint the bottom portion of the nail an orange shade, such as Sinful Colors in Courtney Orange ($2), pictured here. Use the strips as your guide, and don't worry if a little polish spills over onto the strips.
White Out
Now paint the top portion of your nail an opaque white hue, using the strips as your guides. For this look, I swept on Sinful Colors Snow Me White ($2).
The White Stripes
Next, cut 10 adhesive strips into a width about one-third of the size of each nail beds, and apply them right to the center of the nails. (I used white computer labels for demonstration purposes.) For a cleaner finish, transparent tape is the best option. Just be sure to press the strips down firmly so that they're flush to the nails.