Form an Aura Que

A brand we think will be big in 2010 is the young AURA QUE. Launched in 2008 by Laura Queening following the success of her graduate collection at the prestigious Drapers Awards in 2007, AURA QUE combines style and design with ethical production methods.

Laura Queening graduated from Cordwainers at London College of Fashion in 2007, with First Class Honours in BA (Hons) Fashion Product: Accessories. She has worked for Charlott Vasberg, Stori Sac and DKNY and has also taken on various freelance design projects for the UK high street and designer market, currently producing a range of Reworked Bags for Oxfam made from unwanted leather jackets.

After winning the Drapers Student Accessories Designer of the Year 2007, Laura took the opportunity to set up her own company. Focussing on fair trade production in Nepal having lived there in 2003, the launch of AURA QUE enabled Laura to combine her passion for design with her ethical principles. All AURA QUE materials are sourced in Nepal and created directly in the country with local producers, in conjunction with The Nepal Fair Trade Group and in accordance with IFAT fair trade guidelines.

Laura’s designs for the Spring ’10 collection incorporate a range of natural fabrics and neutral colours forming the basis for items that can be worn time and again. Timeless design, good quality fabric and well made pieces make up this collection which offers the perfect antidote for the fast fashion of today.

Local materials are used wherever possible in the collection, such as Allo hemp produced from a Himalayan plant, handmade brass fittings, natural textured Lokta paper and the traditional woven cloth. The leather used is 100 per cent high quality cowhide leather sourced as a by-product of the food industry.

Currently up to 50% discounts are being offered on bags, small leathergoods and purses. For the AURA QUE Online Boutique go to http://www.shop.auraque.com/.

Get organised for 2010

So Christmas is out of the way and there’s only a few days left ‘til 2010 is upon us. Whilst Granny snoozes and the kids are distracted with the new Avatar game, why not take the opportunity to organise yourself ahead of the new year.

Transferring numbers, addresses, birthdays and appointments into new diaries and organisers takes time that will undoubtedly slip away come January. So if Santa didn’t realise you’d be turning over a new leaf this decade, here are some gorgeous items that’ll make you want to look like you need to check your diary, even if you don’t.

Aqua Raindrops ivory notebook £11.99

This notebook from the Paperblanks Lyon Floras collection draws inspiration from a striking pattern featuring elements from the natural world. Inticate, lush foliage and flowers were hand -painted or block printed on paper to create this master pattern dating from the 1860's.

www.beautifulnotebooks.co.uk

Lotus diary £14.95

Lotus Midi Week-at-a-Time Dayplanner comes in an exotic floral design that forms a beautiful relief on the cover. With two ribbon page markers, a pocket for mementos, and a removable address book, function is combined with esprit.

www.waterstones.com

Shining gems address book £9.95

This address book will be a joy to carry with you and will make even the messiest desk look good. With uniquely shaped “thumb cut” pages angled to make turning the page part of the fun, they also feature a memento pouch that completes the package.

www.thebookmarkshop.com

iPhone 3GS

Or for the more tech-savvy gadget-girls amongst us: the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet features video recording, Voice Control and up to 32GB of storage. The first thing you’ll notice about iPhone 3GS is how quickly you can launch applications. Web pages render in a fraction of the time, and you can view email attachments faster. Improved performance and updated 3D graphics deliver an incredible gaming experience, too. In fact, everything you do on iPhone 3GS is up to 2x faster and more responsive than iPhone 3G.www.apple.com/uk/iphone/iphone-3gs

Winter Wonders

Great beauty buys this week...

The Lavera Body Peeling Scrub with luffa and jojoba removes dead skin cells, buffing up your body leaving it silky soft and radiant. With a subtle fragrance, infused with almond and peppermint it is kind and nourishing to the skin. Free from any chemical nasties this rough scrub leaves skin smooth and clean, also the perfect base for tan, which at this time of year is a must! £6.80 available from freetoexplorebeauty.co.uk.

The No7 Colour Calming Primer in Lavender with its creamy formulation, will enhance the complexion and with its stiff consistency provides the perfect make-up base to help your foundation last longer. The Lavender shade neutralises yellowness in sallow or dull complexions, illuminating your skin and reducing oil break outs. £10.75 from Boots.com

Blend the three shades of the revolutionary No7 Trio Concealer to create the prefect combination to match your skin tone. The yellow base tone is great for counteracting darker under eye shadows and the darker and lighter shades can cover up spots and highlight contours on the face. £10.75 Boots.com

The Bach Rescue Balm should be in every girls (and boys) bag this winter. Infused with flower essences this beauty balm provides protection from chapping, dry lips. Plus it can be applied to temples to soothe and relax. £5.75 from Holland & Barrett and Boots.

New to the UK is a range of gorgeously fragrant high performance hair care from Sweden called REF. Enriched with Tamanu Oil an aromatic nut oil from the South Pacific to improve firmness and smoothness and Silk Proteins to strengthen and restore hair back to health improving elasticity and coating hair to prevent split ends. The REF Colour Treatment is a high performance masque specifically designed to extend the lifespan of coloured hair, protect against UV radiation and helps to make hair soft and shiny. £13.40 from Salons nationwide and hairtec.com

Gifts Galore...

9 Days to go til the big ho ho ho... If you're struggling to find a gift, here's a few more ideas...

No7 Skin and Bodycare Bag £25
The Sanctuary Spa Ultimate Oasis £20
Fresh Sweet Smoothie Treat £10

All Boots.

Redder than Rudolf?

Shu Uemura's Base Control is one of the brand's signature products and is perfect for these cold winter months. This genius little creation is applied under foundation to reduce dullness, redness and even out the skin tone.

There are four blending and highlighting shades - silver, gold, bronze, and white - which can be mixed with foundation to enhance glow and smooth texture. There are also two correcting shades available in green and purple which cleverly use lighting technology to optically correct the way we see red. These are worn under foundation and are perfect for correcting any flaws whilst helping make-up to stay in place for longer.

At this time of year when the cold weather bites and all outer extremities turn a bright shade of Rudolf red, we're lucky to have found a product that really works. Thumbs up from (what was) the reddest deer in town!

Available from £15 at select UK retailers or online at http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/.

Bulldog becomes UK's first cruelty free brand for men

Men! (Or ladies buying for men) Do you want a moisturiser that hasn't been tested on animals? If so then look no further as Bulldog has become the UK's first cruelty-free male grooming brand to be recognised and approved by BUAV (British Union for Abolition of Vivisection) under their Humane Cosmetics Standard.

Born out of frustration that there were no options available for switched-on men who wanted to reduce the number of man-made chemicals in their bathrooms, Bulldog's products also don't contain controversial man-made chemicals such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours, or synthetic fragrances.

Bulldog Co-Founder, Simon Duffy, said: "I'm delighted that Bulldog is the first male grooming brand to be recognised by the BUAV. Consumers deserve to know that the products that they use are cruelty free." Bulldog is now calling on other brands such as L'Oreal Men Expert, Nivea For Men and Gillette to follow its example and make their own positions clear.

Founded in 2006 by Simon Duffy and Rhodri Ferrier, Bulldog has gone from strength to strength and now boasts a comprehensive men’s range of grooming products including an anti-aging moisturiser, a facial scrub and sensitive shave gel.

For more information visit http://www.meetthebulldog.com/.

Gifts Galore...

Cute retro packaging and bursts of watermelon and pink grapefruit for only £15. This Spa Paradisa tropical sensation shower set includes body cream, exfoliating shower wash and bath lily. Debenhams.com

Dove pro-age is a huge hit with the ladies already, so get granny something you know she'll like for a pocket friendly £7.50. Boots.com

And on our wish list... Burts Bees Polka Dot Perfect Mani-Pedi £20 from Boots.com £20.

Gifts Galore...

With the Christmas clock ticking we are going to provide a December full of treats...

Today... the natural, pure way...

For a natural treat that's luxurious and guilt free invest in the divine WILD organics. Derived from fresh lime, white willow, red clover and mellow peppermint, these 99% natural products are free from harmful chemicals but still leave skin feeling clean and invigorated. The fruity line up includes washes, scrubs and lotions to pamper the skin, and 10% of sales goes to charity. Available from QVC, prices from £12.50.

Lily Allen announces break from music to set up fashion boutique

Pop princess Lily Allen has announced in an interview with Radio 1's Sara Cox that she will be taking a break from making music to set up a fashion boutique.

Lily confirmed that her last gig before the planned sabbatical will be with Dizzee Rascal concert at the O2 in March 2010. It seems that the singer aims to turn over a new leaf, she wants to “stop being so hypocritical”, to reduce her online presence and start leading a ‘neo-luddite’ lifestyle.

That’s not to say she’ll be putting her feet up and relaxing all day long; Lily and her sister plan to launch Lucy in Disguise, a fashion rental store in which designer clothes will be hired-out to the public at a fraction of the price they would cost to buy.

Talking of her new venture, Lily said: "It's about getting really nice clothes but letting people rent them for affordable prices so they can go out and feel like a million dollars and it won't cost them a million dollars."

Lily has also announced that she will be setting up her own small-scale record label in which she wants to provide support for emerging artists.

It’s not clear which venture will take priority; however for Lily Allen fans it’s fair to say there will be a long wait before she releases any new material.

To listen to the full interview, click here.

Beat the budget; it’s offers galore!

It’s December, it’s nearly Christmas, is anyone else biting their nails over the budget? Of course we’re not talking about the one that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are banging heads over, but if we were we’d be high fiving one and other as we’ve found 20 excellent deals to see us through to next payday.

1. Up to 20% off in The Gift Spectacular until Thursday 3^rd December and Free Delivery at Debenhams today (enter SHC5 at the checkout).

2. 25% off Home and Gift orders at Laura Ashley Wednesday 9th December (enter 19AG at the checkout).

3. 25% off in-store and online at Monsoon until Monday 7th December (enter MON25 at the checkout or download voucher here and take in-store).

4. 20% off orders at Wallis until Wednesday 2nd December (enter VCP20 at the checkout).

5. £10 off orders over £75 at ASOS until Sunday 13th December (enter STEALLATER at the checkout).

6. 10% off menswear orders at ASOS until Thursday 3^rd December (enter ASOSMANTREAT at the checkout).

7. 10% off orders at Buyagift until Sunday 6^th December (enter vcodesuk10 at the checkout).

8. £5 off all Christmas orders over £25 at Buyagift until Thursday 31^st December (enter xmas5 at the checkout).

9. £10 off all Christmas orders over £100 at Buyagift until Thursday 31^st December (enter xmas10 at the checkout).

10. 50% off classic and continental chocolates at Thorntons until Friday 4^th December (enter VC19 at the checkout).

11. £5 off orders over £50 at GAME until Sunday 6^th December (enter VCCOUK50 at the checkout).

12. 12% off orders plus Free Delivery and Returns at Boden until Thursday 10^th December (enter LN1Q at the checkout).

13. 13% off orders at Red Letter Days (enter VCODES13 at the checkout).

14. Save up to 50% on fragrances at Amazon until Thursday 10^th December, visit the website for more information.

15. 5% off all orders over £30 at Feel Unique until Wednesday 16th December (enter XMAS2009 at the checkout).

16. Free Delivery on orders over £75 at Liberty until Thursday 31^st December (enter VCCOUKDEL at the checkout).

17. 10% off Christmas Gifts over £15 at Hotel Chocolat until Wednesday 23rd December (enter VCXMAS09 at the checkout).

18. 20% off online orders at Peacocks until Saturday 5th December (enter NOV20OFF at the checkout).

19. Free Delivery and Luxury Gift Wrap at Myla until Tuesday 22^nd December (enter Mylafree at the checkout).

20. 15% off at Bagzontherun.com until Sunday 20^th December (enter botru at the checkout).

Wowza! Now don’t say we don’t give you anything!