Using the right tools is essential for creating the classic ‘smoky eye’ look, so to help you master it, No7 is giving away a free a No7 Smoky Eyes Brush Set with every purchase of No7 Extreme Length Mascara in Boots or on Boots.com between 19th May and 15th June 2010.
The set contains four essential brushes including Eye Shadow Brush, Shader Brush, Smudge Brush, Liner Brush, plus a simple step-by-step guide explaining how to work up the smoky eyes look with ease.
The gift set is available from Boots stores nationwide and Boots.com while stocks last.
Macmillan Cancer Support have partnered with New Look to create a limited edition t-shirt range geared towards festival goers.
From Bank Holiday Monday the new and exclusive Macmillan Rocks range of clothing will be in New Look stores across the country.
From every t-shirt, £3 (rrp £10 for men’s and £8 for women’s) and £1.50 from every bag (rrp £5) will go directly to Macmillan to help improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
We reckon the bright colours, light-hearted slogans and affordable prices will be a hit amongst teenagers, whether they’ve been to a festival or not.
The range follows in the footsteps of other fashion / charity collaborations such as Henry Holland for Trekstock and Jimmy Choo for Women for Women. But we can’t recall any other high street retailers doing something like this, so hats off to New Look.
John Frieda have added a new section on their Facebook page with a brand new competition to win a Frizz Ease Prize Pack full of John Frieda goodies and products. There's also a behind the scenes video and tips from the professionals too.
Matching Union Jack packaging and a divine fragrance combining cedarwood, lavender and patchouli organic essential oils, make this hair and body wash a real retro treat.
Plus, from every sale of both the Top To Toe Wash and Beautifully British Body Lotion Natural Empathy donates £2 to charity Help For Heroes.
This paraben, cruelty and synthetic free, natural beauty product is made small limited edition batches and is suitable for sensitive skin.
Celebrating all that is great about Britain, the Natural Empathy range is produced by the Stuckey family who live in Northumberland close to the Yellow Fields farm where the main ingredient, rape seed oil, is grown and pressed for the products.
Cold pressed extra virgin rape seed oil is the UK’s superior to olive oil. In fact it’s one of the most natural and healthy oils in existence - richer and more nutritive, easily absorbed and ultra-softening so it’s great for your skin.
The range is available online at www.naturalempathy.com and in The General Trading Company, Sloane Square, London.
The Top To Toe wash is £12 for 200ml and the Beautifully British luxury body lotion is £12 for 200ml.
To celebrate the first anniversary of No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum, No7 is offering customers the chance to purchase the No7 Protect & Perfect skincare range for only £31.00 (usually £62.50).
The set includes No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum, 30ml, No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream, 50ml and No7 Protect & Perfect Night Cream, 50ml.
Savvy shoppers will need to rush to the front of the queue as this offer is only available for a limited time, from 21st April until stocks last.
Available at larger Boots stores, or online at www.boots.com.
In celebration of Britain’s everyday fashion icons, Style Hunt is on the lookout for two of the trendiest females in six key regions who could give Cheryl, Sienna, or Rihanna a run for their money. Carefully selected by a Galaxy style panel, the lucky ladies will be joined by a shortlist of fellow fashionistas from across the country. The nation’s ‘Final 12’ will be announced on the 5th of May and will then go on to face the public vote.
The candidate with the highest number of votes wins a trip to New York and £5,000 to spend on the new season’s looks.
The competition is open to all girls over the age of 16. To enter, simply log on to www.galaxyfm.com.
On the ground will be the Galaxy Style Police – a mobile team searching for stylish girls on the High Street.
You can join them in this quest by uploading your photo spottings via Twitpic to @galaxyfm marking it #stylehunt. These pictures will be published on the Galaxy FM Facebook page at www.facebook.com/galaxyfmwhere people can tag their photo and then enter the competition.
There will also be Galaxy Style Stations situated in selected locations across the country where fashionistas can get their hair, makeup or nails done whilst their fellas are entertained with computer games.
The nominations close at 5pm on Thursday the 29th of April.
The laid-back pop singer’s collection features the 'Pixie Festival' look which showcases items best suited for day wear. This look includes a cropped denim waistcoat, white antique-lace tiered dress and a black strappy body.
The 'Pixie Party' fits in with Lipsy’s trademark look featuring items such as a leopard print strapless party dress, cream tiered strapless dress, a baby pink ballerina-style frock and a sexy – and tight-fitting – red leopard-print skirt.
Apparently Pixie has ditched her girl-next-door look opting for a more sexy and sophisticated image instead. But we won't be able to see the promotion pictures that, shot in Marbella, until the official launch next week.
Of her collaboration with Lipsy, Pixie said: ‘I have always been a big fan of Lipsy – I love what the brand stands for and I’m having great fun working with such a talented and creative team.’
Lipsy’s The Pixie Collection is available in all Lipsy stores nationwide and online from Wednesday 28 April.
With an ever-growing summer agenda, here at Fashion Victim HQ we’re becoming a tad concerned about how to afford all this frivolity.
Thankfully there is help at hand and it comes in the form of vintage money boxes from Dot Com Gift Shop. When we saw these we couldn’t help thinking how nice they’d be to put pennies in. With quirky vintage designs and handy incentivising prompts, you’ll be constantly reminded to offload your change and to save it not spend it.
The ‘Home Sweet Home’ design is right up our street (excuse the terrible pun) but we noticed it’s sadly not quite big enough for the housing prices of today. 'It’s the pennies that make the pounds' as they say, and quite right they are too. We've all got to start somewhere right?
For those of you that didn’t manage to get Glastonbury tickets (our hearts go out to you) there is still a chance to attend the legendary festival.
Each year there is a contest to designthe official Festival T-shirt and this year is no different. The competition will be judged by Michael Eavis and has just gone live so it’s time to get designing.
The winner will receive two tickets to the festival and a cheque for £1,000. But as its Glastonbury’s 40th anniversary, competition is likely to be high. We’re hoping this will mean a high calibre of original designs as we’re looking forward to purchasing a t-shirt of our own to mark the occasion.
The deadline for entries is May 1st and designs need to be sent to Glastonbury T-shirt Competition, Q, Mappin House, 4 Winsley Street, LondonW1W 8HF.
Head over to www.Qthemusic.com for full Terms & Conditions. The 2009 winner is pictured below.
Add anticipation and turning up the heat on the competition, the almost-full Glastonbury line-up was released today. Just some of the acts performing are: Stevie Wonder, The XX, Chromeo, Dizzee Rascal, Snoop Dogg, Seasick Steve, Muse, Florence and the Machine, Hot Chip, Phoenix, Groove Armada, Bonobo, LCD Soundsystem, Orbital, Simian Mobile Disco and MGMT.
Today we’ve discovered ALIVESHOES, an interesting project that crosses the boundary between contemporary art and fashion. Using shoes that look a little like the Puma First Round sneakers, artists have created unusual installations, sculptures and stories. They’ve also created unique and wearable footwear, that look set to achieve cult status.
The project brings together artistic expression, fashion and sustainability, whilst enabling everyday people to participate by buying the shoes used in each artist's work.
Artists from around the world have used a specific number of ALIVESHOES in the creation of each work of art. Each pair is given a unique identification number and a copy of the artist's original sketch is stitched inside the tongue of each shoe. When the artist has completed their work, the installation is deconstructed and each shoe is prepared for distribution.
Created with the knowledge and traditions of shoemaking passed down in Italy's Marche region, the trainers promise excellent quality. ALIVESHOES are also made from sustainable materials. Untreated organic cotton, leather and cork are used for the upper part of the shoe, whilst ecologically scented foam rubber and fully biodegradable TPU polyurethane is used for the sole. To minimise the environmental impact even further, all leather is hand-coloured ensuring there's no additional waste.
What’s more is that ALIVESHOES believe you should add your own value and set your own price when buying. By choosing a fair price for the trainers you wish to buy, you're helping to create new artwork in the future as well as supporting non-profit organisations.
The general public can even get involved by submitting their own sketch ideas for art installations using the shoes. You don’t have to be an artist, a sculptor or a curator – every sketch is considered. Feeling creative?
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube groups have been created to let people share their views and ideas about the project. Using social media the brand is connecting people with the artists as well as with other people who’ve bought the shoes.
What do you think? Would you wear these trainers? If so, how much would you be willing to pay?
It’s hard to put a price on both art and eco-friendly goods, so we wonder how this will be reflected in sales. I’d certainly feel bad offering a price that’s too low for them to cover their costs, but would they sell the shoes for anything less than they are worth - or would they send me an email back saying ‘thanks but no thanks’ or ‘haha, try again love’?
Either way we think these shoes are going to cause a bit of a stir. We love the concept and we certainly want a pair. In white or canary yellow? Maybe both. Check out the promotional videohere.
Seven Dials, Covent Garden’s hidden village will be hosting an exclusive shopping evening on Thursday 29thApril, offering savvy shoppers 20% off at participating stores and venues.
Starting at 5pm with specially extended opening hours until 9pm, the evening is the perfect opportunity to bag key pieces for summer without battling through the craziness of the high street.
The event will include popular Seven Dials stores from urban flagships, fashion boutiques, beauty emporiums and award-winning salons. Many Seven Dials eateries are also taking part, so shoppers can make an evening of it and go for dinner as well.
Top tip: Lookout for Seven Dials branded staff throughout the course of the evening, as they will be pouncing on lucky individuals at random to present them with a Seven Dials goodie bag.
In order to qualify for 20% off, shoppers will need an official voucher,which can be used repeatedly throughout the course of the evening at as many participating stores and venues as desired. To register for the Seven Dials Shopping Evening voucher, go to www.sevendials.co.uk/standard where you can also find a list of participating retailers.
Just a few of the establishments taking part include:
Fashion: All Saints, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, Fenchurch, Office, Nike, Firetrap, Birkenstock, Unconditional+, Pepe Jeans, Fred Perry, MINT vintage, Super Superficial, Volcom, Miss Sixty, Poste Mistress, Fifi Wilson, Miss La La’s Boudoir.
Lifestyle: Miller Harris, Ahava, Benefit, MAC, Adee Phelan Hairdressers, Sassoon Salon, Walk in Back Rub, Nickel Spa, Coco de Mer.
Food and entertainment: Box Bar, Brasserie Max in The Covent Garden Hotel, Detroit, Souk Medina, Cafe Pasta, Kitchen Italia, Candy Cakes, The Dial Bar and Restaurant at The Mountbatten Hotel.
So remember to save the date: Seven Dials Shopping Evening, Thursday 29th April, 5-9pm.
The sun is out, the sky is blue, it’s not quite summer but we don’t care! The desire to be outside is so great that it’s sent us all a bit giddy.
Pangs of excitement just thinking about summer holidays, festivals and Pimms in the sunshine can be felt almost everywhere.
Piggybacking the current enthusiasm for all-things outdoor related, we’re thinking of the summer essentials that you’ll use time and again over the next few months. Not going down the exfoliate-and-moisturise-legs route just yet (we’re really not ready for that right now – give us a week) we’re thinking more practical.
Picnics, beach visits, festivals, outdoor gigs, garden parties – you name it. We’ll be doing all very soon and what have we seen that will be a god-send at each of these events? A handy fold-up seat. Simple, practical and combined with the warm weather - more than enough to get us super excited about the summer.
We spotted the QuickSit at Love Eco and it’s a must have for SS10. It even comes in a bang-on-trend floral design!
Made in the UK from 100% recycled plastic, the QuickSit arrives neatly flat packed and ready to assemble in four easy steps. Voila! There you have a trendy and surprisingly sturdy little seat for multiple occasions.
Once you’re done with your QuickSit, it’s easily to fold away and even comes with a carry handle. Perfect! Now can someone tell us why we're still in front of a computer?
Some of you may already be familiar with Shop It To Me, a San Francisco born site founded by serial entrepreneur and avid sale shopper Charlie Graham. It’s a very popular online personal shopping service for clothing sales and today it launches in the UK.
We’re very excited by this. Tell us to get a life - but anything that scours over 100 retailers’ sale items to find what we want, in our size and at a discounted price has got to be a godsend. Less time spent searching these websites ourselves, more time enjoying the clothes!
With pretty much every high-street and designer brand you can think of, we can’t wait to start receiving our daily SaleMail from the site. We’ve opted for daily because we’re admittedly complete fashion fiends, but the less discerning might want to opt for weekly emails.
In our first instalment of discounted designer goodness we’ve been given the heads up on a gorgeous Vivienne Westwood silk print skirt for £50, a sexy pair of size 6 snakeskin courts from Karen Millen at £64 and an Antik Batik embellished shoulder bag for £50 (all pictured). Bargains galore!
Now we have noticed there are a couple of glitches, despite stating specific sizes we’ve found some of the suggestions are only available in size 4’s or 18’s (NB not our measurements!). But considering the site launched today, this is bound to happen and will no doubt be ironed out over Easter.
Shop It To Me members also receive exclusive offers, discounts, promotion codes, free shipping codes and access to VIP sale events (which we’ll obviously be letting you know about) but to get it direct sign up here.
Mineral make-up has been around for a while and has fixed its position on make-up counters on every high-street. Said to be better for skin and give a longer lasting finish, the claims of mineral make-up stand up tall. However new brand, First Light has credentials that overshadow all other existing mineral cosmetics.
First Light was founded in 2009 by husband and wife team Gilles and Carolyn in Richmond, Surrey making it a native UK brand. The inspiration behind the company came initially from Carolyn, a British working mother, who wanted make-up that better reflected who she was as a woman and suited her life and values. She said:
“As a woman with a child, a husband and a career I have a busy lifestyle and am constantly multitasking. Multitasking is what I also want from the cosmetics that I use. For work I need a professional, groomed look to boost my confidence. At home and out and about with friends, I want to look more natural, yet still glamorous.
With traditional make-up, many women don't always look natural, their make-up often shows and it masks rather than compliments their natural beauty. Most cream based foundations are full of fillers such as talcum powder and preservatives. They give a weighted down and pore-clogged feeling, which combined with the fear of looking overly “made up”, makes many women forgo wearing foundation at all.
The issue with make-up today is that it doesn't deliver on the eclectic needs of today’s lifestyle.”
Carolyn was also tired of the “big” companies advertising using celebrities, extreme claims and incomprehensible chemical components. When Gilles stopped working in the corporate world last year, together the couple set out to create a new healthier, more wearable make-up range for women.
All the products in the range are made from minerals and the powders in the range are 100 per cent pure minerals. Mineral make up is luminous – brightening the face and the skin rather than looking matt or artificial. And the finely crushed minerals sit weightlessly on the skin.
The complete mineral content also means the range is free of chemicals and preservatives that are used to “fill out” many other cosmetics. 51 per cent of women admit to suffering from a skin complaint such as eczema or acne so using make-up made with natural ingredients means we know what we’re putting onto their skin isn’t going to irritate it in the same way.
The great thing about the range is that the minerals provide a wide ranging level of cover. They can be used wet or dry for a multitude of different effects and colours and products can be blended together.
We especially like the blusher that seems to release its illuminating properties when it touches the skin. It gives a lovely dewy glow without the need for a highlighter.
In total the First Light range encompasses 58 colours including 18 shades of foundation, eight blushers and 13 eye-shadows.
In additional to all of the above, because the range is natural it’s better for the environment and our health. What’s more is that even the packaging reflects the company morals and ethos. Make up comes in pretty woven bags which are made by disadvantaged women in Tanzania. The women get paid a fair wage for their work which helps them to integrate in society and encourage the development of their own commercial and social enterprise.
Available exclusively online from the First Light websitewhich offers women a colour matching guide and provides sample testers for only £1.50 including P&P. This is to ensure women are making the right colour choices for their skin tone - avoiding those annoying and costly mistakes we’ve all made in the past! The cost of up to three testers is redeemable against full price items and foundations, concealers, blushes, bronzers and perfect finish powders all come in tester sizes.
10 per cent off is also being offered for those who register. Visit the website for more details.
Florals are here for the summer but if girly prints aren’t your thing, don’t worry you can still indulge in the trend.
Still very feminine but with a stronger sexier edge, take a look at these rose-drenched throw-overs. One short, one long; one extremely reasonably priced, one with a tag to make your eyes water. We know which we prefer!
Get down to H&M quick to grab yourself a piece of the new Garden Collection. While you’re at it you can bask in the glory of bagging a high-street bargain.
As expected Claudia Schiffer looked great at the Kick Ass premiere on Monday night. Although to achieve that perfect finish she did have the help of A-list make-up artist Kay Montano. That’s right, even Claudia needs some help to look good.
For Claudia’s crystal clear, dewy glow Kay used myface.cosmetics mymix foundation (£12.99) with a touch of myface.cosmetics mymatch powder (£9.99) dusted over T-zone to prevent shine. For the healthy colour paradisio pink blush (£9.99) was swept in upward brush strokes over cheekbones and the smoky eyes were achieved using the midnight hour eye-shadow (£9.99) and lots of black mascara.
If you love the look and want to re-create it for yourself (minus the make-up artist) Boots are currently offering two items for £15 on ALL eye make-up. The offer starts today and ends on 21st April.
The myface.cosmetics website is also full of advice and tips to help you find the right shades to suit your skin tone. More useful than most other cosmetic websites, it’s definitely worth a look even if you’re not buying.
Online since Friday, new jewellery company Blossom is already proving extremely popular. It’s probably got something to do with the unusual and quirky pieces available from a selection of interesting designers.
Blossom, Bejewelled, Pinar, Rickson, Day Defy and YuYu are the brands and designers you can find on-site. Some items are completely exclusive to Blossom so it’s definitely worth a look – you’ll find some of these gems nowhere else.
After a quick glance, two pieces have planted themselves firmly on my wish-list:
The Big Rose Ring by Bejewelled £25.10
Mirror & Brush Pendant Necklace by Day Defy £35.80
The best bit is that you get 20 per cent off your first order, free delivery and a free gift. What are you waiting for?!
Mother's Day Spa Escape at The Sanctuary (this includes a 25 minute treatment or Hammam Rasul, an assiette of mini desserts and a glass of pink Prosecco as well as a
Sanctuary Spa gift worth £20!) £99pp
I’ll never forget the day I found an immaculate Versus Versace dress in a charity shop for £3.50. What a find. The geometric monochrome print and great design makes the piece timeless. It must be at least ten years old now but is still very much wearable.
An offshoot described as the ‘Rock n Roll soul’ of Versace, the Versus brand is one that resembles style, evolution and creativity. Despite the years and Christopher Kane relaunch, the brand knows what works and hasn’t erased its original ideas. I was then very pleased to see the geometric print reappearing on the box of the first Versus fragrance, launched this month.
With top notes of Kumquat, star apple and zesty lemon the scent is fresh and fruity, yet the orange flower, rose and patchouli undertones warm to the skin and cling onto clothes.
This is a lovely fragrance with gorgeous packaging proving good things come to those who wait. I usually stick to my favourite perfume of all, Narcisco Rodriguez, but the Versus scent is made for summer so I’m making room for another bottle on the shelf.
Whether it’s Avatar or Alice in Wonderland, 3D cinema is an experience that has upped its game in recent months and looks set to leave a long-lasting impression on the big screen.
Even the 3D glasses have had a makeover; now built to last longer than one movie outing and shaped to vaguely resemble the Ray Ban Wayfarer, these glasses have become an essential for movie goers. Much was the disappointment on my friends face when he realised he’d left his behind.
If leaving things behind in the cinema is a situation you’re familiar with, we’ve found a solution that just made 3D really cool.
Tatty Devine is famous for unique and quirky accessories, which elevate jewellery to art status. With their genius they’ve created full-size 3-D glasses complete with translucent red and green lenses which actually work in the cinema.
Attached to a chain they become a retro necklace that’s practical and stylish, and you won’t have to worry about leaving them behind after the film.
Founders Harriet and Rosie have designed a 'limited edition' pair of their 3D glasses for teenage cancer charity Trekstock that we love. Sprinkled with Swarovski crystals and featuring a 'Trekstock' engraving on the reverse, they help to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust making them even more covetable.
Seen here modelled by Kelly Osborne, the glasses are available to buy from www.trekstock.com.
At Fashion Victim UK, we promise to give a true and fair (maybe a little biased) account of fashion and beauty highs and lows. We bring you news, the latest hues and of course shoes shoes and shoes.
From snapping street style to offering advice, we aim to bridge the gap between high fashion and everyday living. Whether we're picking apart the latest catwalk trends or fussing over our favourite cushions, we want you to let us know what you think.
Oh and if we can help people or the environment along the way - even better.
Much love,
Jassy Fizzle, Jassy Bizzle and Wavmeister General x x x
Email us (pretty please) on fashionvictimuk@googlemail.com
John Frieda have added a new section on their Facebook page with a brand new competition to win a Frizz Ease Prize Pack full of John Frieda goodies and products. There's also a behind the scenes video and tips from the professionals too.
There will also be Galaxy Style Stations situated in selected locations across the country where fashionistas can get their hair, makeup or nails done whilst their fellas are entertained with computer games.
The laid-back pop singer’s collection features the 'Pixie Festival' look which showcases items best suited for day wear. This look includes a cropped denim waistcoat, white antique-lace tiered dress and a black strappy body.
Now we have noticed there are a couple of glitches, despite stating specific sizes we’ve found some of the suggestions are only available in size 4’s or 18’s (NB not our measurements!). But considering the site launched today, this is bound to happen and will no doubt be ironed out over Easter.
In additional to all of the above, because the range is natural it’s better for the environment and our health. What’s more is that even the packaging reflects the company morals and ethos. Make up comes in pretty woven bags which are made by disadvantaged women in 
