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.