July 2009 Week 3


Basic makeup essentials highlighted
All women will know the importance of makeup, even if they don't wear it too much, but it can be difficult to know what the absolute essentials.

Now, the London Makeup Academy has given its advice on what every woman should carry in their vanity case.

Nicole Arter, director at the Academy has urged all women to make sure they have a mascara, concealer and a foundation.

She also urged ladies to make sure they have a lipstick "that can double up as a blusher".

"Certain eyeshadows you can also use as a blusher, depending on what colour it is," she added.

"Eyebrow pencils can also act as eyeliners. You can double up on pretty much everything depending on what you know, being a non-professional obviously."

According to Avon, the UK is a nation of makeup devotees and despite the recession, British women are still spending £1.1 billion monthly on makeup essentials.


Nicola Roberts to extend pale skin makeup range
Pale skinned girls will be aware of the difficulty of finding good makeup.

Often the tone will be too orange, meaning that attempting to cover up spots or the like with concealer can actually lead to the opposite happening - attention is immediately drawn.

Nicola Roberts, the red-haired singer from Girls Aloud, has released a makeup range specifically designed for pale girls and while the band takes a year off in 2009 she plans to extend the range.

A friend of Nicola's told the Daily Mail: "Nicola will concentrate of branching out with Dainty Doll - it's already available online and doing really well, but the plan is to get it on the high street by early next year."

The singer began creating the range during TV series "The Passions of Girls Aloud".

While Sarah Harding took to polo playing and Kimberely Walsh hit the West End stage, Nicole made Dainty Doll, which is priced from between £6 to £11.75.


Want to be healthier? Try growing your own veg
Many people are beginning to grow their own vegetables as they become aware of the health benefits.

That is the opinion of Lucy Halsall, editor of Grow Your Own magazine, who said that owning an allotment not only allows you to cultivate fresh vegetables but can also be a good place to meet people.

"It's hugely popular. The last couple of years there's been a massive increase in the popularity of growing your own food – fruit and vegetables. There are allotment waiting lists now at an all time high," she said.

"It has got lots of health benefits as well – that's another reason why people are [growing their own] rather than relying on supermarkets to supply them with food."

The National Trust has recently created an initiative to get people living in urban areas to try growing their own vegetables.

There is around 600 acres of growing space available on the UK's window sills, the group has claimed.


Plumping up cheeks becoming more popular
Lip augmentation is being overtaken in popularity by cheek augmentation, it has been suggested.

The founder and medical director of The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, Dr Tracy Mountford, said at 10 Years Younger Live that people like the "definitive results" cheek augmentation gives them.

"It gives a predictable result. It gives you cheek volume, you don't get any funny looks so you can go about your daily business," she said.

"Anti-ageing is not about filling lines anymore and when I started 20 years ago, we were very excited to correct a line with collagen. It has moved on now. Volume is the key to youthful looks and does restore confidence."

She highlighted stars such as Sharon Osborne and Sharon Stone as people who have managed to maintain their good looks despite hitting 50.

However, permanent fillers are not a risk-free option, with the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons noting that 23 per cent of surgeons have experienced seeing one to three patients needing surgery to correct complications in the last year.