TOWIE Lucy Mecklenburgh launches Fur Real Tan!

When I first read that The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star Lucy Mecklenburgh was teaming up with UK bingo website Foxy Bingo to launch a new fake tan called ‘Fur Real’ I thought it must be a joke! But apparently not...Lucy has helped design the new self tanning gel which launches after Foxy's perfume was released last year.

Lucy says, “The only celeb who rocks orange better than me is Foxy himself! I’ve already got my own swimwear range and nothing compliments my designs better than a nice tan. I don’t step out the house until I’ve got my Essex glow and with Fur Real, everyone else can have it too!”

Fur Real is priced at £9.99 and although Lucy looks nice and bronzed in the promo images it doesn't sound appealing! Is this the cheesiest TOWIE collaboration yet?! 

TOWIE Gemma Collins launches Plus Size Fashion Collection

ITV's The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) Reality star Gemma Collins has launched her debut self-titled plus-size clothing collection in sizes 16 to 22 today. Drawing on her own experiences of struggling to find flattering and fashionable clothing in larger sizes, the Gemma Collins Collection offers a variety of pieces including maxi-dresses, tops, blazer jackets, waterfall cardigans and wrap dresses. Prices start from £30 and the collection is now available to purchase online. 

Gemma says: “I am so happy to be able to offer bigger girls a clothing range that they can show their curves off in – why should plus-size girls be stuck wearing black and try to cover up? Just because you’re bigger it doesn’t mean you can’t dress well and be glam– girls should be proud of their figure no matter what size you are – I am!!”


What do you think to Gemma's new Plus-Size clothing range? 

TOWIE Make Up Secrets: Debbie Douglas

Royal Ascot Make Up & Hair by Hannah

TOWIE's Debbie after Hannah has worked her Make Up Magic!

I recently met the lovely Hannah Ostrowicz who is a makeup artist from Essex and she has been working with a few of the girls from The Only Way Is Essex for the past two series. As each of the lovely ladies she works with have quite individual styles, I asked Hannah if she would like to do a series of guest posts on each of the girls individual looks sharing behind the scene make up secrets and TOWIE beauty tips. Last week's blog post was on Lydia Bright's Makeup and this week it is her Mum, Debbie Douglas's makeup.


We all know Debbie's trademark is her red lips and wild hair, but occasionally, I'm given the chance to prise the red away and work my magic. Debbie doesn't often have her makeup and hair done for the show. I usually do it for events outside of TOWIE. Red lips are a tricky makeup subject. They can end up messy, uneven, the edges can bleed! There's also the age-old tale that you should find the 'perfect-red-for-you'. This, my lovelies, is a load of makeup rubbish. What if your 'perfect shade' is an orange based red, and one day, you feel like wearing a vibrant red dress? What shade of red you wear depends on lots of things. As long as your liner and lipstick match, and the rest of your makeup is applied accordingly (i.e., do NOT wear heavy smokey eyes with red lips) you'll be fine! I love Makeup Forever lip liners. They're so easy to apply, are long lasting, and prevent your lipstick from bleeding. If you want to be extra safe, use a lip sealer (Lipcote from Superdrug) over the top of your lippie. 


I've been lucky enough to coax Debbie out of her comfort zone a few times too! My favourite times were my glam, 60s inspired look. I lined her eyes heavily with black liner and put some spidery, twiggy-like Eylure lashes on her! Then, instead of her usual red lipstick, I used MACs Morange (My Favourite!). I backcombed her hair into a beehive and put it into a lovely swirly up do with a sweeping side fringe at the front. She looked absolutely gorgeous! My second favourite was for the Royal Ascot last week. I straightened her hair, lashed her up with individual lashes and put a bright pink lipstick Collection 2000 lipstick on her!

A tip for mature skin, don't go too powdery. A youthful glow is achieved by having moisturised skin. Dry skin shows up even the finest of lines no matter what age. Imagine a raisin, and a grape. What is the raisin lacking to make it wrinkled? MOISTURE! So for the day, always use a great day cream with SPF. Use a tinted moisturiser rather than a foundation, and a highlighter. You could even go so far as to use a cream blusher too. Make your lips look fuller with gloss.Are you a fan of Debbie's Make Up? If you have any questions on Debbie's Make Up then leave them in the comments below and I can pass them onto Hannah to answer. 

TOWIE Make Up Secrets: Lydia Bright

Lydia Bright in Series 4

I recently met the lovely Hannah Ostrowicz who is a makeup artist from Essex and she has been recently working with a few of the girls from The Only Way Is Essex for the past two series. As each of the lovely ladies she works with have quite individual styles, I asked Hannah if she would like to do a series of guest posts on each of the girls individual looks sharing behind the scene make up secrets and TOWIE beauty tips. 

First up is Lydia Bright. As I'm sure you can tell, Lydia has changed her look quite dramatically over the past few series. And, her makeup has changed too. Over series 4, she liked the vintage, porcelain doll look. To achieve this, I would always line her eyes with a thick black sweep using MACs blacktrack gel liner and a thin eyeliner brush. Teamed with her favourite Eylure lashes (107s or, for evening looks, 207s), her eyes were her statement. With this look she loved her skin to be completely matte and contoured under her cheekbones. I would use MAC studio fix foundation and lots of finishing powder to do this. 
 
To get the perfect eyeliner flick, start from the outer corner of your eye and aim diagonally towards the end of your eyebrow. Obviously you can make your liner as long or short as you want, but aiming from your eyebrow ensures each side is the same angle (providing you have even brows). 
 
Now, however, Lydia has changed her look from vintage to beach babe! Her hair is a lot lighter and her tan a lot darker. She has more of a glow now which can be created using a bronzer and highlighter. She now has her eyes more smokey rather than the dramatic flick of series 4. To get a smokey eye, line with a kohl liner and blend a shadow into the lash line. Highlighter should mainly be used on the cheekbones (the highest part of your cheeks) and brow bones, to give you a fresh, sun kissed glow. 
 
A good tip for applying bronzer; use a big fluffy brush, and buff over your face in a heart shaped motion, starting at your forehead and down towards your chin. To get a safe, but sun kissed base, try Trinitia Spray Tans. They're fantastic! Are you a fan of Lydia's Make Up? If you have any questions on Lydia's Make Up then leave them in the comments below and I can pass them onto Hannah to answer. 

St. Tropez Spraycation Tour

Are you fed up with the weather? If your after a tan then fear not fake it with St Tropez! They are bringing their luxury beach-themed pop-up Spraycation tour around the UK. You can enjoy a complimentary skin finishing treatment and an exclusive consultation with an A-list expert. Whether you're looking for a deep bronzed 'jet set' tan, a subtle natural glow or simply achieve flawless pins for a night out then the St Tropez experts will be on hand to ensure you look naturally glamours whatever the occasion.

The St. Tropez Spraycation tour started on Friday at London Westfield and their next stop will be Bullring Birmingham on 22^nd and 23^rd June, The Trafford Centre Manchester on 29^th and 30^th June, Glasgow Braehead on 6^th and 7^th July and will finish up in Dublin’s Pavilions on 12^th and 13^th July. I think they are missing a trick not going to Tan Capitals of the country Liverpool and Newcastle but maybe next time?!


Are you popping along to visit the experts? Will you sporting a St Tropez tan?

How To: BAFTA 2012 TOWIE Lydia Bright Hair

The stars were all shining brightly at the 2012 BAFTA Television Awards last night, where the Official Hairstylist of the awards, Mark Hill, was on hand to help the celebrities look their very best. 

Lydia Bright, from the hugely popular TOWIE series, attended the awards with Mark and looked red-carpet ready in her Dynasty dress and soft up do to match. To help Lydia really make a statement, this year Mark created an extra special hairstyle for her with his brand new Big Night Out range, which he launched last night and is available from Boots.com. Not all of us have access to celebrity hairdressers for our Big Nights Out, so here are Mark’s pick of the best hairstyles from the BAFTAs, and his tips on how you can recreate the glamorous styles at home:

Lydia Bright - Glam Goddess Look:

Step 1: Spray Big Night Out, Supersize Me, Volume Spray at your roots and blow dry with as much volume as possible.

Step 2: Gently smooth the hair to a low slung side ponytail. Use your fingers to twist small sections of the hair around each other to create a chic chignon.

Step 3: Use a diamante hairband to add some extra glamour to this elegant style and finish with a spritz of Defrizz-ilicious Bedazzled Anti Humidity Shine Spray. Now you’re ready to wow the paps! What did you think to Lydia's BAFTA Look?

Review: Style Me Celeb TOWIE Gold Foil Bandage Dress

This post is long overdue but it's not often I give a negative review and I always feel a bit mean for doing but it's better to be honest right? So here we go...Ok where do I start? In Feburary I was offered to pick a dress to review from Style Me Celeb which is a online store that stocks a range of Celebrity Designer Inspired Dresses, without the designer price tag. I picked a TOWIE style One Shoulder Gold Foil Bandage Dress which has been seen on the likes of Amy Childs and Tulisa Contostavlos. I had high hopes for the dress and thought it seemed like a cheaper alternative priced at £119 to a similar One Shouldered Gold Bandage Dress from Forever Unique that I had spotted (£399) and of course inspired by the pricey Herve Leger bandage Dresses (£1000+).

My dress arrived by recorded delivery on Valentine's Day and came boxed which unfortunately was very flimsy and ripped :( When I opened the box and looked at the dress inside I couldn't help but feel disappointed at the quality in fact my first thoughts were 'it looks cheap'. The dress was made from a pink/flesh coloured stretchy bandage material with gold flecks that look as if they are peeling off - with the main colour being pink rather than gold. I was expecting the dress to look more metallic gold like the photograph on the website.  Fair enough this is a designer look-a-like dress so you can't expect the same high end quality, but still £119 for a dress is expensive and I would expect it to be good quality and to come nicely presented in a sturdy box. On closer inspection, there were no tags on the dress, there were a few loose threads, a rip on the front under the bust, and it smelt strongly of cigarette smoke :( I suspect someone had already worn the dress and returned it - then it had been passed onto me!

When I tried the dress on it was super tight and made me look bigger than I actually am (I'm a size 8-10) and I ordered the dress in a size Medium! I didn't feel like it was flattering at all and it was much shorter on me than it appeared in the picture on the website. I raised my concerns with Style Me Celeb and they apologised about the rip and said if I got it repaired then they would refund the cost - this didn't happen.


The thing that has really got on my nerves is from day one of accepting the dress I have been non-stop pestered asking when my review will be up. I asked if there was a deadline to when I had to have the review done by? No there wasn't and I explained that I was away up and down to London, interviewing, generally very busy and living out of a suitcase so it wasn't the most ideal time to review as I hadn't had the opportunity to wear the dress let alone photograph it - I don't have a tripod or anyone willing to photograph me! I also said there was no need in pestering me as I had a back log of reviews to get through and I will get it done in the next couple of weeks - blogging is a hobby for me not a job!


I completely understand that PR's have pressure and deadlines from their clients to get the reviews up but in this case there was no deadline. There are certainly ways and means of asking - I don't appreciate 'cough cough' tweets at midnight on a weekend when it's clear that I am away! I have put off reviewing to be honest as I didn't want to give such a negative review and I hope this doesn't come across as me being ungrateful I'm not, I appreciate the opportunity to review things. But it works both ways, I try to help out PR's and companies as much as I can but they have to realise that we do have other commitments outside of blogging! I found Style Me Celeb's blogger approach wrong - no interest in building up a relationship, no trust, and quite unprofessional. Maybe it's just me but the more I get pestered and presurised the less inclined I feel to actually review something as it kind of takes the fun out of blogging you know....

Sorry this is such a negative review but I feel it's important to be honest not only for my readers but I feel it's good feedback for Style Me Celeb on how where they are going wrong and how they can improve in the future. I do think the concept of being able to buy affordable designer celebrity inspired dresses is brilliant, but I think Style Me Celeb need to either lower their prices to reflect the quality or improve on quality to justify charging £119+ for a dress. 


Have you ever ordered from Style Me Celeb? 

TOWIE launches Perfume 'Dazzle' & Aftershave 'Be Reem'

TOWIE Fragrance Launch

The stars of Reality TV Show The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) have not only launched their own beauty range in Superdrug, but they have now brought out fragrances: ladies perfume called 'Dazzle' and a men's aftershave called 'Be Reem'. Ever wanted to smell like an Essex girl or boy? Well now is your chance!

Dazzle Perfume

The women's scent 'Dazzle' is described as an intricate blend of white florals, jasmine and a touch of amber presented in a gold diamond shaped bottle. 'Be Reem' on the other hand, is a rich, woody fragrance with citrus undertones and a touch of vanilla.

Be Reem Aftershave

TOWIE Dazzle Perfume and Reem Aftershave will launch this month in Superdrugpriced at £18.49 for 100ml. Will you be purchasing? 

TOWIE LAUREN’S WAY TAN

LAUREN’S WAY is a new tanning range from Lauren Goodger, star of The Only Way Is Essex. There are two new products, a Self-Tanning Bronzing Mousse (£17.95) and a Self-Tanning Lotion (£15.95). The range is also available as a duo for £33.90. Both formulas aim to deliver a golden finish without streaking or patchiness, while moisturising skin to leave it healthy and hydrated. The new products are available at http://www.laurengoodgerofficial.co.uk/  and on www.facebook.com/laurengoodgerofficial

I am excited to try this tan out myself as I've heard nothing but good things - I shall report back my findings very soon!

Have you tried tanning Lauren's way?