Rigby & Peller go wild with colour this Spring/Summer

I won't bore you with my problems in finding lovely bras and knickers that fit my 'more than average' handful - and that isn't a boast it's the simple truth. I have to shop carefully to get the right fit, especially as more support than ever is needed with every passing year. The great thing about it is that I can justify the occasional trip to shops like Rigby & Peller who have a superb in-store fitting service where the ladies can tell your exact size simply by looking at you! No tape measures in sight, it's an experience you won't forget...

I was invited this week to go along for a fitting and to choose some lingerie and I do realise that I am very lucky to have been treated in this way, but to be fair I have also shopped their too.

The latest story for this Spring/Summer (yes, you get seasonal stories even with underwear!) is one of amazing colour - certainly a welcome change with all the hot pinks and neons around at the moment it's great to be able to reflect this in your underwear too.

These are some of the things in store now that I fell in love with.

Marie Jo Avero bra, £69.95

Empreinte Thalia balcony bra in sapphire, £92.95, short brief £58.95

This set above is the one I chose and I must say the fit, especially for a balcony bra which doesn't often work well in my size, is fantastic.

Simone Perele Marilyn bra, £78.95

Simone Perele Marilyn short, £49.95

Marie Jo L'Aventure Ernest bra in coral, £71.95

Marie Jo L'Aventure Earnest shorts, £31.95

Check out the Rigby & Peller website for your nearest store or to by online.

Sarongs from Lily & Lionel

The weather outside may still be frightful but our thoughts are gradually turning to warmer climes and holidays. I was drawn to these beautiful sarongs by About Lily & Lionel which was founded by London College of Fashion graduate, Alice Stone. Lily and Lionel were her grandparents who were both involved in the fashion trade and Alice's stunning prints make up a collection of scarves and sarongs worn by the likes of Elle Macpherson, AlekWek and Edie Campbell.

The sarongs are exclusive to The Conran Shop and are hand-printed on fine cotton. Generously oversized they are £85 each. The Holiday Shop range of which they are a part, launches at The Conran Shop London and Paris stores on 27th March.

Brilliant Spring/Summer nail colours from Max Factor

Baby it's cold outside - and I mean cold. Plus I can't see past the snow, but I am thinking about Spring and nothing conjures up Spring colours like vibrant pinks. So I am now looking forward to being able to wear this brilliantly Springlike collection from Max Factor!

Newest shades for Spring/Summer 2013 from Max Factor.

These Glossfinity nail polish shades are just £4.99 on the Boots website and are hard wearing with really true , multi-toned colours that shimmer. I shall be getting down to Boots and getting my hands on at least two of them...

Stila is well and truly back for Summer 2011

We've missed Stila from our beauty counters and we're glad it's back. We don't know why it went away but will look forward to it being here in the UK forever. The launch held on Thursday in London's Soho gave inspiration and showed that this brand can still lead the way in terms of items you will want to grab and replace when you've  used it all up.

Stila One Step is just one such product range. The bronzer on the left of the picture comes out as a light gel which makes skin look glowing without obviously being coloured - this is going to be a make-up bag staple I can tell! Skins look so much healthier not just a brown shade because it also improves skintone and smooths out wrinkles. It's oil free so was quickly absorbed into the skin and I have to say after testing it 'on-the-spot' at the launch, and only on the back of my hand, I was pretty much sold. At £24 this is a steal and is available from July 2011 in Boots Beauty Stores and at http://www.boots.com/.

It was good to see the range of iconic Stila lipglosses still going strong with even more colours in the range (see above picture).

And the same goes for the glorious and well-pigmented eye-shadows which are always bang on trend and give great coverage.

A few of the new Stila colours that will really enhance our beauty bags now their finally back!



Keep your eyes peeled for other additions to the Stila Spring/Summer collection like the amazingly rich Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner which comes in an amazing 8 colours and gives a thick line of gloss and glitter for just £14 a pop. Welcome back Stila - why ever did you go away?

Marks & Spencer Beauty and Fashion for Summer 2011

It's been a frantically busy week for launches and press events it's hard to know whether we are in high summer or the depths of winter - and the Christmas invitations are starting to arrive already.

Wednesday night saw us all turning up for a Handpicked Media exclusive blogger evening at Marks & Spencer to see their high summer beauty ranges. They held it in their press room so it meant we also got to see their Autumn/Winter and some high summer fashion thrown in too.

Picture from Handpicked Media

So here is what caught my eye on the evening.

Summer brights and blocks of colour take centre stage in every high-street shop window.Inspired by the Spring/Summer 2011 catwalks, the collections are bold and bright and marked the end of a long and more subdued winter.

Photo: Myfashionlife

 Marks & Spencer fashion for Summer 2011 contains a fab range of grab-and-go dresses and separates that you'll want to quite literally grab and go with for your summer wardrobe. Dresses cover a multitude of sins and are easy to wear with little flat sandals and a tan of course.

And talking of tans I am in love already with the Tess Daly Daly Spa range exclusive to M&S which is easy to use, smells nice (which is always a bonus especially when it's covering an area) and which leaves skin looking glowing and gorgeous and can help with orange-peel skin and other trouble areas. The collection has been carefully thought out to cover all those treatments we would like on a daily basis from a local spa leading up to a holiday. Prices start from £6 for the super-hydrating hand cream.

Next on my list was the summer 2011 make-up range which has gone for burnished gold and bronzes with complementing brights to either enhance a tan or make you feel like you've got one. Everyone agreed that the colour  palettes were really good quality with deep pigments and lush colours. Check these out.

Essential Colours Liquid Eyeliner range, a bargain £3.5 each - these gave nice thick, deep lines

Essential Colours Nail Varnishes, a bargain £3 each

Golden Goddess Holiday Palette £7.50

This Perfection Eye-Shadow Quad in Bronze will take you right through to Autumn/Winter for £12

I won't be going on holiday without this amazingly good value  Get Set... Go  bag and bottle set for just £7.50.  With so many airlines getting tough on baggage weight this makes perfect sense.

So at trip to the Beauty counter at Marks & Spencer is both affordable and essential this year! And the preview we got of Autumn/Winter has made me look forward to some wonderful shapes in dresses and warm woolies - watch this space!