Longer, greyer and funnier – news from the lingerie universe

Vintage Christmas Lingerie Looks

The 1940s pin up look is totally hot this winter. With rolled hairstyles or sleek curls, a matte face and lots of sexy lipstick, this look works perfectly for lingerie and is also a great way to harmonise with your Christmas décor if you’ve gone for this year’s purple and/or silver themes, as the colours blend beautifully.

One problem with the ‘40s look is that the perfect foundation base on which the look is painted normally requires a heavy matte base, (Max Factor’s Pan Sticks, which were used in wartime movies, really were ‘slap’ – both dense and unnaturally pale for anything other than black and white films!) so to help you bring the look up-to-date, here’s our quick guide to vintage pin-up beauty:

• Dampen your front hair and roll it on big sponge rollers while you put your face on.
• Mac’s Prep and Prime is a perfect base – it is quite heavy feeling on the skin but gives a wonderful priming base for foundation – choose a neutral shade of foundation and apply it with a sponge or large brush, blending well into the hairline, over the natural eyebrows and the lips.
• Reshape your brows using brow pencil in a natural shade, brown for blondes, black for brunettes and focusing on the fine natural arch that was popular at the time, then cover your lids with a neutral beige shadow and add black liner – not too much of a cat’s eye look though, use the liner to define, not to alter the natural eye-line. Mascara was black, black, black, even for blondes, in the forties.
• Cheeks should be lightly brushed with a natural pink (rose) colour. Blush, at this time, was simply a hint of colour, and while you might think you don’t need it, your primer and matte base will leave you looking ghostly if you don’t give yourself a healthy hint of cheek glow.
• To get the wonderful matte lip colour that was so popular in the forties, the foundation that you blended over your lips make the perfect base – draw on the lip line you want using feathered strokes of a neutral lip pencil and fill in with your chosen lip colour, using a lip brush for a precision finish – alternatively use a lip stain but be sure you’ve tested it first as some ‘bleed’ out of the lip line after a while. Finish in either case with a lip-locking lipstick sealer for that perfect all night pout. We love matte red but it can be drying and overly harsh, especially for less than perfect smiles, so we’d suggest Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte – a flattering red that doesn’t signpost poor skin or imperfect teeth.
• Set with translucent powder; the new mineral powders are perfect, on the T-zone only, using the same big brush that swept your foundation and blusher into place.
• Take your hair out of the rollers and it a little spritz of mousse or other moulding treatment and then part slightly to one side. If you have long hair, pull the back hair out of the way with a band, then lightly backcomb to ensure your look stays in place. Roll the hair up, over and back, pin, and give a good squirt of hairspray, repeat with the other side, then shimmy into your 1940s themed lingerie. We recommend seamed stockings, bullet bras and bold suspender belts like the Soir de Venise Waspie.
• Delight your partner! 

This year’s three must have stocking-filler sex toys

1. For ladies, the best lube around right now is Good Vibrations Please Cream – cutely described as eco-erotic, it’s all natural ingredients and works to add comfort and pleasure to even the most sensitive of female regions.

2. We love Cosmopolitan so when they recommended the We-Vibe 3 and we’d got over the idea that Nintendo had moved into sex toys, we tried it out. They weren’t wrong – it’s a couple-pleasing, bendy, powerful and deliciously structure dual play toy – not a throwaway price but we think it could become a classic addition to the repertoire of couples who like toy-play.

3. Top of our stocking though is Screaming O’s Vibrating Mascara wand – it looks like mascara, you could get it through an airport security searh as mascara, you can carry it in your handbag without fear, and yet it does the job. It really does the job! And when we say it’s in the top of our stocking, it’s really that tiny, but it doesn’t lack for power. We think it’s the most fun in a small package we’ve had all year!

Longer, greyer and funnier – news from the lingerie universe

 

Hair extensions

Cute and talented Daniel Radcliffe has been talking about his new role – Igor in the Frankenstein film also starring James McAvoy. And to do so, he’s shown off his hair extensions which he mistakenly, and chillingly, described as being ‘from a dead person’. Relax Daniel, hair extensions are cut from the heads of the living, not the deceased! Perhaps he was just staying in character – Igor, after all, is a bit of a fan of dead bodies.

 

So with even our favourite male actors going for extensions, we pondered the role of hair extensions in the bedroom. It certainly gives us options – we can change our looks very swiftly and for role play it can be great to have a clip in fringe, a la Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction or a mass of curly tresses to spill over a wasp waist corset for an Edwardian-themed evening of fun and frilly undies. Here are a couple of tips if you’re going to try clip-in hair extensions.

To keep clips firmly in place, even during bedroom romps, make sure you backcomb your own hair right at the root, which roughens the finish and keeps the clips locked in place. A tail comb or a teasing brush will really help the process. Remember that if you backcomb the hair directly above the extension it will help it blend in more naturally and if you’re using your extensions to make an updo, simply clip them in upside down – that way they are already travelling in the right direction to contribute to a feminine bun or messy chignon. 

If you have curly or wavy hair, damp it slightly with a spritz of water or setting lotion (yes, that stuff your granny used to use, it’s an excellent aid when working with hair extensions) and roll your hair onto some really big sponge rollers and allow to dry naturally. Whether your using human or synthetic hair, this process gives your own hair a better chance of blending into the extensions than trying to fit them into your hair in its natural state.

Hottest lingerie 

E L James has partnered with KappAhl from Sweden to produce lingerie based on the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy! It’s very classic and elegant, based on a black satin base with grey lace and flashes of scarlet. What we liked most about the whole line is that they used the gorgeous Signe Nordstrom to model the lingerie. Signe is no waif, and looks utterly gorgeous in the new line. If you’d like to invest in some grey undies for Christmas here are our recommendations: 

·              Best for brunettes – dark haired and dark skinned ladies can wear almost any shade of grey but this gorgeously feminine nightgown offers a stunning contrast with darker complexions

·              Best for blondes – sometimes grey can leave blondes looking washed out and very pale skin tones can even take on an unwelcome tinge of green against bluish greys – this scintillating teddy sparkles with light and flatters every shade of blonde through to pure silver

·              Best for redheads  - the dense grey tones of this elegantbustier make the most of red hair, and the black trim provides a dramatic contrast that draws attention to your curves

Hilariously sexy advert

Our biggest Christmas laugh and swoon are simultaneous this year – Aldi’s utterly giggle-making champagne advert has been the biggest hit in the office over the past week!

All that’s hot in the lingerie world …

Hot interviews

So, as if it wouldn’t be enough to have the iconic Kate Moss appearing in the even more iconic Playboy Bunny outfit on the front of the 60^th Anniversary issue of Playboy, she was interviewed by the uber-iconic Tom Jones!

Yes, the sexiest supermodel spoke to the sexiest ‘Voice’ and in the interview she revealed that she’d like to have dinner with people ‘with naughty stories to tell’ and that she can’t see why anybody would want to have their pictures taken with her. 

In the eighteen-page inner shoot, Kate gets almost naked and makes good use of the roguery offered by the famous bunny outfit. The thirty-nine year old looks absolutely stunning, and we’ve borrowed some of the tricks used in her photo-shoot to create our tips below that reveal how to make your lingerie even sexier.

Hot off the press

When every mum’s favourite, Olympic diver Tom Daley announced his relationship with a man on YouTube, he must have expected a mixed reaction, which is what he got. From our point of view, it doesn’t matter a bit who goes to bed with whom, as long as everybody’s happy, but we were also thrilled that Tom was able to share this information with all his fans and supporters instead of having to let the news trickle out as gossip. His message seems to have resonated with many; gay rights campaigning group Stonewall tweeted, “Moving and inspiring video from @TomDaley1994. A role model for thousands of other young people.”

Of course that’s one excuse for showing you Tom in all his glory, isn’t it?

Hot bedroom clothing

So, when the weather outside is frightful, it can be delightful to wrap yourself up in thermal long johns, but we think there’s a perfect compromise between the sheer hedonism of a grown-up bedroombunny outfit and the saggy comfort of a velour onesie! It’s important to remember that many of us don’t have total control over our bedroom time: crying kiddies, barking dogs or yowling cats, neighbours banging on doors to borrow milk or sugar etc. So our clothing has to work both as boudoir sensation and straight-laced nightwear. Taking Kate Moss as our inspiration we suggest the following ways to spice up a neutral outfit or tone down some spicy underwear:

·              Cuffs are super-sexy – on a bunny or kitten outfit they come as standard ,but to add va va voom to a standard corset or teddy, invest in a couple of cheap black bracelets and add your own details: studs work well for a dominatrix look or you might prefer a snowflake design for winter wear

·              A blush or flesh-coloured robe is an ideal cover up – it adds a neutral concealing effect if you’re wearing something racy and have to leave the bedroom for a domestic emergency but it’s not a passion deadener in itself, in fact, soft pink robes flatter the skin and make a lovely peekaboo contrast to the sexy underwear beneath

·              Bunny ears are great: cute and sexy, but definitely give the game away if you end up wearing them outside the bedroom! A cute alternative is a black lace headband on blonde hair, or a red velvet bow in darker hair … they give a hint of decadence without making it too obvious that you’re planning some horizontal games!

A little pre Christmas quiz for you …

How’s your topiary?

According to the Daily Telegraph we’re all giving up on the Brazilian and going back to the natural pubic bush! Now, we’re not shy about discussing all things bedroom but we do think this is a somewhat controversial subject. It used to be a matter of personal choice (or at least a negotiated choice between us and our partners) but it definitely became something of a ‘requirement’ a few years ago, that we all go Brazilian (totally hair free) or at least adopt the Landing Strip (thin vertical pubic hairline) while other complex pubic topiary like the Heart, Arrow and Wineglass were the preserve of pole dancers or offered up to our partners on anniversaries and special occasions.

Of course there are many reasons to trim or not to trim, and one of the best is to make the most of our bodies and our undies. Sometimes our lingerie looks best when it’s framed by a little pubic fluff, and other times it’s more beautifully displayed by a bare pubic mound. As an example, our Lola Luna Togo micro string is one of the lovely designs that works perfectly with nothing but sleek skin beneath it, while our Coquette Retro Ruffle shorts look their cutest with generous pubic fur to complement their ruffled femininity. So, if we’re all becoming more relaxed about how we barber our bits, we think it’s good news!

 Where are the biggest ladyparts in the world?

The Al Wakrah football stadium in Quatar apparently … at least according to several architectural observers. Architect Zaha Hadid designed the building, which will house 40,000 football fans for the 2022 world cup, and has expressed her anger at the idea that “Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That's ridiculous.”

We think it’s a gorgeous structure though, and we can’t see any problem with the design – we’ve got enough phallic symbols in the world, why not celebrate the other side of the equation too?

Who’s winning the men in short shorts war…?

Vincent Simone (Ex Strictly) has been wowing his jungle mates with his ultra short swimwear and making the ladies blush with his flirtatious ways, but fellow contestants Steve Davis and Westlife’s Kian Egan believe they also deserve to be complimented on their elegant rears.

Jungle bottoms aside, David Beckham has won our total attention with his new underwear range for H&M. Once again the heavily inked Becks has revealed his wonderful body and we really can’t wait to see him in the forthcoming Guy Ritchie film, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’, which he is rumoured to have accepted a part in.

No prizes in our quiz, but if you got all three answers correct, perhaps you should be signing up for a local quiz team … it seems like you’ve mastered your specialist subject; ‘things that women find fascinating’!

Pre-Christmas lingerie gossip and …

Who’s in their undies under the tree?

From the M&S Christmas advert, starring Rosie Huntington-Whiteley through to Dannii Minogue posing in her slip for WHO magazine’s Sexiest People 2013 cover, and Melanie Sykes designing picture-perfect underwear  for Ultimo, everybody’s getting their kit off early!

Ms Huntington-Whitely looks every inch the princess in the new Marks & Spencer ad, but it’s attracted a little bit of criticism for the way that her overgarments disappear not once but twice (once falling down a manhole and once on being carried off by a magic carpet) to reveal her lingerie. The lingerie itself is very nice – two different bra and brief combinations in festive red – but apparently this isn’t family appropriate. We were thrilled to see David Gandy appear three times in the advert as:
The Mad Hatter, Aladdin and the Scarecrow, but it’s somewhat of a shame that we didn’t get to see his winter clothing disappear and reveal his undies too!

Dannii Minogue, 42 years old, opted for bright white lingerie for her group photo-shoot. She also said, on being voted a ‘sexiest person, “The older I get the more comfortable I feel about who I am … Ageing has been the best thing for me.” Nice to hear!

And finally Melanie Sykes posed in her own designed underwear for Ultimo. The range features a scarlet body, a red and white lace knicker and bra sets and a very classic black suspender set. Melanie claims that her fantastic body is the result of clay pigeon shooting!

If you’ve been inspired to add some lingerie to your Christmas shopping list, we’d recommend the Strappy Black Lace Chemise by Shirley – it’s an elegant chemise for the Christmas season and it has the cutest integral suspenders to give your look a real wintry wow factor!

Who buys most sexy underwear?

A recent survey suggests that women over fifty in Norwich buy more sexy undies than in any other city! We’re a little confused – didn’t we just read that Scotland was the lingerie-buying hotbed? Well, perhaps it depends on what questions you ask! Anyway, if you’re wondering which were the top ten cities for buying cute underwear:

1. Norwich
2. Sheffield
3. Manchester
4. Leeds
5. Edinburgh
6. Bath
7. Liverpool
8. Plymouth
9. Cardiff
10. Glasgow

So with Edinburgh at 5 and Glasgow at 9, perhaps the Scots are big undie buyers after all?

Who’s in hot water after the cold war…?

A Serbian politician called Vanja Hadzovic, who is twenty-seven years old and an adviser at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the kind of story you just couldn’t make up, Ms Hadzovic of ‘Foreign Affairs’ has been featured in a national newspaper, Blic, wearing very little and it’s ruffled a lot of feathers.

Most of the shots appear to be selfies and wouldn’t be that surprising, except that Ms Hadzovic is a promising politician aiming for high office. What her future contains now is less certain: let’s just say there’s very little that anybody could blackmail her with … because everybody’s already seen most of what there is to see!

Hot lips, size matters and designer secrets …

Super lip shades and the lingerie to match

We’ve been having fun finding the best winter sizzlers for your lips! We love the way summer’s super-casual looks become the groomed, glowing sophistication of winter and a really good lipstick is key to creating the perfect glam look, for boardroom or bedroom!

Our pick of the best lip looks and the lingerie to match is:

In third place - Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick, Redhot Raspberry

This sizzling hot pink shade is boudoir perfect. Particularly flattering to those with cool skin tones, it works really well with ivory, blue, mint and grey underwear and as well as the glowing pink shade, it’s got a really lovely gentle rose fragrance that is really pleasant to get close to!

In second place – Chanel’s Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour, Coromandel

So many of us are still wearing the Chanel Rouge Noir made famous in Pulp Fiction – and why not? It’s a stunning colour that works for many skin shades. However, Coromandel is easier to wear, a rich warm shade that flatters redheads and those with warm skin tones, and it looks utterly fabulous with ecru, coffee, peach and black lingerie. One reason we particularly like the Rouge Allure range is it has that luminosity that can add a real zing to winter-weary skin.

In first place - L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Serum Lipstick, Luminous Grape

It can be really difficult to find a lipstick that works really well with red underwear, but Luminous Grape from L’Oréal actually does the job. The serum ‘heart’ ensures your mouth is beautifully moist and kissable and the shade works well with every red from cherry to red-black. Perfect for Goths, dommes and ladies who just like to make a statement, this is our top pick for winter bedroom wear and we’re pairing it with the Caroline ensemble by Diki Lingerie – one of the prettiest reds around this winter!

Size matters…

… to Abercrombie & Fitch. After years of making a fetish of the super-skinny, the brand has said it will start stocking larger sizes. Back in 2006 the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch said “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids…  A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” And seven successive quarterly reports of falling profits have made it clear that the not so cool kids took the hint! The current largest size they stock is a 14. From spring next year, that will change, apparently.

Designer heads for jungle …

Following the Diana film, which hardly took the world by storm, Diana’s wedding dress designer, David Emmanuel is going to enter the jungle! Yes, seriously. The man who created the astonishing creation that Diana wore down the aisle is going to be a participant in “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here”. He’s said to be ‘not very keen’ on the red and khaki uniform worn by the contestants. We can’t help wondering how he’s going to get on with the bushtucker trials!

Wardrobe mistresses, best kept skin secrets and not so secret photography comments…

Mishap or lingerie mistress? 

Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall has attracted attention for her wardrobe mishap when she attended the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards earlier in the week. However, while some have chosen to call it a malfunction, others can’t help but notice that Jade’s perfect panty presentation won’t have done her any harm at all with her fans. It’s just one of those moments when having exactly the right lingerie matters – my mum always used to warn me that I might get run over by a bus, but flashing my undies in front of dozens of photographers would also be a good reason to have a great set of knickers on!

Mini-skirts are always high risk, not just because they blow up, as Jade Thirlwall’s did, but because getting into and out of a car or on and off public transport can leave mini-skirt wearers somewhat ‘exposed’. Fortunately we have a treasure trove of perfect panties to ensure that your malfunction leaves any viewer charmed, not alarmed! If you would like to be as perfectly groomed as Jade, we’d recommend the sleek and very wearable made-to-order ‘sexy feeling’ lingerie briefs by Antinea – guaranteed to make you mistress of any wardrobe mishap.

Never post on Facebook what you wouldn’t want your other half to know!

And underwear has caused a marriage rift, with a thoughtless husband getting exactly what he asked for! When a Manchester man called Tom commented on photographs of the gorgeous Kelly Brook wearing lingerie for a Daily Mail photoshoot, he made a major mistake.
His comments included the claim that ‘… I would leave my wife and kids for one night with her!’ But he forgot that his posts to the newspaper’s website were linked back to his Facebook page, so his wife got to read every word. Her response? ‘You don't deserve our beautiful kids and I hope your brother has room on his sofa because I'm having the locks changed.’
Ouch!

Body brushing, winter’s best kept secret…

In summer we can get away with a more casual approach to our looks – summer sun, a bit of a tan, and beach hair take us a long way, and Jennifer Aniston has always been the perfect example of casual sensual summer looks. However we hear that even Jen has chopped a chunk of that famous hairstyle, to create a jaw length bob, which is a much more sophisticated look that the old ‘Rachel’ style she embodied. So if even Jen is styling up, what should we do to improve our winter grooming?
Body brushing is one of the most effective ways to have wonderful winter skin. It’s a very simple process, requiring just a long-handled brush, preferably with natural fibre bristles and around 5-10 minutes every morning. The benefits of dry skin body brushing include:

• Reducing cellulite
• Breaking down fat deposits
• Assisting in lymphatic drainage and detoxification
• Stimulating circulation.

The end result is smoother more radiant skin, reduced bumpiness and dryness and less of that winter dullness that makes us want to cover up with leggings and long-sleeved tops.
The technique is very simple. Brush from your toes towards your heart, and then from your fingers towards your heart, using long slow strokes to invigorate the lymphatic system and polish the skin surface. This is best done in the morning before a shower, and should be followed by liberal applications of your favourite body lotion to continue the softening and smoothing action. After just a few days you should start to see a real difference, and you’ll be happy to bare your bod, even in the middle of winter!

Beautiful hair, celebrity break ups and preparing for Christmas

Big bedroom hair

Winter is the time when bedroom hair comes into its own. The idea of that tousled, sexy look, with its touch-appeal, makes many of us attempt the ‘do’ only to find that our results look more like we just rolled out of bed after a 48-hour flu.
There are three key tips to getting bedroom hair just right:

1. Examine at how your hair looks when you do actually get out of bed after a good night’s sleep. With that picture in mind, maybe even working from a quick selfie, try to create a more elegant version of your morning self – just adding height and volume all over your head will result in something more like a beehive than a boudoir look, so you need to work with your natural ruffled style. 
2. Use dry shampoo. Puffing dry shampoo into the crown of your head gives volume and a slight matte effect which works perfectly to suggest you’ve just been rolling around on silk sheets and will be doing so again as soon as you’ve had a sip of champers! It’s a great idea to get one of the coloured dry shampoos that is close to your own hair shade, so that you can use it without having to worry about back combing over the top to conceal the white powder. 
3. Rollers are your friend. Either heated rollers or curling tongs make the magic of bedroom hair accessible. Divide hair into about eight sections and wrap in rollers or around tongs, leaving the ends to stick out as they wish. When curl is set, pin it to the top of your head while you do the rest of the sections. Spray with a little hairspray to hold while you slip into your chosen lingerie and do your face, and then undo the pins and run your spread fingers through your curls from crown to roots, crunching the roots with your fingertips to give them extra messiness.

Newly available celebrity hottie!

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have separated after three years of marriage. Bloom, known equally for his blond gorgeousness as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and his hunky brunette charms as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, may only have been single for a heartbeat though. To the disappointment of his many fans, he’s reported to be romantically entangled with his Romeo and Juliet co-star Condola Rashad. Still … we can dream, can’t we?

What to put on your Christmas list

We adore hand-crafted underwear. Having handmade lingerie isn’t just an indulgent luxury, it’s a way of ensuring that our undies fit us perfectly. That’s one reason we think that it’s the kind of investment that many women would benefit from. There are other reasons too:

• Handmade leads the way – very often it’s quicker for the couturier designers to get new trends into their underwear than the mass production lines, so you can sometimes pick up a really fashion forward garment made just for you.
• Made to order is opulent – designers who know their material will be hand cut and sown often have a more generous approach to design; they draw on a wide range of inspiration to create high impact lingerie that is also easy to wear.
• Detailing adds to the appeal – some kinds of detailing, like hand embroidery, beading etc, can only be achieved by trained seamstresses working to include those details at exactly the right point on the garment based on the exact size and shape of the person ordering the underwear. That just can’t be done in mass production.

So while it might not be for every day wear, handmade lingerie has a real place in the wardrobe of sensual women and what better time than to treat yourself than Christmas? If you’re looking to start your handmade underwear collection, our Liliana Casanova Matignon silk nightdress is just the place to start. In six colours and with that stunning asymmetric hem that flatters every figure, it’s an heirloom garment and always a success in the bedroom!

Wintry wonderlands of underwear and fashion

 

Coloured eyes

There’s been a big move away from the black eyeliner with a flick this autumn. Perhaps we’re over mourning Amy Winehouse, perhaps we’re just ready for a change, but coloured eyeliner has been turning up everywhere since spring, when it was huge on the Paris catwalk, especially from Chanel, and we think it’ll be a big Christmas look here too. After all, Rihanna’s been looking gorgeous in lush pink liner for years.

Here’s our top three coloured eyeliner tips:

1. Start easy – you can actually combine liners – start with coloured eyeliner on the upper lid and your standard black on the lower, and when you’re confident that you can use a coloured liner well, use the coloured liner on the first half of the lower lid too, with the second half and the flick being done in black. It really works and eases you into the whole colour spectrum.
2. Know your colours – rather than tying your eyeliner colour to your clothing, tone it to your eyes. If you have brown or hazel eyes, wear purple, blue or mauve to make your eye colour pop, for blue eyes, pick bronze or copper and for green eyes, choose lavender or a smoky plum.
3. Don’t layer – if you have coloured eyeliner, choose a neutral eye shadow and black mascara for dark eyes, or brown for light ones, otherwise you run the risk of losing your eyes behind the colour pop, a bit like a chameleon getting lost against the wallpaper – your eyes speak for you, so accent, rather than drowning them.

Coloured hair

We’re just not sure yet, and we’re not alone. Twitter is alive with the buzz that Johnny Depp, (twice winner of People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive title) has gone blond. It’s not even a sexy ash blond or a stunning platinum, it’s one of those egg-yolk yellow shades that most of us remember best from our failed teenage attempts to bleach ourselves gorgeous in our best friend’s bathroom over a disastrous weekend.

But there’s no doubt that Johnny Depp’s succeeded in pulling off some of the most extreme looks ever, so perhaps the blondness will grow on us. What do you think?

Winter shoes

Gorgeous new footwear from Louis Vuitton, in their latest Louis Vuitton presents … video. We’re particularly in love with the blue heels with the rear embellishment and this film reminded us of a nice little game that winter clothing makes it easy to play.

If you have some cute shoes that have either front or rear detail, like the bows on the front of the Louis Vuitton flats, or the detailing on the back of those gorgeous blue stilettos, you can excite your lover by investing in some lingerie that matches the embellishment, like a teddy with bows all down the front to go with the front detailed shoes, something like our G World Scrumptious Teddy, or a gorgeous rear-embellished thong for shoes with rear details. Then, whenever you wear those shoes - however demure your outfit is - your lover will know that underneath you’re wearing that very sexy underwear, just for them!

Shock announcements, stylish nails and underwear theft

Hunnam’s out!

 In a shock move, just a couple of weeks after the big announcement was made, Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) has announced he won’t be playing Christian Grey in the film version of Fifty Shades. Universal Pictures has confirmed the star’s exit, citing filming conflicts with the hit TV series. However, Hunnam himself appears to have leaked a story that it wasn’t just scheduling difficulties that led to his departure. Apparently he’s told those close to him that he wasn’t ready to wear the ‘S&M celebrity actor’ label that will be hung around the neck of any actor appearing in the film if it succeeds. It may also be that he didn’t enjoy his vociferous twitter slating from those wanting Matt Bomer, Henry Cavill or Robert Pattinson to play the male lead.

We’d be happy with any of those three, but for those who don’t know Matt Bomer, we’re happy to provide a picture to help you imagine him in the role. If you want more Matt, in advance of his potential role in Fifty Shades, you can find him in last year’s biggest ‘girls’ night in’ film, Magic Mike!

High fashion nails

It’s not often that top fashion brands succeed fully in jumping to new areas the very first time they try but our sneak preview of Balmain’s nail polishes has convinced us that they’ve managed the leap. Perhaps it’s not the most exciting name in the world,  Balmain Nail Couture Collection, and the shades themselves are very classic: bright red, deep black and a pastel pink, but there’s also a matte topcoat that transforms each of the colours to a lush matte when used. Remember we were pondering the matte black ‘French’ and how well it would work for us? Seems Balmain reads our blog!

As well as the style, the content is fabulous – the colours are formaldehyde free, which is good news for those trying to limit their exposure to strong chemicals. Available from next week, the four set in a stylish coffer, is just £40.00, a very affordable winter treat, we think!

Shorts swiped from celeb hotel room

Not content with a perfume, hit singles and a worldwide sellout tour, One Direction now want to dominate the crime pages! Specifically Liam Payne, who is appears to still be furious about the theft of his undies! Yes, a couple of female fans broke into Liam’s Australian hotel room via the balcony but were seen off by security. The twenty-year old was naked in bed when the attempted break-in happened and only discovered afterwards that his boxer shorts has been stolen. While the story sounds funny, Liam makes a fair point when he says that it was not appropriate for the women to be let off with a warning because if ‘you flip it the other way round’ so that a man had broken into a female pop-star’s bedroom, he’d be straight off to jail.


Boxers are one of our favourite autumn underwear choices too, although we don’t advocate stealing them from Liam, or any chap, as they just don’t fit as well as boy-shorts tailored for the female form. Also, unlike our lovely boy shorts, they don’t generally come in a lacy fabric!

Planning ahead – Halloween hot stuff

Halloween for the bedroom

 

Go for boudoir cushions in red or black, some cute ones have cats or spiderwebs on them in diamante, tall church candles in black holders or even skull shaped holders which are uber-gothic, appropriate scent (we like patchouli and cedarwood, you might like violets and burnt sugar fragrances) in the air and on your body – try X perfume. A choker, gloves, black and gold jewellery.

Don’t get sucked into red and black lingerie unless it works for you. Blue and black is a sophisticated alternative, seen at many catwalk shows this year, and if you contrast fabrics with colours too, you get a sensation overload – think about black velvet with pale blue silk, black lace with deep blue satin, black fishnet tights with a midnight blue feather boa and sapphire earrings … fabulous grown-up colour combos for very grown-up bedrooms!

Halloween can be the time to step up bedroom behaviour too – if you have ever wanted to try something a little edgy, or push the margins of your current bed-play, this is the night of the year when your inner witch, demon or vampire can emerge – our Beauty Nights Carmen Waspie is the perfect outfit, complete with its own sexy accessories. Make sure you have a safe word that you or your partner can use if things get too intense, and then let yourself be greedy! Or perhaps you’d like to try your own swoonfest, with your lover as the ravening monster … set the tone in flesh-toned underwear, a romantic negligee and virginal pearls and prepare to be ravished.

Hot Halloween inspiration

We can’t forget the original and best vampires – Tom Cruse and Brad Pitt in Interview With The Vampire, great inspiration for your Halloween high jinks! Of course there have been plenty of amazing female vampires too, and number one in our top ten is Salma Hayek, playing a down-on-her-luck vampire who’s become a table dancer in the film From Dusk Till Dawn … another great movie to watch with your honey over Halloween.

Selling lingerie is hard work!

Have you ever spent a long time deciding what underwear to buy? Maybe dithered in the changing rooms or pored for hours online, flipping between one set of lingerie and another, unable to choose? Perhaps you’re fussy about cut, or colour? Well, if you’re a picky shopper, you’re not alone. Albawaba reports that Saudi Arabian sales staff are struggling to sell lingerie! Until this year, underwear was sold by men, but now the government has decided to feminise employment in ‘women’s stores’ and as a result, saleswomen have been recruited – but it hasn’t been straightforward. Apparently all the male salespeople left before the women joined, as men and women can’t work together, so there was on on-the-job training, and so many women just don’t know how to sell undies, nor how to measure and fit women for underwear.  Customers complain that the female sales staff are slow and can’t find the right garments. Sales staff, in turn, say that customers are ‘demanding’ and difficult to deal with. It all makes lingerie shopping online seem like a perfect solution!

Heavenly bodies, bodies in motion, and boys, boys, boys!

The gorgeous Dita Von Teese gets shy! Difficult to imagine, isn’t it? But in an interview for a daily newspaper, Dita, who is forty-one, said that “I am not always confident, I have all the same self-doubt.” If so, it certainly didn’t show in the photo-shoot for her new Sheer Witchery range.

Of course Dita’s always understood the role of lingerie in seduction and it’s a great idea to look at photos and videos of burlesque stars to see what they wear and how they accessorise it. Lingerie for burlesque performance has to move well and be flattering in a range of postures, so their styles and combinations generally work well for us at home too. Dita is famous for her elbow-length gloves, which add sophistication to the briefest outfit, and for the high-waisted knickers that flatter (and flatten) every tummy. If you want some of that vintage glamour charm, but aren’t too keen on ‘big girl knickers’ we recommend these Lise Charmel briefs which give the elevated effect but offer exciting straps rather than solid fabric – the best of both worlds!

Strictly Come Dancing is back! Everybody’s talking about ‘that dress’ and whether or not Tess Daly should sack her stylist, but our eyes were on Casualty star Patrick Robinson who performed a fabulous jive with Anya Garnis. We can’t wait to see Patrick get his top off at some point! We knew that Patrick was a fine actor from his time on Casualty and The Bill and at the Royal Shakespeare Company but the energy he brought to the dance floor was really impressive – more please! We weren’t so keen on Dave Myers’ bare chest but full marks to him for his bravery.

It’s seems like we feature Rihanna every week, doesn’t it? But she does just have the nicest undies and she’s not shy about showing them at all! This week she’s been leaking news of the video for Pour It Up, her new single, and instagram shows her in a white bob wig, pink eyebrows (yes really, more flaming-flamingo than Scouse-brow and it actually works, for her) and the prettiest sheer white teddy that we’ve seen for a long time.

And just for fun, although with a serious message underlying it, here’s the video from Rethink Breast Cancer that has been doing the rounds … we’ve had so many giggles as a result of sharing this with girlfriends but let’s remember, lingerie lovers, that our breasts are important and our men’s boobs matter too – breast cancer doesn’t just strike women and we all need to undertake this tlc.

The ultimate boyfriend shirt look, ultimate boyfriends and boots!

Boyfriend shirts are lovely at this time of year. There’s something wonderful about curling up on the sofa in a big comfy shirt and watching a good film as the evenings draw in. And if you’ve got somebody to curl up with, you can drive them absolutely crazy by making a few amendments to your boyfriend shirt styling. There are three great tips to making the boyfriend shirt into a sexually appealing garment:

1. Wear it buttoned up to just above the navel but add a contrasting bra and pants set or bustier underneath. We like scarlet undies with striped shirts, pink with tartan lumberjack shirts and the ultimate sex-bomb look, black bra and panties under a plain white shirt.
2. Wear it tied at the waist with a pair of cute knickers or a g-string. This styling is superb with a pair of high-heeled shoes or even better, boots! Doesn’t matter if they are ankle boots or thigh high, the bare leg topped with sexy underwear and then a man’s shirt on the top is a guaranteed tease. We think our super-sensual Tai thong is ideal for this look.
3. The third look takes a little more work. It involves rolling the sleeves and using a belt to cinch the waist and create a little skirt over the hips. A brilliant styling for ladies who’d love to have a tinier waist, this look is ultra-feminine but can also be quite dominant. To boost the domme quotient, pick a black or red patent belt and matching gloves and high heels, and make sure that you’re wearing something structured under the shirt, a corset is ideal, but just matching satin bra and pants or a teddy will add the element of control which gives this look an edgy appeal.

And perhaps you want to know whose shirt we’d most like to be wearing? Well we have endless debates about that kind of list, but top of this one, for us, is an oldie but goodie; the very sexy Paul Newman!

Ultimate Boyfriends!

It’s been a big week for girl band Little Mix, their make-up range was launched and Perrie Edwards got engaged to One Direction’s Zayn Malik. We predict a lot of tears in the bedrooms of teenage girls (and boys, as Perrie has a big following!) over that romantic announcement. But Leigh-Anne Pinnock, another Little Mix, was not to be outdone, she left the launch party hand-in-hand with her sweetie, Jordan Kiffin, the Ashford Town centre forward.

We think we know the best boyfriend around though: it’s the Nottingham man who’s trying to put together the city’s biggest ever flash mob to help him propose to his lady! The chap, who’s anonymous for obvious reasons, is inviting the public to join in. He’s got some former X Factor contestants involved, plus local dance groups, and a choir! He’s also put up a Facebook group where people can join up, learn the choreography and keep in touch with his progress – the provisional date is 9 November and we’re following his progress at www.facebook.com/groups/212181148953506.

Ultimate Autumn Boots

It’s sad to put away the bikinis and flip-flops for another year, but woohoo, here come the comfy boots and mittens! Our rave boots this year have striped heels which work brilliantly dressed down with jeans or up with, for example, your LBD and a striped silk scarf. For real pizzazz, these John Fluevog boots have striped wooden heels … just gorgeous!

Lingerie loves, loathes and take or leaves

What we’re loving

 Australia Vogue’s Cara Delevingne cover shoot. It features three of our favourite things right now: bold eyebrows, a crown and a black lace bra!  Fashion is all very regal at present, and we’re happy about it, from our Union Jack cushions to our jewel-embellished thongs, but the way Cara lets her sumptuous lace brassiere peek out from under her gem-encrusted gown is new to us and we’re thinking about how to implement it ourselves.

Lace always works when flashed, and perhaps the easiest way to tailor this look to daily life is to wear a black bra, or even sexier, bustier, under a nude blouse – perhaps not the right look for the office, but a perfect va va voom on a Friday night if you’re going out for drinks after work. And if you don’t have time to change, we reckon you can get away with this by popping a cute argyle tank top or a tailored black waistcoat over the blouse for working hours and then exposing your naughtier side when it’s cocktail hour!

What we’re loathing

The whole ‘hot mess’ phenomenon. It’s not big and it’s not clever. In the past few weeks it’s been applied to Miley Cyrus twerking onstage with a married man; this year’s Miss America contest in which the Indian-American winner, Nina Davuluri has been subjected to some racist abuse and our favourite star right now, Sandra Bullock, who walked a red carpet with a new mermaid hairstyle and wearing a really pretty abstract print Roland Mouret cocktail dress.

We thought Sandra looked stunning with her laid back, ready-to-surf locks and lovely short frock that shows her gorgeous legs, and her style is a little tousled and natural rather than air-brushed perfection, we think she totally rocks the girl-next-door look and that the criticism here was just entirely misplaced. More hot Ms than hot mess, in fact!

What we’re taking or leaving …

 

Okay, they are utterly gorgeous, and Tom Ford has been working towards this culminating boot for a couple of years, just look at these silver robot bondage boots, for example, but while we adored his New York Fashion Week black corset-style bondage boots with their elaborate lacing from ankle to thigh, and suitably sexy spike heels, we’re not totally, totally convinced.

Why?

Well because we think they’re too close to the real thing to achieve their aim. They look cute, and they mimic the effect of lace corsetry but so what? A pair of textured thigh highs or stockings would have the same effect and would offer a further dimension – that of being soft and warm to the touch, not to mention the delicious pleasure of deciding whether to remove them seductively or leave them on for the extra sensual pleasure …

You can’t be quite as comfortable in spike heels as you can in perfectly fitting hosiery. Also, at around £2,000 a pair, we think Tom’s boots are out of our league, but nice stockings are always within budget!

Sexy Scots, super short hair and 50 Shades of Grey

Victoria Beckham 2014 Collection

Remember we talked about crop hairstyles a few weeks ago? Well our tips for making this look work are here - and the reason we mention it again is that the New York Fashion Show was full of androgynous haircuts – our own Victoria Beckham used models with sleek crops to showcase her Spring 2014 designs which also featured square shapes, geometric prints and gorgeous asymmetric pleats and ruffles on mini-skirts and tunic dresses. We loved her deep-cut necklines and think our Bracli pearl halter top would work perfectly under them by ramping up the sensuality of the neckline whilst maintaining the drama of the plunging décolletage.

 

Win two seats at the Gala Dinner for the 2013 Scottish Fashion Awards by voting for your favourite sexy Scot!

 

Oh yes – not only do you get to help decide whether Andy Murray or Emeli Sandé, Thom Evans or Amy Macdonald is the biggest icon, but two lucky people who enter their votes will get to attend the banquet on 9 October at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London! It’s a fabulous event, with the chance to rub shoulders with some of Scotland’s best young fashion designers, as well as the hottest Scots, and the choice of icon this year is really thrilling – you can vote for:

1. Gemma Cairney
2. Thom Evans
3. Calvin Harris
4. Kirsty Hume
5. Andy Murray
6. James MacAvoy
7. Julianne Moore
8. Amy McDonald
9. Louise Linton
10.Karen Gillan
11.Gerard Butler
12.Nina Nesbitt
13.Emeli Sandé.

Simply visit www.scottishfashionawards.com and click on the Fashion Icon section to register your vote in the ballot and be in with a chance of enjoying the banquet.

And talking about sexy …from Anarchy to Grey

 

So, while we had quite a debate going on here at lingerie.co.uk about our hot pick for the role of Christian Grey, we’re happy with the casting decision that is going to reveal Charlie Hunnam to us again. Matt Bomer, Robert Pattinson and Ryan Gosling were all linked to the role, but Hunnam appears to have impressed the casting directors and those of us in the UK know why. Okay, it’s been a while since he stole the show in Queer as Folk but he absolutely sizzled back then as gay teen Nathan Maloney when he was only eighteen so we really can’t wait to see 33 year old Charlie in the BDSM role as the male lead in 50 Shades of Grey.

Charlie has described himself as ‘having spent a lifetime’ preparing for the role … now that sounds intriguing! And for those who haven’t read the book (is there anyone still on the planet who doesn’t have a copy?) and doesn’t know what all the fuss is about, we recommend buying a copy right now and educating yourself … not that you need to master the plot or anything, but it’s a great way to spice up the boudoir a little now that the evenings are drawing in …. Charlie’s co-star is the lucky Dakota Johnson, and if Charlie’s bod in Sons of Anarchy is anything to go by, she’s going to be a lucky lady indeed!

We wish we could …

…be at the Alice Temperley preview on October 18th!

She’s showcasing her summer 2014 collection to raise funds during a Prince’s Trust Fashion Dinner and to give you a clue, tickets for the dinner would set you back £150 a seat, but buyers are encouraged to buy a whole table (that’s £1,500 for ten diners). And of course a Temperley gown is going to start at around £650, in fact our favourite garment from the winter collection are the Sphinx knit dresses: flared and pencil, at £695 each.

… go back to school

It’s so cute to see all the littlies buying their stationery and uniforms, and so great, if you’re a Mum, to be looking forward to a little more time in the day to get things done! Back to school chic is also big in our lives right now, with crisp white shirts and knee socks featuring on our grown-up shopping lists as well as on our children’s! Satchels have been big fashion staples for the past few years, and we know that nothing makes for more fun than bringing touches of the boudoir into the daily grind. So if you want to thrill your lover on a chilly Monday morning, why not hint at pleasures ahead by donning some oh-so-demure stockings and packing your satchel as a subtle hint that there’s going to be some adult fun in the evening!

… dance with the stars

And we’re keen to see what this year’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestants can do with their strut. It should be a great year for gowns, with lingerie model Abbey Clancy and former Bond Girl Fiona Fullerton likely to go head-to-head in the ‘revealingly sexy’ category while Sophie Ellis Bexter and breakfast TV star Susanna Reid will probably battle it out for the ‘most sophisticated’ attire. Vanessa Feltz has already told reporters her strategy – sequins on her undies!

As for the men, we can’t wait to see gorgeous Ben Cohen on the floor! And Ben’s muscles aren’t the only reason we love him; his work to stamp out bullying with his Stand Up Foundation is heart-warming.

… rock a matte black manicure!

It looks great and it was runway mandatory at several shows last month, including Karen Walker and it teams wonderful with the chocolate and spice lipstick colours that are top tips for winter sensuality, but we haven’t got this look down perfectly yet. Matte black nails with shiny black patent tips are the best version of it we’ve seen, but we’re probably going to stick to our usual Rouge Noir Pulp Fiction look for this winter, after all, it’s been a classic vamp style since Clara Bow in the 1920s, so why change a winning formula?

Surf it like Beckham and flash it like Stodden?

When Becks took his boys swimming and surfing, he stripped down to his shorts and baseball cap and showed off his new tattoo … and there’s nothing sexier than a man in his underwear, is there? Our picture shows his latest H&M underwear line – with the incomplete tattoo concealed by his arm. Nice to see the finished article at last.

David even managed to pull off wearing a backwards facing baseball cap which, to be honest, has become such a joke that it’s difficult to do it without looking like a gangster rapper spoof.  We like our men in shorts too, although we also appreciate pouches and thongs as being part of the wardrobe of the well-dressed chap, although thirty-three tattoos (that’s the current total, but watch this space!) might be a bit much for the average guy.

Big Brother bikini bother

Blonde bombshell and Celebrity Big Brother contestant Courtney Stodden has been courting controversy! Her enhanced cleavage has been a talking point since she arrived in the house and it seems to have a bit of a life of its own, having tried to escape from her stunning black bikini while she applied suncream.  Whether you love or hate her double D breasts, there’s no doubt that Courtney has found many a way to pout her assets on the best possible display. Her candyfloss blonde hair is a perfect foil for her other chosen bikini colours of bright yellow and lipstick pink and while her platform heels might not be for everyone, she’s got a look that she knows how to work to the utmost!

For those of us who’d like to emulate the Stodden look, a primary-coloured bikini worn with big hair and bright lipstick gives the general impression of starlet glamour, and adding a pair of espadrilles rather than the standard flip-flops, and a couple of big bangles will give extra sex appeal to a sexy swimwear outfit.

Lingerie that’s as great to wear as it is to look at

But autumn is almost upon us and our thoughts are increasingly turning to bunny slippers, hot chocolate and romantic films on TV as we snuggle up with someone special. We’re looking forward to Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and The Face of Love with Ed Harris and Robin Williams, and we’d like to watch both in our new fave, these gorgeously sophisticated Lise Charmel pyjamas. Who says you can’t be comfy and sexy at that same time? We might even team our jammies with those platform heels, after all Courtney probably won’t be needing them when she gets evicted from the Big Brother house…