Monday 28 October 2013

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!

Thursday 24 October 2013

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!

Wednesday 16 October 2013

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!

Friday 11 October 2013

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!

Monday 7 October 2013

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.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

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!