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!