This season, beauty has come over all iconic and high drama. Think old-school movies and theatre, catwalk runway hair and features stronger than Marilyn Monroe in an Andy Warhol painting. Beauty is just about to get interesting…

The Look: The Fringe.
How to get it: Step aside Kate Moss’s sweeping, layered fringe, make way for blunt, square cuts short enough to expose your eyebrows but long enough to frame your face. The power of a fringe is that with one sweep of a pair of scissors your face has been given an instant beauty update, whilst being versatile enough to pin back, pull into a quiff or grow into a side fringe if you change your mind. Everyone from Cheryl Cole to Lily Allen has worked this look, with a fringe becoming so popular that celebrity hairdresser Ken Paves even offers a clip on fringe extension to high-profile clients. However, the beauty of a blunt shape is that it not only adds instant drama, but draws attention straight to your eyes, so if you like to experiment with eye make up and playing up this favourite feature, consider trying this look out which most hairdressers will even cut for free!

The Look: Red Lips.
How to get it: The statement red lip has been around forever, but new berry and darker stains have given the look a modern lift. To begin, make sure your lips are well conditioned before applying foundation, using your make up sponge to dab over the lip to create an instant base for lipstick for staying power. Next, use a lip liner following the lip line closely…if your lips are thinner you can go slightly over the line but keep it natural. Next, begin to apply a good quality red lipstick with a lip brush, keeping within the lipline and blotting with some tissue to finish. Keep eye make up simple and for added detail, apply a highlighter on your cupid’s bow to accentuate your new stand-out facial feature.

The Look: Tidy Bed-Head.
How to get it: Whilst bed-head hair has been a beauty favourite for the last few years, inspired by celeb teens, festival fashion and beach babes, the look just got tidy. Avoid perfectly groomed and sleek with time-consuming hair dryers and damaging straighteners and think back to childhood memories of going to bed with plaits and taking them out in the morning for pretty waves, or giving your hair a brush and sticking a pin in as soon as you wake up without the likes of a gruelling styling session. This look is all about letting your natural hair texture and beauty shine through and avoiding heavy duty products, as not only will it give your hair a well needed break, but allows you to view your hair in its tousled, non-perfect but natural crowning glory.

The Look: Big Brows.
How to get it: With the re-emergence of eighties fashion, big brows have made a comeback, with strong arches, filled in edges and defined shapes becoming a favourite on celebrities and catwalks alike. Think Megan Fox and Kim Kardashian’s pencilled and thickly shaped brows, paving the way for a nation of females who have been a little tweezer happy and lost the concept of relaxed grooming. If you’re a victim of over-zealous plucking, try growing out your eyebrows for a few weeks, covering them up with a fringe or removing the odd stray during this awkward but well worth it process, and make an appointment with a beauty therapist for a perfect brow shape. Once you have achieved a defined shape, fill in any gaps with a soft brown liner, using small strokes to imitate brow hairs and then fill in the rest with a soft brown shadow, using the tip of the applicator to create defined lines. However, if you’re worried you’ll lose your new found shape or can’t afford weekly trips to a brow-groomer, try buying an eyebrow kit from various department and cosmetic stores, which often include various sized stencils to create the perfect shape at home, as well as mini tweezers and brushes. Not only will this look draw attention to the eye area, but will give your face ultimate defined beauty, framing your features and creating symmetry.

The Look: Lined Eyes
How to get it: For more playing on the eyes, liner is perfect for creating dramatic emphasis whilst being versatile, with make up ranges varying from the liquid liner to a kohl pencil. If you love Hollywood glam and pretty peepers, prep your eyes with a foundation base and apply a black liquid liner with a blush, starting by dotting along the inside of the eye, a dot in the middle, and then the flick, joining the dots together to create a perfect line. This look takes a bit of practice and needs a steady hand, but is well worth the time and adds instant glamour to your normal make up routine. Keep the line thin for the day and thicken up or even try glitter liner for night-time. Meanwhile, if you prefer a smoky eye, use a kohl around the whole eye, not worrying too much about perfection, then use an eyeshadow application to smudge it, blending into and around the lid for a dark, sexy but not overdone eye. Both looks can be worn alone or on top of eyeshadow, although keep it simple for daywear to let the liner do the talking.

By Kelly Dolan

For weeks the newspapers have fed our minds with nonsense about “national treasure” Cheryl Cole’s eagerly anticipated debut material from her new album “3 words”. Clearly a cleverly timed publicity move which would see the release coincide, with you guessed it, the X Factor  live shows, killing two birds with one stone by showcasing Geordie judge Cheryl Cole’s new single and first solo performance, on the Sunday night live results show.

Since arriving on X factor’s judging panel in 2008 Cheryl Cole hysteria was everywhere. Girls wanted to be her and men wanted to be with her. Her down to earth northern charm melted viewer’s hearts and her amazing looks took our breath away. However being blinded as we had our rose tinted glasses firmly stuck on our heads, we let slip from our minds the incident of “toilet gate” when back then known as Cheryl Tweedy she punched a toilet attendant in the face and seemed completely unapologetic about her actions.

But back to the issue at hand. Since Cheryl mania swept the nation and Girls Aloud were on a break, record bosses had a bulb light idea to cash in on the hype. Her seat as an X factor judge was firmly secure and now she would embark on a solo career. However many people were baffled as to what she was doing judging hopefuls on their singing abilities, when we had never witnessed any great vocal credentials on her part.

Hmmm! This did not make any sense. Surely anybody who was going to be judging others had to be able to sing themselves. But in the world of show business this was irrelevant, X factor needed to be revitalised and what better way to do this than to include a beautiful, young pop star as an additional member of the judging panel.

Ok so we accepted that she wasn’t the best singer in the world and hypnotist, I mean fellow judge, Simon Cowell convinced us into believing that following her experience as a contestant on Pop Stars The Rivals she would be able to relate to the hopefuls, as she knew what they were going through.

It was almost as if we were spellbound under Cowell’s control. There was no where to hide with  X factor, Britains got Talent, American Idol, America’s got talent shown on nearly every channel. Is there anywhere we could go to escape the wizard that is Simon Cowell sucking us all into a reality TV spiralling hole?  There was no channel you could turn to without seeing Cowell’s overly tanned grin.

However when we learned that Cheryl’s debut performance would NOT be live we all gasped in disbelief. It seemed ironic that she would be placing judgement on others for something she could not do herself, and then the backlash began. Cheryl performed her single Fight For This Love to over 5 million viewers on the results show and instead it appeared that she had to fight for this breath. Her vocals were weak and in fact managed to make gruesome twosome John and Edward sound like Andy Williams. The military inspired jacket and see through top were a little on the tacky side, and even with a million back up dancers crammed on the stage like sardines, the performance lacked energy.


What was baffling was that as a member of Girls Aloud, Cheryl always seemed to manage singing live with vigorous dance routines, So what happened this time?  Then I remembered that she always had Nadine Coyle on her right to drown out the sound of her screeching. In fact I’m beginning to wonder if the production team “forgot” to turn on her microphone so we were actually never hearing her voice.
 
It may be harsh and you can call me old fashioned but there’s something about buying music and getting pleasure from listening to a talented singer, and with mediocre voices so available to us, its no wonder everybody thinks they’ve got a shot at being the next big thing.

Browsing through my weekly fashion glossy, I realise that whilst I can read for hours drooling over top trends, celebrity style and the latest killer platform heel, such fashion is sometimes too overdone for us normal civilians, either making our way to work or catching a bite with friends. With the approach of autumn, I am going to show you how to incorporate effortless style into your everyday attire.

Mixing Odd Pieces: This type of style of statement is all about pulling an outfit together without the confines of either adopting an overtly girly look or an edgier take on fashion. Whilst stars such as Rihanna are not afraid to combine feminine frills or prom dresses with tough studded boots or an edgy haircut, high street stores nationwide are now designing items that purposely clash in terms of style, such as a find I made in Topshop which purposely combined a set of bracelets that included British heritage inspired pearls and cameos with studded bangles and leather straps. To recreate this look yourself, try combining a girly blouse with a leather jacket, taking a trip to Camden market to stock up on some gothic jewellery and teaming with a pretty tea dress or adding some chunky chain belts to ordinary skinny jeans. This look is perfect for those who have kept it simple and girly in terms of their wardrobe but have always admired the confident style choices of punk chicks and goth queens, whilst not being brave enough to completely adopt the look.

Layering: With the British winter gradually starting to hit us, an all-time favourite for the awkward transitional stage of fashion between autumn and winter is layering, Whilst adding a sense of versatility to an outfit with the ability to strip it down or load it up, it’s the perfect way to showcase winter pieces, as well as mix and match with summer and autumn items. Try teaming tights and socks with knee high or ankle boots, topping with either denim shorts purchase from summer or a chic shift dress, or combine a vest top with a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath to avoid bulk. For a polished look, try combining a cutesy cardigan with a shell top, or teaming this season’s boyfriend blazer with an open shirt and graphic tee for a preppy, casual take on fashion. The key to this trend is to let either your top or bottom do the talking and make sure that all items are well-fitted to avoid looking bulky. Key purchases for this look would be a wear-with-everything jacket, lots of cool-coloured tights and sock combos, and a staple layer item such as a waistcoat or cardigan.

Incorporate classic pieces: To ooze style you don’t necessarily have to elope on a credit-crunching shopping spree in an attempt to purchase all of the key autumn/winter pieces. Classic style pieces will prove to be not only fashion investments due to their season to season timelessness, but can instantly adapt your existing wardrobe to save the splurge on a style overhaul. Simple accessories such as a narrow belt with a favourite dress or a classic camel coat add instant sophistication to any outfit, as does a high quality designer handbag or those trusty knee-high’s that have been collecting dust in your sock drawer, whilst a luxurious patterned scarf doubles up as a layering item and instant outfit warmer. Classic favourites now making a comeback are eighties shoulder padded jackets and long cardigans, which can be teamed with anything from a tea dress to a jumpsuit to tone down and add sophistication to any outfit. Because classic pieces are the key part of your outfit, go wild with colour with a bright red handbag, navy blue mac or a gold pair of shoes…they are the part of your outfit that you want to stand out!

Combine textures and shapes: For those of us who are plagued with body woes with the pressure of fitting into a bikini for summer fading away, mixing oversized items with figure-hugging counterpart’s equal instant chic and even better, whole body confidence. If you have great legs but are panicking over a muffin top, try combining a boyfriend style shirt with tailored trousers or skinny’s, whilst if you’re pear shaped and like to flaunt a toned upper-section, team a fitted top with harem pants or this season’s peg-leg trouser to disguise any lumps and bumps. If a flat-chest has you body-conscious, create the illusion of a fuller bust with frills and ruffles on tops, whilst if you just want to create an ultimate clash of textures and fabrics, try teaming this season’s staple sequin jacket with a sheer blouse and punk-chic leather trousers for an ultimate culture clash of high couture clothing. Meanwhile, catwalk runways have become the ultimate pattern clash in terms of key autumn looks, with the likes of Cavalli making safari prints sultry and sophisticated with sheer fabrics whilst Marc Jacob’s Spring Collection incorporates wool knit and tweeds with prim lace and pale pastels to create a collision course between adrogenous fashion with a girly influence.