Beauty Bus

Fashion is whatever you make it, as students from Telford College and Heriot-Watt University have shown by raiding charity shops in Edinburgh for their catwalk show.

Textile and design students from Heriot-Watt University have customised a collection of second-hand clothing and accessories from charity shops, while those from Telford College will be working on hair, make-up, music and photography.

Fashion isn’t just about designer style – you can easily put your own stamp on an outfit by accessorising it in line with the current trends or with your own unique style. You can be sure of one thing; a guaranteed one of a kind outfit and the best thing; no one else will be wearing it.

Not only that but you can find great outfits in charity shops at a fraction of the price in high street or designer shops. People tend to find shopping in charity shops can carry a social stigma but you can find some real bargains; things that people just don’t fit into anymore.

Hopefully a budding fashionistas will be not only fashionable but charitable as well, so you might be lucky and pick up some designer labels or vintage pieces amongst the high street brands, so have a good rummage.
The show at The Jam House in Queen Street is taking place on the 24th February and aims to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Ffyonna Scott, the fundraising volunteer manager at BHF Scotland, said: “We’ve joined fashion forces to make this a fantastic showcase of finds from our charity shops.

“February is National Heart Month and BHF Scotland is urging Edinburgh people to be a part of its Red For Heart fundraising campaign. If you love clothes and want to get some ideas for updating your charity shops finds, or your own wardrobe, please buy a ticket from 0131-555 5891.”
The show will be accompanied by a narrated love story and will end with a show of wedding outfits.

Here in the U.K we are obsessed with the way we look and feel. Everyday we are bombarded with size zero women starring at us from magazine covers, film posters and American sitcoms. The Fashion Industry is obsessed with size zero oblivious to the fact that that is just not the way a real women does or should look like. Last year in 2009 top fashion designer shocked the fashion industry at the London Fashion week by selecting models size 12-14 to show off his collection of figure hugging outfits. Two of his ‘people’ were allegedly so angry that they quit. However Mark stuck to his guns and used real women to show off his collection. When asked about his decision later he said he wanted to send the message to women that although a Mark Front designer looks good on a stick thin model they look even better on curvier figures.

Kate Moss has been in a lot of trouble in the past for supporting the size zero argument. One of motto’s to live by is ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. Beside a lot of stick from the press and public for this, every women’s fashion saviour emerged. Gok Wan presenter of channel 4’s How to Look Good Naked’. His show helps women everywhere realise that we all look absolutely fantastic in and out of our clothes no matter what our body shape is. He is truly size zero’s worst enemy, following the bigger is better outlook, and after seeing his show who could argue with that. He teaches women confidence in the way we look and helps us find the clothes which show our figure off to its full potential.

Gok has also launched several campaigns to help show the world that zero is not the only size, and that curves are sexy. These campaigns included one of convincing magazines to use real models, to advertise fashion and it must be said that it turned out to be a success. Gok also launched a petition calling for a body confidence lesson to be included in all school curriculum’s with the help of Shonna Collins, Miss Naked Beauty 2008. This petition is to help young girls with body confidence and teaching them the models we see in magazines are not truly representative as to what women really look like, and we should be comfortable and confident in our own skin. Shonna wears a size 12-14 in clothes and says she loves her curves and would never change them. This particular campaign is an on-going success but still needs more supporters. To show your support head to the channel 4 website and visit Gok’s page.

Lady GaGa has been named as the top fashion buzzword of the upcoming season according to the annual poll by the American Global Language Monitor (GLM).

It is the first time that a name has topped the poll and the 23 year old singer was ahead of fashion buzzwords “leggins 2.0″, “no pants”, “off-shoulder”, “boyfriend” and “chandeliers”.

The buzzwords are nominated by fashion experts from around the world who are asked to suggest their fashion buzzwords of the moment.

The singer, who is well known for her outrageous outfits as well as her singing, was joined in the top fifteen buzzwords by another influential lady, the President’s wife Michelle Obama.

The rankings are based on a proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in print and electronic media and on the internet and are judged by how often they appear in the media.

The director and fashion correspondent of GLM, Millie Payack, said: “The relationship between Stefani Germanotta, the girl from Yonkers, and haute couture may not be intuitively obvious, until you realise that Stefani would soon grow into one Lady GaGa.”

Embrace the Nation’s favourite garment!
Blue Denim jeans will never go out of fashion,  every year without fail we see them return to the catwalk, so, lets take a little look at how they have evolved over the last 60 years.

In 1950 Blue Denim Jeans began recognised as leisurewear and increased in popularity as celebrities such as Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marlon Brando began sporting them as a signature fashion item. Blue denims became internationally desirable and were associated with rock and roll and pop culture, and almost immediately every teenager began following the ‘Blue Denim Jeans’ train with avid interest.

Early 1970 individuals began personalising flared bell bottom versions of jeans and adding floral and abstract embroidery. Often metal eyelets, studs, transfers, appliqué and even anti war graffiti writing were all popular forms of decoration on bleached denim jeans.  A popular hit with the hippie revolution ‘Blue Denim Jeans’ became accepted across all cultures and acknowledged by all fashion misfits. Blue Denims develop into a recognised uniform to a 1970’s pop concert.

In 1990 lycra was added to the denim to enhance comfort and high street stores such as The Gap, Marks and Spencer and Topshop began stocking fits for every body type.

In the 21st century ‘Blue Denim Jeans’ included brightly coloured stitching, bold logos, tabs and various distressed denims have been manufactured to create the look of individuality. With brand names such as: True Religion, Rock and Republic and Blue Cult Jeans using celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé Knowles and Stacy Ann Ferguson- Fergie (Black eyed peas) to canvas the debut of their blue denims.
2008 sees some designers trying to make their signature Blue Denim Jeans eco friendly. As fashion enthusiasts worldwide begin experimenting with organic cottons and natural indigos.

Its early 2010 and Blue Denim Jeans are evolving by the season, with all styles becoming acceptable from high waist flares, to skinny – fit, narrow leg denims. There is a pair out there to suit every body shape. Dark or light, distressed or natural the nation’s favourite fashion item, Blue Denim Jeans are going nowhere!

When it comes to decorating a child’s bedroom it’s not exactly the easiest of tasks considering all the activities they’re into, all the television programmes they enjoy and the most difficult task of all- finding something they won’t grow out of in a few months. Girls want fairies and butterflies where as boys want footballs and constellations so where do you start? Continue Reading →

Getting back in the gym isn’t always the easiest of tasks particularly if you already have a busy schedule. Not only have you got to find time to fit gym sessions into your routine but you’ve also got to find the motivation from somewhere to get up out when you’ve already had a long day at work. Continue Reading →

There are a very large number of designer pieces available in the womens clothing section of very.co.uk, the online department store that is offering unprecedented discounts to its customers this festive season. However, designer shoes, dresses and handbags are not the only things that are available to be bought on the site, and people may often forget that there are a lot of basic yet essential items of womens clothing that are also offered to very.co.uk’s female customers.

A short search around the female clothing section of very.co.uk can show a great deal of essential items that are also in the sale, and can therefore be snapped up very cheaply by customers that are in the know. There are a very large number of simple t-shirts and long sleeved tops, almost all of which can be snapped up for less than £10. This section of very.co.uk has clothes that women may wish to wear for work, and this is very important –often women who work in such places as hospitals but do not have a designated uniform find it very difficult to be able to find cheap clothes that are suitable for their working environment. Most of these items are less than £10 anyway, and now that very.co.uk has cut nearly all its prices as a result of its recent sale items such as this are now even cheaper. Many of these items, the t-shirts for example, and vest tops, as well as being reduced are also on a three for the price of two offer, so women looking for work clothes can get kitted out for the whole week for hardly any cost at all.

As well as basic everyday clothes, very.co.uk also offers a large selection of female underwear pieces at a very low price. These pieces of lingerie come from both designer and high street brands, and the large majority of pieces have once again had their prices cut, as part of the fifty percent off offer that has come into effect across the womens clothing section of the site.

We all like to look our best at the office christmas party. We’ve covered make-up and hair styles here at the Beauty Bus in the past… but what about that all important dress?

According to a recent survey – very.co.uk have been voted the best site for party dresses in the UK. The new retailer, who only launched a couple of months ago, has a huge range of dresses and was picked as the top site thanks to it’s competitive pricing and available styles.

We’ve picked out some of our favourite party dresses from Very.co.uk below… let us know your favourite in the comments.

Blackheads can be unsightly but they are extremely common and can be removed or prevented. In simply terms blackheads are merely small black spots that come about as a result of excess dead skin cells clogging up the pores. In most cases blackheads appear on the nose, chest, neck and back but can be found in other areas that are prone to grease, sweat and dirt.

There are several ways that you can remove blackheads but it is far better to act on how they can be prevented. Moreover removal of blackheads is only a temporary measure and unless adequate action is taken to prevent them, they will only come back given time.

The main reasons why blackheads appear are as a result of unclean skin surface in conjunction with excess oil, pollution, humidity and even stress. They are equally common in both men and women although many women claim to acquire them as a consequence of hormonal changes particularly during the menstrual cycle.

A healthy balanced diet in place of junk food and plenty of water and fresh fruit juices works wonders in keeping the skin clean. Exercise and a stress free lifestyle will also play a significant role in the prevention of blackheads. Using a good cleanser on a regular basis will help remove excess debris from the skin’s surface and should form a part of your daily hygiene.

Avoid using oil based creams and limit cosmetic use whenever possible and these can clogs up the pores and prevent the skin from breathing. When cleaning the skin use warm water the open up the pores and use a scrub on a weekly basis to shift dead skin cells that blog up the pores of the skin. In addition, always use clean towels particularly on the face and change bed linen regularly to avoid the skin from picking up skin cells which have already been shed.

The key behind great looking hair is without doubt a result of a well balanced diet, regular exercise and continuous hair care. Healthy locks do not come by simply wishing them to appear, it takes a certain amount of discipline and dedication in order to achieve the ultimate overall effect.

Before you can adopt a hair care regime you need to understand your hair by firstly knowing what type of hair you have and what it responds well to. Hair may be thick, thin, wavy, curly, straight, coarse, greasy, dry and dirty yet all of these can be cared for to prevent them from becoming brittle, damaged and lifeless.

Once you have established your hair type the next thing to do is to look after it by cleaning it regularly and protecting it from possible damage. Styling treatments, grooming, heat and all weather conditions can take their toll on the hair so it needs to be pre conditioned and prepared before it becomes too late. Choosing the right shampoo and conditioner is perhaps the first step you need to take and in the case where heat is applied either via a blow dryer or curling irons you need to ensure you have an appropriate moisturiser to prevent the hair from drying out.

Take care when washing the hair too by avoiding very hot water and make sure the hair is well rinsed after shampooing to avoid debris from building up. Try not to over wash the hair as this will strip it from its natural oils secreted from the scalp whose function is to protect the hair follicles. If you must wash your hair daily use a gentle shampoo of simply rinse the hair in warm water.