Just a quick thank you to those who voted for lookfantastic to win Best Online Beauty Shop in the Handbag Beauty Awards 2009! Pipping the likes of asos and Boots to the post, we’re all rather pleased here at LF HQ. Here’s some of the glowing things you had to say about us when it came to casting your vote:

“lookfantastic have the history and a great look and feel of a professional run business. Great offers too!”

“Huge range of products and great offers! Plus fast efficient service.”

“lookfantastic are by far the best! They have great offers and have so many great brands. I trust them more than some of the new ones which seem to copy them.”

“It’s perfect for both my hair and product needs - I highly recommend their website and salons.”

“lookfantastic.com definitely…. the next day delivery is perfect… “

“Superb service every time. Brilliant company!”

“lookfantastic always has something new coming online - great offers, wonderful efficient service and keen prices.”

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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“The best colour in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you.” Coco Chanel

Engulfed in an abyss of fickle on-trend rules, translating seasonal looks into covetable ‘you-styles’ can make for a daunting feat. Trawling through hot new picks, runway costumes and studying Gaga (the lady of a thousand faces), I find myself squinting sideways as I vision my humble locks and average silhouette morphing into some of the outlandish styles of the moment.

A self confessed slave to the cause, I possess an array of squeaky clean soled shoes, dresses that only ever feature in bedroom bound fashion shows and what can only be described as a  make-up larder brimming with neon shadows and matching nail coats. But after attempting to finally put those floral 100 deniers to good use in light of the new ‘funky tights’ trend, I came to the realisation that there is no denying the uncomfortable truth: fashion is simply horses for courses and what may transform one into a haute couture ‘dame de la mode’, will invariably morph the most of us into a scantily clad style disaster. Bin the florals Sarah. Please.

The key? Knowing who you are and digging your heels (or flats) in while you bend the rules to you suit the beautifully unique look of you. Style is what makes us fashionable. Fashion doesn’t give us style. Experiment, on yourself (and on others), be comfortable, have confidence and ultimately, adapt trends as you see fit. If you go the other way, you’ll be on a fast track to ‘Gaga-ville’ and I imagine sporting a thousand faces real hard to maintain.

Daring divas…
All that glitters is definitely gold for Balmain this season. Transform AW09s sequin craze into a full on cat-suit if you wish, and everyone will stare in amazement at your courageous quirky audacity. When in the office, why not reduce your sparkle sensations to some shimmer-shouting eyes with Bare Escentuals Glimmer - True Gold. Couple with  some patent booties (anything up to 5″) sported inconspicuously under the desk and you’ll relish in office glamour without offending straight-laced-Susan on floor four.

Elegant dames…
Sky high waists teamed with studded Jimmy Choos (we love you H&M!) and some razor sharp shoulders will have you swanking around in 80s fabulousness. Finish with a matted scarlet pout, rounded chill nails and a perfectly tousled up-do for the on-trend Audrey Hepburn image. Try Babylish Black Conical Wand - wide Barrel for delicious curls and to hold that pose for ever, spray hair zealously with Sebastian Liquid Steel.

In love with flats…..
Missoni’s heavy knitwear is all about layering and can be uber chic for the lady of natural beauty. Have a make-under in the style of the Gucci girls and relish in gleaming and dewy skin tones. Try Yves Saint Laurent Touché Eclat Luminous Radiance to add an understated glow to your fabulous complexion (jealous much) and bask in your easy-peasy beauty that quite frankly makes the rest of us green!

Alberta Ferretti put it perfectly: “Fashion shouldn’t be a costume, your dress should be an extension of your personality.” Afterall, you don’t need a 2004 Christina Aguliera calling the office and asking for her worst dressed rep back do you?

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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These could be yours! Amongst more A-list must-haves...

Ok so if you’ve made it to the blog via our lookfantastic homepage then you would’ve already seen the amazing prize that’s on offer throughout November right?

Undeniably it’s an ultimate opportunity to steal the limelight of the A-listers as you ensemble your new designer gear, splash the cash (well ok, vouchers) on fine wine, before soaking up the romance of Paris … and then when you arrive home to some fresh flowers every month from your adoring fans (admittedly we can’t promise the fan bit) you can set to work choosing yourself some delectable handmade furniture and accessories to stylise your humble abode. Steam up the bathroom, run a bath full of bubbles and indulge in a bit of relaxation with the latest edition of Glamour. Oh and you’re not finished yet…£300 worth of goodies from the lookfantastic site are yours for the taking to make sure you look top dollar as you step into L.K. Bennett to splash the vouchers once more!

The excitement of pulling a whopping £2500 prize together was so overwhelming that it slipped our mind that we couldn’t enter it ourselves! Doh! Oh well, I guess that’s more chance for you then… x

P.s. If you are contacted next month as the lucky winner of our competition and struggle to find someone to join you on the weekend to Paris, you can always contact me via this very blog…! xx

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5, rated)

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Fact - purchasing a red lipstick mirrors the psychological effect of purchasing a designer dress (albeit at a snip of the price). It may not satisfy the adrenaline-fuelled exhilaration experienced in the way that spending half a month’s wages on a single item does, granted, but guilt-free smugness levels will be at an all time high, guaranteed.

Loath to kick our beauty habit, us women are constantly looking for ways to get extra value for our money. Whether it’s more Beauty Flash for your cash, more spritz for your spend or more plumping for your pound - beauty products are something we are not willing to forgo, financial crisis or not.

Compare forking out hundreds on a pair of shoes to £15 on the latest mascara and it doesn’t seem like such an indulgence at all. Work out the cost per application and the price tag seems perfectly manageable.

We’ve taken a few of our bestsellers and tallied up their Cost Per Use (CPU), proving that you can indulge in your favourite beauty treats after all…

Product: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Cost: £25.00
Uses: 60
CPU: 41p

Product: Redken All Soft Duo
Cost: £18.55
Uses: 30
CPU: 61p

Product: Benefit BADgal Lash
Cost: £14.50
Uses: 90
CPU: 16p

Product: Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream
Cost: £75.00
Uses: 60
CPU: £1.25

Product: Neom Refresh Candle
Cost: £15.00
Uses: 20 hours
CPU: 75p per hour

Product: Kerastase Ciment Anti-Usure
Cost: £14.20
Uses: 30
CPU: 47p

Product: ghd IV Styler
Cost: £93.99
Uses: 1,500
CPU: 6p

Product: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat N°2
Cost: £17.85
Uses: 180
CPU: 0.09p

Product: Tweezerman Slant Tweezer in Leopard Print (with a lifetime guarantee)
Cost: £20.00
Uses: 2,000
CPU: 0.01p

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5, rated)

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Power dressing. pow.er dress.ing noun
A stylish and expensive clothing style, intended to convey the impression of assertiveness and competence. Predominantly worn by women.

Dallas basked in it, the Princess of Wales made it beautifully covetable and dear old Maggie Thatcher transformed it into the embodiment of ‘pow’. Its back, it’s a statement, it’s a point of view and ultimately it’s a point of power. This season’s trend is one of fiery force and I for one am diving in feet first.

Growing up in neon shell-suits (teamed with platform shoes) and sporting a poodle perm, my personal experience of the style ‘a-la-dynasty’ extended to watching in envy as my aunt appeared each year laden in copious amounts of plastic sequins layered over ice-pick shoulders. Luxe velvet party dresses teamed with a crimped mullet and tights so woolly her calves grew to the size of my thigh had me in bewildered awe. Yet throughout my bedroom bound Cyndi Lauper renditions and Thriller routines, I longed to use mums bottle of hairspray on my worryingly short fringe - secretly wanting to back-comb my way to Dallas glamour. Older, wiser (?) and raring to go, AW 09 has landed in my lap this month like the glacier cherry on my fashion cake. Sharp, strong lines, humongous hair, blocked bright colours, deliberately bold make-up, and fabulous amounts of crimson, chilli, and poppy rouge. Let the creations commence!

Vision Dita Von Tease harmonised with Anna Wintour and fresh, sexy Cheryl Cole. Think thick, matte 3D pouts paired with confidently rouge talons and razor sharp shoulders. Whether it’s an assertive swank around the office or a provocative schmooze to the bar, there’s no shying away this season, it’s gotta be big, it’s gotta have glamour and most of all it has got to ooze power. But hold your horses, and step away from the scarlet nail falsies; like many fashion proclamations, get it wrong and you’ll look like a 50’s ration-ista rather than an 80’s fashionista…

Pair poppy red nails and a chilli pout with monochrome tailoring or a fashion forward fuscia pink ensemble (exclusive to daring divas only!). Leighton Denny Nail Colour -  Viva La Diva is a super sassy red nail coat perfect for the bold and beautiful and works in perfect harmony with the new Duwop Private  Red Lipstick. Paying homage to the 70s colour changing lipsticks, this powerful pout perfector will effortlessly blend with your skin tone to create a provocative yet empowering ensemble. Lastly, precision is key so it’s just as well lip liners are back in town. Finale your new pout with New <ID I-Define Lip Liner - Rosie and leave the uber-glossy-glosser at home this season. Keep it bright, thick and mattified for maximum va va voom!

60s babies thought it was buried forever, but the rocking 80s is back with a vengeance to rear its ‘not so’ ugly head. Take a deep breathe…there’s no need to wince! We scraped the leg warmers and buried the neon shell suits at the back of mums attic (ready for AW10!?). Selecting only the best of the fashion beast, AW09 is your time to walk the walk and make a scarlet statement. Viva la raging rouge!

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Believe it or not, but for fear of them crawling down my face causing much embarrassment, I only tried my first pair of falsies on a (very fun filled) hen night last month.

Too nervous to put them on myself, (please feel free to leave a comment if you have any fool proof tips on applying false lashes!) my friend stepped in to act as my very own lash saviour. Together, friend and falsies joined forces to give me the most amazing lashes! Ever! And behold, I am now addicted to them.

However, I do not feel it appropriate to wear false lashes 24/7…despite working in a fashion fuelled environment and instead opt for lashings of trusty mascara. Top of my wishlist right now is the multi-tasking, time saving Clarins Wonderperfect, the lifting bareMinerals Flawless Definition with it’s 360° fine-toothed comb and my sisters favourite Benefit BADgal lash, which make it look like you’rer wearing falsies without the risk of them falling off!

Have you had any touch-and-go beauty moments you wish to share?!

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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One of the best things about winter’s forthcoming passion for raging reds is that at last we can veer away from freaky acid hues and insipid summer neutrals. There’s nothing more glamorous than perfectly manicured scarlet nails.

While nail trends have indicated a squared tip and a blunted look, I think to go all out rouge needs gorgeous ovals - long or short. Like Clara Bow lips, pillar box nails are the ideal little black dress accessory; it hardly needs another thing to create simple but deeply elegant style.

I’m loving the current crop of variations on the theme, from Leighton Denny’s Caught Red Handed, a fierce, blood shade,  OPI’s fiery, sparkling Dear Santa through to ButterLondon’s shimmeringly vampish Knees Up.

Don’t forget that the most sophisticated nails are nothing without soft and supple hands; ramp up the hydration with a good hand cream and drench your cuticles in nourishing oils to let your fingers do the talking all the way through party season.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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It’s official. I have a new hair idol. She might be the obvious choice given that she makes up one quarter of the X Factor judging panel (and no I’m not talking Cheryl and her unfeasibly voluminous bouncy barnet), it’s Dannii Minogue’s ‘do I just can’t get enough of. I mean who would have ever thought a bob could be so versatile! It puts my pathetic morning fight with the blow-dryer to shame.

We’ve had 20’s bob Dannii, 80’s quiff Dannii, washer woman Minogue (she was out last night), cutesy peek-a-boo fringe Dannii, tousled bob Dannii, pony tail hair extension Dannii, hair piled high Dannii, 20’s pin curls Dannii - and these are just from the live shows!

Admittedly I wasn’t a fan of last week’s random hair extension (rat tail springs to mind), but we’re all prone to the odd bad hair day, right? Luckily adding shine as mirror-like as Dannii’s is simple with a spritz of something glassy, like Goldwell Brilliance Radiant Star Shine Spray.

Do you think Dannii manages to pull off her different looks?

(No Ratings Yet)

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A slower pace of life, lunch under the shade of plane trees with a backdrop of lavender and olives, sloping vineyards and the colourful scenery that charmed Van Gogh and Cezanne… Provence, regrettably is a place I’ve yet to visit.

Inspired by his childhood in Provence, a 23-year-old Olivier Baussan decided to recreate the traditions of his region. After purchasing a steam distiller, a relic from the past, Olivier harvested wild rosemary and produced pure Rosemary essential oil. Selling it at the local markets, this all-natural product was quickly embraced by villagers and L’Occitane was born.

And so today the story continues, bringing us a range of L’Occitane products for both men and women, that represent the traditions and values of the Mediterranean region. Every year, Olivier seeks out traditional techniques and ingredients once used in the region to ensure the well-being of our body, mind and spirit.

Imagine my delight on a typically bleak English afternoon when the new L’Occitane gifts arrive to bring some sunshine to my day. From the Verbena Shea Discovery Collection to tempt me with an inviting citrus scent to the Enchanting Cherry Blossom Collection to romance me with it’s poetic beauty. This year L’Occitane’s festive collection transports me to the hills of southern France between the Alps and the Mediterranean, down to the small Provencal town on Manosque.

Come join me and enter our L’Occitane gift boutique to experience the Provencal art of giving, it’ll leave you feeling the true soul of Provence.

(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5, rated)

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If you’re one of the five people in the country who didn’t tune into X-Factor last night, you really need to sort out your priorities. If however you did switch over to your Sunday night ‘Factor fix to “Whit”-ness the world exclusive of our favourite diva (we’re still devastated about missing out on her tour tickets in the LF office) and Cheryl’s performance of her new single Fight For This Love, you will already know that Sunday nights have reached a new level of cool.

Despite Whitney’s minor wardrobe malfunction (luckily her presence alone was enough to divert attentions) she took to the stage like a diva to water. Cheryl followed suit, wowing audiences by performing live (energetic dance routine to boot) in a sheer all-in-one and Balmain-esque military style jacket alongside a group of honed and toned male dancers.

Do you think Cheryl’s live performance paid off?

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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