Summer Style with Nancy Ganz & Uber Great Competition!

Nov 212011
 

Hi Beauties,

Well the days are certainly starting to get warmer and warmer, which means I am on the inevitable hunt for a new swimsuit. Are you thinking about it yet?

I live by the beach so I tend to buy a new suit every year because they get lots of use, but this year I’m dreading it even more than usual. Two months in the USA earlier this year indulging in the delicious – but seriously calorie laden – cuisine of the States has meant a few extra pounds have crept up on me, argh!

I’m also on the lookout for a one piece this year, and although I thought this task would be easier, it seems bikinis abound but stylish one pieces are rare. Often they just look like something out of your nanna’s closet!

Anyway, in my travels I have stumbled across the swimwear range by Nancy Ganz. Now if anyone has heard of this brand you might be raising your eyebrows, as they’re known for body shaping undergarments, but their new range of suits are seriously stylish. They’re body contouring flattering cuts, and the suits offer that extra little bit of support that any girl can use when they’re strutting their stuff by the water.

Nancy Ganz Chic Control Swimsuit

Nancy Ganz has strapless suits, convertibles, one pieces and mix and match tankinis ranging in price from $79.95 to $179.95, and although you might think this is a little on the pricey side, the uber good quality and chlorine resistant fabric (which prevents fading) mean you are getting your money’s worth.

So which one is my pick? Well I’m head over heels for the Goddess Swimsuit in gorgeous Emerald green which is designed to be worn either halter-neck or strapless. I think the softly gathered fabric across the body, will work wonders to hide my USA dining sins and it would look great with a wide brimmed hat, Jackie O sunglasses and a sheer maxi skirt thrown over the top to go from beach to BBQ. Now I just have to save my pennies for a couple of weeks before I can rock it on the sand!

Nancy Ganz Goddess Swimsuit

BUT here is the good news. The generous folks at Nancy Ganz have recently teamed up with design guru Alex Perry and and makeup magnates Lancome to celebrate the launch of their new website which you can check out here.

They’re offering YOU lovely beauties the chance to win the ultimate summer makeover.

One lucky lady will win a makeover worth $2000. You will fly to Sydney for the ultimate makeover experience where a Nancy Ganz designer will help you choose a beautiful Alex Perry dress valued up to $1000. You will also be personally fitted with $500 of Nancy Ganz Shapewear, and to top it all off, the winner will receive an exclusive Lancôme makeover and $500 worth of skincare products. CRAZY!

All you have to do is go to the Nancy Ganz Facebook page here and ‘like’ them, then tell them why you deserve to win in 25 words or less. So easy!

But hurry, entries close TOMORROW! Tuesday the 22nd November 2010 at 5pm (go, go, go, there is still time!)

Good Luck beauties, hopefully you’ll be rocking your own Nancy Ganz style makeover really soon.

xxxBeautyScholar

Pops of Colour (Part One!) with Lady Jayne

Nov 162011
 

I think style is a lot like art, except every day you wake up with a living canvas (you!) which you can choose to decorate with clothes, makeup, and hairstyles, which reflect and express who you are.

Your Canvas = YOU!

Now if you’re anything like me, you’re pretty much someone different every day, so it’s great to have ways to express yourself that can be added and removed whenever you want!

Clothes and makeup are easy, but hair is a little harder to change. Sure, you can have up-dos or wear it down, curly, straight, etc, but when it comes to colour, you usually have to commit to around eight washes (at least) if you want to change it up a bit.

Fortunately, there are a few new products around at the moment which make this scary colour commitment a thing of the past. I thought I’d feature a few to give you beauties ideas on how to add pops of colour to your hair looks, and change it up every day if you like!

First up are the Lady Jayne Clip-in Synthetic Hair Extensions. You can buy these in regular colours like blonde and brown and you can match these up with your hair. These ones act like traditional hair extensions that you clip in all over for extra length and volume.

Today though, I wanted to show you the fun coloured clip-ins which allow you to add flashes of colour to hairstyles that match your mood, or outfit!

Here is what some of them look like:

Above are the 30cm clip ins, (which come in packs of one RRP $9.99 or three RRP $19.99) and the 15cm fringe highlights (RRP $9.99 pack of one).

These come in a wicked range of colours which include Vixen Violet, Raging Red, Spicy Sunset, Punk Purple, Firecracker, Platinum Blonde, Butterscotch, Mahogany, and Chocolate Blonde. My favourites are Vixen Violet which is a deep dark purply maroon and Raging Red, which, pictured above, is a full on, hot red colour.

These might seem a little over the top, but they totally aren’t when scattered in to a hairstyle, they act like funky highlights which can jazz up the simplest of styles. Here are some of the looks I tried with Raging Red:

Pinned Back Side

A Simple Braid

Side Braid

As you can see, despite the fact that these extensions are uber bright in the packet, once they are clipped into your hair (I like to put them under a couple of layers) they shine through like pretty highlights. I really liked the red because it accentuated my ginger toned hair, but still provided enough of a change.

The clip in system is great, they are really easy to use and stay in your hair all day. Best of all, all Lady Jayne Hair Extensions are heat resistant up to 210 degrees Celsius, so you can use hot stylers to create even more looks without worrying that they will frizz and burn like a lot of other synthetic extensions do when they come into contact with heat (I had a very bad experience with a Manic Panic clip in extension once, but that is a story for another day).

Lady Jayne Hair Extensions are available at Priceline, Big W, Target, K-Mart and pharmacies. If you have any trouble getting your hands on them you can call their consumer hotline on 1800 651 146.

Let me know beauties, do you like to change up your hair colour sometimes? Have you tried Lady Jayne’s Clip in Extensions?

Stay tuned for another way to pop in some colour later in the week!

xxxBeautyScholar

Lauren Conrad Releasing Beauty Book & Make-Up Line

Nov 022011
 

Image by Philip Nelson

When it comes to style, it seems one California girl has the market cornered, The Hills and Laguna Beach star, Lauren Conrad. While her reality television career is no more, this bronzed and blonde beauty has had many successful endevours since, including the LA Candy book series, which is surprisingly good if you’re after a bit of juicy chick lit (although I’m still slightly suspicious about the fact that she actually wrote it).

With a successful clothing line stocked at US Store Kohls, and her own Paper Crown fashion line selling well, she recently added a fashion and beauty bible Style, to the mix. I love this book, not only is it visually pleasing (the images and styling of the book are divine) but it’s also an interesting read, and has some great tips for wannable style mavens and the every day girl who just enjoys looking nice.

Page from STYLE by Lauren Conrad (Image by Jerine)

Not to be left behind in the realm of online media, LC has also launched two websites, her how-to beauty site The Beauty Department, a co-creation with her stylists Kristen Ess and Amy Nadine, and the aptly named LaurenConrad.Com.

The Beauty Department is a beauty site set out like a blog which features cute tutorial vids and image based how-to’s for all sorts of hair styles and makeup looks. It also features the odd update on LC’s current looks and reader interactivity through polls. In their own words, The Beauty Department team explains their site like this: “The Beauty Department is a site for anyone who’s ever had a beauty question or gotten into a fight with a hair brush and lost. We’ll be covering all kinds of hair+makeup how-to’s, nail trends, skin issues, tools, current obsessions & inspirations, as well as countless quick tips”
It’s a really pleasant site to browse, and I’ve actually learnt a thing or two on there, which is rare these days in the over saturated beauty market.

The LaurenConrad.Com site is a community based page where you can sign up and interact with other readers and Lauren herself. The site also features categorized posts ranging from home decorating, to fashion, to crafts. I think it’s also an interesting place to visit on the web, and it was here that Lauren announced an upcoming book to be written, all about beauty. She says: “my beauty book will be your ultimate guide for all things beauty. In it, I’ll provide my personal insights, instructions and tips to keep you looking glamorous 365 days a year. I’ll address everything from how your diet affects skincare and fun hairstyles for a night out to one simple thing you can do each day to freshen up your look” LC goes on to request that her readers direct their beauty questions to her so she can answer them in the book. I must say, either this girl is superwoman or she has an amazing staff that are really working hard to raise her profile and cash in on the LC brand while it lasts.

People magazine has also reported that a beauty line is in the works for LC, who has worked with Avon’s American little sister brand Mark as a celeb representative in the past. I’m a sucker for anything LC, so I’ll be buying that book, and trying out that beauty line if I can get my hands on it. What about you beauties? Are you sick of Lauren Conrad, or are you interested to see what she comes up with next? Have you checked out either of her sites?

Below is an example of the tutorial vids featured on The Beauty Department, I think they’re really cute!

Until next time beauties, stay sparkly,

xxxBeautyScholar