A new fitness craze is sweeping London. A revolutionary, high tech vibrating fitness machine where you can get a 1.5 hour workout in just 25 minutes!

Excercise without breaking a sweat? Sounds like a dream come true!
Power Plate studios are cropping up here, there and everywhere which is great if you’re gym phobic like me. However this kind of laziness comes at a price………£20 for a measly 25 minute session!

Hell, it better work for that price.

As soon as I heard that a studio had opened up round the corner from work and was giving away free trial sessions, I couldn’t resist!

I had my first session on Saturday, I had my own instructor who explained everything and went through the excercises with me (excercises?!!? well you didn’t just expect to stand on the machine and do nothing did you?!!!) Well actually, after doing just 5 squats in 30 seconds the instructor told me I had just done the equivalent of 250!!!

I’m going back for my second session tonight.

I think I have just developed a very very expensive addiction!

PowerVibe Fitness Studio
95a Westbourne Park Villas
London W2 5ED

020 7229 9614

Hype is a dangerous thing, it can make us do things we wouldn’t normally do…..such as parting with ridiculous amounts of cash on products that are quite simply not worth it.

Lets take the much-hyped and much written about Biolustre - “the revolutionary new hair system” that promises to take your hair back to its original virgin condition in just one treatment Like WOW! And the cost of this miracle in a bottle? A whopping £60 per treatment!
Well the spiel sounds good and all the beauty editors are raving about it so we decided to put it to the test by trying it on our model Sarah.
Sarah has chemically treated, over coloured hair that has taken quite a lot of bleaching over the years. After being told how Biolustre works by their team of professionals we were very excited to say the least.

Its a long process (takes well over an hour) involving shampooing hair, drying, applying treatment, drying hair again, rinsing, shampooing again, conditioning and then styling.

Phew! Well you know what they say no pain no gain!

But is it really worth it?

Sarah says, “my hair feels a little different but certainly not as much as I was lead to expect. I think you would probably need quite afew treatments to see real results. I don’t mind paying the price if something works wonders but I would only expect to pay about £25 for this.”

So there you have it.

Hype. Schmype.

At this time of year, when your credit cards are maxed out and your usual make-up seems to cost the same as a weeks food shopping it may be time to look in Superdrug rather than Selfridges, to top up your make-up bag.

So here I have put together a make-up bag for you that won’t increase your overdraft.

an award winning foundation with a dreamy whipped cream texture £4.99

this brilliant under eye concealer diffuses light to restore radiance to your eyes £4.99

satin textured lipstick packed with moisturizing ingredients vitamin E and added sun protection £5.45

this combination of eyshadows in neutral shades is perfect for a daytime look £7.49

these loose powders come in a dazzling array of colours and can be used as eyeshadow or to enhance lips and cheeks. £4.50

super quick drying nail varnish, we love the enormous range of colours £2.95

Over the years I have spent a small fortune stocking my professional kit with top brands because I believed I was looking after my clients better that way. I think the last time I bought a basic brand it was a Rimmels black cherry lipstick on my way to school.

However, in researching this piece I found, through the masses of make-up in all price ranges that I tried, a few surprisingly good low budget gems. It seems that since I last looked some of the basic high-street brands have definitely improved their staying power, texture, pigments, smell and variety and will form part of my staple kit from now on.

Every 5 - 10 years fashion designers around the world collectively run out of ideas and look to regurgitate ideas from decades that had a serious style bypass. They then do their utmost to convince us that heinous crimes such as gold metallic leggings and jelly shoes are the height of fashion. Like hello…..since when???

Crimping at Alberta Ferretti Spring Summer 2007

I don’t care which way you look at it, the 90’s may have given us a few great fashion trends such as….umm…..slogan t-shirts…..and…..uhh…..well I’ll let you know when I think of another one. Let’s get straight to the bad trends for now! Ooh where do I start???….the shell suit, mini rucksacks, bum bags, fluorescent towelling socks, cycling shorts, neon sportswear, visors, I could go on all day!

Word from the runways is that 90s fashion is making a comeback. I guess there are some trends that are so bad they’re good, meaning we can certainly make most things chic (when we know how) but girls…..crimping is one trend you don’t wanna be playing with!

…and no I don’t mean I forgot my knickers!

Just like Ms Spears I passed out right after midnight having drank a little too much vodka followed by champagne (tut tut I must remember not to mix my drinks)…I don’t remember anything after that and still have no idea where all my cuts and bruises came from.

Being a drunken mess isn’t the most elegant thing for a lady to do but judging by the behaviour of the Hollywood Brat Pack nobody is ready to give up on partying just yet even though the rest of us are suffering from post Christmas blues.

Apart from not drinking at all we can’t tell you how to avoid passing out but if you’re still in the mood to party hard, with these handy tips you can at least look good while you do it!

Make-up artist Natasha Devedlaka-Price says,

“If you’re out all night and on a mission to get trashed make sure your face isn’t going that way too.

1 A little smudged eyeliner can look sexy but there’s a fine line between rock chick and return of the dead!
2 Stick to light sheer products - less is more! Instead of heavy foundations which can make you look shiny in a hot, sweaty venue use a tinted moisturiser, a little concealer and highlighters. Replace powders with cream blushers , they are less likely to go patchy when you are dancing the night away!
3 Fluid line eyeliner by MAC is great. Once on it stays on, it comes in lots of different colours and you can use it all over your eyelid too for a stronger look.
4 Waterproof mascara is not best used everyday but is super handy for big nights out!
5 I’m not a massive fan of long stay lipstick as I find them drying and leave a horrid outline around the lips by the end of the night, for soft snoggable lips just take out a tinted lip balm.”

One more thing, make sure you drink plenty of water during the day before you go out as alcohol will dehydrate you making your skin look tired, something that no amount of make-up can disguise!

Maybe someone should give Britney some of our advice?