Lipgloss is for girls, Lipstick is for women.

And with the days getting chillier, it won’t be long until winter is here, and the Sassy Minxes will be bringing out the reds. I often get asked, what’s the best red lipstick?Nnot because of my make-up skills, but because I’m an avid fan of matte colour block’s that make me feel all movie star glam.

And I’m not the only one; from Egyptian Goddesses to Japanese Geishas, it’s a universal symbol of beauty that has adorned the pouts of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Lynch. Cultural history aside, red lipstick is high on the agenda for Autumn/Winter 09 fashion trends, with models on the catwalks of Lanvin, Giorgio Armani and Alexander McQueen donning lips the colour of London buses.

I like coral based reds for when I’m wearing monochrome – I  channel Chanel, vampy crimsons for when I am in a darker mood and brick- red based shades to match my hourglass cocktail dresses. The standard rule is to match the red to your skin tone, cool bluey reds are for paler ladies, and warmer based rouges for olivey skins. The best advice for this year is by Terry Barber at MAC who says: ‘A blue shade of red is more formal and grown up, whereas an orange red is a little bit more undone  -  and provides a good match for tousled and unkempt hair.’ This advice embraces the rebellious attitude of a red lipstick – the kisses left like passionate marks of warpaint on lovers and champagne glasses, and words of lust, love and anger scrawled across mirrors.

Delicious and show-stopping, Nars Heat Wave, a warm bricy red,  makes an entrance at 17.00
www.narscosmetics.co.uk

Lady Danger for vampy days-it does what it says on the tin, 12.00
www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Experiment with colour at Barry M-Pillar Box red rocks and its only 3.95!
www.barrym.com

Ms Lisa’s favourite red is boudoir by bnevertoobusytobebeautiful – an amazing bluey red that brings out her big brown eyes and it’s 100% vegan too! £9.80 www.bnevertoobusytobebeautiful.co.uk

For a rosy glow, Benetint is a firm favourite with most of our glamourous gal-pals and for 22.50, it’s not only for your lips, but your cheeks too!
www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

And now somewhere to stash all of them…..Miss L and I are in LOVE with this purse! If you didn’t read our Sassy List with the gorgeous lady behind the label, you can read it here.

www.bedcrumb.co.uk £18.50

So, girls, whats your mean red – care to share?

At the beginning of this year, I decided to take some time out from being a Little Red Corvette to slow down and find a bit more love for myself as I was feeling very lost. This was all very well for a few months, and I did indeed slow down – to the point where I wasn’t shaving my legs – it was then I knew that it was time to get back in the game.

During this dry spell, I was being texted by a cheeky plumber I know who adamant on getting me out and in his company. I’d resisted and resisted as he hadn’t been my ‘type’ (too boyband looking for me with his highlighted hair) until eventually his persistence wore me down, and  I gave in under the premise that he was relatively amusing, and to create my own little social experiment to see if that old adage about men being like buses, was in fact true.

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Hola!

So, Ms L and I have taken a little time out to get inspired and drop some fun times, so I thought that it’s only fair to pass the feel-good feeling on, let you know what we’ve been doing (and buying, because c’mon, no one needs a break from shopping, right?!)

The bank holiday weekend was spent retro-stylee. We lunched at a BBQ and then went to the travelling fair with some tins of Strongbow – I know, I know, but I did pretty much co-ordinated my outfit to the can, that’s got to be a good thing hasn’t it? – and sang and danced to Lady Gaga’s new tune. Love her, or hate her we just can’t resist wanting to take a ride on her “Disco Stick”.

Our new thing du jour, is to only snog on dates as opposed to offering a full menu of service. We don ‘t know if its to do with the recession, but later on in the pub, we were speaking to lots of girls and boys who said they too are relishing a good pash-up over a drunken smash-up. It seems fitting then, that last week I was sent a gift of Urban Retreat’s Lip Service. An exfoliator, base to keep colour in, primer to moisturise and gloss to make your lips zing and I feel like I got some of the best bee-stung, kissable lips in town.

£19.50 www.beautique.com

To chill, I read the hilarious “Its Not Me, Its You” by Charlotte Ward. Punchy, straight-to the point and plenty of moments we can all relate to, although there are also a LOT of moments that made me realise my break-ups have been a walk-in-the-park in comparison – I just couldnt put it down. Break up stories don’t usually appeal to me, but hey, we’ve all been there with the Kleenex and the ice cream tub, haven’t we? Whether you’ve been scorned or not, this is a must-read.

£5.99 www.amazon.co.uk

Im off to the white isle of Ibiza next week, so I treated myself to a treat in the form of a screenstar-esque bikini from Pistol Panties. Its not often I get to feel like Brigitte Bardot in St Tropez, but this well cut bikini not only covers my derriere the way it should, its so very, very pretty that I could forgive the price tag.

www.pistolpanties.com

Finally, what with the amazing bank holiday weekend I’ve had, and the fantastic things I’ve been doing and looking forward to, this ring seems to sum it all up – I know I’ll be glancing down at it and twirling it round my finger when I’m feeling glum at work. ‘Think Of Wonderful Thoughts’ by Disney Couture. Walt might have misled us with his fairytale endings, but it’s the moments of joy, that spring from thoughts that make a girl feel the real magic.
£25.00 www.asos.com

So, a li’l while back I intro’d you to the awesome Zine queen, Eleanor Jane – remember?

Well, Girl Photographer 4, the brand-new issue of her full colour, quarter sized and 24 pages long zine is now available – woop, woop!

It’s a teeny-tiny bit smaller than usual since Miss EJ made it as part of a 24 hour zine challenge. Girl Photographer 4 features a story about  being an extremely un-corporate person attempting the early morning London commute into the heart  of Canary Wharf, reasons why she likes living alone, a pretty in depth interview she recently gave about my photography and zines, extracts from her ‘Soul Catch Fire’ project, a recipe, useless Japanese phrases she’s learnt and lovely bright happy pictures taken over the past few months – awesome sauce!

If all that wasn’t sassy enough, if you head over to www.eleanorjane.co.uk and head for the TREATS section, you’ll be able to enter a prize draw to win a copy Girl Photographer 4, but be speedy as come Sunday, POOF! It will be gone!

There is a famous quote by Jerry Hall that has always stuck in my head…

“…My mother said you should be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom…”

Fear not, I’m not on a one woman feminist mission, but I am seeing an uprising trend amongst my friends and peers, a trend that involves staying in and making cupcakes and cocktails rather than going out and getting lashed, one that has them asking for homely things like ‘knitting bags’ or ‘jam making books’ for their birthdays, as opposed to me who asks for MAC, big costume earrings and sexy knickers and/or hot man shoved in for good measure. Am I wrong to be under the impression that your twenties are the freedom years, full of wild flings, broken hearts, crazy nights out and ill-judged purchases? NOT knitting needles, card making and suduko?
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Ohmy-freakin’-stars.

This Greta Garbo special edition Mont Blanc pen is the stuff of my writer-girl,  silverscreen-goddess-obsesso dreams.

Look at it, have you ever seen anything more beautiful? I don’t think I have ever wanted anything more than I currently want this pen. Does that make me superflous and shallow? It does? Oh well.

So, this is one for the girls that ask me about lingerie, and where to get it from, every time I tell them what I do. Because girls, no matter what shape or size you are, there is fabulous lingerie out there for you. And if you don’t know what and where, here’s my Sassy Minx guide to pretty, perfect-fitting underwear…

A to the DD

If you’re a size A to a DD, you’re incredibly lucky as the world is pretty much your bra! As broad as this sounds, every retailer worth its salt should stock your size. Nevertheless, I’m told frequently by A and B cups that they want bigger breasts, which is fine but I also want to take the opportunity to say that there are excellent products out there like balcony, half and quarter cup bras that give shape and sex appeal – the latter two being something any size over a D find difficult to pull off. As for C to DD cups, what a lucky girl you are!

Budget Babes
You lucky ones can get away with something these F’s can’t – Arcadia. Feel free to snatch and grab from Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge. And beyond this – H&M, and pretty much, the rest of the British High Street – get shopping, g-friend!

Girly Glam
Yes, Master gloriously does what it says on the tin, with its decadent yet cheeky collections. Lascivicous is innovative and highly desirable with a masses of sexuality. Miss LaLa’s will sing to your inner movie star and make you want to lounge around with tousled hair and Brigitte Bardot pouty lips. Seriously.

Ba-Ba Boom a la Bust
Agent Provocateur, Coco De Mer and MYLA are your weapons of choice. Feel free to use them any which way you want……

Volupte Vixen (AKA Big tits)
So you can’t get bras that don’t have huge straps, and all the bras you see are frumpy and unfashionable, right? WRONG. You’ve got bangers that just need to be banged up properly. The name of the game is support and comfort, because lets face it, you just aren’t going to feel like a glamazon unless it’s both of those things, so start educating yourself as to where where the pretty ones are hiding, even if you do have to put up with the straps – if I do, you do!

Budget Babes

Some high street shops do go up to a G cup. Good old Marks and Spencer’s have the Ceriso and Adored ranges which are purrity and very fashion-led. Asda are also great too – the Katie Price range is excellently priced for moulded cup bras with pretty detailing. La Senza is also very good for acidic clashes and pretty patterns.

Girly Glam
Masquerade and Cleo are delightful. Both a daughter of the Panache brand, Masquerade caters in balcony styles, and Cleo in plunge styles. To rival this, there’s even more choice from Freya and Fantasie, the daughter of the Evedon brand, which is pretty much available everywhere. You are spoilt for choice, ladies.

Ba-Ba Boom a la Bust

It’s really hard to find more luxury plus size cups that go beyond F, just because when you reach beyond that, the bust in question has to be tailored properly which is not easy to mass-market in price point compared to the brands in Girly Glam (above). However, there is some choice – Chantelle is decandent and feminine and goes up to an F in some ranges and Miss Mandalay has gorgeous styles – try Paige. The most exciting news is that Elle Macpherson Intimates launches it DD-G range later this month, so keep your eyes peeled as it is sure to sell out – I know, I’ve seen it! Finally – if you want to be super naughty, like me, Agent Provocateur does go up to an F cup – F stands for fox, doncha know?

SOLUTIONS-because it wasn’t ever going to be THAT easy to give you advice!

Odd ones
Let’s go for unique – tres chic. One is bigger than the other. I can assure you this is completely normal, and you don’t need to think about going to Transform to enquire about getting a boob job.  To even things out, you can get padding in silicone, foam and even bead form, I’d recommend the cheaper silicone. Luckily, you can get half cups which is handy for slight differences and full cup, for obvious differences.
completely recommend Fashion First Aid for this as they have lots of handy tools to use and make the best of your bust.

Hot Mama
Hot Milk are for sexy new mothers and mothers to be. With cotton inside cups, and stretch lace for the top panel, the bra offers lift and growth. You should pick your usual size, and check that you can fit your fingers in between the flesh and the cup at the top of the bust, this means you can wear throughout pregnancy and during feeding, meaning you make the most of your bra! Also try Elle Macpherson maternity, or Agent Provocateur for sexier styles.

So to summarise here are my final tips;
1.  Get measured make sure you’re wearing the right size – more tips from me in the ‘About Us’ section.
2.  It’s trial and error, all brands offer different fits, so experiment until you find out what suits you best.
3. Make sure you’re comfortable and will feel comfortable to wear your lingerie – there’s no point splashing out 150 pounds plus otherwise!
4. You are a Sassy Minx. You are sexy and your body is something to be treasured and pleasured. Believe it.

And of course, if you need some help or a bit more direction, please feel free to ask me down below – I dont usually give people that opportunity !

I know this movie isn’t out ’til September, but I can’t help but get excited about it right now…yep, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, my soon-to-be new favourite movie, puts you in the very expensive shoes of the world’s most influential woman in fashion, Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue magazine.

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pic: www.flickr.com/photos/casch/215529903/

No, that’s not me – I know, hard to believe, right? That’s a crazy-cool surf-girl doing crazy-cool surf-girl things in Cornwall.

Oh Cornwall,  how I heart thee.

Now,  I am by no stretch of anyone’s imagination an actual surf-girl, but a visit to Cornwall, on the South West coast of the UK, makes me want to be one. A lot. Mainly because if I surfed all day, I’d be able to eat clotted cream on scones in the back of a camper van with a chilled-out, dreadlocked surf-boy by night – le sigh.

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There are moments in a girl’s life when she feels freakin’ lonely. My lonely time is usually the Sunday after a heavy night out, when I look not-so-glam, I’ve eaten chocolate for breakfast and cried my eyes out to SATC the Movie for the gazillionth time. For me, the morning after the night before is one of the hardest things about being single, but staying in that dark place for longer than I need to is not cool, but the good news is that being single doesn’t need to equal lonely – embrace the alone time, make every hour Me o’ Clock.

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