Eurovision Song Contest

If your like me, it always seems as though I stay in on the night of the Eurovision Song Contest. Every year, I end up infuriated by the whole idea of it, but nonetheless, I avidly watch.

However, this year I was particularily outraged as I saw Andrew Lloyd Webber on the screen explaining to England that 'the only reason he became part of the Eurovision Song Contest is because it has stopped being about politics, and has finally started taking the music into consideration.' Whilst I maintain that everyone is entitled to their opinion, directly after Andrew Lloyd Webbers speech, came more tactical voting as Turkey voted for Cyprus.

Last year, there were questions as to wether England should continue to enter the Eurovision song contest, as we came joint bottom with Andy Abrahams attempt. Perhaps I am biased in suggesting that Jade Ewen and Andrew Lloyd Webber were most definitely the most talented of the singers, and did our country proud, but this seemed to be the general consensus among everyone I have spoken to regarding this.

Jade Ewen however, was more humble about the whole experience and explained to The Sun “I’m disappointed not to have won but I was delighted with my own performance and to have Andrew Lloyd Webber on-stage with me and supporting me so much throughout the campaign.” I can only say well done to Jade who secured our highest Eurovision score in many years with her rendition of song 'It's My Time'.

Norway stole the show as Alexander Rybak preformed a song he has written himself called 'Fairytale'. Norway won last night for the 3rd time after winning in 1985 and 1995 also. Norway were clear winners from the off in terms of voting, and gained an amazing 387 points. This is the most points in Eurovision history to have ever been gained. Rybak was said to be 'extremely pleased and happy' last night.

The after party of the contest commenced in Moscow last night, where there was an array of beautiful dresses and immaculate suites displayed. Jade Ewen wore a stunning white dress made especially for the occassion by British designer Amanda Wakely. Andrew Lloyd Webber said; 'I would like to sinecerely thank everyone who voted for the UK's entry'.

Below is the Winner Norway's 'Fairytale'.

The Hills

Being a girl, obsessed with MTV and every program that is featured on it, even if I care very little about the ideas that are shown in it, it is no surprise to anyone that I love 'The Hills'.

'The Hills' for those who have never seen it before is a 'real-life' documentary, that has set up scenes to make it more interesting for the viewers. It is set in Los Angeles and follows the lives of 20-23 year old people and all of the problems they have to face in their everyday life. When I first heard this was the overall idea of the program, I must admit, I had very little interest in it. Why would I want to watch a group of people living the life I want in the sun with endless amounts of money. However, after watching just one episode I was hooked. 

The new series has just been released to watch on MTV in Britain, I managed to get a look at the whole of the series, and it does not disappoint. Series Four left us with Lauren and Heidi speaking for the first time since their argument, and Spencer and Heidi coming close to breaking point, naturally I wanted to find out more. 

This series is no disappointment, and in my opinion the best of all of the series so far. If you have never seen this before, and you are like-minded to me in the way that you love to watch a lot of drama, then I would suggest that this would be a definite good buy for you. Series 1-4 are now available from all stores. Alternatively, Laguna Beach, which shows Lauren Conrad of The Hills in her earlier years, is also available to buy now. 

How safe is internet dating?

Many internet dating websites are advertised on national television, in an attempt to make single men and women talk and interact over a safe and convenient website. Chat rooms have now replaced going out and meeting a potential blind date.

When telling your friends you are using the internet to find a perfect match, a few raised eyebrows and sarcastic comments may be received due to the stigma's and stereotypes that go with online dating. But, due to technology increasing in diversity every day, the internet is now seen as a recognized way to meet people that you may not come across in everyday life. 

However, when answering the very complex question of 'How safe is internet dating' the answer is simple, it is as safe as you want it to be. You are in complete control of how fast or slow the conversations, meetings and possible relationships go. 

The people found on this website are generally very nice individuals, possibly nicer than you would find in a bar or a club after having one too many to drink. Luckily, with internet dating, you can go at your own pace, and do not have to feel pressurized into going back to their house or doing anything that you do not feel entirely comfortable with. If you do not feel happy with the conversation or the person you are talking with, simple methods are available to remove this person from contacting you again. 

But does it end there? There are many ways of blocking sites from children and young adults to use, but that doesn't always stop them from getting on these sites. You should be aware that not everyones interest is genuine, and by taking a safe approach, it can benefit you in the long run. 

There are many ways to keep safe on the internet these are all highlighted online at www.safeinternetdating.com. Do not feel obliged to do anything you do not feel comfortable with, and always be aware of the dangers, by doing this you will feel better and safer about the whole experience. 

Vintage - the new Vogue?

There was a time not so long ago, where high street shops and mass produced clothing lines were the height of fashion. However, lately, there has been a massive increase in people shopping in vintage clothing and second hand shops. With that in mind, I went to investigate. 

Vintage does not always mean cheap, in some cases, it is quite the opposite, some famous vintage shops in London sometimes cost more than designers. But, as the recession is still at the back of everyones minds, paying extortionate prices for clothing is not at

 the list of anyones priorities. 

With that in mind, I have researched some of the most well known vintage stores in the capital to try and find some great deals in troubled times.

Camden is well known for it's clothing shops, it has everything from vintage to goth/grunge in a busy environment. The best place to find cheap but classy clothes in Camden is a little place called 'Cloud Cuckoo Land'. A great attribute to this particular shop is the vast

 range of accessories that are on sale. Usually, in vintage shops it is hard to find good, cheap accessories. But, in 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' there are lots available from floral print to big chunky necklaces. All in fashion for reasonable prices. 

There are many Marie Curie charity shops all over Britain, all raising money for cancer. The good thing about these types of shops is that when buying clothes off of them, you have the added bonus that a lot of this money is going to charity. If you have any old vintage clothing that you do not wear anymore, it would be a great idea to take it in to shops like this one. One of my personal favourite Marie Curie stores is situated in Highbury. This is a very large store, where you can purchase a vast range of high street labels, as well as other items such as ball gowns and wedding dresses. The turnover at this particular shop is very fast, as it is well known in the whole of Highbury, so get in there first if you want to bag an excellently priced item. 

'Beyond Retro' situation in Liverpool street is loved by fashion students, stylists and indie kids. Their unique selling point explains 'we sell dead peoples clothes to meet the sartorial challenges of east London's beautiful people' This is not wrong, this is a large warehouse, packed with an estimated 10,000 items all for extremely reasonable prices. As long as you enjoy bright colors and mix matching your clothes, there is no reason that you wouldn't love to buy items from a shop such as this. On the busiest day of the week - Saturday, the owners of this well known shop put a band on, to keep to entertained whilst you shop. This weekend, Kasms (youtube link at the bottom of the page) will be playing from 3pm, be sure to go and check them out.

With these stores, and many more you will never need to go to mass produced shops again and fear wearing the same clothes as many others. Be sure to check out www.timeout.com to find the latest vintage shops with the best clothing available. 

Heres the Kasm's video - they will be playing at beyond Retro this week. 

Red Carpet Fashion

Managing to bag the same style as celebrities can be an expensive game, especially when they spend hundreds of pounds on designer outfits. Luckily, there are high street versions. 

Here are some of the top outfits that the 2009 red carpet a-listers have been wearing... and cheaper alternatives. 

                                 

Natalie Portman wears a gorgeous Chanel dress, especially designed for her. River Island has a shorter version of this exact dress for just £44.99. On this very helpful and easily accessible website, you will find that not only do you find information about this dress, you can also find accessories and shoes to go with it. 

Keira Knightly goes for a more subtle and endearing dress for the 2009 oscars, although this is

 not necessarily one of her best dressed moments, it works well as it is so simple but radiant. Topshop has a dress similar to this classic Valentino dress for just £15.00. It is essential that for this dress you use a lot of different accessories to avoid it looking too plain. Keira Knightly follows the simple look by clutching 

a black satin bag. This is one of many options for this 

dress. Gold necklaces are available from Primark for as little as £1.00 that would look fantastic to accompany this dress. 

Kate Bosworth aims to go for a more sophisticated look at a London Premiere last week, after her fashion disaster that has been widely discredited at the Oscars 2009. Kate Bosworth wears a gold dress, encrusted with diamonds at the film premiere of her latest film. We found a £75.00 dress from topshop that is in keep with the gold theme that Bosworth is going for here. Unfortunately, for this price it is not encrusted with diamonds. 

The dress that Vanessa Hudgens wears at the premiere of High School Musical 3 suggests she aimed to look very dressed down and almost child like again. However, by keeping her hair down, and leaving the dress very short, the viewers are reminded that she is most definitely not a child anymore, the pink shoes that she got from Aldo for £70.00 also compliment this specially made number. A similar dress has been obtained and is available on an up and coming website called Tucci - for both men and women, for just £42.00.

Sarah Paxon recently starred in a film coming to the cinemas soon called 'The house of the left' This beautiful blue dress that she wore to the 

premiere of this film is very simple, and does not have a lot of detail on it, as many celebrities try to hard to make themselves stand out. This particular dress is available in a cheaper version from French Connection for £75.99. 

Lady GaGa's style for less.

Lady Gaga has recently taken the music world by storm, releasing top ten hits such as 'Poker-face' and 'Just Dance'. However, that is not all that she is famous for. With girls around the country attempting to copy the singer's signature bleach blonde hair and chunky fringe, she is becoming somewhat of a style icon. She has been seen on many occasions wearing one piece very revealing clothing, that perhaps wouldn't be appropriate for everyday wearing, but, on some occasions, she has seen to be wearing very stylish outfits, further highlighting why she is style icon of the week. 

In the picture to the left you see what Lady GaGa has been recently wearing on her feet at a New York Bash, for her friends party. These Shoes are available on www.asos.com for £84.00, in the premium range. Failing that this shoe is not the one that you like. There are hundreds of others that are available for you in this similar style, the cheapest that 

you can get in this style is £30.00 and well worth buying to keep up to date with the latest GaGa fashion. 

                                      

As most people that follow GaGa, or just see her on television on occasions would know, she is famous for her size zero look. As I am aware, not everyone can achieve that look as naturally as she does. www.asos.com have therefore bought out an affordable waist shaper brief. The aim of this is to give the body more definition and show your curves in a more obvious but appealing way. You can achieve Lady GaGa's thin waist for just £22.00. 

Lady GaGa's new album 'The Fame' is available to buy now with her popular tracks such as 'Just Dance' and 'Pokerface' featuring on it. 

                                                               

Top 10 Fashion Tips for this Spring... Find the Style that is right for you, straight from Fashion Week 2009.

      1.      Plaid  – buffalo plaid comes from high fashion and catwalk straight into high street shops this winter. Shops such as Topshop and River Island have wide ranges of plaid in store.  Ralph Lauren has spent a lot of time combining plaid into a lot of his clothing – so expect to see it on raincoats and wellies shortly.

2.     Grey and Purple – the main colours of the season. Purple has overlapped from autumn to winter making it a significant colour in many wardrobes. However, grey has now become the hottest neutral of the season. Combining the both is what is making it the second most sought after this season.

3.     Ruffled Blouses – it’s often tempting to find any top or blouse to go under a coat, because you think it doesn’t matter – after all, who is going to see it? Ruffled blouses peek out from under your jacket or coat, and look great on their own, meaning you can look good whatever the weather.

4.     Ankle boots – there are so many different styles of ankle boots – if you do not like to walk in high heels then you do not have to walk in high heels, many are flat as well. There are so many different styles of boot that whatever your style, there will be something to suit it.

5.     Cropped Tuxedo Jackets – you can wear them in the day with something more casual such as jeans, and in the night with a dress. They are very versatile in terms of how dressed up you intend to be. You can find them in designer boutiques, vintage stores and everything in between.

6.     Oversized handbags  - oversized handbags have been in fashion for a long time, and they keep changing in colours. For the winter period, bright coloured bags against darker coloured clothes is the must have for Christmas.

7.     Patterned/Coloured tights – many of the colours that people wear over the winter period are not particularly colourful, therefore wearing patterned or coloured tights brighten up and make interesting what could be a predominantly dull outfit.

8.     Jeweled necklaces – another great way to make your outfit more eye catching over the winter is to accessorize with sparkling jewelry.

9.      Chunky Knitwear – the United Kingdom is known for it’s cold winters, and sometimes a usual knitted jumper just does not do it. Therefore, the new idea of a chunky knitted jumper works so much more effectively, and looks a lot more fashionable also.

10.  Ripped wet look leggings – although you would not be able to wear these out everywhere, going out for the night with a shirt or a long t-shirt and ripped wet look leggings brings out a rock chic in you without going overboard.