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June 30 Mascara bluesI'm currently on the hunt for a new mascara as I have been particularly disappointed with my latest buy. Not yet satisfied with anything I've tried from the cheaper end of the market, I recently upgraded to Yves Saint Laurent False Lash Effect which cost me about £20 in House of Fraser. I really loved the mascara and thought I'd found a keeper as it made my lashes look very thick and long. Unfortunately it didn't last me very long at all and after no longer than about 5 weeks it had run out. I think the average shelf-life for a mascara is about 2 months and considering that this is the most expensive one I've bought, I'm not very impressed.
I've used both the Lash Maxxx and Volume Extend mascaras from Rimmel in the past, neither of which seemed to make that great an impact on my lashes. At first the Volume Extend mascara seemed to do the trick with the white end for lash extension and black end for maximum colour, but this soon dried out too.
So I've decided to either go for the Bourjois Paris 'Coup de Theatre' mascara which can be picked up in Superdrug for about £9 or Christian Dior 'DiorShow' mascara which is about £17 in most stores. The Bourjois option I've used before and love the results you get from the two ended product just like with the Rimmel version but have been recommended the Dior mascara after a friend got a sample a while ago and is still using it. The longer it lasts, the better.
I always find mascara one of the hardest products to be satisfied with so this time I'm determined to get it right! Although, I think my mind will probably be made up when I get to the till 
June 26 If only we could all own Molton BrownNic has gone off on hols and so I will be filling you in on all the latest from fashion and beauty. Molton Brown are releasing a new range for next season and I was lucky enough to get to discover it.
Molton Brown - something you only come across in the most beautifully tiled and decorated bathrooms complete with fountains and personal hand-driers... well maybe they don't have to be that posh, but it is certainly not a product you would expect to find in your average household. I see Molton Brown products as special. If ever I were to have the pleasure of owning one I would definitely use it so sparingly that I still have it in 50 years time. Considering the price of these products you may be able to understand why this is the case for me, an extremely poor student.
The great thing about the products is that you do feel as though you are getting good value for money. The scents are so strong and powerful that they last a long time and the creams are rich in moisturiser and will leave your skin feeling softer than soft. If I had enough money to, I would definitely indulge and it would come before the beautiful tiles.
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending the release of the Autumn/Winter range of Molton Brown products. I know what you're thinking, surely summer has only just begun, but I guess there's no harm in buying your Christmas presents early! Some of the new products in the range are candelas in varying scents, my personal favourite of which is the rich and sweet inspiring wild indigo. These candelas are available in large and small sizes which come in a trinity. Unfortunately for me £49 is possibly a tad high a price to pay on a scented candle, but would make a nice present if your circumstances allow you to splash out. The burn time on the candelas is also very long as each one is expected to burn for between 70 to 80 hours.
Some of the new scents such as the black pepper and yuan zhi are darker and deeper in fragrance and so may be more appealing to men. The heavenly gingerlily products caught my nose in particular, especially the shimmer fragrance with its strong, sweet and yet clean smell with a subtle hint of spice. At £30 I think is a great bargain.
My afternoon was topped off with a hand and arm massage which was absolute heaven - I almost fell asleep in the chair! The great thing about these treatments is that they are complimentary in most stores which have a Molton Brown range. If you have 15 minutes to put aside I would recommend popping in to experience it for yourself and you'll be making regular trips after that!
Jess June 25 Fabulous shopping sitesEvery girl (and well, the occasional boy) loves to shop - but when the weather is fine and dandy it can be a tough choice between hitting the high street boutiques at the weekend - or chilling out and relaxing in the garden or park.
Thank goodness that dilemma is no longer a problem with fabulous sites on the internet such as shop.com. For fashion - and especially beauty products - this site is a real find.
Another one I've become rather to addicted to (since discovering it on Trinny and Susannah's website) is notonthehighstreet.com. It's one of those beautiful places where you feel like you could just go in there and buy nearly everything to make your home and garden look fabulous (it also does great jewellery which is ideal for presents too). But back to gardens, thecontemporaryhome.co.uk does these wonderful little fairy light lanterns which can add a touch of magic to a barbecue this summer. I'd heartily recommend a good browse.
Anyway, enough about shopping, for the summer holiday is calling and it's called by the way of Sardinia. Sunshine, tasty Italian seafood and highly quaffable wines are but a two-hour flight away. I can barely wait.
In the meantime, our Life & Style assistant, the lovely Jess Edwards, will be taking over the reigns and keeping us up to date with the latest fashion and beauty news here - and on the Life & Style site.
Ciao for now!
June 23 Spa goodies saleBalaton Spa are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and to celebrate, they are offering a 20 per cent discount on their entire range of spa products for face and bodycare. Also, just in time for the summer holidays, the Balaton Spa Travel Bag, which contains a 25g cleansing bar, a 20ml jar of face mask, a 50ml bottle of cleansing and toning lotion, a 20ml jar of face cream, a 50ml bottle of body wash and a 50ml bottle of body lotion, all worth £24.99, is free with every purchase of the Face Mask, whilst stocks last.
June 13 It's (almost) goodbye to RossThere were tears in the office (nearly) when the day came, but come it did and we had say fare thee well to my fellow Life & Style Editor Ross Chainey. After mopping up the floods (and eating the cake) we saw Ross off on his merry way to a new post on the interweb.
But it's not goodbye forever, it is merely farewell for now, for fear not readers, Ross will be back (he just couldn't stay away) writing for MSN as a feature writer. Well thank goodness for that. The Life & Style section just wouldn't be the same without his poetic words of wisdom. How on earth could we go on without Ross sharing his fitness tips with us?
Well the answer to that is, we simply couldn't. So health and fitness fans, watch out and listen up for great tips on staying healthy, looking good and feeling great coming soon to a computer near you. And in the meantime, no slacking now! Ross will be watching.
Just in case you've forgotten what he looks like, here he is enjoying a tiny glass of coke while sunning himself on holiday. We miss you Ross!
In the meantime, we are now looking for a Web Producer who has a love of all things health & wellbeing and fashion & beauty to help fill Ross's shoes. If you love the MSN Life & Style section and have experience of journalism on the web, then send your application in to Websters here. We'd love to hear from you.
June 11 Have a Caribbean barbie!He sold more than a million bottles of his Reggae Reggae sauce after appearing on The Dragon's Den, and now Levi Roots has just launched his own cookbook.
Filled with beautiful pictures of Levi's hometown of Jamaica (he now lives in Brixton, London), the Reggae Reggae Cook Book is jammed packed with recipes from the Caribbean.
From the simple fried plantain, to the more adventurous saltfish fritters, there are 80 exotic recipes such as Mash Up Eggs, Saint Jago de la Vigo Salmon, Guinness punch, Rum Cake and Sweet Potato Pudding to tempt your taste buds.
Vegetarians will love the variety of veggie dishes and fans of Italian foods should check out the pizza and pasta with a tasty Caribbean twist. Perfect fare for a summer barbecue alternative.
For more information about Levi, visit reggae-reggae.co.uk or try out some free recipes from the book right here at cookwithlevi.com.
June 10 Wake up with a zing!If you want to wake up with a cool zing this summer, then may we suggest a not-too-hot bath with Taer Icelandic's deliciously minty-scented bath oil?
Meaning 'pure' in Icelandic, Taer Icelandic uses natural, unique blends - including potent Icelandic organic herbs, vitamins, essential oils and minerals - which work to nourish the skin and help protect against premature ageing.
Myleene Klass is reportedly a huge fan - and Ruby Hammer says "The Taer Icelandic Active Firming Serum leaves my skin feeling lovely and matte, which is great after I've been in the sun as no greasy residue is left behind."
Start your summer regime with the Glacier Bath Oil (£35), coupled with the exfoliating Silky Refining Scrub (£19.50) for an invigorating cleanse. Follow with the Active Firming Serum (£47), which helps to reduce redness and diminish the appearance of fine lines caused by the sun - for a super-cool body. Taer Icelandic is available to buy in Harvey Nichols stores, www.taer.com and www.musthave.co.uk.
June 03 Gentlemen: get freshLeonard of Mayfair's classic collection of shampoos, conditioners and colognes were originally crafted in the swinging sixties, when hairdresser Leonard Lewis's London salon was frequented by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles and Rod Stewart.
Now, fifty years on, the salon has just relaunched it's boutique range, featuring an everyday shampoo, scalp cleansing shampoo, conditioning shampoo and a signature conditioner, as well as a body wash and cologne.
Filled with gentle ingredients such as cucumber, witchhazel, ginger, horse chestnut and dandelion, the shampoos are designed to cleanse without causing sensitivity to the scalp, while the conditioners promise to 'imbue life into even the driest of hair types.'
With deep, woody undertones, the colognes and body washes are designed to help create a layered fragrance effect.
To find out more, visit www.leonardofmayfair.com.
June 02 Monthly mailbagThis week we've had some rather controversial articles here on the Life & Style channel, which have got many of you talking.
Several of you got in touch over our article on Escaping violence and abuse, commenting that the piece was too focussed on women being abused rather than men. Thank you to those who did, we'll be asking our sex & relationships expert Dr Pam Spurr to write an article specifically geared towards men being abused in the near feature. Our Death of the masculine man feature, which revealed that more than 60 per cent of young British blokes have admitted they don't feel masculine in a shocking new survey, also got many people chatting on the discussion boards. Rounded man said: 'We need a man that is able to be in touch with his feminine side as much as with his masculine side without having to go overboard. Women should also be able to do the same with the result being a more rounded, balanced and wholesome human being and a less victim of cultural baggage, opportunism and downright ignorance. Enter the modern-man.'
While an anonymous reader added: "We women have got to the stage where we want a man to be everything...mend the car, do the lawn, be romantic, be the strong one, cry when watching a weepie movie with us, cook the tea, do the ironing. On the other hand, we are having to do the shopping, go to work, take kids to school, share the ironing, cooking, washing (if we're lucky), be there when the kids are ill, take them to the doctors, dentist etc, be sexy, keep our figures etc etc.' Black SRi commented: 'Pigeon holing chores is just backwards. Look at how many female plumbers, electricians, mechanics, bus drivers and the like there are nowadays. Typically 'male' jobs are being taken on by women so it stands to reason that men should be become adaptable too by doing 'female' chores such as washing, ironing, cooking etc.
'I agree with what's been said above, society and the media dictate human behaviour in many ways. I can change a tyre, wire new plugs in my house, do DIY and at the same I have been able to wash, iron, cook and clean after myself for years. I'd say that makes me more of a man but evidently society (and many women) may frown upon it.' Our article on giving up alcohol, Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder brought many supportive comments from people who have decided to stop drinking, whether for a few weeks, a few months or forever.
Brian Davidson said: 'I just stopped mainly for my healths sake, my wife also stopped at the same time. Strangely I've never thought about it much, I imagined it was going to be difficult and we had both drinking for many years - not alchoholics but drinking too much. One day I was a drinker, the next 1,000 I never touched even a drop. Look at the freedom I have now, I can drive anytime without any fears, another big bonus is no hangovers. I am not against drink my house is always well stocked with it, but it is only there for our friends.' Mollynsam agreed: 'Most people associate alcohol with having a good time but since stopping drinking in 2000 I have never enjoyed myself so much without it. My only advice would be to take up something else to fill your leisure time with and honestly you do not have to get blasted to enjoy yourself it is a myth perpetrated by the breweries!' Thank you to everyone who commented on our articles throughout the last month. Keep your views coming in.
All the best,
Nic
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