Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We, at Couture Diaries want to wish all our readers who are celebrating, a very Merry Christmas, and an even more fabulous New Year! We hope the coming year brings happiness and joy for all! Have a couture time! 

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Beauty Tip Of The Day

Prepare to be adored with this quick and easy face mask by beauty blogger Leslie Ann-Barrett:- 

PREPARE!

• 1/2 Lemon squeeze into bowl
• 1 egg white
• Mix together and paint onto face and neck
• Let dry for 10-15 minutes until your face feels really tight
• Rinse with tepid water
• Follow with your moisturizer if needed
• Prepare to be adored

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Quote Of The Day

"Happy girls are the prettiest." - Audrey Hepburn. 

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Everyone's All Caped Up!

It seems we're not the only ones coveting our capes at the moment...in fact it seems Kim Kardashian has three different ones and Lily Allen and Kate Hudson both are donning the same Louis Vuitton one (which we think is really grannified to be honest!) But we love Victoria's one! Tell us what you think...

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Seven Tips For A Slimmer Waist...

So what if your waist isn't this slim, fake it! Getty Images.

Charla Krupp, style expert and author of 'How to Never Look Fat Again' tells Stylelist seven important and minimal ways to looks slimmer without diet & exercise! We understand that while these may seem simple & not be a trick to make you look 10lbs thinner, but they are understated, minimal changes that do actually make a difference.1. Get a high-waisted bike short. "You can't go out of the house without it. If you have any kind of muffin top, you have to get rid of it immediately, and these pieces really do it. I like the Skinny Britches by Spanx because they're not that intense. But you can't just get the kind that stop at the waist, or you're going to get a muffin top. You can wear them with anything, from jeans to dresses."2. Try a shapewear top. "They're very basic, so you can wear it with a cardigan over it or a jacket over it. Spanx has a couple that have V-necks and scoop necks. They're going to hold your arms in, as well as your waist and your tummy."3. Buy a new bra. "If you get a new bra, you're going to help your waistline, because you need to hoist the girls up as far as possible. You want to have a long, lean torso, so you want to get your boobs up – and most women are not wearing a cup size that's big enough, so they're hanging down and their bras are all stretched out. Bras don't last forever. People don't want to throw out their bras, but they really don't last forever. The elasticity in them goes, so you have to get fresh bras that really boost your boobs."4. Create an illusion. "Look for clothes that have a black or navy panel on the sides. It just slims you down. Black will automatically reduce you, but you don't want to walk around in all black -- it's too depressing. If you find clothes that have black on the sides, it will make your waist look like nothing. Also, you can adopt that trend with a black sheath. Just get a black wool crepe sheath -- it can be sleeveless -- and wear a colored long cardigan over it and belt it. Or not. But you're going to look thin if you're wearing black in the middle."5. Boost your belt. "Another trick is to fake a smaller waistline. Rather than put a belt across the widest part of your waist, you can move a belt up, right under your bra. That's where most women are thinnest. So, it's an optical illusion. You're giving yourself a built-in empire waist. Just make sure the belt isn't super thick, because you don't want your boobs resting on the belt. Not a good look."6. Go empire. "Empire tops can also make you look thinner. If you do have a really big stomach, they'll hide the outline of the stomach so you really don't know where it starts and stops. But don't do ones that are really out there poofy or you'll look like a big blob."7. Strap on stilettos. "Wearing heels always makes you look thinner and that's really easy." (We agree!)

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Beauty Tip Of The Day

"If you have dry skin or tend to suffer from dry spots on your face (like me), then make sure to moisturise your neck everyday. When the neck becomes dry, it draws moisture from your face, making the dry spots worse, and we certainly don't want that!" 

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Quote Of The Day

"Beauty is as beauty does. We're remembered not by what we looked like but how we behaved and changed the lives of others." - Cristina Carlino (Philosophy Skincare Founder). 

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Curl Up With Penguin's New Clothbound Classics ♥

We can't think of anything better than curling up on a snowy day with a huge mug of Belgian hot chocolate and losing ourselves in one of Penguin's Classic books. Why the Penguin edition's you may ask, well because the clever little Penguin has recently released a gorgeous range of clothbound hardback copies of the classics we all know and love! The titles include Pride & Prejudice, Oliver Twist, Little Women, and many more and each one is as beautifully designed as the other. Designed by award-winning Penguin designer Coralie Bickford-Smith, we want one of each : )There's also a cute and gorgeous range of children classics available which we can't resist either! Click here to view the range and other Penguin products: Penguin.co.uk 

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Lash Perfect Semi-Permanent Lash Extensions!

Do you wish you could wake up with full, long-length lashes everyday and not have to grab your mascara (or three!) to get that effect? Well wish no longer... Lash Perfect is here to do just that with their new semi-permanent eyelash extensions! 

The extensions last up to twelve weeks, with a regular top-up every three to four weeks available, and the process is simple. Just pop into a Lash Perfect salon, and after discussing your requirements, a technician will choose the correct length, shape, and thickness of lash and will get working! Gel pads are then used to cover your lower lashes whilst individual synthetic lashes are placed carefully on top of your own lashes using a strong adhesive (which is also eye-friendly). Roughly between 80 to 120 eyelashes are needed for each eye, and will take, overall, about an hour and a half to complete. The process is very relaxing and absolutely painless. The extensions come in a variety of lengths, colour, thickness and style of curl. Eye make-up can be applied as normal afterwards, (although make-up with a high oil content should be avoided) but Lash Perfect recommend that you use their specially formulated eye make-up remover to cleanse the area afterwards. The results are amazing, and well worth it. Prices start from £80.

Ooh and did we mention that Katy Perry and Victoria Beckham have already had the procedure done? ...

To find your nearest Lash Perfect salon visit their website: Lash Perfect

Lash Perfect recommend you remove any eye make-up with their specially formulated remover. And it is best not to use make-up with high oil content.To find your nearest Lash Perfect salon visit their website... Lash Perfect 

Prices start from £80

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Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram Service Is Now Online ♥

If your a lucky so and so and already own a Louis Vuitton handbag, or are thinking of finally just going for it and getting one, then why not go that one step further and personalise your Louis with Louis Vuitton's Mon Monogram service! We've seen quite a few personalisations already, but the service, aptly named 'My Monogram' is finally now available online, yay!Their new website allows customers to personalise a range of bags from the infamous Speedy to the Keepall and Pégase travel bags. You can add your own initials, add a full-stop in between the letters, choose colourful stripes and move them around from the side to the middle according to your own personal taste. With different sizes and 17 different colours, the options are endless - actually resulting in more than 200 million possible combinations per bag! Wowie! Let's face it, with so many fake speedy's going around, we think it's a sophisticated way of showing yours is authentic while adding your own personal touch at the same time. Perfect ♥Click here to try out the monogram service for yourselves: Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram Service

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Quote Of The Day

"Calories are the little monsters that creep into your wardrobe at night and sew your clothes tighter while you sleep. My wardrobe is infested with them."

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Super Huge Mulberry Bag Hanging Around In Central London!

A gorgeous, sparkly, super huge Mulberry Bayswater bag was seen tottering around in Central London today. Where was it going, you may ask? Well, home of course! That is the new Mulberry flagship store that is being opened in New Bond St. The gold bag looked a little lost, but managed to find its way in the end ; ) Aww bless! 

Looking Lost in Central London

Hopping Into A Black Cab (with a little help!)

Aah! Finally Home! (New Bond St, London)Mulberry.com Pics.

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Tip Of The Day

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Quote Of The Day

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Stop Press! New Arm-toning Top Arrives!

Joy to the women of the world - the new arm-toning, bingo-wing busting top has arrived! The garment, designed by US actress, Kathy Najimy, and named Ch'Arms, works in a similar way to the famous Spanx panty-hose, and claims to squeeze in loose skin around the upper arm, providing a more toned look. Miss Najimy, 53, states: ‘Ch’Arms is lightweight and seamless and allows its wearer to feel comfortable and confident. Ch'Arms is a garment problem-solve. For those of us who love the look of short sleeve garments but sometimes choose to have our arms covered, Ch'Arms gives us the best of both worlds. No more bulky layers either under or over your cute shirt or dress.'Not only does it aim to tone arms, but it also goes one step further to hold in the stomach and enhance the cleavage, with a specially-cut chest area, allowing users to wear their own bra and any neck-line shirt/dress they like!We think Miss Najimy has got it spot on with her product as a recent survey revealed that three in four women hate bingo wings more than any other part of their body!Miss Najimy says that she hopes the Spandex, cotton and sheer mesh garments – priced at about £20 and available in six colours – will give women the confidence to wear closer-fitting clothes. 

Although the product is currently only available to buy through US shopping website HSN, Miss Najimy says that she hopes to be stocking in the UK soon! 

The top comes in three different fabrics, each of which offer a different level of support. Hooray for toned arms!

Click here to visit HSN: HSN.com

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