by Ellen

We’ve featured anti-ageing products on our site quite a few times, and they’ve always garnered a lot of interest. It seems however old or young, it’s ingrained in us to take the subject of ageing skin very seriously. Too seriously in fact.

So, with our ‘Secrets of younger looking skin’ feature, we just want to make things simple again. It doesn’t feature any crazy products that cost hundreds of pounds, or any at-home treatments which require a plug socket to work. Yep, what happened to the days of relying on a good moisturiser (and genes, obviously) to get you through?

While I’m not going to buy into the anti-ageing skincare market just yet (I’m the right side of 25 for a few days longer), the signs of ageing are showing as I’ve started getting grey hairs, solved with a simple bottle of hair dye.

by Ellen

Dresses have been the staple wardrobe must-have for far too long  now, and I’m really feeling the skirt revival. Bodycon and mini skirts especially are making me excited about summer and braving my bare legs in the warmer weather.

Our mini-skirt shop has our pick of the best in super-short styles for summer, so take the plunge and go short!

by Ellen

I can't be the only one who's felt inspired by the recent warm weather we've been having. I've had my first ice-cream of the summer, bought a bikini and even have tan lines from a couple of hours in the sun yesterday. I'm not letting the fact it's only April and probably going to turn freezing by the end of the week dampen my mood.

While some people think it's too early to start thinking about summer fashion, the shops are already packed with their summer collections. We've started thinking about the sunny months too, with our beach shop - full of bikinis, sandals and accessories, and our ten summer style commandments, which include:

• Thou shalt wear summer footwear other than flip-flops
• Thou shalt recognise which swimwear style suits you

And many more. What would be top of your summer style commandments?

by Ellen

When the worlds of fashion and charity collide the outcome is usually something which is not only stylish but also leaves you knowing you've done some good for the world. Probably my favourite crossover is the Breakthrough Breast Cancer campaign, which has been running for a few years now, with its target symbol becoming synonymous with style as much as the charity.

Yesterday saw the launch of the latest Breakthrough Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign, lead by some of our favourite celebs including Leah Wood, Jade Jagger and Sara Cox.

The range this year includes t-shirts, dresses, bags and accessories from some of the top retailers, with each item carrying a 30% donation to Breakthrough. Plus they've launched www.millionmodelcatwalk.com which gives you the chance to strut your stuff on a virtual catwalk with the supermodels.

Struggling to fit in regular exercise to your daily routine? Check out the new portal www.raceforlife.org/IfICanDoit for top tips and celebrity guidance including a fitness video with ‘Green Goddess’ Diana Moran and a weekly training blog by comedienne Amy Lamé.

For women whose idea of a good workout is a quick dash to catch a bus, the new Cancer Research UK Race for Life ‘If I Can Do It…’ portal, www.raceforlife.org/IfICanDoit, offers great advice and tips that can really give your fitness regime a spring awakening.

The colourful portal is packed with videos, blogs and training ideas and is an inspirational guide to help busy women improve their fitness and, in particular, to prepare to walk, jog or run 5k at one of over 230 Race for Life events this summer. The site also showcases ambassadors from all walks of life including celebrities and women from across the UK who all have a personal reason as to why they’re supporting the Race for Life ‘If I Can Do It…’ campaign.

In these credit crunching times, joining the glamorous gym bunnies at the posh local complex may not be an option for the average woman, which is why fitness guru and ‘Green Goddess’ Diana Moran has shared some quick and easy training tips in an exclusive video that can be viewed at www.raceforlife.org/IfICanDoit. Demonstrating some simple stretching exercises and explaining how to incorporate physical activity into your everyday routine, Diana’s expert advice is the perfect way to start your Race for Life training on the right foot.

A champion for women of all sizes, comedienne Amy Lamé, is writing a humorous weekly training blog about her Race for Life preparation for which she has set a personal challenge of running 5k. Week by week her light-hearted diary will be uploaded on to the portal as she gets ready for her Race for Life event at Battersea Park, London on 6^th May.

Women who prefer to spend their days hitting the shops rather than pounding a treadmill will also find this site a must for their training needs! Shopaholics out there are invited to put their hobby to good use with ‘Shop for Life’, a ‘shoppercise’ programme which shows women how they can clock up the training miles as they browse their favourite stores. Maps of selected shopping centres across the UK have been posted on the portal to show training routes of up to 2km which can easily be incorporated into a regular shopping trip.

The new portal is a quirky online reference guide to accompany the ‘If I Can Do It…‘ campaign highlighting that women of all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels can take part in a 5k Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The campaign is also backed by celebrity ambassadors including actresses, Lynda Bellingham, Laila Morse and Rebekah Gibbs, and X Factor singer Ruth Lorenzo, who have also provided quotes of support and appear in a video on the site.

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life is now in it’s 16^th series and women everywhere are invited to walk, jog or run 5k at over 230 Race for Life events taking place across the UK this summer. This year, it is hoped 680,000 women will come together to raise over £60 million to fund Cancer Research UK’s life saving work

To enter Race for Life or find out more about the ‘If I Can Do It…’ campaign log on to www.raceforlife.org/IfICanDoit

Shop for fitness gear

Click the image above to follow MSN Shopping on Twitter!

by Ellen

Forget the flowers for one year, your mum has probably seen enough bouquets to last her a lifetime! Use our gift selector quiz to get her something special.

Be a good child this year and treat your lovely mum to something better than a pair of cheapo earrings from the chemist (you’re not 8 years old any more).

Browse flowers, chocolates, accessories and pampering products in our Mother’s Day gift centre.  If you’re stuck for ideas, read Gifts For All Mums.  No matter what her tastes are, you’re sure to find the right gift here.

I’m loving the Bliss range right now, especially their luscious Body Butter.  Their little six-pack set could make a great pressie for a beauty-conscious mum – only £20 from HQ Hair.

by Ellen

Our new feature on how to find the best pair of sunglasses to flatter your face has got me quite excited about the fact that, supposedly, warmer times are approaching and quite soon it'll be summer.

I'm not actually one to splash out and invest in a pair of designer shades; mine get sat on, broken, chewed, and chucked in my bag with the rest of my worldly possessions without so much as a case to protect them. So, getting a lovely designer pair does seem somewhat ridiculous. However, if pushed, I'd pick at least one pair (probably three, just to have a couple of standby) from the below:

Miu Miu - £75.20

Blumarine - £79.00

DVB - £154

Diesel - £65.60

by Ellen

I'm pretty certain everyone is more than fatigued and fed-up of hearing the words 'credit-crunch', but if nothing else hopefully the economic climate has lead to us all becoming slightly more savvy shoppers.

This post has sadly nothing to do with 2-4-1 dinner offers but at MSN Shopping we do have some expert consumer advice from Which? to help you make sensible, informed shopping decisions. We've got guides to buying hard drives, DVD burners, fridge-freezers and much more. So while this might not give you your dinner for half price, it should hopefully help you make better purchases and save money in the long run.

by Ellen

Yes, the snow.... I have little to add to the past 24 hours' hyperbole other than the observation I've made that Wellies can be a lot more stylish than I previously thought.

Aside from the dumping of white stuff across the UK, the big news in our small shopping world is that Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. I can almost hear the groans from here, but that's how most of us cynics approach the big V Day. Our shop should hopefully provide some inspiration to those who are really not feeling romantic and want to get their other half something that's special. So, browse gifts for him and gifts for her, and get them something they really want for once. And let's forget about the snow....

by Ellen

Usually, I don't follow fashion by the seasons. I'm definitely season-less; I haven't even got round to getting a winter coat yet. Regardless, there are a lot of Spring trends which I'm really really into, and surprisingly they're some looks which are not very 'me' at all.

Firstly, I wasn't massively into the whole 'ditsy' print floral thing which was all over everywhere last year. However, I do dig the trends for bigger, bolder florals which have something a bit retro and 1950's about them. Like this dress from Miso, I'm really liking the colourful bold floral prints on the black backgrounds. I've seen quite a lot of skirts and top like this and think it's time I took the plunge into the world of flowers.

by Nicola

Liz McClarnon has designed a rather nice limited edition t-shirt to launch Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2009 series.

Entries for Race for Life opened a couple of days ago, and while I’m far too unfit to run 5k, I'll sign up to walk it and definitely be buying one of these.  

Liz said: “I was inspired after I took part in Race for Life last year and I wanted my design to be a celebration of life with a bright, vibrant splash of colour. The florals represent femininity, while the clustered and intertwined flowers symbolise the thousands of women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds coming together as one to make a big impact for a fantastic cause.”

Race for Life is the UK’s biggest women-only fundraising event and this year 680,000 women are expected to come together to walk, jog or run 5k in over 230 events taking place across the UK.

Liz’s limited edition Race for Life t-shirt retails at £15.99 and is available to purchase through the Race for Life website, www.raceforlife.org. 

by Nicola

I’ve been thinking for a while that I’d like to upgrade my cheap-as-chips little digital camera for something more advanced. I’m basically a novice when it comes to photography but it’s something I’d like to experiment with more, particularly in order to have a good set of stock images for use in Photoshop.

The current sales are a godsend in that respect – I would have expected to hand over lots of cash for a decent model but I’ve spotted some really great deals. The Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd is only £129 just now (reduced from £199) and looks perfect for  beginners. It’s got a 12x optical zoom, face detection, 10 megapixel sensor and a panoramic mode. Most of the reviews are really positive, the general consensus being that it’s a good taster of the capabilities of a DSLR with the advantages of a compact.

For the more advanced photographer there’s a great deal on the Nikon D80 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only). Reduced from £699 to only £489, this model has a list of top specs as long as your arm, including 10.2 effective megapixel DX Format CCD image sensor and Advanced Auto White Balance.  For traditional SLR owners this camera would be a good first step into digital.  I’m a sucker for user reviews and the feedback on this model is great - “awesome DSLR!”, “so good its pointless reviewing it”, and so on.

Now is obviously a good time for seasoned photographers to get their hands on additional kit, but I’m pleasantly surprised at the range of quality equipment available for novices too.  Having had a look around the shops I can safely say that the best deals are to be found online – sure, you may not have an expert store assistant on hand but those user reviews are great for getting an honest, unbiased opinion. 

by Ellen

For me, Christmas has been going on for far too long. That's probably something to do with the fact that I began working on it in July, but still. One of the reasons, also down to this recession we're having, is I have NO MONEY, as it's all gone on presents and socialising. Yes, Christmas not only sucks every last penny out of you but you also have to sacrifice your social life to 'festive drinks with friends' and 'Christmas lunches' and 'work drinks'.

Well, I can't wait to reclaim my evenings in front of the TV and I can't wait to start spending my money on MYSELF. Forget January sales, hell, forget even Boxing Day sales, some shops will be beginning theirs on Christmas Eve, if not earlier. This is getting me salivating with the thought of getting some bargains and here's what I'll be looking out for:

• Good quality, plain black (maybe patent?) shoes. All my pumps/flat shoes are falling apart so I want to invest and get some that will last.
• Some kind of coat that will pass as 'sensible' and 'warm'. Preferably made of wool.
• A new belt. I still have my old one with a massive belt buckle featuring loads of skulls. Time to update/grow-up I think.
• New make-up. OK, this won't strictly be in the sales, but I want mascara, concealer and maybe some powder. I'm thinking MAC right now.

Bring on the self-indulgent spending.

by Ellen

Gone are the days when a lump of coal and a wooden train set would keep kids happy on Christmas day. Now they want the latest toys, hip new gadgets, more computer games than can be good for their braincells, the CD by the X Factor winner, the latest Pixar film on DVD, and a puppy. Do I sound scrooge-like enough for you?

Anyway, despite the financial crisis and problems on the high street, it seems people are prepared to go that little bit further and get something a) very expensive, b) very unusual or c) both.

Aside from pricey material goods, 'experiences' becoming more and more popular, including Greycoat Placements who are offering various 'personal assistant' type gifts, so you can get a butler, private chef or housekeeper for a few days to help you organise your life/make you feel like a millionaire, albeit temporarily.

For kids, you can get them gift vouchers for football training at the David Beckham Academy, so they can perfect their footie skills and you can have some time off. Everyone wins?

If you want an old fashioned object to give and have a few million to spare, MSN Tech & Gadgets ran a story on the most expensive gadgets in the world, which included a $20k MP3 player and a diamond studded TV.

However, if you want a simple, traditional gift then you can always just use the usual methods and buy something at a reasonable price for them to unwrap on Christmas day. Sometimes there's a lot to be said for doing things the old-fashioned way.

For more info:

www.greycoatplacements.co.uk

www.thedavidbeckhamacademy.com

by Ellen

Apparently, the most difficult people to buy Christmas presents for are Dads, and I can believe that. Mine isn't too difficult, as he has a lot of interests and generally likes what I consider 'cool stuff', so I usually get something he should want or like, in the hope that he'll grow to love it.

Generally, buying presents is a pain. I'm a real advocate of the 'tell me what you want and I'll probably buy it for you' routine. It's not very exciting and there's no surprise, but I'd much rather get someone what they want, rather than what I've spend 5 weeks thinking they might quite like but probably won't use.

Well, we've had enough of useless presents people don't want, so  we've come up with a Christmas gift selector quiz, which will help you find the perfect present for whoever you need to buy for, depending on their likes and dislikes. Genius.

by Ellen

Like the rest of the world, the current economic climate is taking its toll and I'm trying to find ways to make money, save money, or win free stuff. It's not working too great so far, I haven't won the lottery just yet, but little things can make a big difference. On MSN Shopping right now we've got My Voucher Codes, who give you discounts on orders from all kinds of online shop. Saving money while shopping? I like it....

Also Big Snap Search has landed which is probably one of the easiest ways you can win prizes; simply search for stuff, and you could win a £1000 John Lewis shopping spree. Which is basically all you Christmas shopping sorted and a nice chunk of wonga to help you forget the rest of your financial woes. Brilliant...

by Ellen

I always find the minefield that is 'partywear' somewhat distressing; I'm simply one of those people that would much rather be under-dressed than over-dressed, so I always go for the casual option. Sometimes I just go all out though, for example last New Year's Eve at a very casual houseparty when I decided to just 'sod it' and wore my black prom dress last seen out of the wardrobe at my graduation ball four years ago.

This year, I'm stuck. Our party fashion features cover everything, from our party dresses shop (which contain more dresses than you could shake a cocktail stick at), to putting together the perfect party outfit and even party style for men. One look around any of the high street shops and you'd think they'd been hit by a lorry's worth of jewel-coloured satin and lace.

You literally can't move for partywear right now, and yet I'm trying to think of the last time I actually went out and bought a party dress. Maybe it's just the fact that I'd rather wear a slightly smarter version of my day to day clothes and fool myself that I'm actually looking pretty snazzy. Or maybe I just don't get invited to enough parties.....