MSN Shopping Blog

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

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