THE FASH PACK

It’s official: Winter’s here! Blustery winds, rain, uncomfortable freezing winds on your face whilst you’re out commuting - but cosy fires, toasty central heating in your homes, staying inside in the warmth, ahhh lovely. Wrong! Well, yes, lovely and cosy, but it’s all an assault on our skin. The elements outside plus central heating does a fabulous number of drying out our skin.

So we spend a lot of money on a new wardrobe for winter, don’t we? New coat, thermals, scarf and lots of layers to keep us warm during the chilly months. So why, ladies and gentlemen, do we not have the same approach for our skin? I proposition that we do! And with haste! With the holidays coming up and work Christmas dos aplenty, there’s never a better time to spend a little effort and time on our skin to look our very best. And it’s simple: It’s all about moisture.

Read more after the jump

Remember that moment when Holly Golightly, a.k.a., Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, puts on that gorgeously simple black sheath dress? The dress that future generations of women would refer to as the LBD or the Little Black Dress? Or one could always argue that the LBD was championed by Coco Chanel when she showed off a calf-length black dress in Vogue in 1926. Oh god, I really am showing my age! I’m only 33 but am ever such an old soul.

This dress transcends social classes, is widely accessible and is always reliable when one needs to look smart, casual or effortless, depending on how and what is worn with it. (I suppose it's the Swiss Army knife of dresses.) And just as the LBD has become a stalwart item in every woman’s wardrobe, the world of make up has equivalents that I feel every woman should have. These products are the ones you know will always work for you and depending how you wear them, they'll give you a multitude of looks. Mind you, these aren’t just for you ladies - for me, as a make up artist, I would never be without them as well. On many an occasion, these LBD items have saved my life on photo shoots or fashion shows.

So what's on the LBD make up list? And how can you use these few products in ways you probably never considered?

Read more after the jump

Jean Paul Gaultier SS10; Dolce & Gabbana SS10

Fashion and beauty go hand in hand, so it comes as no surprise that we're eager to know what we'll be wearing on our face next season, let alone our bodies. Besides the usual summer beauty trend- beach hair and tanned limbs- we've got the run down of all the newest looks to emerge from the SS10 runways. The only question is, which one will you be wearing come spring time?

Read more after the jump

Just because I say so does not make this the gospel of make up - I'm about to give you the key essential products I think people should have in their kits, be it professional or personal. Of course, there are different opinions but it’s my column and I’ll type if I want to!

I still remember when I first started and decided I was an Artiste - and I could make do with only a few products, and just as an artist would mix paints to get different colours, I deliberately kept only key items so I could create different colours whenever I wanted. For a while it sufficed, but as my jobs became more varied and demanding, I realised that, yes, maybe I do need a few more items in my kit!

When I started doing London Fashion Week and had a day of four shows back to back, my kit needed a major refurbishment to work with the crème de la crème of the fashion world. Thankfully, by this time I was starting to get regular work and had become more aware of what each season's trends for products, textures and colours would be. Anyway I digress, so here we go.

My beauty-essentials list after the jump

Move over, Kate Moss and Lily Cole. Georgia May Jagger and Coco Rocha are the newest brand ambassadors for Rimmel London. The models will debut the make up line's 2010 ad campaign, and we can't wait to see what their style and flair can add to RL.

"I am thrilled to be the new face of Rimmel and to be representing such a fantastic brand," said Jagger, the 17-year-old daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. Check back in a few months for the latest from the gorgeous duo.

The 'Sex and the City' franchise is extending yet again - sort of. Coty Prestige plans to launch a new Sarah Jessica Parker fragrance called SJP NYC, which will be influenced by the young, sexy and stylish Carrie Bradshaw.

In an interview with WWD (another acronym!), Parker described the fruity, floral scent as a "party in a bottle". She said: "A large part of the inspiration was what I now understand to be people’s impressions of seeing Carrie Bradshaw walk down the street and what feelings that evokes for her and for them — a real sense of freedom and possibilities, a love for the city around her and, of course, fashion."

SJP NYC will feature top notes of Italian mandarin, white osmanthus and strawberries and will be sold exclusively in Macy's, starting this February. (That gives Bradshaw fans three months to smell like their icon before the second SATC film premieres in May.) The eau de toilette will sell for $25 to $49, but those who prefer solid perfume will have to wait for a cuff bracelet with the scent in May.

Will SJP NYC be as successful as Parker's other perfumes, Covet and Lovely? You tell us.

You've already met The Fash Pack's newest columnist, make up artist Kenneth Soh. The last time we checked in with him, he was ready to take over his first solo show at London Fashion Week, after training with the likes of Pat McGrath and Val Garland. Now, he's had time to catch his breath (and, er, suffer through an unexpected diet) and is back to fill you in on all his backstage details.

What kind of gossip can you expect? Kenneth will take you through his private show for Anna Wintour, a double dose of Chanel Iman and a panic session when he (yikes) shows up to a runway show an hour late.

Read Kenneth Soh's column after the jump

After hearing about a study conducted by researchers from the US, German and Netherlands, we're left wondering what type of models it'll take people to be happy. We've all heard that exceedingly thin models (including those with inexplicably Photoshopped frames) can spike negative feelings about body image, but now it's plus-size models taking the heat for inciting low self-esteem.

According to a report in the Journal of Consumer Research, magazine shots of full-figure women can cause larger women to feel bad about their own bodies - and "underweight" women to feel better about their relatively smaller frames. The report reads: "Overweight women's self-esteem always decreases, regardless of the model they look at."

This seems pretty disappointing, especially since we thought plus-size models have been making headway lately, with the Glamour spreads and Mark Fast runway appearances and all. Maybe what it all boils down to is that no model, of any size, can keep a person from judging herself about factors that already might be considered sensitive. Can we get a new Dove campaign for this?

And we ask you: What's the solution?

Image courtesy of Bobbi Brown

If, like us, you're a fan of Bobbi Brown cosmetics, you can now indulge on the brand's Limited Edition Lip Set completely guilt free. This month Bobbi Brown have teamed up with the Cancer Clinical Research Trust at St Vincents, Dublin in order to raise money for charity during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The new Lip Set features an exclusive new shade of their classic creamy lip colour, as well as a limited edition glitter lip balm. Most importantly, by buying this product in October, you will ensure that all of your money will be going directly to the Pink Ribbon Collection and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Limited Edition Lip set is £28 and is available at select department stores in the UK and Ireland.