Well.. well.. well.. have we spotted a great pick for today.  Fancy having your hair blow dried ala Cheryl Cole (sorry, Tweedy) followed by a make-up artist working her magic?  It’s one of those things we all want to do for a night out and either time or budget don’t permit.  Well, we can take care of the budget on this one, the time factor you will have to look after yourself.

We just came across boardsdeals.ie and gave a serious squeal of delight to find Dylan Bradshaw offering a blow dry and make-up for only €45!  Three things -

1. Hello – don’t you love the idea of having your hair done at Dylan Bradshaw

2. Who doesn’t dream of having their make-up done by a pro for a big night out

3. You can have both for only €45 – God, recessions can be great things!

Check it out here for yourselves, I’m already in the pot so see you there

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Over the weekend Dublin was awash with soap stars and home grown celebs as the fifth Walkers TV Now Awards took place on Saturday night at Dublin’s Mansion House.  The plethora of Irish and International stars weren’t hindered in making it by volcano ash – thankfully!

The favourite soap award went to Coronation Street with Fair City’s Tony Tormey winning Favourite Male Soap Star and Katherine Kelly of Corrie winning Favourite Female Soap Star.  Emmerdale fared better with Irish viewers (considering they won n’out at the British Soap Awards) with the Dingles winning The Walkers Favourite Soap Family award (scary!).  Yawn.. Ken Barlow (Bill Roache) was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years on the show.

No surprises that our Favourite TV Show Ever was Fr. Ted.  The penultimate award on the night was the Inaugural Hall of Fame award which was collected by Rex and Lottie Ryan on behalf of their late father, much loved radio DJ Gerry Ryan.

More importantly… the fashion – well it didn’t disappoint, with the red carpet awash with stunning creations.  Corrie stole the show with a mix of high street and couture.  Shobna Gulati wore Philip Armstrong Couture, Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntrye) looked stunning in a dress by Vicky Martin with Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster) wearing high street favourite Lipsy (not so sure about the hair though!).

Reality TV Star (!!) Michelle Heaton dressed for the heat-wave in a burnt orange gown from a Marbella boutique.  Stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick dressed to impress, in a navy and white silk dress with vintage lace by Marion Murphy Cooney.  Model Pippa O’Connor wore a fabulous dress from one of her favourite boutiques – Soho in Naas.  Newsreader Elaine Crowley of TV3 wore a fabulous dress from Coco Boutique in Clarendon Street, flown in especially from LA for Elaine to wear on the night – go diva!  Rosanna Davidson was simply stunning as always in an Ashish dress and Louboutin shoes.  TV3 weather girl Anna Daly matched her fair complextion with a full-length powder pink dress.  Former Rose of Tralee Aoibhinn Ni Shulleabhain sported a silver Catherine Malandrino dress.  Glamorous Sile Seoige was resplendent in a leopard print dress by American label ‘Stop Staring’ and slightly dwarfed her equally glamorous sister Grainne.  Lorraine Keane looked stunning in a full length white dress however not so sure about the knuckle duster!  Louboutins (or loobs as we call them) were most definitely the shoe of choice on the night, with a host of stars slipping their feet into the skyscraping heels!

After the official ceremony ended everyone headed to Krystle nightclub where owner Rangan Aruchelvan pulled out all the stops to show every guest we Irish know how to party!

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John Frieda have been updating us weekly with hair trend reports for Spring/Summer 2010, which they noted from the runways at London Fashion Week.  This week think of Gossip Girl Blake Lively who is this seasons IT girl for desired looks sporting tousled locks, move over Jen!  Here’s what the experts had to say on recreating this look yourself…

Unstructured curls – are big news – loose and natural, random textures – an ‘undone’ look.  This curly look is soft and moves away from the very overdone Hollywood curled look – Spring/Summer is relaxed and about lazy days and warm weather, not the glamorous siren look of the Christmas party season.

Wash your hair using volumizing products.  Next prepare washed hair with a curling spray/product for the desired look.  Then, blast dry the hair to get rid of the heavy wet, followed by tossing the head upside down to achieve the loose curled look.  Follow this by diffusing the hair in sections using the diffuser application on your hair dryer.  If necessary use a tongs to create further loose curls, adding a thickening hairspray so that the hair holds its shape.

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John Frieda had front row seats at all the major catwalks this season and have been bringing us a ‘how to’ on the latest trends from the world of hair.  Today’s lesson is on bobs!

Bobs are in again for Spring/Summer 2010, looser and longer with a fluid bottom and not so bluntly cut – think more of a ‘grown out’ bob then Danni Minogue’s sharp cut of Autumn/Winter 2009.

How to:

To create the look, prepare your hair by washing choosing the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type.  It’s also a good idea to choose from a range suitable to different hair colours to get the most from your locks.  Next, apply a small amount of frizz ease or smoothing gel onto soaking wet hair, then using a natural bristle round brush blow–dry hair into a smooth straight finish, leaving some natural bounce and texture in the hair.  Give a small spritz of hair spray with a flexible hold for help with holding the style in place.

All hair styles are moving away from anything with too much work, the look is glowy and natural and hair extensions are a definite no!  Gemma Arterton, Bond girl below, showed us how to work this trend at a recent movie premiere.

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As we previously mentioned The John Frieda Salon in London had a front row seat at all the top Spring Summer shows and are kindly keeping us up to date on what’s hot and how to create the looks.

Fringes are still big for Spring Summer 2010 – side fringes and sweeping fringes, nothing too blunt – hairspray is not a factor in this look, it’s all about keeping the hair soft for spring.

To blow dry the perfect fringe, prepare the hair by washing. Then apply a frizz ease or hair serum for unruly hair or a volumising mousse for finer hair.  Also depending on the look you want to create or how you want your fringe to sit – to wet hair to achieve a sleek but loose fringe that is texturised but not too ‘finished’ looking.

When the hair is nearly dry, start blow-drying using a brush beginning with the front sections, treating the fringe as separate and sweeping it to the desired side. Direct the nozzle of your hairdryer downwards to smooth the cuticle flat along the hair shaft, and always blow-dry your hair against the direction it will ultimately fall so you achieve plenty of texture and root lift to the fringe.

Hey presto, you’ve got bangs!

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Summer is almost upon us and that means new hair trends have been appearing on all the catwalks.  The John Frieda Salon in London had a front row seat at all the top Spring Summer shows and noted some of the hotter trends emerging for 2010.  We’ll be bringing you their ‘How to’ create the most up to date hair trends over the coming weeks.

Spring and Summer has traditionally meant softer, more natural looks in both fashion and hair trends, and 2010 continues with this theme.  The trends emerging are a departure from the overdone structured styles of the Winter and festive seasons, with an emphasis on softer smoother hair, relaxed waves and fluid bobs as well as a return to plaits.

The experts at John Frieda begin with a lesson on plaits!  Heidi hi all

Braids are a big trend for this season as lots of different types of braids and ‘braid wrapping’ were done in the catwalk shows.

Firstly, prepare the hair by washing and use your preferred product, perhaps a hair serum, working into your hair while wet.

Blow dry the hair first smooth and sleek.  Direct the nozzle of your hairdryer downwards to smooth the cuticle flat along the hair shaft, and always blow-dry your hair against the direction it will ultimately fall.  Ensure all tangles have been brushed from your hair before beginning to create braids.

Part the hair down the middle, dividing the hair into two equal sections as if you were creating pigtails.  Clip one section up to keep it out of the way and using your fingers, divide into three equal sections, proceeding to braid it til the end.  Ensure the braids are pulled tightly so that the hair is neatly tucked into the length of the braid. Attach an elastic band to the end of the braid to secure in place.  Repeat the same steps with the other section of the hair, then twisting the braids around to the crown of the head.  The Braids can be brought up as close to the forehead or crown depending on the look you wish to achieve.

Finish with a spray of hair spray to give a glossy finish and ensure the braids hold in place.

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