Every time I see a bus in Leicester I look out for my face, if you haven’t already seen me and my fellow five Real Shoppers we are pictured on the local buses. Keep an eye out for them to find out how you could win £50!

You should also keep your eyes open for the next Real You magazine which will be available soon in centre!

Let’s not pretend anyone pulls off that effortlessly cool festival look without putting in a lot of effort. So here is my checklist of essentials when packing for outdoor Summer fun.

1. First pay a trip to Boots to get a good moisturizer that can be used on your face and body, ideally with a bit of fake tan as it will disguise a pale, partied-out complexion.

2. Don’t forget a pot of Vaseline. It is a handy way to repair chapped lips, cracked skin, stings, scratches and bruises.

3. Be prepared for anything (rain, paparazzi, bumping into Kate Moss) in a pair of bright wellington boots – TK Maxx have a great selection in store.

3. Remember fun moments (and delete bad ones) on a handheld camcorder from Currys.

4. Keep the sun off your face with a trilby Peacocks have both men and women’s in store at bargain prices.  Add a scarf to brighten up your look (or double as a sarong or head scarf)!

5. And finally, don’t forget your sunglasses, the bigger the better! Primark have a fantastic range for the whole family.

I want to thank the students from Leicester college, who gave up their free time to come along to the Haymarket to do our hair and make-up for the show! Big thanks ladies I felt like a real star! x

Last weekend was amazing.  All of us ‘Real Shoppers’ were really lucky to be given a treat by the Haymarket Shopping Centre - we had the opportunity to take part in a Model Master Class with ‘Modelzed Promotions’.

The whole day was really great, loads of fun and I learnt tons.  After some warm up sessions and getting to know each other a little bit better, we had a photo shoot for headshots.  This was to help us in starting to put together a professional portfolio. Our make-up was done by a lovely make-up artist Heather, who gave us loads of tips for how to do our make-up for photo shoots; what kind of eye-shadow and colours to choose and always to remember to blend, blend, blend! Wow, it made so much difference!

The photographs were taken by a fantastic photographer, Tom Wren, with Wren Photography.  He made you feel really at ease and gave great direction and advice.  For all of those budding and aspiring models out there: Wren Photography offers a range of portfolio packages - see:  www.tomwrenphotography.com 

At the end of the day, we had a ‘catwalk class’ with the owner of Modelzed (Kate Solomon - who also presents all our fashion shows) and the former Miss England 2008, Laura Coleman - I can see why she won, she was so ‘modelesque’.  Trying not to slip all over the place across the ballroom floor of the City Rooms and practicing not falling down the stairs in high heels was good fun - but now that I know a few trade secrets hopefully that dreaded walk (in the fashion shows) won’t be so dreaded from now on!

With the forthcoming fashion show, hopefully all of us will have a bit more confidence in strutting our stuff down the runway   Why not come down and join us to see the latest fashion and trends next Saturday 27th March 2010?

A big ‘Thank You’ to all of you who made it a special day and of to course to the Haymarket for this wonderful gift x

Not only is Mother’s Day fast approaching, but with Pancake Day last week (mmm… yummy!) heralding the beginning of Lent, well, it means it’s that time of year again for my Lenten duty.  I have decided to give up all products with milk in it, and yes that means chocolate – eeek….. I know!?!  If like me, many of you have given up what you love best then not to worry, alternatives may be found at “Holland & Barrett” in the Haymarket.  You can purchase carob bars instead of chocolate, yoghurt coated raisins and banana chips.  They even have Soya milkshakes and Soya ice-cream, in lots of different flavours – in fact I think it tastes even better than normal ice-cream!    If you’ve never ventured inside the shop but always walked by thinking ‘I wonder what’s in there?’ well there are lots of healthy living aids: vitamins, supplements, food alternatives, weight loss products and yes for you buff boys out there (or those of you who want to get buff) you can find energy bars, protein shakes and creatine to help you build up those muscles even more effectively whilst you exercise.  Even if you haven’t given up anything for Lent, you could just turn over a new leaf and start living more healthily. Good luck for all those who are suffering without chocolate! ♥