Winter is well and truly upon us. And as we don thick scarves and those extra layers it’s time to update our make up routines too. As the weather gets colder a bit of tinted moisturizer and a dab of lip balm will not be enough for most of us. So here’s a head start on all the upcoming beauty trends for Autumn /Winter 2008 and how to do them on a student budget.

Gone are the wide-eyed “dolly girl” looks we saw on the likes of Dior, Luella and John Galliano’s catwalk in Spring/Summer 2008.Replacing them are tones more suited to the dark British winter: greys ,reds, plums, golds, and black were all prevalent on this seasons catwalks and makeup artists reflected that in their beauty looks. Bold, statement lips are still big this season, but loud 1940-esque cherry red lips have darkened to towards aubergine, dark berry and crimson stained glossy or matte lips.

Black Lipstick isn’t just for Goths any more .Gothic Glam is going to be big this season. The models at Yves Saint Laurent were seen rocking black this look on the catwalks of both New York and London.It’s not the Goth of the 90’s, rather Goth girls’ gone upmarket, with super polished hair, smoky kohl lined eyes and glossy dark nails for a sophisticated rock chic vibe. No one doubts this would be an extremely hard look to pull off and I have yet to see anyone (apart from that emo girl in Holloaks) be brave enough to try this. Those not so brave can try dark browns, berries and plum shades to wear this trend with a softer edge.

The 80’s flash look that was also present at last season’s catwalk has morphed in to a more subdued palette. Bold cheeks are still present and so are matte lip colours. Zingy yellows and electric blues have all been replaced for darker hues, such as navy’s and plums in time for the leaves turning red. Worn properly this look can make even the most unremarkable face look contoured. Take care not to wear every aspect of this look all at once though; no one wants to look like Madonna circa 1985.

 At the other end of the spectrum, the natural look was prominent. Designers off-set their bold edgy, dark designs with models with little to no make-up on. The key idea for this trend is nude lips and eyes with a wash of colour on the cheeks and a strong, groomed eyebrow. Make Up artist Bobbi Brown says in her book “Beauty” that almost every woman needs to fill in her brows as part of her normal beauty routine. So for this look try Benefit’s Brow and Liner Kit and save on your threading allowance. If the idea of going nude fills you with dread, lighten up with touches of highlight or bronzer to stop you looking washed out.

There’s no doubt about it,anorexia kills. So why is it that every day  n girls and boys as young as 8 head down this dangerous and ultimately damaging road?
Reports of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have been around as early as 1689 and it is well reported that 1920’s society women skipped a meal or two to get the popular flat chested boyish “flapper” look of the age and to emulate the stars of the then brand-new silver screen.

In the past eating disorders were often a secretive and lonely affliction with the sufferer having no-one to turn to.Now in the 21st century in a world full of technological advances where no-one is ever more than 20 feet away from a wifi hotspot or their mobiles sufferers have turned to the web for comfort.In recent years there has been a sharp rise in “thinspiration”  and pro-anorexia websites on blogging communities such as Xanga and Livejournal. On these sites girls swap tips on how to avoid hunger pangs,discussion on ”thinspirational” celebrities such as anorexia sufferer Mary Kate Olsen and a pre-pregnancy Nicole Richie and most importantly how to hide their increasingly skeletal figures from their loved ones.

Dominated by images of underweight women and pictures of obese people as “anti-thinspo”  there are also quotes posted to warn anorexics about what could happen if they do not stick to their routines for example  one site featured the “Ana Commandments”- Number 1:Nothing Tastes as good as thin feels.

 An overwhelming number of these websites don’t seem to be run by actual anorexia sufferers more by girls and young women who want to drop a few pounds in order to look “hawt” in their Hollister bikini for their “hawt” Abercrombie-esque boyfriends. Joking aside, many medicla professionals are very concerend about the rise in these groups and that other girls are encouraging others to resist getting the medical attention that they need. Many offer advice and handy hints to users to enable them to dupe their medics and therefore making their jobs even more difficult.

Since the beginning of last year we have been hearing about the recession and now like the doomed Titanic sailing towards that big iceberg it has finally hit. Economists say that this is the biggest and worst economic crisis to hit us globally since the beginning of the last century and no one is sure when or if it will end.

The first finger of blame was pointed at the Bankers and City boys who had been living it up in the lap of luxury for years claiming extortionate bonuses. However the whole blame cannot be put on them alone, the whole of Western Society got used to a disposable income and was in the grip of a “must have it ,will have it now” credit culture. We have sons of MP’s being given insane, uncalled-for allowances to throw “F*ck off I’m rich” parties, Celebrity Big Brother contestants demanding huge fees to just sit in a house for two weeks,(with the winner Ulrika Jonsson reportedly getting £175,000) while ordinary Joe Bloggs in the street is facing the very real and scary possibility of losing his job ( probably to a foreign worker) and home.

Most of all for 20 somethings like myself it seems very unfair. We are being made to pay for the big mistakes made by generations before us. We were not old enough to reap the rewards of western society’s consumer culture gone mad and now we have to bear the burden too.

I don’t want to hear that in these times of hardship to become a “recessionista” and build a capsule wardrobe of high end basic pieces. (a black t-shirt for £250? That’s half a month’s wages.) . I don’t want to hear that I should invest in stocks so that when they get better I’ll get a nice return.

I want to know that when I graduate I’ll not be heading straight for gumtree.com to find a job cleaning toilets because that’s all there is. But with unemployment rates for young people at a record high this seems more than a grim possibility. People seem to have forgotten about our generation, the ones who will have to bear the brunt of the previous generations’ misguided endeavors. And as most students know when it all hits the fan, unlike Britain’s banks this time our parents will not be able to bail us out.