It could have all been so different

It could have all been so different?

As our pictures show the success of the England team could have been held in the hands (or more appropriately chest) of our star scorer Wayne Rooney. With hair - a goal scoring machine. Without hair - disappointing. Could his lack of goal scoring really lie in a little too much grooming.

Have our men taken the metrosexual grooming too far? What was wrong with a nice clean shave? At VIE we still believe that men should take pride in their appearance, that's why we've added a few extra men's lines into our Summer Sale, like our 4Men EDT and Flint Edge Shaving Box ... but chest hair, we think you should leave it where it is Wayne!

So maybe the lesson we should all learn is ... leave the grooming to us girls - your future careers could depend on it.

9 hours, 58 minutes, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 59-59

Impressive stats ... and who knew that today they would have such a profound impact. If you love tennis like a lot of the VIE at home team, then no doubt you were glued to the epic match between 6ft 9 John Isner and his slightly less imposing, but equally determined opponent Nicolas Mahut.

Watching Isner visibly struggle in the final moments of the game, we couldn't help wonder how achey that huge frame is going to be today ... We hope his support team have invested in an intensive massage treatment like our Muscle & Joint Massage Oil to keep him limber. In complete reverse Mahut seemed fresh as a daisy (maybe he'd tried our new Stay Calm Rollerball)


For both boys today, we recommend they try our Power Up Rollerball - if there's ever been two men who need a fresh burst of energy, it's these two.

PS. In news that has no relation to this post or sport, we've launched our online Sale today ... well I guess Sale shopping is a sport of types? Who's got the best bargain today ... let us know.

Come on England!

It's an early start for a lot of the VIE at home birdies this morning, as many of us are anxious to find out Englands fate later today ... Will Gerrard hold his nerve, will Rooney finally score a goal, will any of them actually sing the national anthem (in tune?)

We've not been convinced the 'no-WAG rule' enforced by Capello has been the best team tactic, that's why we were thrilled to see Carly Cole heading off the airport despite uncertainty as to whether her husband will actually play (well a WAG's got to holiday). Our only disappointment was, well ... she didn't look very WAGtastic, with a distinctive lack of make up, and some debatable hair styling. With rumours of Coleen jetting off to SA to support Wayne and the boys, we can only hope her airport departure is a little more glamorous.

Here's a tip if you're jetting off in the coming weeks and need to dodge the paparrazi ... our new VIP Make Up Collection has all the make up colours you need to give yourself an instant makeover. Including a mirror it's the must have accessory for the airport.

P.S. If you think you could give Coleen and Carly a run for their money, don't forget to enter our WAG Idol competition - you could win £250 of VIE at home Make Up.

Close call Federer

With all the debate surrounding England's efforts in last Friday's match, it's nice to see that other Sports stars have their bad days too ...

Mr Roger Federer has had the office all of a flutter for the last couple of hours following his shaky start in defending his Wimbledon title. Who would have thought the stoic swiss champion could give us such a fright in the first few days?

It seems that the next couple of days are going to be nail biters - Murray's back on tomorrow and of course we've got the big game on Wednesday. Never before have the people of Great Britain needed stress relief - that's why we're recommending generous doses of our Stay Calm Rollerball for the coming days. The ONLY thing that will calm your nerves at the moment!

Happy Birthday Fabs!

Apparantly there's a football match on tonight, we've heard something about an England game ... all a bit of a hoo ha over who's going to be the goalkeeper*?

With all the fuss that's in South Africa , we hope the England team haven't forgotton the big man himself, Fabio Capello, who's birthday it is today. Hmmm maybe they're all sat down now for a nice lunch, a huge chocolate birthday cake and a couple of shandys?

At 64 Fabio's skin is looking in mint condition. We can't believe that's just from his Italian lifestyle ... we heard a rumour he's been using our Above & Beyond Skin Lifting Elixirs. But be warned, like the England squad line up he keeps his secrets safe, so don't expect him to acknowledge his youth restoring Skin Care regime with anyone!

From everyone at VIE at home, we'd love to wish you a very Happy Birthday Fabs and good luck to all the England team at tonight's game.

*Personally we'd put our Financial Controller Ray Wheeler in goal - safe with money and a demon on the football pitch ... just the safe hands we need if your still considering your options Mr Capello?

The sun is out ... it must be fake tan time

And as our picture goes to show, you can be one of the UK's biggest stars and you still will have problems perfecting a perfect fake tan finish. Cheryl spotted here at the Birmingham X-Factor auditions gave away her little secret with her white wrists and super brown arms.

Don't do a Cheryl! The key to flawless bronzing and lust-have fake tan is all in the preparation. Exfoliation is key for a smooth finish so try our Body Nutrition Body Scrub, then follow with a light body moisturiser like our Body Nutrition Body Smoothie.

For fake tan, we've got a number of solutions - if you're a bit nervous start off with a wash off formula like our Bronzed Beauty Instant Tan (an ideal instant solution if you're caught out when the sun shines ... easily done in this Country). For a spray tan finish (like Cheryl uses) try our Spray On Sunshine (perfect for reaching those hard to get to places). Or to ensure you're avoiding Cheryl's slightly patchwork look, use our new Summertime Skin which builds a gentle glow and can be used on the face as well as the body.

Finally, to avoid looking like a member of the white hand gang, wash your hands, then apply a couple of blobs of fake tan to the back of hands, then rub together. Guaranteed to give you a glowing tan that won't be featured in the circle of horror!

Too early to talk about Strictly Come Dancing?

Never! The rumour mill is already in overdrive for the BBC's Autumn Celebrity Talent competition.

We hear on the grapevine that this season's stars will be even bigger and better than before - will Victoria Beckham really be donning tap shoes? Could Amy Winehouse possibly throw on a feather boa? Would Girls Aloud star Kimberly Walsh really go up against her friend Cheryl Cole who stars on rival X-Factor? Well if the rumour mill is true, these are just three of the Celebs we've got to look forward to seeing do the cha, cha, cha, the mambo and the american smooth.

Whilst we always love a bit of Stricly Come Dancing, we've got extra interest in it this year, because we've poached ex-judge Arlene Philips to come and work with us. Over the past few months there's been some hush, hush meetings with Arlene. The result? A very exclusive Make Up collection that will be launching exclusively with VIE at home this Autumn. All themed around Arlene's passion for dance, we reckon these Make Up must haves will be in the dressing room of each of the dancing stars in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing (Victoria would love the lip glosses)

Details are very top secret at the moment ... watch this space for more information ... This will blow the Strictly Come Dancing gossip out of the water.

WAG Idol update

Well who would have thought it? Seems our WAG Idol competition is getting a lot of attention with comments from Sven, Fabio and David Beckham on our Facebook page ...

David said, "I just want to wish all the WAGS goodluck! i'll be keeping a close eye on the competition and informing victoria who too look out for:)))) best wishes........Goldenballs! :)"

Fabio said, "Wishing all the WAGS all the best and hoping you're not missing your partners too much, it's all about focus. Ciao!"


Sven said, "Well.., err, I am of course supporting VIE "WAG's" and who knows, maybe will find a new one myself????? Good luck to all you gorgeous girls and potential "Svenbabes"... LOLHugs n kisses from Sven"

Oooh aren't we the lucky ones! Read down our Facebook wall and check out their comments here.

X-Factor auditions are the talk of the town ...

And our favourite (ex) WAG continues to win the war of best dressed with her two outfits of choice at the opening X-Factor auditions in Birmingham. Sadly this pushed temporary Danni replacement, Natalie Imbruglia, into the background (who's made the rookie error of wearing the same outfit and shoes two days in a row - shame on her)



Our favourite has to be this from day one, with hair and make up that's classic Cheryl Cole (or is it Tweedy now?)

You can recreate this look using Airbrush Perfection Foundation (achieves the airbrush finish that Cheryl will want for those watching X-Factor in high definition this Autumn). Then for smoky eyes try our Eye Definer to help create definition around the eyeline (trust us, ours has the formula and added smudger to give you the exact smoky eyes you're looking for). Give eyelashes some va va voom with Eyelash Curlers and then finish with a lengthening Mascara like Dream Lashes Mascara for that false lash effect (without the hassle). For Lips you'll love our new Signature Colour Lipstick in sparkleberry - perfect! If this look inspires you then make sure you enter our WAG makeover competition on Facebook. Find out more here.

X-Factor auditions continue and we can only imagine some of the horrors poor Cheryl, Simon and Louis are having to enjoy as we write ... can't wait to see what other outfits will be displayed in the coming days.

Lay off the Hand Cream, Green

Gasped? We fell of our chairs this weekend when we saw that slippery goal make it's way past the hands of Rob Green and into the goal. What could have been a great start ... well has generally been agreed was a pretty average start for the England team.

We have our suspicions ... these meterosexual men are all about exceptional skin care and body care. Could it be that the goalie had indulged in too much hand cream, making his gloves too slippery to handle? If yes, then can we make a little suggestion Mr Green? How about trying a little of our Exfoliating Hand Sugar Scrub first. Not only will this help smoothe and rejuvinate precious hands, it will also help ensure your hand cream sinks in much quicker. Naturally we'd suggest you lay off your usual brands and try our Softening Hand Cream instead - guaranteed to give your hands TLC, without all the slippery after affects.

Maybe the England team do need their significant WAG others joining them? They would have never allowed such a skin care rookie error.

Let the games begin ...

It's here the day all your husbands/partners have been waiting for - the day you'll officially get kicked out of the lounge and the television will be dominated by live action replays, post match analysis and if we're lucky a couple of celebrations too.


After a huge build up, the World Cup is officially on! Last night South Africa hosted a kick off concert featuring Alicia Keyes, Shakira and the Black Eyed Peas (which only goes to prove our theory more)

Get Fergies look: Resplendant in Gladiator style, Fergies Make Up was all about the eyes last night. Lashings of black eyeliner (try Liquid Eyeliner) and mascara (try Dream Lashes) gave maximum impact on the stage. Maybe like us, she's just heard about the Hollywood re-make of Cleopatra featuring Angelina Jolie? You heard it here first: Cleopatra style eyeliner is going to be the must have eye make up look (for a step by step guide, try our Get The Look page)

So how is everyone else celebrating the launch of the World Cup? For VIE the fun starts today with a huge lunch of foods from around the world. We're also hoping to spot a couple of footballers legs round the office as we've encouraged the boys to get in their kits ... watch twitter for live updates.

There's a reason we told you to reclaim the living room

It's a shame Dan Taylor's mum didn't follow our advice to reclaim her living room this summer.

Why? Well her football loopy son Dan (who lives with his brother and rents his flat from his mum) decided the best way he could support our boys in South Africa was by recreating a real life 'pitch' at home. Not satisfied with simply decorating his surroundings, he's laid a full turf pitch ... in his living room. The 'pitch' took two hours to lay and incorporates 100sqft of turf. It requires regular watering, and no-one is allowed to wear shoes to walk in the room.

This calls for drastic action girls! This is what happens when the football takes over ... book your VIE at home Party today (you could win a Mulberry handbag) before he heads off down to the garden centre.

More reasons why the World Cup is just as much about the girls, as the boys

Just 2 more days till the World Cup starts, and 3 till England take to the pitch for their first match ... back pages of the papers are worrying about Wayne's temper, Rio's injuries and whether Ledley King can stay fit, whilst front pages are dominated by Cheryl's win at last night's Glamour Awards, Coleens outfit at her friends wedding and the new found sophistication associated with WAGs (great article). So really, with front papers dominated by the girls, we can't help feel that Football is taking a feminine turn.

Here's just some of the evidence...

The enviable Skin & body care regimes: Money's no object but we can't help feeling David James would love our Skin Care Special Offers - ooh what save!

Have you seen the case that holds the World Cup? It's Louis Vuitton - show me a girl who wouldn't want to put her Make Up in this bespoke little number (although if Mulberry is more you thing - you'll want to hold a VIE at home Party this summer because you could win a Mulberry handbag worth £700).

Who cares about the England Kit? These days we're all more interested seeing Victoria's new dress collection, what Abbey wore on a night out and what Cheryl will be seen in at her next concert. See more of their outfits and copy WAG make up on our Facebook page.

The hairstyles: The bleach, the corn rows, the long, the short, and that's just David Beckham (cue gratuitous pictures of the lovely DB in all his hairstyling glory).

So many styles, so many front page stories - they've got us wanting their hairdressers phone numbers.

So in conclusion, World Cup glamour is front page news - keep leaving the actual sport for the back pages please.

WAG in car wash shocker!

With our WAG Idol competition now launched, we're dedicating our blog to the latest WAG updates to help inspire your competition entry.

Today, the spotlight is on Alex Curran who was yesterday caught washing her car in typical wag style. Yes, like most of us she was out there scrubbing the bonnet, removing grime and clearing the alloys in her hotpants and stillettos ...

Washing your car this weekend? Then you too can get the Alex Curran look: This sheer Make Up look is very typical of Stephen's other half - Sheer beige lipstick, like our new Signature Colour Lipstick in Natural Shimmer, flawless matt foundation (try our Airbrush Perfection Foundation for a similar finish) and a bronze blush finish like our Bronzed Beauty Blush.

And after all the scrubbing and washing, we bet Alex likes to give her hands a little TLC (all that soapy water can play havoc with your manicure) so try Softening Hand Cream to put moisture back in and protect those talons for the next car wash.

For more WAG get the looks, see our photo album on our Facebook page.

Has someone been copying our Cheryl Make Up tips?

Reports at the weekend have suggested that "love rat" Ashley Cole has already found himself a new WAG, after the recent departure of the lovely Cheryl (he obviously wants to make sure he has his WAG representation in South Africa this month)

What makes this story more interesting is the uncanny resemblance she has to Cheryl (although as an ex lap-dancer she's had a slightly different rise to stardom) ... we were wondering if she read last week's blog about Cheryl's Make Up and was following our advice on how to achieve Cheryl's look?

If she has been, then she could be the first entrant into our WAG Idol competition, which will be judged by Celebrity Make Up artist Lisa Valencia ... more details coming very soon so you're going to have to just watch this space!

Is Cheryl a member of the WAG gang?

Day three of our WAG Idol poll on Facebook and Coleen Mcloughlin/Rooney remains firmly in the lead of the pack ... But not unlike a Footballers love life, our poll hasn't been without controversy with the inclusion of Cheryl Cole/Tweedy. No, not because of the use of hair extensions in THAT hair shampoo advert, but because there's some debate about whether she's still worthy of the title of WAG.

Let's have a look at the evidence ...

As our photo shows, Cheryl is clearly a lover of big, glamorous hair - an absolute must have in the WAG world.

Make up applied to perfection? Check! (Hint: Try Signature Colour Lipstick in Peony Cream)

Gorgeous glowing skin? Definitely (hmmm wonder if she's used Summertime Skin which can be used on the face and body?)

An extremely healthy bank balance? We can only speculate, but ... with the Black Eyed Pea support slots, XFactor and lucrative sponsorship deals we think she's on a nice little earner.

A front page feature of at least one national newspaper, on a daily basis? Yes!

Cheryl - quite frankly you can't put a put a foot out of place in our books - We'll keep you in the poll as an original and honorary member.

Here come the WAGs!

Following yesterday's news, all the boys in the office are talking about the World Cup squad (yes, we do have boys that work here too). Who's going, who's NOT going, what their hair is like, if they've got nice legs (well not really I just like to throw those last two in!) And with just 10 days till England kick off, the lucky World Cup WAGs must be packing their Louis Vuitton's in preparation for a trip to South Africa (can you imagine how big their cases must need to be to hold all their beauty products?)

As you already know, WAG glamour isn't unique to just the Wifes And Girlfriends of footballers, because this summer we can show you how to indulge in the finer things in life (at a fraction of the cost) with our WAG themed Parties. Our VIE at home girls are warming up for a game of two halves, and hosting special Parties filled with WAG tips including fake tanning advice, must have skin care and Make Up tips that would have Coleen Mcloughlin wishing she'd stayed in the UK this summer.

We're also holding WAG Idol on our Facebook page, because we're just itching to know who your favourite WAG is - the current leader is Coleen, hotly followed by soon to be ex-wag Cheryl Cole, but like the beautiful game, there's still everything to play for. Vote now!

Are you going to be a WAG this summer?

It's June 1st and officially the first day of summer (we're not sure we agree with that, looking out the window this morning), and I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but there's a football tournament that's going on this month that seems to have got the men folk all of a quiver.

At VIE we're not worried about the football dominating the television. Why? Because we're going to reclaim the living rooms for ourselves this summer and bring a bit of WAG inspired beauty to the 'beautiful game'.

Forget Colleen, Abbie and now definate ex-wag Cheryl - this summer it's all about you being the beautiful ones, as your VIE at home Consultant helps you and friends recreate Wag inspired looks. Hot nails, beautiful tans, glowing skin care tips and a chance to win a Mulberry handbag.

Who needs South Africa when we can bring the glamour to British turf? Find out more about how you can make your home a football free zone this summer here.