Credit crunch hits Britain's high streets as major shop chains struggle for business

chrisandanne

Generali wrote: »

Well I tried wearing make-up and some nice lingerie but Mrs Generali caught me and TBH things were a little frosty Chez Generali for a while afterwards so I haven't tried since.

I might try some gold pen if she goes away for a weekend I suppose.

Just a tip for you G ....buy your own Touche Eclat, it's over twenty quid a go and if she finds out you've been using it...well..men have been divorced for less.....A x

treliac

Male grooming was just taking off too......but the crunch is going to stop it in its tracks.

Isn't this what normally happens at times of economic downturn? People become much less flamboyant. Fashion mirrors the economy, with more severe and modest looks.

treliac

chrisandanne wrote: »

Just a tip for you G ....buy your own Touche Eclat, it's over twenty quid a go and if she finds out you've been using it...well..men have been divorced for less.....A x

Or you could take a look at the Health & Beauty board. There's even a thread on where to find cheap Touche-Eclat-alikes.

fc123

treliac wrote: »

Isn't this what normally happens at times of economic downturn? People become much less flamboyant. Fashion mirrors the economy, with more severe and modest looks.

It's often the opposite. My brain is too tired to put into 1 para tonight :rolleyes:
Think loud 70's style and the UK almost bust.

A few years back we did a killing on ripped, shredded tops @ £30 each. The idea was that they looked like a torn rag wrapped around the body (and they did too) , that was in 2000/1 when the economy was hotting up.
Went mainstream too in the end.

neverdespairgirl

izzybusy23 wrote: »

Oooh whats this magic gold pen stuff that you are on about? At the moment I have got dark circles and bags and need some help!


Never had a facial.. wouldn't mind trying one though but the thought of spending £20 for half an hours pampering I just can't justify.

It's called Touche Eclat, and is light-reflecting, and is wonderful stuff! Comes in different shades. It's quite expensive, but as you only use a little under your eyes, it lasts for ages.

I've had a facial just after Christmas for hte last couple of years. My mother, my sisters, my aunt and I have gone together on a girly expedition, leaving my Dad, my brother, OH, OH's brother, Isaac and my uncles to fend for themselves. It's lovely!

neverdespairgirl

GracieP wrote: »

I will confess to occasionally getting my eyelashes dyed. It only takes 10 minutes and costs £5-7 and it lasts 6-8 weeks. Much nicer than mascara and it doesn't stain your pillowcases.:D

I did that once - made my eyes all swollen and pink, so I looked more like a rabbit than ever!

neverdespairgirl

fc123 wrote: »

It's often the opposite. My brain is too tired to put into 1 para tonight :rolleyes:
Think loud 70's style and the UK almost bust.

The 1990s, though, were pretty low-key, grunge and all that?

Davesnave

'Fraid I've never gone in for body enhancement/adornment; not because I think I don't need it , but because I'm accident prone. Deodorant is OK, as is a bit of after shave, but that's it. Even medication is hit n' miss, like the time I drank calamine lotion instead of kaolin for an upset stomach, or the more painful dermatitis I'm still suffering after treating a wart.

As for jewellery etc....Well, the wedding ring got caught in the cement mixer and nearly broke my wrist, while watches become missiles that hit old ladies when I point & give directions. People find it odd that I use a mobile phone to tell the time, but at least it's not attached to me.

I think I learned that fashion had its down-side at a very early age, after a friend and I were caught scrumping apples by an irate old geezer of the whip 'em and flog 'em brigade. I managed to leg it and climb the chain link fence, but my partner in crime couldn't do that quickly because his winkle-picker shoes stuck in the mesh. The old bloke whacked him with a stick as he finally cleared the top. (Remember this was the 'old days!') That was the only time I thanked Mum for saying 'No, take them back & get something sensible!' which was her usual response when, as a young teenager, I returned from any shop selling shoes or clothes.

treliac

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

The only surgery she's ever had is (her tonsils out and) 4 c-sections, not exactly cosmetic surgery.

Did they fit her with a zip?

(Perhaps I should add that I ask this because that's what I was offered by a jokey doctor after my caesarian.)

GracieP

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

It's called Touche Eclat, and is light-reflecting, and is wonderful stuff! Comes in different shades. It's quite expensive, but as you only use a little under your eyes, it lasts for ages.

I took against that stuff when it first came out. I had just broken up with my long-term boyfriend and even though I ended it I was upset and had been crying and hadn't really slept the night before. I was on my way to meet a friend for lunch and I cut through a department store where the Touche Eclat woman swooped down on me, telling me how awful the bags under my eyes looked and how I needed her miracle pen. I nearly threw it across the store. :mad: