What the colours of your accessories say about you...

Sayings like “seeing red,” “feeling blue” or “green with envy,”  are often used to describe an emotion- But can colours really have an effect on our mood?

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have concluded that colours do in fact alter the way we feel and react to stimulus.

Subjects performed tasks with images or words displayed against blue, red or neutral backgrounds on computer screens. 

Red groups did better on tests of recall and attention to detail, like remembering words or checking spelling and punctuation. Blue groups did better on tests requiring imagination, like inventing creative uses for a brick or creating toys from shapes.

Another study carried out by Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester showed that men considered women shown in photographs with red backgrounds or wearing red to be more attractive than women with other colours.

Colours have been used as therapy in many ancient cultures including the ancient Egyptians and Chinese and are still used holistically today. So how can we utilize colour to our advantage? Here are some ways to accessorise with colour that will say a lot about your personality and even boost your mood…

Red is the colour of passion. It denotes strong feelings and grabs attention. Red could be the perfect colour for you if you are looking to stand out in the crowd or increase a certain someone’s pulse rate!

Choose a bright pink hue of red for a more playful and sweet shade of passion, such as this Poppy Pink Fenice ipad cover.

Black is the colour of authority and power. It can often denote mystery and is timelessly chic. Vamp up your outfit with this Fenice Prada Black iphone 4 cover 

Blue is tranquil and relaxing. It can also stimulate creativity. Blue is also thought to be the colour of loyalty so is an excellent choice to wear to a job interview. Give off the vibes of trustworthy dependability with this Fenice denim blue ipad cover.

 Orange is uplifting and zingy. It is great for stimulating action and enthusiasm and relieving lethargic periods of inactivity.This juicy orange Fenice iphone 4 cover would get you moving even on the coldest of Monday mornings!

New Fenice Classico Flip for Samsung Galaxy SIII Video!

Check out the video for the new Fenice Classico Flip, the gorgeous premium phone cover for the Samsung Galaxy SIII. This Italian PU leather cover fits your phone like a glove with a flip cover to protect it from every angle. Fenice uses unique, patented HD welding and cutting techniques to eliminate the need for messy glues and stitching- so their covers are some of the sleekest and thinnest on the market!

Menswear trend report: Denim

Denim has been a huge trend this spring and looks set to carry on into the summer. With inspiration being taken from the 90’s, where denim is concerned, anything goes!

Light blue, bight blue, stone or acid washed-  mix it up with double denim and wear for casual cool or mix with more formal pieces for an on trend wardrobe update!

These Denim Slip-OnShoes from Rivieras (£60) are perfect for sunny days. Cool an casual they will look great with tailored shorts.

This Saint Laurentsleeveless washed denim jacket (£645) will add an edgy attitude to any outfit. Embrace the 90’s trend with frayed details, for a masculine, rocky look.

This Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1955bleached denim shirt (£165) is a style staple and is great for throwing over a T-shirt on a cool summer evening or on changeable Spring days. 

This Denim Fenice Creativo ipad cover will keep your most prized possession protected and on-trend. This innovative cover is ultra-thin and uses magic tape technology to bond your ipad to the cover without the need for bulky casing. It can be removed and replaced as many times as you like without leaving any sticky residue!

Bikini Body Countdown Part 1

The sunshine has finally come out and summer no longer seems a distant dream! But if the sudden prospect of sun on your bare skin has left you feeling terrified of cracking open your summer wardrobe then don’t panic! By making only a few changes to your lifestyle you could be bikini confident in no time!

Be realistic- you are not going to shed 5 stone before your Summer  holiday by drinking vinegar and having ice baths! Fad diets are difficult to stick to and can leave you feeling (and looking) worse than when you started. Yoyo dieting is one of the worst contributors to long-term weight gain. Eating healthily and getting more exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy weight- sorry, but there really is no magic lotion or potion!

Before you start trying to lose weight, weigh yourself- it might not be as bad as you thought!

Keeping track of how your weight changes can also help you track your progress and see the rewards of all your hard work! You can of course do this using a pen and notebook, but if you like to keep up to date with the latest gadgets and your smartphone is the centre of your life, then why not invest in a gadget to do all the hard work for you.The Fitbit Aria Wi-FiSmart Scale measures your weight, body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) to provide a full picture of your weight trends. The Wi-Fi enabled scale lets you set goals, track your progress effortlessly, and stay motivated each and every day. Your stats automatically upload to your Fitbit dashboard where you can get a more comprehensive view of your health and fitness and track your eating and exercise habits so you can work out trends in your weight loss (or gain) and work out what really works for you!

Keep checking back for Bikini Body Countdown Part 2…

Get fitter with your favourite tunes!

Everyone knows that music can have an effect on your mood- it can cheer you up, make you cry, evoke a memory or make your feet unable to stay still! It has even been known to bring people out of comas!

But can music help you to get fit?

In a recent study carried out by The Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool, John Moores University, it was shown that listening to music during exercise increases the efficiency of a workout and improves stamina and motivation.

The study tested the effect that different types of music, or no music at all, had on a group of healthy cyclists. The results showed that increasing the tempo of the music improved the distance covered as well as the power and pedal cadence achieved.

So if you need to evoke a little enthusiasm while you exercise, create a playlist of motivating tunes that will get your heart pumping! Experiment with different types of up-tempo music and see what works for you! You could also invest in some great portable speakers to get you going during your daily workout.

This Deadmau5 portable speaker may be small but it packs quite a punch and it not only looks amazing with its light up LED eyes, but the quality of sound produced by this compact little speaker will blow you away! 

How to achieve your childhood dreams!

When you were a child you just knew that when you grew up you would be a hugely, famously successful ballerina/ astronaut/ explorer. There was no doubt in your mind...

But life plans change- responsibilities take over and those childhood dreams fade... 

Well if there is one thing that the tabloids teach us, it is that it is never too late to reach for the stars and achieve the seemingly impossible! Susan Boyle would vouch for that!
So if you are ready to make a change, here are three exhilarating new career options and how you can use your smartphone to help you achieve your wildest dreams…


Popstar
Your mum said that you had a lovely voice once. Why have you never utilized your talent? With singing talent shows saturating our TV viewing there are plenty of opportunities for budding stars. Get some practice in with Appsing. This brilliant device transforms your phone or media device into a karaoke machine- just follow the words on the screen and sing into the built in mic. And the best thing is that it is fully portable so you will never miss out on an opportunity to show off your vocal abilities- you never know when you might bump into Simon Cowell!

Elite athlete

If, like so many others in this country, you were inspired by the Olympics this summer, this could be looking like a great option to you. Why not start off slowly though- you wouldn’t want to pull a muscle! The Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity Tracker monitors your activity throughout the day and provides you with feedback on steps, distance, calories burned and stairs climbed. It wirelessly uploads your data to fitbit.com so that you can gain a deeper insight into your regular fitness and sleep levels with free graphs and charts. On Fitbit.com, you can earn fitness badges, connect with friends to share and compete on fitness goals, or join the Fitbit community for advice and encouragement. So put on your running shoes and get competitive!

Racing car driver
You consider yourself an‘adrenaline junkie’ (last week you got that massive spider out of the bath with your bare hands!) and hurtling around a course in a multi-million-pound supercar really appeals to you. Now, we wouldn’t recommend that you practice in a real car, so here are a couple of ways you could use your smartphone to get some training in…The appRacer, an off road buggy style remote control car that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into the most intuitive RC device ever or the AppDrive that turns your smartphone or media device into the ultimate driving experience! Load up one of the compatible downloadable apps for a real racing feel!

Menswear Spring Trend: Neon

Last Summer was awash with neon t-shirts and accessories and it looks like the trend is here to stay this year. Now, unless you are 16 years old, you may be concerned that this super-bright trend could leave you looking like you are going to a rave circa 1995! But don’t worry- there are plenty of ways to inject some neon into your Spring wardrobe and not look like a walking glow stick!

Neon detailing is a great way to wear this trend. Mix luxe materials and casual tailoring such as this Silk andCotton-Blend Cardigan by Marc by Marc Jacobs (£220) for a fun twist on preppy-chic.

Accessorising with neon is a great way to update any outfit for Spring. This Luis Morais Gold and String Wrap-Around Bracelet (£495) is sure to get attention.

This Mojito Fenice Creativo ipad case (£39.95) feels super-soft, is ultra-thin and has a stylish, premium finish that will add a pop of Spring colour to your work wardrobe.