Welcome to Amanda Zips It Up. It’s the end of October – 10 months down, 2 to go, before the end of this year of hell. Surely 2021 can only get better?

I suppose we may as well start thinking about Christmas and stocking filler ideas, and this week my friend Caroline informed me about some cheap and cheeky little gifts guaranteed to make you giggle at Poundland. But here’s the question, would YOU buy a ‘Viagra’ equivalent from Poundland?

The herbal Poundland ‘Viagra’ comes in two varieties – for men (in blue) and women (in pink). The retailer claims that the all-natural supplements can help lovers last longer in bedroom. This comes after the store increased its range of budget sex toys.

It’s certainly a cheaper and easier option, compared to the actual prescription drug Viagra, a medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction. Viagra works by driving blood flow to the penis which helps the man achieve and sustain an erection.

The Poundland products’ packaging recommends customers “pop two pills before playtime and say hello to fun times”.

And the store has extended its range of sex toys to include a vibrating love ring, a finger fun simulator and lube, all under the ‘Nooky’ brand.

Anything to make Christmas a more joyful event, in the current climate.

Onto this week’s Zips It Up instalment, as we we discover Lily Allen’s new ‘lifestyle’ product, elegant tights to keep you snug this winter and GIFTS IDEAS FOR HER.

Gift ideas for women – even if you think she already has “everything”

What’s your one take-away from the past year? How to bake cakes? How to find things to do at home? How to stay motivated and keep fit? Perhaps it’s all of the above – plus, of course, putting all else aside and appreciating your friends and family. Trying to take positives out of a very negative situation, that’s the one thing that everyone has taken away from the Coronavirus crisis: the fact that we should never take our loved ones for granted, and should show them how much we care.

As we approach what looks likely to be one of the worst Christmases ever, let’s show the ladies in our lives how much we love them during these rotten times.  Here’s my ultimate list of gift ideas for “her”. 

Even if you’re convinced she already has everything, I can guarantee she’ll LOVE any one of these.

Gifts for her: the AirPods

2019 Apple AirPods with Charging Case, £136, John Lewis

Gifts for her: the limited edition perfume

Gucci Bloom Profumo Di Fiori Eau de Parfum, £76, Selfridges

Gifts for her: the UGG slipper

Scuffette II Slipper in Chestnut and Chocolate, £80, UGG

Gifts for her: the eye mask for ultimate relaxation

Silk Foulard Dot-Print Eye Mask, £25, The White Company

Gifts for her: the reed diffuser

Lime Basil & Mandarin Scent Surround Diffuser, £64, Jo Malone London

Gifts for her: the earrings to treasure forever

Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Sterling Silver Heart Earrings, £285, Selfridges

Gifts for her: the dressing gown

Waffled Dressing Gown, £24.99, H&M

Gifts for her: the Fitbit

Fitbit Charge 4, £129, John Lewis

Gifts for her: the scented candle

Diptyque Baies Scented Candle, £27, Space NK

Gifts for her: the ultimate makeup collection

Charlotte Tilbury The Bella Sofia Makeup Look Gift Set, £165, Net-A-Porter

Gifts for her: the personalised bottle

Moët & Chandon Exclusive Impérial Brut NV Champagne and personalised tin 750ml

So, I bet you think these are a standard pair of 30 denier tights, right?

How many of us freeze in the winter months because tights just don’t keep us warm enough. Well, here’s how to stay looking sexy without resorting to fleecy Ugg’s…

COGGINGS are tights fitted with a polar fleece.  They will not only slim your legs and keep them warm this winter, but also maintain the right body temperature, even in external conditions down to -15°.

They fit perfectly with any outfit, dresses, skirts, hoodies, heels and even your little leather shorts – which I’m pairing my Coggings with this season.

SLIMMING & SHAPING EFFECT

Coggings’ elasticity offers incredible comfort and allow total freedom of movement. They come in 2 sizes which adapt to any shape out there. They will give you shapely legs, a rounded bum and a totallyflat stomach. And they come in sexy black and good old trusty skin colour or ‘American Tan”, as I like to call it.

Plus, they’re machine washable at 30°C and made of fleece and nylon. They sound too good to be true, don’t they?

Warm Fleece Tights – Coggings™

4.7 (57 reviews) 
Regular price £29.99 Sale price £14.99

Cogginngs.co.uk

Lily Allen Launches Her Own Vibrator

Stories about sex toys in Zips It Up are like the number 19 bus. You wait ages for one to come along, and then they arrive in twos and threes. 

If you read Lily Allen’s memoir, My Thoughts Exactly, you might remember her talking about using vibrators while she was on tour – recommending her personal favourite, the Womanizer.

She wrote in the 2018 book: “And since you ask if I had to pick one vibrator above all the others, I recommend the Womanizer.” Fast forward a couple of years, and the singer has now launched a vibrator – Liberty by Lily Allen

And that’s not it. The musician is also joining Womanizer as their Chief Liberation Officer, working on their #IMasturbate campaign, which is aiming to tackle the stigma surrounding female sexual pleasure and masturbation. According to a study by the company, men masturbate over three times more than women, but they don’t need batteries or a charger.

At £89, the vibrator is limited edition and has ‘six intensity levels, simple two-button operation and is ‘perfect for travel and discreet in handbags’. 

The company is famous for its Pleasure Air Technology – the vibrator uses gentle air waves to stimulate the gentle nerve endings of the clitoris – which Lily says ‘can give you an orgasm within a short time and even multiple ones’.

Lily Allen’s ‘Liberty’ Womanizer is available on Womanizer and Lovehoney now.

Autumnal greetings everyone.

In this week’s issue, we go all Halloween, with Kylie Jenner, pumpkins and cakes. Pretty Little Thing launch a whole collection of Body Con Mask dresses – which I have just bought – and if you’ve just completed Emily In Paris on Netflix, I have the ultimate Christmas present in store.

There’s not much to celebrate right now. Over here in London, it has all ended in Tiers – ‘Tier 2’ as I write this blog. Meaning that the upcoming kiddies’ favourite  nights of the year – Halloween and Bonfire night – are cancelled. 

2020 is the year that just keeps on giving.

So, how do we combat growing restrictions and try to keep a feeble smile on our faces during this crazy Pandemic, plus bring a little bit light to children’s lives whilst they are unable to attend Halloween Parties or go trick-or-treating?

 Introducing Florista Floral Design, a cool new florist based in Sunderland, who have decided to decorate their shop window early and offer the alternative Halloween treats.

Ok, it isn’t quite mini packets of Haribos, but these gifts will definitely keep the Halloween candle flickering. I would be more than happy if these turned up on my doorstep and I can guarantee you’ll please all your family and friends:

Pumpkin Arrangments from £15

3 Halloween Balloons £7

They can be ordered via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/floristasunderland/

www.floristasunderland.co.uk

Following last week’s feature on Netflix fashion sensation “Emily In Paris”, upon further viewing it was Emily’s phone and phone case (in constant use) which caught my eye, more than the bucket hats.

And as if her fashion wasn’t sparkling enough, you can now buy the Emily in Paris phone case… for less than £5. The case, which makes various appearances during the ten-part series, is in the style of a vintage camera case and is available from Amazon £4.99. 

Guess what? I have just bought it in pink. Casetify also has a stunning option, but is more expensive at £40.

The Netflix series, which launched this month to mixed reviews, is the brainchild of Sex and the City creator Darren Star, leading to comparisons between Carrie Bradshaw and Emily.

While both characters are markedly different, one thing unites them is their love for fashion – the work of acclaimed New York costume designer Patricia Field.

Speaking about the phone case, Field said recently: “I found the vintage phone case over a year ago while I was shopping in Korea for my boutique. My reason for using it was that in the script, Lily was constantly taking photos for Instagram, and as so many people loved my case, I thought, let’s make her phone case the new ‘Carrie’ necklace.”

I’m going to wear my ‘Amanda’ necklace all winter! And, if you have a fashionista friend, family member or ‘support bubble associate’ who loves Emily In Paris, then this is an excellent Christmas present or stocking filler.  Just make sure you opt for the correct phone make and model.

2020 Fashion

Remember, I mentioned PrettyLittleThing’s sell-out £15 face-mask dress a few weeks ago? Well, they’re BACK, now in animal print, amongst other colours and patterns.

THE infamous face mask dress that sold-out on PrettyLittleThing in just 24 hours is back and I’ve MANAGED TO BUY one!

The bizarre frock that comes with a built-in face covering originally came just black but is now available in a stone shade, plus prints, including a leopard, marble, grid, and a PLT logo design. And the dress’s popularity has also seen it go north in price, from £14 to its current £18.

The dress, which has been seen on the likes of Lottie Moss, resembles a turtleneck with ear holes attached, meaning that it can instantly go from stylish to practical. At first glance, the jersey dress looks like your standard autumnal roll neck knitted frock, albeit very body-con. But on closer inspection, it has loopholes for your ears as it stretches to cover your face.

And while the design may seem a little kooky, it has proved a hit with customers, with the retailer confirming it sold out in just one day.

I tried to buy it first time around, but was too late. As soon as I saw the news flash – I managed to grab one. I’ll post pictures when it arrives.

In other words, we never have to worry about leaving our masks at home again.

Kylie Jenner has released ANOTHER cosmetic collection.

The youngest Kardashian and cosmetic billionaire shared a ‘animal print themed’ shot of her new makeup collection this week.

The fun packaging has a leopard theme with several brown, beige and copper tones and is just in time for Halloween. The 23-year-old mogul had fun with the names of the products which include Bad Kitty, Cool Cat, Rawr and Can’t Be Tamed.

“My new collection launches on 10.26!!!!!! just in time for fall thank u for all the love xo” Kylie says on Instagram. That’s the 26^th October to you and me.

‘I’m way too excited to show you guys this palette,’ she wrote on one social media entry where she was laying tummy down with her bum in the air.

The packaging also showed her smouldering while sitting in a chair. And she laid down on a leopard print sofa while in a leopard print cowgirl hat.

If you’re a fan of Kylie’s make-up (which most of the planet seems to be) then look out for more lip glosses, eye shadows and blushes. There is even a large box set.

While she has yet to reveal details about the new collection, the beauty advised her 198 million followers to ‘stay tuned later today on’ her Instagram Story for the reveal.

In just 45 minutes, the reality star received more than 2.1 million likes and 11,000 comments from fans, raving that she looked ‘stunning’ in her skin-tight ensemble.

Her face was perfectly contoured and she rocked a dramatic bronze eye-shadow and long eyelash extensions, which complemented her brown lipstick. She completed the stunning look with a pair of strappy black stilettos, which were barely visible.

Another way to celebrate the otherwise cancelled Halloween this year I suppose.

Welcome to mid-October. It’s always around this time of the year when I start thinking about Christmas present ideas.

As usual, Men are notoriously difficult to buy for, but I have found the ultimate gift for Santa’s sack.

A mini hot tub just for your testicles –
The Testicuzzi.

Yes, the Testicuzzi is a real product that lets men soak their balls. The creator claims it all started with a conversation about current trends with college students, including filling a cup with water, dunking testicles in it and having a girl blow into the water with a straw.

I can’t say it was something I was doing at college.

Eureka! They decided to make a real hot tub for guys’ testicles and the company immediately designed and 3D printed a prototype.

The Testicuzzi features a pillow to rest your penis with a chamber to dunk your balls and a battery-powered jet to create the bubbles. It’s available to order now, with delivery expected around early December, so perfect as a Christmas present. 

It has already had some great reviews. Those who have used it have said: “It’s a magical experience. It’s comfortable, it’s refreshing and relaxing on the testicles.” At the moment, it comes in one-size but the creators promise they’ve done their research and the Testicuzzi should be big enough for most men.

The creators researched testicle size and averages. Penis size varies a lot, but testicle size is actually fairly consistent across different men. The Testicuzzi caters for the statistical averages and they report that, so far, nobody has had any issues with size. They do have plans for varying sizes – more for the ego and comedy, I presume.

 There are three colours available – jet black with a red pillow, white with and black pillow and the extremely fancy 14k gold-plated testicuzzi. The white and black versions are currently on sale for £34.35, with a standard price of £85.94, while the gold-plated version is £7,701.

Onto this week’s Zips It Up and we discover the 2020 version of Sex in The City on Netflix – Emily In Paris, check out Ralph Lauren’s ‘FRIENDS’ collection and Justin Bieber collaborates and designs his own CROCS. Groan.

The One Where Ralph Lauren Collaborates With… Warner Bros

It’s been 25 years since Friends first graced our screens.

And in a year during which we’ve been imprisoned in our homes bingeing on Netflix, I’m viewing it all over again in its entirety.

I watched Friends avidly first time around in the mid-90s. Of course, we all loved Phoebe’s kookiness and Monica’s obsessive cleanliness, but it was Rachel Green’s fashion – and that haircut – which I had for a while – which catapulted the fictional character to the realms of style icon.

She was a true fashionista, spending her career working at Ralph Lauren  Ralph Lauren as a buyer at Bloomingdales. Now, fans of Rachel’s wardrobe can rejoice, because it’s all coming full circle.

As an homage to Rachel and her sartorial choices (and to celebrate the show’s 25^th anniversary) Ralph Lauren has partnered with Warner Bros to create a curated Wear-to-Work collection based on Rachel’s wardrobe from the show.

The range features pieces from the Polo and Ralph Lauren main lines and comprises a selection of Rachel-esque 90s and 00s items, including woollen pantsuits, boots and dresses, all given a Friendly makeover for 2020.

Warner Bros clearly recreated the set to showcase the collection in these brilliant pictures.