… a word from the Editor Amanda

Greetings and welcome. We kick off with a stark WARNING for bargain hunting makeup fans everywhere.

The cheap designer makeup you’re contemplating buying this Christmas could be toxic. Shoppers – increasingly fuelled by the desire to emulate their Instagram idols – are buying fake versions of the most popular makeup brands at a fraction of the price. In particular MAC products – I’ve seen them all over social media and the internet.

But while these knock-offs look almost identical to the real deal, they frequently contain:

Lead

Mercury

Cyanide

Arsenic

Paint-stripper

& Faeces

Toxic ingredients that have sometimes left users with chemical burns, severe rashes and at risk of long-term health problems.

The UK beauty industry has exploded; sales topped £4 billion for the first time last year, and the appetite for the latest in vogue, big-brand items shows no sign of waning.

Social media has played a pivotal part in that growth, with consumers increasingly turning to YouTube and Instagram stars for advice on which cosmetics brands they should be buying. The millennial generation is vain and it’s all about the image.

Meanwhile, the counterfeit industry is booming, with sellers exploiting millennials’ online shopping habits and their unprecedented demand for big-brand cosmetics.

Regardless of whether it’s a fake Anastasia Beverly Hills or MAC – people are proudly boasting ‘I’ve got it’. They just want to display the ‘name’ on the packaging. But using knock-off goods can end in terrifying results.

On that sober warning, let’s get onto this week’s instalment of Zips It Up and we discover The Vampires WifeGucci’s Dress for Men and Ex Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman’s new book all about Fashion is reviewed by my contributing Editor Chanelle Clarke.