Because financial crisis doesn't have to equal fashion crisis

You can't really escape doom and gloom in the headlines at the moment and it just feels like it gets worse every day as economies go seemingly further up the spout... which is why it's great to remember to relax and look at more fun things in life every now and again.

So tell me... what's a worse fashion crime- sunburn lines (no, not tan, burn... yes... ouch) or wearing fur? Do you totter around in dainty heels or live in funky flats? And is sparkly jewellery, a chic day-to-evening bag or your Blackberry the best (or worst) way to complete your look?

A cool new site lets you discover more about your style, based on your responses to questions like this. When you're done with the quiz, you can find out more about yourself and see the kind of things you might like to get to go with your look. All on the cheap too- bonus!

As someone with a girly and feminine style (a la Kylie), I was recommended some pretty tea dresses and a gorgeous flower clip, which is basically like love at first sight, if I'm quite honest.

So... check out Get The Look For Less because, well, the clue's in the name...

Good news for the Youniverse!

As you may have read in an exclusive in TechCrunch, things are going well for Imagini, the company that brings you Youniverse.

You can find out more about the ViusalDNA technology we use on Youniverse at visualdna.com. 

This site is where you can discover all the latest developments and the cool stuff we're doing with our technology. Check out the showcase section for a couple of demos- there's a makeup consultation and photography for starters!

Oscars postscript

Just a random thought- when a cinematic artist misses out on an Academy Award so many times and then finally wins one, is it actually for the piece of work that is most deserving of the award?

Just as an aside, by the way, what a nice generic term 'cinematic artist' is to let me talk about an actress and a director! Yep, you guessed it- Kate Winslet and Martin Scorsese, who until recently were two of the biggest losers (in as nice a way as possible) at the Academy Awards.

Kate's Best Actress win for The Reader on Sunday was sixth time lucky, after previous nominations for Sense and Sensibility, Iris and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as Supporting Actress, and Titanic and Little Children as Leading Actress.

Likewise, when Martin Scorsese finally picked up the Best Director award for The Departed in 2007, it was after losing out with Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York and The Aviator. 

Kate's also got some more positive Oscars stats- she's been the youngest actress ever to receive multiple Academy Award nominations, so a win was clearly due. 

But what I'm interested in is this: is The Reader the best performance Kate Winslet has ever given? Better than Revolutionary Road (for which she picked up a Golden Globe this year) or any of the other films she's been Oscar-nominated for? And, if you could only award one Best Director Oscar to Martin Scorsese, which of his films do you think deserves it the most?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, or drop me a line at anna@youniverse.com.

It's still fun to dissect Oscar winners and losers, even a couple of days later...

The Oscars, eh? What a night!

Slumdog trounced Benjamin Button (despite the latter sweeping the board in terms of nominations)... Kate Winslet finally won Best Actress after losing out on five previous occasions... there was a surprise winner for Best Actor (although Sean Penn, like Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, is something of an Oscar darling)... and a moving tribute to Heath Ledger in an all-singing, all-dancing evening celebrating everything cinematic (which still didn't go on as long as the final Lord of the Rings film).

My own personal winners of the night (for fashion, at any rate) were Freida Pinto and Kate Winslet. I loved the colour, neckline and beading on Freida's Galliano (and, no, I'm not a bit jealous that she's so beautiful and could quite frankly have worn neon lycra and still looked every inch a silver screen goddess...), while I thought Kate's two-tone YSL with beaded detail was beautifully elegant.

A big disappointment for me was Miley Cyrus- I had high hopes after her dresses this awards season, but her mermaid-style, beaded and sequinned dress looked just too much for her and made me remember how young she really is.

She doesn't quite fall into my 'What were you thinking???!' category (always a favourite at major awards ceremonies), which was won by Beyonce. Surprising, but the only think I could think when I saw her dress was...well... what were you thinking???! 

She beat Amanda Seyfried and Jessica Biel to what I like to think of as the Youniverse equivalent of the Razzies (but for red carpet fashion, not the movies themselves...), so a much-coveted award...

Jennifer Aniston was actually my overall winner of the night- I thought she worked the neutral, silver-beaded dress much better than Miley. It was a winning contrast to Angelina's severe and boring black- something that all the huge, bright, statement earrings in the world can't change... 

Emotions must have been running high for Jen- anyone who's seen an ex they really cared about with a new partner will know how painful it must have been for her to see Brad on Sunday. 

But try and imagine having to face an ex who's moved on as emphatically as Brad has, both personally (the Brangelina family is almost a brand as well as a brood) and professionally (both Brad and Angelina had Oscar nominations in leading categories, while Jen's current cinematic offering is along the frothy rom-com lines, never the sort of movie to draw critical success).

There's nothing like looking gorgeous, keeping a sense of humour and finding inner strength to help you through life's difficult situations. Sunday night, Jen did all three... and she had the last laugh too.

My amazing ability to see the future... isn't quite what it seems

Hahaha I've just noticed that the blog I wrote today about the Brits *apparently* posted on Tuesday... 

It's okay, folks, I don't have psychic powers. Just a dubious blogging platform, apparently!

Lack of psychic ability is probably a good thing, all things considered- although I'm sure my grandma would appreciate knowing those Lottery numbers for Saturday!

It does feel a bit like a whole new crazy career just vanished before I'd even had a chance to imagine styling myself as a fortune teller, though... sad times eh? 

Awards, awards, awards

From the ridiculous to the sublime (hopefully) in a couple of days...

Last night's Brit Awards (which, for anyone who's thinking 'Huh?', are basically a cheesy version of the Grammys, I guess, and are probably the UK's biggest, and definitely most commercial, music awards) were rather dull and occasionally just plain embarrassing for me to watch most of the time. 

I think Girls Aloud's Sarah announcing she'd wet herself after they (somehow) won Best Single for The Promise was probably my most cringe-worthy moment of the night. I bet there are some sore heads this morning after music industry moguls and their proteges drank the entire contents of Earls Court, and probably of south west London in general, last night...

There were some rather 'interesting' outfits too- and not just from the hosts, although the sight of James Corden and Matthew Horne dressed as Kylie's backing dancers was hilarious. Shame the night didn't really go on from there... and was, all in all, pretty disappointing. 

All of which leads me to hope that Sunday will provide a more opulent feast for the eyes, given that the Oscars are where all the big fashion guns come out blazing. Who knows, maybe there'll even be a little drama? (Or is that just wishful thinking?) 

Just think of the headlines if Slumdog Millionaire and Kate Winslet lose out... Maybe Freida Pinto will have to go back to married life?? And actually, considering Kate's track record at the Academy Awards......  but maybe this year she'll be able to take a leaf out of Scorsese's book and finally win one?

Why I could never be a weather forecaster...

I have to say, I'm pretty much done with winter now. The fact that a few inches of snow brought London's public transport network to a standstill was embarrassing, yes, but the sight of Londoners letting go and playing in the snow on my local common brought a big smile to my face. It was the heaviest snowfall in two decades, after all- the kids had never seen anything like it.

The ice that followed for about a week was not so fun- I can't remember the last time I focussed so intently on each and every step I took on my way to work. Mind you, I did see a minor car crash and a couple of motorbikes go skidding off the road, so that concentration served me well...

Anyway, while it's all well and good me saying that I'm very ready for a bit of springtime now, the fact is that it's still only early February and warmth is still only to be found in multiple layers, rather than, say, direct from the sun.

It makes getting on the southbound Piccadilly Line tube when it's time to go home all the more difficult, given that its end of the line destination is... Heathrow airport. The rest of the world is just waiting at the end of the line. So tempting just to miss my stop and stay on the train...

I've already used my VisualDNA to make some amazing friends on Youniverse and to discover more about myself, but I think now it might just be time for a treat of a holiday perfectly suited to my personality (I'm a Dreamer- could you guess?). Nothing like a bespoke budget break to make me feel smiley again!

Luxury at the lastminute

Ok, our lastminute.com Gift Finder just for Valentine's Day is no longer hiding behind a Christmassy banner, so make sure you check it out for a load of cool gift ideas before Saturday's big day. Take the quiz for your Valentine and get matched up with a load of gifts perfectly suited to their personality!

There are luxurious treats like spa days or theatre tickets, as well as some more individual gifts on offer. Think about it: nothing says 'I love you' like a well thought out, personal touch. Brilliant- especially when it looks like you put loads of effort into it, but actually took all of five minutes playing a quiz (but your Valentine doesn't need to know about that part... )

I mean, you come home with a naff Valentine's Day compilation album probably containing two CDs of middle-of-the-road twaddle that you picked up at the supermarket in a desperate sweep (that admittedly would've made Dale Winton proud), and what do you think you'll get? Or perhaps what won't you get is the more important question (especially if you've coupled said monument to musical rubbish with a small bunch of half-price flowers)...? 

Compare that to the reaction you'll get when you produce with a flourish a day at a luxury spa where you can both relax, unwind, chill out, de-stress, etc etc together. Yeeeeah, I think we know who wins...

Take care of yourself online...

Lots of social media sites have been in the news recently for a variety of security issues.

MySpace recently announced that it had removed 90,000 registered sex offenders from its website, which led to a claim that there were perhaps as many hiding on Facebook. 

A few weeks ago, a man from the south coast of England made the news for sending about £130,000 to a scammer in Nigeria whose sob story he fell for after meeting her on MySpace.

Today, I came across a story of an impostor on Facebook using someone's profile to create a fake emergency and getting their friend to send him over $1,000.

Neither of these guys are likely to get any of that money back and their trusting natures have more than likely taken something of a battering. 

Always be careful online! 

While stories like this are admittedly rare, they can still happen, especially to anyone whose guard is down. Always be immediately suspicious of 'friends' who ask you for money over the internet. Never give out personal or sensitive information or reply to messages/people who either look a bit dodgy or too good to be true. They probably are. 

Take care, and have a wonderful weekend!

A perfect gift is just a few clicks away...

Valentine's Day... yep, it's nearly here. Which means most people are probably feeling one of the following (or perhaps a strange cocktail of them all, depending on your personal romantic circumstances): excited anticipation, anxious worry/dread, (probably feigned) indifference...

Either way, we've got a cool lastminute.com Gift Finder just for February 14, because (let's face it) you wouldn't want to get it wrong... and how can you when with this you can find a gift or magical night out (West End show, anyone?) perfectly suited to your love's personality. 

One little quiz and suddenly Valentine's Day becomes a piece of cake. Or a box of chocolates. (Wouldn't want to mix my metaphors now, would I?)

Oh, and for anyone wanting to get there from their profile or homepage, it's currently masquerading there as the Christmas Gift Finder... 

Bits and bobs from the sun and the snow

Ok, so Serena Williams swept Dinara Safina off the court in under an hour in a disappointingly one-sided women's Australian Open final, but boy did Nadal and Federer deliver the goods in their four and a half hour epic final on Sunday. I just didn't want it to end...

The sweltering heat of Melbourne is definitely a sharp contrast to the weather in London today. Take a look at the Facebook status or Tweets of pretty much anybody in London and I guarantee they'll be talking about the snow. Not that weather's a big deal in the UK, or anything...

Except it is, really. Anything that isn't grey or drizzly is very exciting- whether it's a heatwave, rainstorm or snow. This is the proper stuff, too- not a light dusting that turns to grey slush on the pavements. There are properly proportioned snowmen in the street!


The only thing, though, is that while this is all very exciting, it says a lot that today London's public transport system has come to almost complete standstill. Goodness knows what would happen if we had hurricanes to deal with every year...

So there you go, I'm joining every other Londoner today by going on about the weather. Now I'm going to go sledging down the middle of my road, just because today is probably the only day I'll ever be able to do that.