Heard of steampunk? Me neither. Apparently it’s the next big thing for home decoration and style.In the coming year, expect to go back in time to the arts and crafts era. Focused on an industrial appearance and featuring a mixture of curious curios and eclectic pieces, the interior style will set off on an unusual mixed palate of soft colours.

To successfully pull off the trend, go for oversized graphic designs on wall spaces and hang large prints of retro diagrams or charts to complete the industrial look. Following from 2011, texture continues to be a featuring element. You can add this quickly and easily by hanging sheer voile panels and new fabric blinds in muted shades from the palate; it may be worth finding the right colour and type by browsing the range at Direct Blinds.

Make use of different spaces to display antiques or pieces salvaged from factories to embrace the concept. Shades of natural blues and greens, alongside greys and yellows, can help to set off or warm the silver and bronze metal tones of the steampunk style.

If this doesn’t sound like your thing, adapt the metallic side of the steampunk trend to subtly add some sparkle to a room using a softer palette of colours. Use delicate shades of pinks, lilacs and greys from the arts and crafts era to set off a metal bedstead or even a wall hanging or candelabra.

Young, female video makers who love beauty and fashion: this is the demographic that you’ll likely be playing up to when choosing any future fashions, according to a new report in the San Antonio Express-News. Apparently, these video bloggers – vloggers, as they’re lazily termed – are dishing out tips for anyone, whether they’re heading to Louis Vuitton’s flagship store or a regular high street Bonmarche.

One of these camera-loving fillies is Texas guru Marnie Goldberg, who calls herself MsGoldGirl online. By posting videos of her shopping for the kids, teachers and others, she’s garnered no fewer than 12,000+ YouTube subscribers. Her favourite lip-care products, nail polish removers and cosmetics are also looked at in detail, so people at home can get their fill of info from a regular joe while relaxing at home.

It’s not as if these reviews are being underwatched, either; the newspaper explained how some of the recordings are watched over ten million times, depending on the product and how much interest there is in the personality behind them. Besides, it stands to reason that for every 100 terrible talking heads, one diamond will emerge from the rough – and they’ll recommend the best fashions on the high street, too!

One of football’s greatest stars may be forcing people to try their own luck at the sport with a trip to http://www.jdsports.co.uk/men/mens-footwear/football-boots/. That’s because Thierry Henry has decided to help out his old club Arsenal on a short loan deal after spending time at Barcelona and his current club, the New York Red Bulls.

The former Arsenal captain, now 34, has spent time training with the club during the off-season of Major League Soccer in the US, and the star forward and goal-scoring legend will play for the Gunners in January and February while Gervinho is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Henry becomes eligible to play in the club’s FA Cup match at home to Leeds, and told the BBC: “When it comes to Arsenal my heart will always do the talking.” Henry will now be Arsenal’s number 12, after teammate Theo Walcott took the striker’s 14 shirt.

Thierry continued: “I always said I was never going to come back and play in Europe again but, when the team you love and support asks you back, it’s kind of hard to say ‘no’. I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything. I am just coming here to help. People have to understand that. I’ll be on the bench most of the time – if I can make the bench, that is!”

According to the experts, 2011 was a bumper year for non-surgical procedures, with many individuals choosing to delay cosmetic surgery by opting for injections or other treatments. However, if one research group is to be believed, 2012 could be a different story, with market expansion limited rather than encouraged by our strained finances.

The popularity of injectable treatments with celebrities such as Big Brother’s Josie Gibson has put them firmly in the public focus, but the Millennium Research Group recently predicted that personal finances will level out the growth of the injectables market in Europe in 2012. After this the group predicts that both demand and technologies will develop, with the market reaching an estimated $420 million (£267.5 million) by 2016.

According to Millennium Research Group, injectable treatments available from the likes of MYA.co.uk have now become an accepted part of the beauty landscape and are here to stay. Highlighted by the group as a procedure most likely to enjoy considerable growth in the future are dermal fillers, which are used to help fill out the face and counter the face becoming sallow, something which is associated with aging.

Talking about the popularity of this type of treatment, MRG analyst Carmen Chan said: “Dermal fillers, particularly hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers, will see the highest growth among facial injectable products”.

As well as being beautiful to look at and warm and comfortable to wear, cashmere boasts versatility and can be matched with a range of outfits, meaning you can get a great deal of wear out of it and therefore more for your money. It is the perfect addition to any winter outfit and can be found in a range of clothing and accessories including jumpers, cardigans, tops, hats, gloves and socks.

Whether you are looking to incorporate cashmere into your casual or formal wardrobe, for everyday wear or for that special occasion, cashmere can add that special something to an outfit. However, it is important to remember that if you want genuine cashmere you should do your research to ensure that you are getting what you pay for, such as the genuine cashmere garments available at Pure Collection. It isn’t difficult to fall into the trap of buying items that are either “fake cashmere” or just a small percentage of cashmere in them, especially given the number of retailers operating in faux cashmere in the run up to and during the Christmas period.

Why not pair a luxurious cashmere scarf with a stylish winter coat to keep out the cold? Bear in mind that it pays the buy cashmere garments in a classic design wherever possible, as this too will mean it can be matched with more outfits and you can get your money’s worth.

All it took was a big red sofa to ease the concerns of future university students at London schools and colleges in November, as Middlesex University encouraged youngsters to find out more about student finance before undertaking courses such as Human Resource Management (http://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/human_resource_management/index.aspx).

As part of National Student Finance Week (November 14th to 18th), Middlesex University expert advisors sat down with students to give them plenty of advice on funding their own place at university. The aforementioned couch went on tour to surrounding institutions such as Woodhouse College, Haringey Sixth Form Centre and Alexandra Park School.

Middlesex was keen to underline how students do not start paying back their student loan until they earn £21,000, instead of £15,000 under old rules. Furthermore, average repayments will be less, too; someone earning £25,000 only has to repay £30 a month instead of £50 or more.

Cherece John, a Woodhouse College student from Tottenham who took part in the scheme, said: “Sitting on the red sofa has helped me understand more about university finance – I thought you would have to pay up front, but I now realise the terms aren’t as bad as I feared.”

The dawn of 2012 is fast approaching and students across the country are making plans on how to welcome the New Year in. However, one thing that some students forget is that planning their finances is equally as important. If can be difficult to keep track of your finances, especially when you’re living the life of a busy student with an action-packed lifestyle, but it is possible with some simple tips.

If you haven’t already got one, you might find it useful to take out a basic current account tailored specifically to students such as those available at http://www.securetrustbank.com/current-account/welcome-to-our-account, which come with extras to help you manage your finances. The student account at Secure Trust, for example, comes with a MasterCard prepaid card that is great for organising your money for utility bills and other essentials such as those for rent and library books.

The most effective way to organise your finances is to draw up a list of your income and outgoings and to set yourself a realistic budget from there. Remember that little changes to your lifestyle can make a big difference, and you can even incorporate these changes into your new year’s resolution!

While times are financially tough and families are forced to cut and compromise with their wallets, people deciding to go with Rent My Cottage or other accommodation providers in the Midlands are in for a re-run of a very popular seasonal tradition.

The annual visit of families to see Santa at the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) is once again running over 100 Santa trains along its Kidderminster-to-Bridgnorth steam heritage line, starting on December 3rd and 4th and running throughout the month. By the close of business on Friday November 25th, in excess of 25,000 seats on the Santa trains had been sold, meaning that nearly two-thirds of all trains are full.

SVR visitor services manager David Mee said: “The way bookings have been coming in, it’s clear that as hard-pressed as many families are in these recessionary times, the traditional steam train ride on the Severn Valley to see Santa is not something they are willing to sacrifice.

“We’ve sold 1,800 seats more than at this same stage last year our two ‘Christmas Carol’ trains (on Saturdays December 10th and 17th) have been full for several weeks, and places on the Christmas Luncheon and Evening Dining Trains from Kidderminster during December are not far from being exhausted.”

For a long time women have accepted that shapewear looks a certain way. Designed to pull you in and pad you out in all of the right places, it has been neutral, white or black in colour and closely resembled the girdles worn by our grandmothers. We learnt that shapewear was great for helping us look right on the outside, but not necessarily something we should be sharing visually, or that should be seen by others. However, this is something that has now started to change thanks to lingerie specialists such as Simply Yours who are increasingly offering shapewear that is both practical and sexy.

By investing in shapewear you also look sexy in, you won’t need to buy different lingerie for special occasions and can save money as a result. Instead of being made from unattractive beige elasticated fabric, increasingly shaping underwear comes in a range of colours. It is now finished more pleasingly too, with satin finish fabrics and lace and ribbon trims being incorporated into designs that draw influence from looks of starlets from the bygone Hollywood era. So if you are in the market for some shapewear to sculpt you perfectly underneath your party dress, make sure you pick out something that makes you feel as special as the dress itself.

If your job involves looking at a screen all day, you may be one of the four in five who do not take regular breaks from your computer to avoid putting excessive strain on your eyes – in spite of warnings from healthcare professionals and the Health and Safety Executive.

According to charity the Eyecare Trust, nine in ten people admit to suffering from “screen fatigue”, whose symptoms include headaches, eye strain and problems with long and short-distance vision. If these problems progress, you may find you need laser eye treatment from a provider like www.ultralase.com.

The organisation recommends giving your eyes at least a short break for every 20 minutes or so that you spend in front of a screen, as well as creating an eye-friendly environment at your desk. This includes putting documents at roughly the same distance from the screen to avoid the need to re-focus your eyes regularly, and minimising any screen glare or reflections.

Dharmesh Patel, chairman of the Eyecare Trust, advised: “Staring at a screen can also highlight existing vision problems that you may have so it’s vital that computer users visit their optometrist for regular eye examinations and follow a healthy eyecare regime.”