'Tulisa's invested in an Essex tan!' TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh is first to comment on X Factor judge's new look

By Sarah Bull and Kirsty Mccormack

Last updated at 11:51 AM on 23rd October 2011

When Tulisa Contostavlos made her way on to the X Factor stage last night, viewers around the country were stunned at her orange complexion.

And none more so than The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy Mecklenburgh, who was quick to take to Twitter last night to comment on the judge's overly-tanned appearance.

She tweeted: 'Just caught up on x factor ! Tulisa has invested in a Essex tan!'

'Tulisa's invested in an Essex tan!' TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh was one of the first to comment on Tulisa's over-orange look on The X Factor last night

Ladies in leather: Tulisa seemed slightly overdone in her full-length leather and chain dress, while Kelly hit the right fashion mark in a flirty leather skater-style dress

Lucy wasn't the only one to note Tulisa's new look, however, as fans took to Twitter in their hundreds joking about her make-up overload.

One viewer added: 'Wwwaaaaaayyyyy too much self tan on tulisa this week. I know it's Halloween soon but no need to look like pumpkin now!'

While a further X Factor fan tweeted: 'Catching up on the X that is factor... What colour is Tulisa.. American Tan?'

Inspiration: Tulisa, who is a self-confessed fan of TOWIE, seems to have taken inspiration from Lucy's deep tan

Tulisa, 23, also took the Rock Week theme slightly too far as she donned a full-length, leather and chain dress which appeared much too old for her.

Her fellow judge Kelly Rowland, meanwhile, succeeded in pulling off the rock chick look with aplomb, going for a fun and flirty look in a plunging leather skater-style minidress.

Tulisa showed off her new look at the arrived at the London studios yesterday afternoon ahead of last night's live shows.

You've been tangoed: The 23-year-old singer wore a cobalt blue two piece suit but it didn't draw any attention away from her face as she arrived at the studios

Orange overload: X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos arrived at the London studios yesterday looking more tanned than usual

Wearing a sleek cobalt blue two piece that consisted of a blazer and a short skirt, Tulisa certainly hadn't got dressed in the dark but she may have applied her foundation in bad light.

Although she wore a pair of black skyscraper ankle boots and had her brunette hair blow dried to perfection, it was her dodgy make-up that drew attention.

It remains to be seen which of Tulisa's acts make it through tonight's elimination show following their performances on Rock Week last night.

While Rhythmix were criticised for performing Ke$ha's Tik Tok, labelled a non-rock song by Louis Walsh, and The Risk sang Gnarls' Barkley's Crazy - another song choice for which Tulisa was criticised both by her fellow judges and by fans on Twitter.

The X Factor is on ITV1 tonight at 8pm.