Doesn't Hurt to be Beautiful

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Choosing a Wedding Dress for your Body Type

Ball Gown: This is the style of dress that fairy tales are made of. With a fitted bodice and full skirt that can either be one piece or separate, this dress is perfect for big, traditional weddings. You can even pair a ball gown with long gloves and a dramatic train for even more of a “wow” factor. Everything from satin to chiffon is used on top, along with layers of taffeta or tulle on the bottom to create a floating effect.

Who It Flatters: While many brides will look beautiful in a ball gown, the cut is ideal for slender or pear-shaped figures as the full skirt helps to accentuate the waist and hide the lower body. Additionally, this style helps create the hourglass look because it emphasizes the waistline. If you're shorter, beware that a skirt of this size can overpower a small frame.

A-Line/Princess: This style is classic and simple. The A-line dress is fitted around the bodice and flows out to the ground. Its length can range from above the knee to full length that flows into a large train, and it can be made with everything from free-flowing silks to heavier fabrics such as satin. The princess cut version of the A-line dress is more dramatic and emphasizes this style’s clean lines by utilizing vertical panels that run from the neckline to the hem.

Who It Flatters: The full skirt of the A-line can hide a rounder lower body or create the illusion of curves on a narrow frame. If your main goal is to slim, the princess style is a great option that elongates lines creating a slimming effect as the eye naturally focuses on the length of the dress.

Mermaid: This cut is a very sexy look that highlights a woman’s curves. Its silhouette contours to the body from the chest to the knee, and then flares out to the hem. This dress style comes in various versions from strapless, to halter, or trumpet flare and even flamenco—so the sky is the limit.

Who It Flatters: Because of its body-hugging cut, the mermaid is best worn by brides who are confident and comfortable in their skin. It is flattering on slender, short and tall figures, however, girls who love their curves can rock this dress as well.

Empire: The empire dress is unique for its raised waistline that sits just below the bust, from which the rest of the dress flows down. Empire dresses can have varying sleeve lengths ranging from longer bell sleeves to sleeveless, along with different skirt cuts that can flow freely or contour to your body. Additionally, empire dresses are usually made from lighter fabrics, so this style of dress takes on a romantic feel.

Who It Flatters: An empire dress works well on a bride looking to enhance her bust. This dress is also ideal for pear-shaped figures, as it is forgiving of the legs and hips.

Column/Sheath: As you can probably guess from its name, the column dress has a narrow shape that flows straight down from the top to the bottom. This dress, also referred to as a sheath, tends to hug the body and show any and all of your curves. A column dress can be a simple slip dress to a more contoured dress made of heavier fabrics such as damask.

Who It Flatters: Although a column dress style is timeless, it's typically not as forgiving as other styles and is best suited for lean brides. Petite brides can look taller and longer in a column dress, but there's not much room for hiding problem areas. Also beware that some column dresses are very tight and may restrict movement on the dance floor!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

How to Make Your Blow Out Last Longer

Dirty Hair? Who knew?

I am not sure about you, but it takes me 40 excruciating minutes to blow out my hair. For all that hard work.. I am determined to make it last. The crazy thing is, my hair actually looks better dirty. Here are my tips:

Heat Style

Dirty hair can hold curl better than clean hair, so grab your blow-dryer and round brush, or even your curling iron. You'll add volume to your dirty locks and smooth it out. Also, dirty hair tends to hold the style longer.

Pony Up.. with a braid

If your hair is really dirty, the last think you want is it touching your face. Also, the eliminate the chance of it getting more stringy throughout the day. Adding a braid will give you a part and help your hairdo look more put together.

Texturizing Spray by Oribe

My sister turned me onto this spray, it's not cheap, but well worth the investment. You can't just use any dry shampoo.. I have tried them all. Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray far exceeds any expectations. It's a less messy alternative to dry shampoo. It absorbs the oil and helps add volume with no stiff or unnatural residue. While it’s a bit pricey ($19.50 for travel size, $39 for full 8.5 fl. oz. bottle), it really does provide a salon makeover. I have had the big bottle for 6 months and it's still going. The travel size one is perfect to keep in your purse. I typically just buy it directly from their website: http://oribe.com/ .

They also have other good sprays - for after the beach, anti-humidity, etc. - that are now available in purse sizes, too. I got all of the purse sprays and they all seem to be awesome. Great for travel and styling on the go!

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Bad Hair Days Just Got A Little Better

We all have those days when our hair is not up to par, but we just don’t have the time to get it fixed professionally, can’t retry the dry in the shower, or can’t shampoo the oil that seemed to come out of no where over night. The good news is that there are time friendly ways to get you away with a hair day.

If your hair is really frizzy: Try using BeadHead’s After Party serum. This is a product that takes away frizz and adds luster to already dry or frizzy hair. Apply to the ends of your hair and make sure to avoid the top of the head unless it is completely necessary. If you need something to help you out on the top-of-the-head frizz department, after you think there is no more After Party left on your hands, rub your hands on the top of your head, there will still be a tiny bit left to calm wild frizz.

If your ends look like hay: Put your bottom 2-3 inches of hair in the sink and soak them with water. Then apply a nickel sized squirt of conditioner to the wet ends. You can let this conditioner soak for 5 minutes and then rinse. Some people prefer to leave the conditioner in the ends without washing it out ever, which is fine, just be careful to make sure that the ends do not look too greasy if the rest of the hair is dry.

If your head is greasy: After you brush out your greasy hair, lightly apply baby powder to the top of the scalp. Make sure to pat off any white that may have gotten its way through your hair to your scalp entirely. Rub the powder into your greasy hair. Use your brush to comb the power through your hair.

If your bangs are untamed or your hair is in your eyes: do a medium sized French braid from where the bangs start all the way down your hair line.

If your curly hair is not curling the right way: Brush the hair and put it in a bun. When wrapping the hair into the bun, keep a section of the hair out. Use this section to disguise the elastic band you used to tie up your hair and bobby pin it when you’re done wrapping. The bun will take care of the crazy curls and the section of hair will look like your bun was on purpose, instead of a makeshift cop out of a bad hair day.

If your blonde roots are growing in: Use your powder foundation liberally on the hair that lines your face. It will actually lighten up the hair to a lighter color for the day.

If your hair went flat: Flip your head upside down and blowdry your scalp. While doing this, rub your fingers back and forth quickly on your scalp to liven roots. After, brush your hair starting two inches away from the scalp.

If your hair is painfully tangled: Put your brush under the faucet and get it wet, then mix a dime of conditioner and water onto the brush and try to brush it again. You can also use detangling spray.

Your hair is puffy: put half of it back into a half ponytail. If the pulled back section looks weird in a ponytail, braid it tightly so it does not look puffy.

If your hair smells: Blow dry it for a minute to try to blow away any bad scents. If that does not work, spray your favorite perfume into the back of the dryer so it sprays out of the dryer into your hair on the other side. Make sure to point the air away from your eyes. You may need two or three sprays.

----by guest author: Cousin Lilly

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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Slim Down Your Face in 3 Steps: Blush, Bronze, Shimmer

It seems impossible that models have the highest cheekbones in the world whenever we open magazines and the truth it is impossible, those perky cheeks are and illusion! The good news is that you can get those same cheeks yourself. It is all about contours. Don’t be afraid, it only takes a minute to get this face-slimming-magic on a goddess like you.

BLUSH: After you perfect your foundation, use a soft bristled, circular brush to apply blush to your cheekbones. When applying, move the brush in circles that go from your hairline to the apple of your cheek. Meanwhile, tilt your head side ways and make a kissing face, so you can see where your cheekbone is.

BRONZE: Then, apply bronzer to the bottom of your cheekbone, right where the shadow should hit in a dimly lit room. Still, use the kissy-tilted-face. This brush stroke should be linear, following the end line of the cheekbone, with small circle swirling the bronzer up the cheek slightly, merely to blend the two colors.

SHIMMER: Finally, add a highlighting shimmer to the top of your cheekbone to pronounce the highest part of your cheeks. For this step, instead of tilting your face to the side, keep it strait on. Cock your chin up slightly to allow yourself to see the natural high points of your cheeks, and use these high points as your guide.

Finally, with freshly clean hands, lightly move your fingers from the top of your cheeks in a circular motion then gradually move your circular motions down the cheek. This final step is to blend the three layers. If you want you can use a brush very lightly, just make sure that it blends, or even a tissue.

BONUS

If you want to pronounce your eyebrow bones, use the same shimmer that was on your cheeks on the brow line and bring the brush all the way to your cheekbone in a heart shaped stroke. This will further highlight the pronounced parts of your face.

----by guest author: Cousin Lilly

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Wardrobe Staples Worth the Investment

There are a few wardrobe items that spending more money means you'll end up with a substantially more comfortable, flattering, or long-lasting garment. I'm not suggesting that you drop outlandish amounts of cash; many of the the items on my list can still be found for substantial discounts at places like Overstock or TJMAXX. But when you're shopping for the following five things, it will serve you well to consider quality and fit above cost.

1. Shoes

There are many reasons why expensive shoes are worth the indulgence, but my big two are comfort and longevity. In my experience, it's much more likely that cheap shoes will cut into my feet, cause blisters, irritate my bunions, and generally provide poor support. Furthermore, well-made shoes can last several seasons as long as you show them some TLC. Have a cobbler fix any rubbed-down heels or soles before the shoes become unwearable.

2. Handbags

Like shoes, a well-made bag can continue looking good for several seasons, and it's much less likely to suffer from ripped straps, broken hardware, and fussy zippers. Don't go all out for a bag that's made to get dirty — a cheap canvas tote does just fine for the beach — but a stylish clutch in a color that matches a lot of your going-out wear or nice everyday leather bag should serve you well for quite some time.

3. Coats

A good-quality coat can last for several seasons, as long as you don't purchase anything too trendy.

4. A Dress You Love

Whether it's the "little black dress" or a bright-red stunner, this should be something that looks great on you and you can always count on when you need to look awesome...something that's versatile and can be accessories different ways to look different.

5. Good Jeans

I don't care if you think your butt is weird, you don't like your thighs, or you feel like your inseam is outlandish. There are so many companies making different cuts of jeans now, you should be able to find a pair that fits and flatters you. Like other items on this list, properly cared for jeans can last for years. That said, don't think this is an excuse to pay $300 for jeans. There's a difference between paying for quality and paying for a brand name. Hello Nordstrom Rack!

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Animal print never goes out of fashion.

If there’s anything new, it’s purely a matter of interpretation. The question isn’t about “should you” or “should you not” own an animal print. Every fashionista must own at least a piece of this print be it a dress, a top, a pair of shoes, a scarf or a bag. The question therefore is – how do you make it right?

Don’t be too matchy

Choose only one large part of your outfit that’s wild. For instance, if your top is a leopard/tiger/zebra print, let the tights/skirt/pants be non-animal. If it’s your dress that has the print, then let your shoes be plain black or nude. You don't want to look like you are going on a safari.

..unless it's with accessories

If you feel the urge to go matchy, you can do so on your accessories provided, they don’t clash. For example, if you wear leopard printed boots, you can take a tiny purse in leopard print. If your tiger bag is with considerable size, you can take a pair of tiger print stilettos.

Tone it down

If your outfit is too wild, tone it down. If you wear an animal print mini dress, you can tone it down by wearing a single-colored-cardigan over your dress in color that blends well with your wild print. If you wear a leopard print tights, for example, you can tone it down by wearing a knee length boots in color palette that blends but suppresses the strongest shade of your animal print.

You can never go wrong if you take only a single item of animal print, either for your top, bag, shoes or scarf, while the rest of your outfit is entirely a shade of black or white.

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Shoes to Flatter your Figure

Choosing the right shoes is more important than just matching your outfit. Certain shoes have the ability to elongate your legs and flatter your figure for a thinner appearance.

Heels will Make Your Legs Appear Thinner

The heels don't have to be terribly high, but there's no doubt that if you want to appear slimmer, a bit of a heel will help dramatically.

Pointy Toe Shoes will Help Make Legs Appear Longer

If your legs look longer, they will also appear thinner - and shoes with pointy toes will help make your legs seem longer. So, even if you think your legs are long enough, if it's a thinner appearance you're after, try a shoes with pointed toes.

Match Your Shoes to Your Hose, Tights, or Pants

Matching your shoes to your hose, tights, or pants will help your legs look thinner. Avoid wearing light-colored hose with dark shoes and a dark skirt. Nude colored shoes are a great summer investment for pairing with skirts and dresses.

Opened-Toed Shoes

Shoes with an open toe or high heeled sandals will give your thighs and calves a slimmer appearance than a closed-toe shoe will.

Avoid Shoes with Ankle Straps

Shoes with ankle straps will give the appearance of shorter legs and, as discussed above, longer seems thinner whether it is or not - so skip the ankle straps if you want your legs to look slimmer.

Wear Slingback or Backless Shoes

If you wear backless or slingback shoes instead of pumps, your legs will look thinner and longer.

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

How to Wear Acid Brights

If you are wearing bright-colored accessories, such as shoes or a bag, wear them with basic neutrals such as a white or black top and jeans or a simple white dress so the accessory pops and becomes the focal point of the ensemble.

For wearing brightly colored separates without looking or feeling like a clown, pair bold separates with nude shoes and subtle or no accessories.

When wearing an acid-bright piece with jeans or trousers, opt for dark indigo denims, so the look is clean, or crisp white pants, which is fresh, modern and summer-y.

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Appropriate Wedding Guest Attire

Look closely at the invitation, it usually specifies the formality of the event. Nothing is worse than showing up to an event inappropriately dressed. Here is what I have found is the typical school of thought when it comes to appropriate wedding guest attire for women:

Informal Daytime: Short dress or suit (business attire OK for morning weddings)

Informal Evening: Cocktail dress

Semi-Formal Daytime: Short dress or suit

Semi-formal Evening: Cocktail dress

Formal Daytime: Short dress or suit

Formal Evening or Black-Tie: Long or dressy short cocktail (beading, glam accessories, wrap)

Ultra-formal or White Tie: Long gown, extra glitz (furs, diamonds, etc.)

Do's and Don'ts:

Don't wear white because it competes with the bride. There are plenty of other colors available.
Don't wear black or sequins during the daytime.
Don't worry about wearing the same colors as the bridesmaids or mothers. You can't possibly coordinate with everyone in the wedding party.
Do wear something feminine and appropriate, out of respect for your hosts. Clubwear, overtly sexy clothing (see-through, etc) doesn't belong at a wedding. If you have to ask if it's appropriate, it probably isn't.
Do use good judgment if the invitation doesn't specify the formality of the event. A soft floral dress for daytime or a little black dress for evening (after 6 p.m.) will take you almost anywhere.

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