Monthly Archives: March 2012

March 29, 2012

How to Wear Foundation

There seems to be a trend over the past few years among Irish and British women of wearing really strong make-up. Obviously it is not every woman who has followed this path but each time I step out of the house I am guaranteed to see at least a handful of females with foundation that is the wrong shade and as a result looks like a cross between an unwashed vagrant and Donatella Versace. As this trend doesn’t seem to be happening in other European countires, with the exception of Donatella, I can only surmise that women from these islands are ashamed of their pale skin. I know that the fake tan trend has been carried over from the States and everyone seems to be addicted to the stuff either through tanning beds, self tan or too dark make-up. I’m guessing that these women think wearing tan or darker foundation will make them have a healthy glow, well it aint working is all I can say.

Michelle Williams shows us how to embrace your natural skin tone

Some surveys have gathered that women wear tan and dark foundation to look more attractive to the opposite sex but they may be making a mistake if they think that will work. An interesting study was carried out by a Canadian University using subjects from every race and culture. The subject a male, was shown two pictures of women from his own culture, one of which was pale and the other who was highly tanned. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the men preferred the pale girls over the tanned one. Apparently men are hardwired to find pale girls attractive as pale skin is supposed to mean a virtuous woman who will be a good mother to their children. All the men must be in love with me so.

Tips for how to wear foundation:

it should blend into your natural skin colour not be darker and not look like you have left a white stripe.
If you want to add a bit of colour to your face it should not be through foundation but should be from blush or bronzer and again these should be used in moderation.

Lindsay Lohan doesn’t get it right

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March 28, 2012

Olivia Palermo Style Icon

“Fashion fades, style is eternal” -Yves Saint Laurent

Women dedicate a lot of their time and money to looking good., They try to choose the right make-up, hairstyle and clothing and the majority of these women manage to look great everyday. Despite this few women have an innate sense of style, that being that they are able to create a personal style that transcends fashion and what’s acceptable. To be a style icon you need to possess this special something that makes your style completely your own, stylish regardless of fashion and coveted by women everywhere.

There are few women who actually have this style, there are some who come to mind immediately such as Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Grace Kelly and Jackie O. They each left there mark with their individual styles on fashion and there are still influencing fashion to this day. I understand why and how these women managed to change fashion and I also sense that it wasn’t just the clothes they wore that marked them as possessing style, it also was something in how they carried themselves. They seem to have effortless grace, elegance and poise that make them the centre piece and the clothes mere decorations that add to their beauty.

It’s something I rarely see or haven’t seen in a woman in the public eye in a long time. Many woman seem to let the clothes wear them rather than wearing the clothes but there are a couple of women who always come to mind when I think of stylish modern women. One of those is Olivia Palermo. Palermo is very much involved in Fashion, and many of you will know her from ‘The City’. Palermo always manages to pull key pieces together well and what’s more she has that special something, that poise and elegance that marks a real style icon. Palermo strikes me as the kind of woman who though follows fashion will always look good, she makes her own mark on what she wears and carries it off elegantly and effortlessly.

Find Olivia Palermo style icon over at her blog www.oliviapalermo.com

Friday 5: A Healthy Happy You

We all try to be healthy or at least we think we do. Somehow its hard to know whats what when you have every magazine, TV station and health guru telling you something different that will optimize your health. As in all things a balanced approach is probably best, eat plenty of fruits and veggies, drink water,and avoid processed foods to make your body fit and healthy.

This in itself goes a long way to keeping you well, but real health is not just the physical kind its having balance in all areas of your life. The foundation for good mental health, relationships and even a fulfilling work day does come down to how you treat your body and the how you deal with life situations. Here 5 tips for a healthy happy you.

Source

Beauty Sleep: Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night. When your asleep your bodies cells are rejuvenating, helping you to wake up feeling refreshed, more energetic and able to face the day. While we sleep our bodies not only regain energy but our minds do too, meaning when we wake up we have better concentration and problem solving ability. A good nights sleep even works wonders for our complexion.

Get active in the air: Whether it’s walking to and from work, cycling, jogging or just walking your dog. Your body will feel better and all that fresh air will do wonders for how you sleep, your appetite and how energetic you feel. The Gym can help your body with being fit but there is no substitute for being out of doors and breathing deeply.

Avoid stress: We’ve all been in the situation where we are seriously stressed only to be taken down with flu on top of everything else. This happens because stress affects our immune systems making you more susceptible to disease. Even if you don’t get sick, stress will make you feel worn out and anxious. So try to take a step back from stressful situations by taking a 5 minute walk or during prolonged periods try spending time with friends or family doing things you enjoy. During stressful times in your life take Echinacea, this will give your immune system an added boost.

Stay positive: Everyday we have situations that we must react to, keep an open mind, question everything and always try to look on the bright side. It will make every single decision you have to make easier and every single situation more worthwhile if you can stay calm and not think the worst. Being negative never solved anything.

Choose things you love: If you hate your job, spend most of your time crying over your boyfriend and have friends whose company you feel worse after, then you don’t need me to tell you that it is time you made a change. Choose to make a change that will make everyday enjoyable, we don’t all need to be lawyers or footballers to be successful as long as we do something we enjoy and feel good within our relationships that is to have succeeded.

10 Items Not To Wear To Work

As Spring makes an appearance and the sun finally comes out it is the norm to see a handful of people who go a little clothing crazy by wearing shorts and flip flops. This is even worse when it is done during work hours. So, if you are planning on changing your work wardrobe around a bit this spring, do it! But here are 10 items NOT to wear to work if you want to maintain a professional look.

Add personality without compromising professionalism

1. Statement shoes
Even if you love Fashion and are excited by the prospect of sky high heels in a wild colour you need to restrain yourself. Nothing will make you look more unprofessional than hobbling around your office in ridiculous shoes. Nude stilettos or kitten heels are as outrageous as you should go.
2. Anything that glitters or jangles
If you have ever had to sit next to someone who is wearing an arm full of bangles you’ll know how irritating the constant jangle can be, its also not work appropriate style. Likewise, anything that glitters should be saved for when you want to stand out from the crowd and that is not during work hours unless you want the wrong kind of attention.
3. Plaid/Gingham
No, it’s not suitable to wear your tablecloth to work unless your shoveling hay. It doesn’t matter how on trend it may be. The cut of plaid is so casual looking that it would be impossible to dress it up, stick with a crisp shirt or a blouse.
4. Denim shorts
Its never going to be OK to wear ripped denim shorts to work, save them for your trips to the seaside. If your going to wear denim, go for something smart and pair it with a crisp shirt that will bring some professionalism to the look. Denim is not an appropriate choice for those who work in a corporate environment.
5. Logos on your tops
If you are at all bothered about people thinking you capable of doing your job then logos are out, unless your a kindergarten teacher.
6. Pashminas
Unless its a silk scarf that your wearing tied at your neck there is nothing worse than seeing everyone going around the office with a linen scarf or pashmina. They are fine with your work coat but in this case they should only be used if they are kept wrinkle free. If you still feel a chill then you should always choose a fitted cardigan or blazer rather than a scarf during work hours.
7. Coloured jeans
The trend for bright colours that we are seeing in everything especially jeans at the moment. Though there are some very stylish cuts and colours out there it is still best to avoid them at work. They will make you instantly stand out but for being on trend rather than for being good at your job.
8. Pattern
Another huge trend at the moment is the patterned look, while you can wear pattern at work it should be toned down. Wear it as a blouse or even a dress but pair it with a neutral suit or blazer/long cardigan
9. Fishnet stockings
The connotation of fishnet stocking is all about sex and that’s the last thing you want to bring to work with you, instead choose nude nylons.
10. Revealing clothing
The lighter weather can encourage us to wear less clothing or lower cuts tops. Never, ever wear revealing clothes at work. Even if you look great, you won’t be taken seriously. In general, the younger you are, the more conservatively you should dress. As you get more established in your career, you can add a bit more flair to your wardrobe.

Make-up Motivates Me

Some mornings, a.k.a today, I get a bad case of the ‘cant be bothered’. It seems no matter what I do I cant get myself moving and I rack my brains wondering why I feel that way. Once I look out the window and see that is cloudy, rainy and generally damp I don’t wonder too much anymore. Ireland gets the least sunshine of any European country and though I can survive without the sun every day, sometimes its just too much. On days like these I feel like staying in bed but unfortunately my world wont wait and I’m forced to get out there. Motivating myself on these occasions is tricky.

As someone who wears make up in some form everyday, I don’t wear it to give myself extra confidence its just a part of me, because I have been doing it for so long. What I don’t always wear is lipstick and I think that on days when I feel like I need that extra boost putting on some lipstick does make me feel that I could tackle just about anything. I wondered if it was just me that this affect was on, I know its not magic but sometimes it can feel that way. It turns out that research has shown that lipstick does make us feel more confident, more likely to get a job and apparently you even get treated better when you wear it. Its definitely true that make-up motivates me.

According to some studies our brains react so differently when we see ourselves with cosmetics on, it’s almost as if we’re viewing a stranger’s face in the mirror. Society deems women who wear cosmetics as successful, confident or powerful individual and when we wear make-up or lipstick we see ourselves in the same way and this makes us play that role. It works for me, how about you? What do you do to get yourself motivated?

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