I love nail varnish but I rarely wear anything other than nude. The reason behind my lack of flamboyancy is that I have small nail beds that look even smaller when I wear colour. That is not stopping me from having total lust for nail polish and this season is no different. If you like to stay on trend of whats new or you just enjoy having colourful nails then take a peek at my favourite spring/summer nail polish 2013 choices.
* As always click on the image to find out where you can get the items *
Last Sundays Met Ball punk theme ’Chaos to Couture’ let us see some famous names rocking styles that are far edgier than they usually dare to wear. I think a lot of people got it wrong, not surprisingly, since this is a hard style to pull off if your not really into dramatic looks. That said some people got it really right, here are my choices for the Met Ball 2013 best dressed.
Anne Hathaway wearing Valentino – considering that she looks best in simple elegant styles I was wondering how she would pull the punk theme off. She has totally rocked it, with her deep colouring blond hair looks totally amazing and she manages to be elegant while being edgy.
Kristen Stewart wears a Stella McCartney pant suit. Kristen can be hit or miss. I think a lot of people wont like this look but I love it on her, she has the androgynous look perfected.
Rooney Mara wears Givenchy. I love this dress, its feminine but the zippers add a punk aspect to it. I’m not such a fan of her lip colour, I think she could have worn something slightly different in shade and it would have worked better.
Taylor Tomasi Hill wears Thom Browne – This is so great she wears a floaty, feminine style that looks amazing, the feminine piece is just accented with spikes and the ripped parts . Its the perfect style for anyone who doesn’t want to go all out for the punk look.
Sarah Jessica Parker is wearing a Giles Deacon dress, a Philip Treacy headpiece and Louis Vuitton velvet tartan boots. This is my favourite look of the night. She really knows how to pull things together that most people would look ridiculous in. She manages to have a totally punk rocker look without going for black or spikes or anything obviously punkish.
Red is a bright intense colour that involves strong emotions and because of this it often a difficult colour to wear on those of us who are less dramatic. So if you have ever invested in a red dress or you have your eye on one but are afraid that you wont feel right wearing it. The key to doing it without feeling like all eyes are on you is in toning it down.
So, take a look at my tips for how to tone down a red dress.
1. Pair your red dress with a fitted cardigan or jacket in a neutral colour so that you can wear it during the day or for casual evening wear.
2. Dress with dark neutrals. they will tone down the intensity of the red.
3.Choose funky colour and patterns and pair with the red, again these will tone down the red and will also draw your eye to the funky pattern or colours.
bib necklace A style of necklace that mimics a baby’s bib, with a thick section on the chest and a thin cord going around the back of the neck.
Ever since I bought myself an emerald green J Crew Bubble necklace I have become slightly obsessed with bib necklaces. I guess its because its an easy way to add colour, drama and a focal point while being able to wear simple comfortable clothing. It seems it is not just me that loves this look as everyone seems to be wearing them right now. Bibs are not a new style but can actually be traced back to ancient Egypt. They can be expensive though so today it’s all about bib necklaces under €50
1. If you have a wide neck, choose a style that has a thin chain and will drape on the chest rather than close to the neck.
2. Choose an eye popping colour to create a focal point.
3. Choose shorter collar necklace styles when your neck is long.
4. If you are long necked and flat chested choose a style like this to create definition on top.
Last week on my FB page I posted the DOVE video below, which has been making the rounds on the Internet. Now I’m a bit wary of the whole Dove Real Beauty campaign, on the one hand I do like the message they are sending that its OK to be happy with yourself whatever you look like. On the other hand, the fact that they are a brand and are utilizing women’s vulnerabilities in order to promote their product makes me very uncomfortable. This has had me thinking about how critical we are of ourselves and others.
Then this morning I ended up reading an article in the Daily Mail about the difference between how women see themselves and how they actually look. The article referred to a test used by Psychologists, I’m not sure how true this is, its the Daily Mail after all. The test is called The silhouette test and is apparently widely used among psychologists because it’s a very simple way to assess how unhappy a woman is with her shape. In the article the women seem to have very distorted views of themselves much as in the DOVE video above. Read the article here.
The video and Silhouette test only add to my experiences as an Image consultant. Through my work I regularly see how critical we are of our bodies, women tell me their bums are too big, their legs are too short and their tummies colossal and very often they are exaggerating. I’m not saying that it doesn’t feel that way to them but usually what I see is a very attractive woman and I don’t notice her ‘flaws’.
As someone who has gone from having fairly negative self-image to what I think of as quite positive. I really do understand how it can be to always feel down about how you look and to see your body in a harsher light than it really is. Since I’ve come out the other side I’ve learnt that in order to get there you have to start by being kinder about your own body before you can begin to see the real you. Here are some thing I learned a long the way that helped me to feel better about my ‘short legs and colossal tummy’.
Grooming is important: even on days where you feel awful about yourself. Being tidy and clean may not make you feel better but you wont feel worse.
See yourself as a whole: if you have a flaw there is a chance you are the only one who notices it.
We all have flaws.
If you have something like acne or a weight issue that is more noticeable then try to find the best information on targeting your issue and approach it slowly and surely.
Clothing can really change your shape so that you actually have one even if you are under or overweight and can help camouflage any parts that are less than perfect.
Wearing your colours will give you an emotional boost and will compliment you so people see radiance when they look at you.
You will have days where you feel bad about your body and that’s OK. Nothing is perfect all the time but if you’re lucky these days will be fewer and far between.
Care about yourself: whether it by eating right, investing in good clothes and a decent haircut or by limiting the amount you smoke or drink. Its really not hard to believe that when you put something good in you’ll get something good out.
Be your own champion- If someone is putting you down, stand up to them and say stop. If you don’t nobody else will.
Do you think that you see the real you or a distorted version? I love to hear your comments.
