Celebrate Your Curves as a Figure Magician

Dear Clare: What happens when my body has adapted well to surviving an Arctic storm but I haven’t seen a snowflake in years?

Dear Jeans R. Bustin: Well, there are two options here.. One is to move...! Or simply to hold the blubber..in. and keep them guessing where you have hidden all that exciting flesh! Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising are essential, but let me share these useful tips on how you can be: Your own “Figure Magician”!

Black is always back! Providing the fabric isn’t too shiny, black absorbs light and, as long as the garment fits well, it’s an instant way to look a couple of pounds lighter - but, of course, always mix with your most flattering colours!

Monochromatic makeovers Top-to-toe dark neutrals are visually lengthening and slimming. Keep the eye up - down as opposed to across. Don’t wear too many high contrast colour combinations as your figure cuts up into more obvious pieces, thereby eliminating that illusion of slenderness.

Skim the Skin Skim the body, not painted on the body! If you can't bend over without hearing that scary strain on the fabric ( I know you’ve heard it! ) your trousers are too ... Petite!, just buy the next size and cut off the label!

Be fair and don’t share... that extra pound of flesh! Belly baring is in, but if you look more cuddly than beanpole then keep it all under wraps .... Why spoil the surprise!.

However...Do not try to hide your body under big, shapeless clothing! Masses of fabric doesn’t hide your body or size, it just hides your shape and can be very frumpy, even ageing! Instead, wear clothes that define the best parts of your body. Defining your waist with a belt, for example, can accentuate your curves

Lycra It takes more than your loved one to hold you tight, unless he’s called Lycra! As long as you can move and “it” doesn’t, then you are sorted! We all need a bit of support now and again and who says it can’t be from lycra!

Go trendier Stuffy styling adds years! Lighten up your image by dressing young at heart and you’ll feel lighter all over!

Sew simple! Keep styling simple, yet trendy, and leave the frills out. Fussier means fuller, fuller means fa.....! A few distractions is all you need!

It’s all in the balance! - If you find yourself looking bottom heavy, wear tops with broader shoulders or horizontal stripes to appear more visually symmetric! Sometimes shoulder pads can be a real bonus in creating balance if you have larger hips.

Reveal your beauty! Beauty is revealed, never applied! Pay attention to your face and leave the rest to its own fortune! You'll divert attention away from the cuddly bits!

Perfect Foundation! Supportive underwear is vital and can significantly affect your overall look. It is extremely important to have on a great-fitting bra and beautiful briefs. Feel good, look good!

Accessorise make the most of the fashion fab accessories - focus on your features, disguise the rest!

Don’t go flat out with an added inch to your heels you lift your bum to more flattering heights!

Love yourself! Find something you enjoy about yourself and flaunt it! Be proud of who you are and respect yourself! Anything goes - luscious legs, radiant skin, nicely trussed boobs, knock ‘em dead!

www.simplybe.co.uk

Here's a great dress that will hug your body but keep the curves neatly in place! Then you simply add your favourite accessories for the appropriate occasion!

Or you can try the the softer look and help to disguise the bits you don't want others looking at!

Try something like this which diffuses any lumps and bumps by creating distractions!

http://products.drct2u.com/content/images/products//vx/vx101/d04vx10151w.jpg

Joe Browns at Simply Be.co.uk

Colour Magic

This is a labour of love pulling together my ideas on various colour types and their characteristics. I hope you will have some fun looking through and enjoy discovering the magic of colour!

 

http://pinterest.com/looksmagic/

A Soggy Blog...embrace your macs and wellies!

Oh dear, why do the Brits always talk about the weather...well apart from the fact that it is literally in your face, it really can wreak havoc with our wardrobe choices! One minute sun, the next torrential rain...I think the concept of a summer and winter wardrobe will no longer suffice!

So my thoughts are that we should make the most of what we have and dress accordingly! While my flip flops have hardly seen the light of day I have decided that worthy investments in my current wardrobe should be colourful and cosy wellies and a pretty rainmac, with a cheerful umbrella thrown into the mix. The bonus with these investments is that we know that they will get a lot of use, we will feel dry and smug that at least we don't have to water the garden, face a hosepipe ban or hide indoors from the 40o sun! 

http://cambridgeraincoats.co.uk/

 

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Neon, Get it On!

If Neon colours are featuring big time on the fashion rails, I hear you ask..what about my make-up? Well, colour is definitely "in" for your face, but I know that this is a scary prospect for many of you! As with so many things it is best to gradually build your confidence levels, but you've got to make a start somewhere...so here goes and that means you too!


Cast your eyes in the direction of that wonderful violet or bright green and leave the brown for another day! Now the trick is always to apply the strong colour first then neutralise it if you need to, otherwise you will not be able to build up any level of impact.


Personally, I prefer going with the eye pencil first as this is wax based and therefore the eyeshadow will set it. If you try to colour the pencil over shadow you tend to tug the skin a bit more; liquid liner is a different consistency and is best applied over powder.


If you opt for a bright pencil/liner then you possibly don't need the bright shadow too, but then again, it could be fab, give it a whirl! Remember you have a back-up plan. This is not to wash it off and start all over again, that is tedious and rubs your skin. Simply grab one of your blender brushes and with a melon or opal, pinky/peachy tone you can wash this over the top. Or, even a light mint or soft gold can do the trick, although matte is naturally more subtle than frosted versions.


Here is a look created by Mel Arter for MAC, this stand-out spring/summer look is all about a playful hint of colour on the inside lower lash-line.

www.maccosmetics.co.uk

My all time favourite combination from the "Colour Me Beautiful" cosmetics range is Amethyst pencil with Tangerine eye shadow, but other options could be Teal with Purple or Amethyst with Peppermint. I don't often mix the same shade of pencil with shadow as the colours tend to lose themselves, variety in this case really is the essence of life.


If your prefer to add zest to your lips then now really is the time to experiment with your reds oranges, bright pinks or corals. Choosing from your colour palette you will have decided whether you are going for oranges or corals to look best on your yellow toned skin or cerise and fuchsia to look amazing with your pinkier tones. As always, very pale skin tends to ere more towards suiting pinks, while very dark skins can be more ambitious.


Again, if you really think you have gone over the top, don't rub it off all over your cheeks, either add a dab of gloss or pearlescent over the top or even a touch of highlighter! You can also soften the look by first applying either a lip base or a more subtle neutral pencil, such as Natural from the Colour Me Beautiful range.

Buy your Colour Me Beautiful products

Here is The Look: Created by Andrew Gallimore for MAC, this look is all about soft and sultry sex appeal: pure romanticism as seen in Glamour magazine.