Be Seen and Heard

As the recession filters more and more into every aspect of our daily lives, businesses are increasingly under more scutiny, as are you and your role.  Your profile and visibility become even more important, whether as a team member or individual pioneer.  Now it’s imperative to stand out and deliver.

My motto is “Be Seen and Heard”, set the scene, don’t follow the herd! This message is all about branding yourself or business in such a way that you have the impact and presence that attracts people to YOU! With every enterprise, this takes into account that you need to attract the appropriate business that benefits you and your customer/client base, it is a case of mutual attraction.

It is vital that you engage people in a positive and vibrant way. If you fail to recognise that it is human nature to identify with success rather than failure, your business is doomed! So, whether your business is booming or feeling the hideous drain of a dragging recession, you need to manage the perceptions that others have of you.

Look like a failure, you start to feel like a failure and the spiral will surely whirl downwards. Look great and feel great and suddenly you engage with a more positive energy which in turn attracts more visibility and engagement.

Whether on a more personal or professional level, you need to be seen, be consistent with who you or your brand is and make sure that people like what they see! This of course means that you have to be seen to be proud and enjoy what you are offering. One of the biggest lessons that it is worth reminding ourselves, is that if we don’t like ourselves, why would we expect anyone to like us. Put that into a business model and learn to love every aspect of your product, even if that means you. Then you have some chance of sharing this love with a world that needs you and what you have to offer!

Clare delivers “Be Seen and Heard”  life coaching and personal or business branding sessions so that you can develop an authentic, attractive and visible profile.

Choosing the right colours and styles creates your most flattering visual effect!

(Photo George Greene @phaseeight Truro)

Get the "F" Factor

In the many years that I have been an Image Consultant, I have enjoyed the privilege of browsing through many women's wardbrobes. As well as discovering what the thought process has been behind some fabulous purchases and some overwhelming disasters, there has been some consistency.

As an abiding rule, despite many attempts to revolt and express “ourselves” we have been inspired or held back by our mothers and close friends/partners and, secondly, no matter what our budget, we simply love to bag a bargain!

My “bargain-hunters” are just as likely to enjoy a hefty bank balance as they are to be restricted to a stringent allowance. The beauty is that looking great need never depend on how much you paid. How often have you received compliments in an outfit that you bought for peanuts in the sales or on ebay and felt smug that it didn’t even cost a fortune. Charity shop finds have become the latest in true fashionista shopping and refashioning items is an upcoming trend.

The joy of shopping successfully is all down to knowing how to wear clothes that suit you and suit their purpose. Whilst I appreciate that well tailored clothes in sumptuous fabrics with design and detail will dazzle and and delight, the “D” factor can easily be diminished by the powerful “F” factor.

The Frugal Fashionista is finding her place by securing fabulous pieces that still fit, flatter, feel great, function and add fun. So remember ladies, it is not about what you spend, it is about what you buy! A bargain is only ever a bargain if you would have loved it at full price and every purchase must have a place in your heart before it is worthy of a place in your wardrobe, whether it cost five hundred or a fiver!

Clare can show you how to identify the gaps in your wardrobe or create them if you need to declutter! Contact her at www.looksmagic.biz or clare@looksmagic.biz

Photo taken at a recent event at Phase Eight, Truro.

 

The Demise of Shopping

Having celebrated that fact that I had filed my tax return , an annual dread and chore, I decided to enjoy the luxury of spending the afternoon in town, well the big City of Truro, that is! Living so close and shopping for clients, rather than myself, I spend surprisingly little time popping in and out just for a peek.

Luckily, I had the perfect excuse, as I was going round delivering invitations to our launch at Princes House Cornwall in Truro on 7th February. So, armed with a pile of invitations and reasonably comfy boots I headed into one of the few snowless towns in the UK!

Timed with yesterdays’s announcement ,on the news, that Christmas hadn’t heralded the shopping revival, as first predicted, this proved an enlightening experience!

Let me first take you back a bit! Do you remember what Christmas Shopping used to be like before the advent of the internet! Perhaps you remember it as I do, with the bustling excitement of anticipation, the cheerful lights, the buzz of frantic shoppers and the joy of playing and prodding and poking! Or, are you the person who remembers the cold, or freezing, conditions, shops packed full of coughing and sniffling and argumentative people, the battering of other combative shoppers armed with their loads and then the struggle of getting on the bus or carrying it all back to the car?

Of course, depending on which of these shoppers you are will have determined whether you spent your time on-line or out in the colourful, real, touchy feely world of shopping! I think you know which kind I am!

It is true to say that on-line shopping has taken on such a mantle that Parcelforce has increased its workload immensely, and, it would appear that, on the whole, people get what they expected and return no more of their internet purchases than their “real world” equivalents! By 2016, it is estimated that at least 25 percent of all shopping will be on-line, but talking to retailers and friends, I am surprised we haven’t already hit that figure!

So back to the lovely high street retailers! I am sure Truro reflects many towns across the country. I visited shops that are new, shops that have been around for 25 years and shops that have been family run for over a century and all of them were reflecting how quiet things are for them. I talked to people whose hours have been cut, who don’t know whether it is worth them reinvesting, who don’t know how to read shopping moods any more and who have changed their buying patterns in anticipation that they will have that vital something to offer! I even walked right past the recently closed Jessops whose curtains have already fallen which was the reality check and will be for all those retailers walking past the boarded up facade.

It is true to say, that some people seek out ideas on-line then head to the shops to feel and test the items, whilst others feel and test the items then head home looking for an internet bargain, at the expense of the retailer who has to account for stock.

The world is a changing place and judging by the feedback on the High Street, they are all feeling deflated, nervous and reticent to invest, which, of course, will not boost the economy!

What will life be like if we lose our towns to boarded up frontages, broken glass windows and tatty facades. Where will we meet and mooch? Shopping is a whole social experience of touching and feeling and conversation and aspiration and engagement and I, for one, hope that the “Real World” wins and that Truro and all the beautiful towns, villages and cities survive to enjoy a more vibrant future.

www.simonburtphotography.co.uk

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Come to the Grand Launch of Princes House Cornwall...my exciting new location!

Princes House, the Grade II listed Georgian townhouse on Princes Street, Truro is currently being renovated in time for a grand launch event on Thursday 7th February, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Princes House Cornwall will be host to the best Bridal and Image Services in the South West and that includes "Looks Magic", my image and colour services. The building is being transformed to bring out its character and beauty, and that’s exactly what we’re aiming to deliver for every bride; the real red carpet treatment. For anyone planning a wedding, Princes House Cornwall is THE place to start.

Of course, all my normal Image Services will also still be available! We're giving away some exclusive prizes at the launch, including a makeover, photoshoot,and vouchers so make sure you book your place to be in with a chance to win.

The launch is open to members of the public from 6pm on Thursday 7th February.

To book places phone 0844 272 0338 or email princeshousecornwall@gmail.com or let me know at clare@looksmagic.biz

Leggings,not a substitute for trousers...but!

In a recent survey, I read that only 26% of the female public felt that is was appropriate to wear leggings to work and yet I live and die in them! So, I have been having a think about this one and of course, as I say to you all, no matter what the style dilemma, there is RARELY an absolute right or wrong!

A few absolute no, no’s may include no skimpy shorts in the corporate or medical world, no acres of flesh showing and no huge clanky jewellery or hair in everything!

But leggings, maybe they sometimes get too harsh a press! After all, if you are comfortable wearing a dress with tights, can it be so very wrong to don leggings instead? I prefer to save money and instead of buying footless tights, I would wear my leggings and I even layer them under skirts, a trick I learnt from ballerinas, who wear them rather better!

I think the angst about leggings may come from the picture, that some of us remember from the eighties, when the blouses were not so flattering or long and left rather dubious rear ends on display, with little left to the imagination!

Leggings are just so practical and warm, why would you buy thermal underwear to ski or do sport in when you can wear your leggings. Why would you buy tight trews to run in when you can wear your leggings? Why would you wear tight fitting jeans with an uncomfortable belt, when you can wear leggings? Why would you keep pulling your dress down for decency when you could wear your leggings underneath. Tuck ‘em in your long boots and you can pretend you are wearing tights when you are wearing leggings!

Ladies used to wear leggings under their crinolines to prevent chafing, as do soldiers and we all know how uncomfortable “chub rub” is!  Cowboys wore leggings of buckskin to protect from chapping caused by riding, wear and tear to their pants, and bites from animals, such as snakes or insects in the scruff, such as ticks.

Indian ladies wear their version with beautiful exotic tunic dresses and no-one could argue how glamorous this look is! And now, leggings are coming into the shops in all colours and slinkiness and shininess and yes, some maybe a bit tacky, but maybe we are just a bit envious of those beautiful young girls who wear them so well! 

No, I will not move with the times, this time my leggings are with me to stay!

What to wear with leggings

Something that covers your bottom
Long shirts that end a little bit below your hips/upper-mid thigh
Over-sized sweaters and tunics
Mini-skirts/skirts

Dresses

They can be worn with ballerina pumps, high heels and most boots, but please don't allow the flesh to peak out if wearing ankle boots!

Layering up to give them extra weight but always cover your crotch area!

Only the really young and brave get away with wearing something tight-fitting with  leggings!

And REMEMBER, they are leggings not trousers so they are not to be equally substituted!

The Magic of Girl Talk

Taken from an excerpt of presentation given at Stamford University...it is often said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed at the presenter, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically, this quality “girlfriend time" help to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well-being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very GOOD for our health. The lecturer stated that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged—not true. In fact, it is the failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans that is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health, well, I suppose as long as you aren’t overdoing the drinking and smoking at the same time!

You can easily achieve glamour and style!

My passion for colour and pretty things is overwhelming and in my role as an Image Consultant, I am well versed with the logic, process and amazing buzz and feel good factor that can be achieved by understanding your colouring and bodyshape, yet I remain perplexed!

What is glamour and style? I constantly ask myself this because of the bemusing comments that I receive from, both people I know very well and those who I don't know at all! Last night, at my running group, several people commented how I always looked so glamorous and yet I could easily question that! I arrived, hair in a scruffy ponytail, very old top now destined purely for running or gardening, a shrug which is reduced to holes, so again simply worn for a bit of warmth and I had a large safety pin, obviously attached to my top as a back-up plan! The trainers are, however, new!

I go out walking and running in the rain and the mud, enjoy really dressing down on my camping trips and feel really at home when battered by the sea and my hair is covered in salt, yet still I hear the words glamour and style. For sure, I do not have the figure to prance around in my neat running pants or swimwear and my tan is entirely "homegrown"!..as are my nails! In this given state should I not be scared to be seen by my pupils of style and image, you would have thought so!

More surprisingly, after the local carnival my friends decided to continue the party in town. The decision was taken that we either all changed back to our glad rags or stayed in fancy dress. I was not amused when the vote was made to head into town as Zombies!

Can you believe that even with my clothes in holes, my make-up purposely messy and fake blood all over me, I received compliments about how nice I looked and I was supposed to look dead!

I can only guess at why because I don't have the answer. What I think it must be is that over a period of years of knowing what colours and styles suit, even what is ancient, in tatters and I am wearing for really messy still works! I do not have the perfect face or figure or even a massive income, but something about understanding yourself really works, even when you aren't trying. There comes a stage when you don't feel right in anything that isn't really you, yet you can be as dolled up as you like or as dressed down as you choose.

Whoever you are or want to be, you can easily achieve glamour and style by learning how to simply be comfortable in your own skin and always dress for YOU!

These pictures are hardly glam!!