How To Look Pounds Lighter By Dressing Slimmer

Those holidays and summer weekends are just great for chilling out, but they tend to involve (or revolve around) lots of eating and drinking - or mine do in any case. Unfortunately I also find that in the summer I'm much less inclined to pound the streets in my running shoes or go and sweat it out at the gym after work when sunny evenings in the park or the beer garden are calling. So can what clothes we wear and how we wear them hide those few extra pounds gained - without wearing a tent dress that is? I think following a few style tips can definitely disguise those unwanted curves and create a great summer look.

Colours and Styles

• We've all heard it - darker colours are slimming - but they can be mixed and matched with the latest floral patterns, for instance a dark skirt or pants teamed with a patterned top will slim down the hips and bum.
• If the heat is on, don't go for fabrics which cling too much - nothing looks less flattering than a tight lycra top on a hot day - especially when the tummy might not be as toned as it could be.
• Don't wear flared or pleated skirts which add unwanted bulk to certain rear areas.
• Stay away from high waisted skirts or trousers which pull you in around the middle accentuating your tummy - go for styles which skirt the hips such as princess line dresses or low waisted jeans, allowing your waistline to flow naturally.

• Wearing black footless tights as in the picture with a short dress hides wobbly thighs and slims down knees.

What's The Best Underwear To Hide Those Curves?

• Fantastically there is the Spanx Bodyshaper - this amazing underwear item for women (which has been seen being worn by such icons of style as SJP and Beyonce) keeps unwanted curves in check. It's a high-waisted bodyshaper which smoothes over the tummy, hips and thighs (sigh..).

Drawing Attention to Your Best Features

• If you have fantastic legs or elegant arms make sure you show them off with shorter skirts or sleeveless tops - no one will notice any little unwanted bumps or curves in other places.
• Accessorise your outfit - a gorgeous necklace, scarf or pashmina over a black outfit looks very slimming, elegant and stylish.

• Spanx Bodyshaper
• LipoContour Anti-Cellulite Pants

How To Wear Pink fashion

Most girls love pink, but sometimes it's easy to shy away from applying pink fashion to anywhere apart from the lips. However, at the spring and summer catwalk shows this season many of the models were sporting pink eyeshadows, candy pink blushers and many shades of pink on the lips, so here are some helpful tips on how to be sweet in pink without going over the top into Barbie territory.

Tips For Applying Pink Eyeshadow

• If wearing pink eyeshadow, then stick with just the eyeshadow - you will certainly be looking embarassed if you go all out for the pink blusher and lipstick to match.

• To avoid a pink eyeshadow making you look tired or washed out look for an eyeshadow with golden undertones or blend a gold eyeshadow with your pink shad - this combination will suit anyone, even those with paler complexions.
• Avoid applying too much purply-pink shadow around the eyes with a heavy hand or you could end up with a bruised look rather than a glamourous one.
• As long as you apply the shadow lightly over the lid, fading out towards the brow you will look gorgeous. If you want a more dramatic look then you could go the whole hog and go for smoky eyes and apply some pink false lashes.

Tips for Pink Lips

• Pale pink colour on the lips looks fabulous with a glossy finish, but stick with a more matt finish for darker or fuschia coloured pinks.
• The application of a pale pink plumping lipgloss can transform thinner lips into something much more luscious.

• Wearing a darker fuschia lipstick in a matt finish can look tremendously chic - however it needs to be applied with precision (see the earlier blog on the Long Lasting Lipstick - 10 Top Tips).

Tips For Applying Pink Blusher

• Brushing a pink powder blusher over the apples of the cheeks will give a fresh and wholesome look.
• The application of a pink creme blusher along the cheekbones will give a dewy touch to your complexion and bring life to even the palest complexions.

Choosing Stainless Steel Jewellery

Stainless steel is a fantastic material for men's jewellery, it is better than silver or gold in many ways, such as:

• It is naturally hypoallergenic - great for those who have allergies against silver or other metals.
• It is almost totally indestructable - if you were to buy a man a ring made from stainless steel it is almost guaranteed to last for ever.
• Stainless steel will never tarnish or darken like silver and gold.
• It is amazingly strong - ideal for rings for those who work outdoors or do manual jobs because of its strength.
• Stainless steel jewellery is extremely affordable compared with titanium or platinum, yet it maintains the beauty and elegance of those more expensive materials.
• Stainless steel jewellery is seen as kooky, contemporary and extremely modern.
• Many women choose to buy their prospective husband a stainless steel wedding ring as it is a symbol of eternity and everlasting love.

Stainless Steel - The 316L Hallmark

When buying stainless steel jewellery I would recommend that you look for pieces that are hallmarked with the 316L symbol. This means that the stainless steel is graded to surgical steel standards (it is the same as is used for body piercing). It can be polished to a lustrous shine and because of this many people prefer it to titanium.

• 

  Stainless Steel and Cubic Zirconia Wedding Band Ring

• 

  Stainless Steel and Carbon Rivet Ring

• 

  Stainless Steel High Polish Black Tribal Ring

• 

  Stainless Steel Mens Tribal Ring

• 

  Stainless Steel Silver and Black Spinning Ring

Choosing The Best Nail Polish Colours For Summer

There are some great shades of nail polish which are just fantastic for summer and I have some great tips about colours which are just made to be worn with a tan (whether it comes from your Mediterranean holidays or from your summer glow body lotion). Wearing these shades will certainly brighten up your summer days, whether the sun shines or the rain comes down and will enhance your outfits - be careful of clashing colours though!

Here are some great nail polish colours:

• Tangerine - this is brilliant with bright summer clothes, bikinis and a tan - it looks great with lots of different colours so its pretty versatile to mix and match holiday outfits with.
• True red - nothing looks more classic than pillar-box red painted nails peeping out from the latest sandals - just make sure your nails are neatly manicured as nothing looks more nasty than ragged or long toenails painted in a bright colour.
• Hot Pink - this "look at me" shade has regained popularity this season with many of the stars in Hollywood sporting the colour.
• Coral - always a favourite, again this shade looks fabulous with a tan, especially on the toes.
• Baby Pink - always delicate and cute, again worn with a tan, highlights the nails and gives a very flattering appearance to shorter nails.
• Bronze - this is a great summer colour, especially for toes which are clad in fashionable, gladiator style sandals.
• Blue - brighter shades of the darker blues worn for winter can look fantastic with the right outfit - I would suggest on toes with silver sandals.
• Fuschia - brilliant as it makes a statement but its also girly and looks fantastic on shorter, square nails.

Whichever shade you choose just follow these simple rules for success:

• Make sure your nails are neat, filed and smooth before applying any polish and preferably apply a nail polish base to avoid staining your nails.
• Check the colour doesn't clash with the outfit you are wearing.
• If possible use a top coat as well over your nail polish as this will help avoid chips and cracks.

Happy painting and polishing - here are a few polishes I have found in some brilliant summer shades.

How To Attain The Flawless Face

What a lot of us don't realise is that no matter how much attention we pay to applying our mascara, lipstick, blusher etc, all our efforts are wasted if we have not first made sure that we have a flawless base to work from. This can be a lot easier than you think and can be attained by following some easy but essential steps.

Tips To Get The Perfect Face

• Always exfoliate your skin - your skin is made of up layers of cells which renew themselves daily, but if you don't exfoliate your skin the dead ones will linger on the surface of your skin causing it to look dull and older than it is (this actually applies to the whole of your body as well). Use a good exfoliating cream or exfoliating pads and gently exfoliate the whole of your face, taking care not to irritate the skin around your eyes. There are also microdermabrasion kits which can be used at home now.
• Moisturise - moisturise with your regular moisturiser - however, a great tip here is to check you are using a moisturiser which has a minimum SPF of 15 protecting your face against those harsh UV rays.
• Creating an even skin tone - apply a foundation or tinted moisturiser blending it in perfectly using either a fashion sponge or your fingers. (I personally prefer using my fingers as I find the warmth of your hands helps blend the foundation on your skin.) Avoid any lines around the jawline or hairline - ideally your foundation should match your skintone so that these marks can be more easily avoided.

• Cover up - If you need to cover up any under eye circles or blemishes use a creamy concealer and blend this in carefully.
• Create colour - using a large powder brush apply bronzer lightly to all the areas that would naturally catch the sun around the forehead, nose and cheekbones.
• Get some blush - Brush on to the apples of your cheeks a powder blusher or use a creme blusher to create more of a "dewy" look which will plump up skin more than a powder blusher.
• Setting - Every fashion artist will advise that you set your face with powder at this point, which is perfect of you have oily skin, but you might want to avoid this step if you have drier skin or feel that the bronzing powder has set your foundation already.

Now when you look in the mirror you will realise that you don't have to apply hardly any more fashion to look fantastic - just some mascara and lipcolour will probably be enough to make you look fantastic - I really believe the application of a great base is the best way to look absolutely fabulous every day. Here are some links to great products to help:

• Chanel Maximum Radiance Exfoliating Gel
  
• Chanel First Signs of Age Engergizing Multi-Protection Cream SPF 15
• Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch Concealer
• Elizabeth Arden Cheekcolor Blusher
• Revlon Vital Radiance Under Eye Concealer
• Elizabeth Arden Sheer Lights Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 - Medium
• Neutrogena MicroDermabrasion PureGlow System

For more reading on how to attain and keep that perfect glowing skin try The New Science of Perfect Skin. I'll be back to talk more about skin care soon as I believe the basics of looking after your skin help keep you beautiful and your makeup looking even better.