What is the 2012 Summer Fashion Trend?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by - Trends

What is the 2012 summer trend?

This is a message to all women out there ready for the summer but unsure of the latest fashion trends.

When I moved from oversees (Belgium) to Cleveland (Ohio) more than 2 years ago I was overwhelmed by all the different clothing stores. This country is a real paradise for apparel shoppers ! During my first couple of months living in Cleveland I drove from store to store and found great deals on apparel everywhere. It seems like we have never-ending sales going on here. Especially “JC Penney” and “Kohl’s” they are the real “sales” kings at least in my opinion. The first six months of life in the US made me feel like a kid in a candy store: So many choices, don’t know what to pick and on top of that clothes are so cheap here in comparison to Europe (if you go to the right stores).

Want a sexy look?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by - Beauty

For a sexy look, you only need 2 items (ask a man):

1. Red lipstick, red is the best color which makes your lips attractive. Not a fan of true red, use a matte red. Varieties include blue-reds which are suitable for darker skin tones and orange-red for olive skin tones.

2. Wear a pair of sunglasses. You’ll generate mystery. Combine these two and you’ll look sexy…

I tried this out. I hardly ever wear lipstick but I thought I would like to see if it really works. On a sunny Saturday morning I leave the house wearing my big pair of sunglasses and a shiny red color on my lips. I hardly left the house and men in their cars were looking at me as I never noticed before. Neighbors who were not really friendly before greeted me with a very friendly “Good morning”. I could not believe my eyes nor ears. This trick is really working. So for the ladies who like to attract male attention, this is the way to go. Good luck and share your experience.

Are you a Winter Type like me, look which Colors will make us shine this Summer?

Posted on May 31, 2012 by - Color Analysis

As you may have read earlier personal color analysis is based on color science. Our facial features (especially our skin tone) convey more than we think they do. Taking me as an example here: You will see in the pictures below that I have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Less easy to define and most important feature to analyse is the skin undertone, which in my case is “dark pink“. The combination of these 3 features makes me the perfect example of a WINTER TYPE. A winter type person typically looks best with COOL and bright colors. The cool and bright colors really work for me. I love the winter colors and I would like to show how “my winter colors” make me look at my best this summer.

Get crack(l)ing !

Posted on May 18, 2012 by - Beauty

When I was in Belgium recently I went shopping with my sister and my niece. She told me she wanted some new nail polish: “crackling nail polish”. I had never heard of “crackling nails” but she bought some new colors and wanted to show me immediately how it works. So we went to a coffee-house (which we call “taverne” in Belgium) and my niece started crafting with her mom’s newly bought nail polish. First she put on the basic layer which had a grey color. Then she waited a little longer than a minute to apply the second layer, in her case blue as you can see on the picture. Just a couple of seconds after she applied the second layer, cracks started to appear and the result is a unique design with two different colors. I liked it and I went back to the store to buy two different colors of crackling nail polish for myself.
When I came back to the US I went on the internet and found out that this type of nail polish has been around for a couple of seasons and that it is still trendy. One of the best known brands for this type of nail polish is “SALLY HANSEN”, you can find it at Sephora, Drugstore.com or even at your local grocery store (Giant Eagle). I tried grey as a basic layer and pink for the second layer and I love it. To seal this unique design on your nails, you can apply a top coat which I did. I must say it does help extending the wear and shine of the nail polish but it is so hard to get these 3 layers off again !!! I prefer to redo my nails on a regular basis instead of using a top coat. The choice is up to you…

Straight or Curly?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by - Beauty

I was struggling with my hairstyle for a while. My hair is pretty curly and I don’t like the natural waves all that much. I always tried to straighten it out with a brush and the blow dryer but the result was not fantastic so I started thinking about real straight hair. To get my hair super smooth, I knew some heat styling was in order. At first I was a bit scared of the damage the heat could do to my hair but with the right hair care preparation and the right type of flat-iron, I don’t have to fry my hair for it to look fabulous.

My neighbor and friend recommended the 1 inch Classic GHD flat-iron. She has been using this iron every other day for over 2 years now and her hair looks really great all the time.The beauty is that you can use this flat-iron also in Europe without an adaptor because it has universal voltage. So lately I started taking my styler with me while travelling overseas. One bummer though: It is expensive ($185 at Sephora).

Most important upside: The result is amazing. The styler heats up quickly, makes my hair very smooth in no time and my hair is very soft and shiny after usage. The GHD flat-iron is much stronger than the “Go” styling iron I had from FHI. If you have a “Go”, and it works for you, great. If you are in the market for a flat-iron, I recommend the GHD over the “Go”.

Is image important?

Posted on February 23, 2012 by - Color Psychology

I will give you the answer right away: YES your image is important! Every morning I look at my closet and think about what to wear. I pick and choose pieces of clothing and accessories to create my outfit. That outfit will create my image for that day. When you go outside, the public’s eyes are watching you. In a 5 second glimpse, you will be judged like the proverbial book by its cover. You don’t think that is fair, and I totally agree, but it is a fact. People judge us by the way we present ourselves and all of that in 5 seconds!

Women over 40: The body changes

Posted on February 7, 2012 by - Beauty

Around reaching the age of forty, we start experiencing small physical transformations. Our “shape” may be changing. When you are standing in front of the mirror, take a look at your arms, breasts, thighs, legs and feel yourself. How does it feel? Are you satisfied with what you see and feel? There are two possible ways to go:

1. You are satisfied and you accept the small transformations you are going through

2. You are not satisfied and you choose to push back the changes

Both approaches are totally fine.