Pucker up its party time !
Do you LOVE getting dressed to the nines and heading out on the town during the festive season? A bit of sparkle, a fabulous pair of shoes and a killer dress all make for the perfect party look.
All too often though, we’ll spend hours, or even days, searching for the perfect outfit for that special festive event, only to leave our beauty look to the last minute. This party season make sure you plan ahead to ensure your pout is perfectly polished too.A statement lip is the look to be seen in this Winter (those of you who watch The Great British Bake Off will have seen this year’s winner certainly loved a bold lip!), so here are my top tips on which shades to choose and how to make your lips last!
Shades of Red
A bright red is an iconic Hollywood look for a reason; it’s glamorous, sensuous and feminine. Keep the rest of your make-up pared back if you’re going for a strong lip shade; neutral eyes, a little blush and then allow your lip colour to give the real WOW factor! I love Red Carpet, from the colour me beautiful make-up range for a show-stopping look.
Long Lasting Lips
Keeping your lip colour in place all evening can be a challenge for some, but with the right application techniques and products, it needn’t be…
- Gently exfoliate your lips using a specially formulated lip scrub.
- Apply a non-greasy lip balm to soothe and moisturise your lips.
- Apply colour me beautiful lip base to prime your lips, help your lipstick stay in place and reduce feathering.
- Select a colour me beautiful lip pencil in your ideal shade, line and fill your lips in.
- Finally apply your favourite colour me beautiful lipstick and voila!
If you’re unsure which lipstick shade to go for, get in touch with me and I will show you your best colours for party time!
Buckle Up!
After a bit of a style dry spell on the belt front, the humble accessory is back with a bang. So, step forward with a pirate-inspired ‘swashbuckling’ belt – think, Captain Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean.
But before you buckle up, let’s explore the ups and downs of wearing belts.
A great belt can make or break an outfit. It can add a stylish touch to any outfit, so be sure to invest in at least one for your accessories collection. Accentuate your shape and create a feminine silhouette with a waist-pinching belt, or add an extra splash of colour to your jeans with a skinny belt in bright, pop colours. From classic plaited to chunky with metal letter detailing, you’ll be sure to make a style statement.
Some belts are made to be seen, like this season’s offerings with cut-outs, metallic finishes, studded or stretch to cinch-in that lovely waist. At first glance a belt can look quite casual but added to a posh frock or smart trousers – celeb style, lifts them from a regular accessory to a mega-glamorous update.
Alexander Wang showed us how to wear a grommeted belt in the pre-Autumn 2016 collection – around the waist of a classic trench, re-purposed it on a tailored grey jacket and used the grommet design for crisscrossing straps on an evening gown. The secret to not looking like you’re having a mid-life crisis when wearing one is keep the rest of your ensemble classic and pared-back.
So what are the styling rules?
The size of your belt needs to match your scale (based on the size of your bones), if you’re petite you need to wear narrower belts or the belt will wear you, if you’re average scale (around a size 4 – 6 in a shoe) you need a belt of about 1.5 inches wide, if your shoe size is 7 and above you can really go for it and wear a 2.5 inch wide belt. Keep the buckle size in keeping with your scale too.
So all this is great if you have a waist to show off, but what if you don’t? My expert advice is don’t bring attention to a part of your body that maybe your biggest challenge. Keep away from belts and invest in another gorgeous accessory that will draw the eye to your best assets, like a great pair of shoes if you have superb legs or a fabulous necklace if you have a great bust.
Belts are one of the best and cost effective ways to update your look this season, so if you have a great waist – you’re in! Otherwise just use one to hitch up your trusty old denims.
For further inspiration, see our https://uk.pinterest.com/colourmebeautuk/buckle-up/
Image courtesy of Pinterest.
Fashion is served sunny-side up for Spring/Summer 2016!
“Colours this season transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute.
Interestingly, for Spring/Summer 2016 there are truly no perceivable distinctions in colour choices between the men’s and women’s collections. Many of the colours transport the wearer to more tranquil and calmer environs which encourage relaxation. Examples include pastels of pink, peach, rose brown and blue.
However, in contrast there are also colours that are inspired by artists such as Matisse and Picasso – two being yellow and red. Both vibrant colours that can bring a feeling of fun, optimism and passion to our lives.
We have all just survived the all-encompassing red and pink Valentine’s Day marketing. With Easter approaching now, we are surrounded by all things yellow e.g. yellow chicks, yellow eggs and, of course, the beautiful Spring flowers like daffodils and the more pastel coloured primroses. And don’t they look a picture! I don’t know about you but as soon as the daffodils start to flower I feel more positive and look forward to the lighter evenings approaching.
Enough of the chat about flowers, this is a fashion blog! So let’s talk about wearing ‘not so mellow yellow’ and this is quite another thing.
The decision as to whether you can wear yellow or not is based around the colour of your skin tone. Are you a warm or cool skin tone? It is essential to know this because to create harmony and balance the colours you wear need to complement your skin tone as well as your hair and eye colour. Yellow is a warm colour so looks best on people with warm skin tones. As we know when you wear a colour on your top half it reflects on your face and with yellow if you haven’t got a warm skin tone it can make you look less than your best. So if you have a cool skin tone (ie. it is pinker in tone) my advice is avoid yellow at all costs.
If on the other hand you do have a warm skin tone then then this cheery hue is shining on every trend this season, from cropped pants and sheer dresses to bathrobe-style coats and billowy skirts, all designed to put you in the spotlight.
If you have a cool skintone or can’t bring yourself to wear it head to toe,
then choose some ‘sunshine’ accessories like Nike’s retro sneakers.
So wear it well, sunshine! Sunglasses not included, but recommended.
Smart Casual Solutions
What to wear for a smart casual dress code
If you have recently made the switch from a corporate office where your work uniform was a tailored suit to a more creative industry with an informal dress code you may be struggling with what to wear.
Anna De Vere Director of Corporate Training and Development at CMB Image explains what is and is not appropriate for an informal office environment.
In a work environment what you choose to wear will reflect on your attitudes to work and form part of your personal branding. Work colleagues, particularly new ones will make instant assumptions about you based on what you are wearing. This might seem scary but, you really only have 30 seconds to make a lasting impression and if it’s your first day in a new office you want it to be the right one!
Don’t forget also that you’ll also be judged on your body language, the way you use your voice and lastly the words that you use!
So, what should you wear to work?
Many people who work in a corporate environment like the comfort that wearing a suit provides. It limits choice and all you need to do is make sure that the colour is appropriate for your skin tone and that the shape complements your figure. The shirts and tops worn with your outfit are the only areas where you’ll really be able to express your personality and even then you are likely to keep to a palate of safe colours, after all you don’t want to stand out too much from your colleagues. But what about a more informal environment which claims to have a ‘smart casual’ dress code?
The first step
Your starting point should be to understand your body shape and what makes you look and feel good. Clothing is either constructed along straight lines, which gives a garment a more rigid, structured form, or along curved lines, which gives the more fluid shape that tends to follow the curves of the body.
Smart casual is probably one of the most stipulated dress codes around. Deciphering dress codes like this one is often open to interpretation. The key is to look put-together and polished. For women, pretty dresses and skirts are always a safe bet and if you want to wear jeans then try teaming them with something like a tailored blazer and heeled shoes.
Second step
Secondly, gain an understanding of your own colouring and what colours make you look professional and approachable. This is determined by hair and eye colour along with skin tone, and everyone falls in to one of six different palettes. It’s really important to make sure that the colours of your work clothes match with your skin tone and hair colour. If they are too strong then they will drain the colour from your face, too pale and they can make you look sallow.
Colour also plays a key part in how others perceive you, medium shades from your colour palate will help you to appear approachable, something to consider if you’re in a team leader role. If you are in a customer facing role and need to appear friendly then less formal attire will work well, dressed in this way is also like to make you feel comfortable and confident and help you engage with clients.
Final step
Finally you need to remember that you are dressing for work and that will you need to appear both professional and approachable. Avoid jeans at all costs, just because the dress code is smart casual it is not an excuse to wear your jeans no matter how smart they might be. Swap your suits for tailored trousers, skirts and dresses, and formal shirts for shaped or wrap around tops. If you want to add a jacket then a waterfall jacket or piece of knitwear in this style would work well.
If you are a chap then chinos or smart slacks will strike the perfect note. Swap your formal shirt and ties for shirts with button down collars. A blazer or sports jacket is a great wardrobe staple, worn with slacks its strikes just the balance when you need to appear smart but don’t want to revert to a suit
Images courtesy of Pinterest