Beauty Tips Guides

I may need some clarification because khaki is used to describe two very different colors…one is a tan, camel or beige and the other is army or olive green! I’ll do my best to give suggestions for both.

Tights are very much back in style as are leggings. Leggings are usually worn with ballet style flats while tights are often paired with boots…but can also be worn with shoes, of course!

If the khaki is of the green variety, I love the ideas of wearing black tights or leggings, black shoes, and black accessories (belt, bag). If the khaki is light beige, it’s trickier to bring it into the fall. I would recommend brown tights or leggings with brown shoes and accessories but you can also have more fun by using color…rust, olive, dusty blue…so long as your top incorporates your leg color!

Be consistent with your accessories…brown belt, shoes and bag, for example. If the color is closer to camel, you can wear darker leg colors including black but I would avoid black if it’s the truly light version of khaki!

You don’t mention what night the wedding reception is being held so I’m going to guess it’s probably on Saturday, but could be Sunday. Sunday allows for more casualness, by the way! You can wear any of the above so long as it’s on the dressy side.

A pretty dress with wrap could be great but so could a dressy suit with either pants or a skirt worn with a sexy camisole under the jacket. If the wedding is in NYC then you will not have a problem with going to any store and finding something that you will like.

Most of the stores prizes are with in your price range…very trendy stuff as well as classics. Check out the Ruffe dress by Nanette Lepore for $190. Also, the Jersey knee dress and the CDC Slip dress.. Discounts go up to 75% off on designer clothes if you go to the right store or on the right day is when you will hit the jack pot. You might get incredibly lucky here!

Feel free to go with any color except white. Black is no longer taboo for weddings. Colors for the fall are muted and sophisticated in addition to black being hugely popular. By way of follow-up, go to any web site and look at evening cocktail dresses. Max Azria has some great dresses in your price range. There are lots and lots of websites out there which carry tutorials on resizing jeans and t-shirts. As a general rule of thumb, flip the garment inside out, place over it one which already has the shape you want, then draw along the outside edge of the well-fitting one with chalk. Cut away most of the excess, leaving an inch or so for later adjustments, sew a neat seam and turn the right way out again.

With regards to getting a more individual look I’ll say what I say to everyone: don’t be bound by the limits of ‘alternative’ shops. Pick up odd bits you like from more generic high street chains, check out local vintage sources, DIY and look in charity shops.

Victor Epand is an expert fashion consultant at http://www.LingerieDress.com/. Visit us when you want the best prices, styles, fashions, and fits of all types of lingerie. We carry a super selection of everyday, as well as bridal and specialty items.

To make your shoulders look wider, we play some visual tricks. Blouses with lapels are great…leaving the top 2 or 3 buttons open and spread the collar/lapels out. The points of the collar draw the eye outward. Very slight padding in the shoulders of the blouse will also help. Tops with shoulder ornamentation are also good…epilates, ties, buttons, etc.

Wider shouldered jackets and those with exaggerated lapels are great! Go for some of the military styled jackets that are coming back this year…they usually have a lot going on to help shoulders look wider. In terms of bras, I love Victoria’s Secret. The IPEX bra with the wire is worth trying on because the shape of the cup naturally lifts the breasts without padding. Try a few different models on and see which lifts you while also providing nice shape.

The long legs are a physical characteristic most women would kill for. So we’ll really want to accentuate them while playing down your waist. Exercise is going to help get your belly and waist back in shape but until then, here are some strategies. Short waited women need to avoid wearing tops tucked into their skirts or pants.

You want to call all attention away from the location and/or size of your waist so all tops need to be both long and worn out. Tunics are a great option. If you plan to wear a belt, it needs to be low slung on your hips, not around your waist. No color changes can take place at waist level. We are looking for continuous color from your shoulders to your hips.

Go for longer jackets and avoid cropped tops of any sort at all costs! Also avoid fitted tops. We do not want rolls highlighted. Wear high heels as much as possible. Even though you are tall with nice long legs, nothing makes one look thinner than extending one’s visual line. Wear your trousers long and make sure there are no pockets, pleats etc to bulk up your mid section. Make sure your pants are paired with a long tunic top or long jacket….again, nothing tucked in.

In terms of skirts, knee length or a bit longer is fine. Make sure there is no detail at the top…no tucks, gathers, pleats, etc. Look for a clean line skirt that is either straight or a-line. Details at the hem are fine. Go on the web site and look for some Companies that you think there clothes are nice. Here are some brands that you might want to try and look at on the net that you might think would be good to go with your body shape Great Bateau- Neck Tunic and some other coordinating pieces including a great skirt, cardigan, pants for the fall and winter.

Also look at the Off-shoulder swing tee…in fact, just cruise the site and see if anything grabs you. In terms of dresses, I didn’t see anything that really grabbed me on some of the site that I went on. But maybe it is just me, but you could see for yourself.

I would recommend a faired sheath dress as your best option.They are a classic and the details, if any, are usually at the neckline or shoulders. Should be easy to find in department stores. Just look for something that has shape but is not form-fitting and just gently flairs as it reaches the hem. No cinched waists or belts. Go for darker colors as well.

If you find something two toned or multicolored, just make sure the color change does not occur at or around your waist. So of the clothing out there will look like they don’t change color, but if you look good or if you have them in the right light then you can see that the color on the clothing will change. Just keep in mind that one day you will wear clothes that show off your body, then from that day on you can wear anything that will make you feel comfortable.

Victor Epand is an expert fashion consultant at http://www.LingerieDress.com/. Visit us when you want the best prices, styles, fashions, and fits of all types of lingerie. We carry a super selection of everyday, as well as bridal and specialty items.

Sounds like you are on the right track in terms of health care and an exercise program and that’s terrific. Your question is complicated so I’m going to start at the top…literally!

To make shoulders look wider, we play some visual tricks. Blouses with lapels are great…leaving the top 2 or 3 buttons open and spread the collar/lapels out. The points of the collar draw the eye outward. Very slight padding in the shoulders of the blouse will also help. Tops with shoulder ornamentation are also good…epilates, ties, buttons, etc. Wider shouldered jackets and those with exaggerated lapels are great! Go for some of the military styled jackets that are coming back this year…they usually have a lot going on to help shoulders look wider.

In terms of bras, I love Victoria’s Secret. The IPEX bra with the wire is worth trying on because the shape of the cup naturally lifts the breasts without padding. Try a few different models on and see which lifts you while also providing nice shape.

The long legs are a physical characteristic most women would kill for. So we’ll really want to accentuate them while playing down your waist. Exercise is going to help get your belly and waist back in shape but until then, here are some strategies. Short wasted women need to avoid wearing tops tucked into their skirts or pants. You want to call all attention away from the location and/or size of your waist so all tops need to be both long and worn out.

Tunics are a great option. If you plan to wear a belt, it needs to be low slung on your hips, not around your waist. No color changes can take place at waist level. We are looking for continuous color from your shoulders to your hips. Go for longer jackets and avoid cropped tops of any sort at all costs! Also avoid fitted tops. We do not want rolls highlighted. Wear high heels as much as possible.

Even though you are tall with nice long legs, nothing makes one look thinner than extending one’s visual line. Wear your trousers long and make sure there are no pockets, pleats etc to bulk up your mid section. Make sure your pants are paired with a long tunic top or long jacket….again, nothing tucked in.

In terms of skirts, knee length or a bit longer is fine. Make sure there is no detail at the top…no tucks, gathers, pleats, etc. Look for a clean line skirt that is either straight or a-line. Details at the hem are fine. Go on the Spiegel catalogue web site and look at the Signature Spa Knit collection. They have a great Bateau- Neck Tunic and some other coordinating pieces including a great skirt, cardigan, and pants for the fall and winter.

Also look at the Off-shoulder swing tee…in fact, just cruise the site and see if anything grabs you. You can write back to me with the item names and I’ll let you know if it could work for you! In terms of dresses, I didn’t see anything that really grabbed me on this site.

I would recommend a faired sheath dress as your best option. They are classic and the details, if any, are usually at the neckline or shoulders. They should be easy to find in department stores. Just look for something that has shape but is not form-fitting and just gently flairs as it reaches the hem. No cinched waists or belts. Go for darker colors as well. If you find something two toned or multicolored, just make sure the color change does not occur at or around your waist.

Victor Epand is an expert fashion consultant at http://www.LingerieDress.com/. Visit us when you want the best prices, styles, fashions, and fits of all types of lingerie. We carry a super selection of everyday, as well as bridal and specialty items.

Have you ever taken a stroll through a flower garden and been overwhelmed by the pleasing array of floral smells? The gentle weight of nature’s aroma can lighten our moods and makes even the sunniest day brighter. The power of flowers’ aromas is not lost on the designers of perfumes and fragrances. Actually, flowers make up a major source for perfume manufacturers.

While perfumes can be made from many different substances, like fruits, herbs, trees, grasses, tobacco and chocolate, and sometimes even from animal products, their base is very often the scent from flowers. Each particular flower has a particular smell that can add a unique quality to a perfume. Some flowers can produce even more than one aroma. Roses, for instance, are all called roses, but each type, from your grandmother’s heirlooms to the miniature ones sold in a grocery store offer minute variations on the theme of the aroma of a rose.

The difference in the smell of a flower can even start to be studied like the differences between the flavors of a wine. Things like the weather where the flower grew, soil conditions, even whether or not pesticides were used to care for the plant, all affect the way its flowers will smell.

Fragrance makers are finely aware of these things and select accordingly. But just having the right flower is not enough. Fragrance makers isolate the essential oils, the essence of aromas, from plants and flowers to use in their products. Essential oils can be extracted from pretty much any organic substance, but by far the most common ones used in fragrance making are rose, jasmine and orange flowers. Another flower, slightly less commonly used, is the ylang-ylang flower.

The use of roses for perfumes dates to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and rose based perfumes make up 70% of perfumes made. The most popular cultivars of perfume rose are the Damask Rose and Rosa Centifolia. Roses for perfumes are picked at night, which preserves their aroma.

Like roses destined to be perfumes, perfume bound jasmine flowers are picked at night. Also, they are processed and refined as soon as possible, to preserve quality. Jasmine is highly finicky and demanding, but just as highly important, as it is found in more than three quarters of the perfumes manufactured today.

Orange blossoms that are going into perfumes come not from Florida but mainly from Europe and Africa. The oil that comes from orange blossoms gives off a fresh and zesty clean smelling aroma that pleases the senses. What’s more, essential orange oils need not only be drawn from orange blossoms. The entire orange tree can provide them, from the bark to the leaves, even the rind of oranges themselves.

The ylang-ylang flower is the most exotic of the common ingredients in perfumes. It is found only in Southeast Asia. The best ylang-ylang flowers are harvested only after the buds have been open for a couple weeks, and then immediately processed, like jasmine.

Bearing these things in mind, when you choose a fragrance, it is a good idea to first choose a floral scent that you like. Then, research to see which perfumes use that flower and go to the department stores or a perfume shop and sniff out the right perfume for you.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as inexpensive perfume at http://www.cheapcologneandperfume.com

Nobody likes the idea of smelling bad. Even the idea of smelling oddly different is not appealing. Of course, some of us have a stronger and more repugnant natural body odor than others. Not surprisingly, how someone smells varies from person to person. Our natural body odor changes from day to day slightly as well. Even our mood and attitude can change how we naturally smell. What we eat such as garlic and onion can change the odor our body puts out for a time.

In Ancient Egypt, both men and women would take extended bathes with special ingredients added to coat our skin in a new aroma. Changing how we smell has been in our history as long as noticing we all smell different. Perfume is one way in which we can change how we smell to ourselves and to others.

Buying a perfume is not an easy task. Most people do not know how to properly find a perfume. Just because a perfume smells good to you does not mean it will smell good on you. Here are a few tips to consider when buying that new perfume.

1. Always try a perfume before you buy the perfume. Something that smells marvelous in a bottle may not sell marvelous on your body. Perfume is a chemical reaction between two or more different added ingredients. When you add your body’s natural chemistry to the equation, the perfume will smell different on you than in the bottle. Testing a perfume before you buy it will save you time and money.

2. After you try on the perfume, wait ten minutes to get the full effect of the natural aroma of the perfume. Ten minutes is how long it takes to fully mingle with you and your natural aroma.

3. If you are going to try that perfume, a small dabble on a piece of your open skin is ideal. Spraying the perfume in the air is not going to let you know the true smell of that perfume when mixed with your natural aroma. Therefore, it is wise to add a small amount to your own skin. Do not do a full over body spray, just a little.

4. Never try on more than three perfumes in a single day. The nose is wonderful and miraculous, but adding too much to quickly will confuse that smeller. Waiting for at least ten minutes before each testing and only doing three tests a day means that you will be spending at least 30-minutes at the perfume counter. In addition, perfume you are testing may get mixed together on your body. So it is always wisest to wait.

5. When purchasing your perfume, try to consider if that smell will be used for day, night, or both. Some people like a different type of smell for the time of day.

6. Finally, ask how long the aroma stay with the body. Most high-quality perfumes will last between 4-6 hours when applied directly to the body.

Whatever you decide when purchasing new perfume, remember to get one that is best suited for you. Try it on and wait. Perfume depends on your body chemistry to mingle happily with the new smells. Perfume companies work hard to create perfumes that will fit most of our body chemistries and not get tainted.

S.Thomas writes about perfume and maintains a perfume related resource website at http://www.perfumeo.co.uk .

Cosmetic Surgeons are popular and have been for some time for cosmetic surgery. Anyone who can make your skin look younger and more gorgeous, or handsome, may not be all that bad, if you can afford their costs of course. Most cosmetic surgeries are elective, so that means the decision to have a procedure done is very personal to you and you alone.

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to have this kind of surgery, so, before you start searching for a plastic surgeon, search within yourself and decide if those reasons really make sense. If you truly feel that cosmetic surgery will make a difference in your self-esteem and ultimately your life, then you are probably ready to start shopping around for a cosmetic surgeon.

All cosmetic surgeons are not created equal, so you have to gather several opinions to make an informed choice that will best suit your needs. For instance, some physicians focus only on procedures for the face, while others may target breast surgery or liposuction. Take the time and do a little research to narrow down the particular doctors who perform the procedures that you want accomplished on you. Once you have several names on your list, the next step is to ask some questions. You want to make sure that they will listen to what you want and need, while making the best medical decisions based on their personal assessment of your condition.

Here are seven questions to ask your potential cosmetic surgeon:

1. What procedure do you suggest for my goal of a facelift, brow lift, laser skin resurfacing, forehead lift (or whatever your goal is)? By leaving this a rather open-ended question, the cosmetic surgeon has the chance to show you how much he knows. Each may have slightly different answers as to how to help you achieve your goal. You job is to determine which sounds the best for your lifestyle.

2. How many years and how often have you been performing this procedure? Obviously, this question is asking the skin specialist how much experience he really has. You want someone who has been around the block a few times. Tied in with this question could be inquiries as to the surgeons schooling and whether they keep up with the latest technologies and continuing education. Hospital privileges and Board Certification are also important to know.

3. What results can I expect from this cosmetic surgery? This is a realistic expectation to have. You want to know the possibilities. Ask your plastic surgeon about computer imagery to compare a before picture and a realistic expectation of what your results might be.

4. Can you tell me the possible risks and problems I might encounter? Being warned ahead of time is important in case the operation is not quite what you expect. Sometimes, it is your personal medical history that could make achieving your dream results difficult. Other times, it could be a reaction to anesthesia or an infection at an incision site. Preparedness is helpful for peace of mind.

5. How long will it take to recover from the cosmetic surgery? No two cosmetic surgeons are the same, nor may they use the same surgical procedures to accomplish your goal. Each situation is different and recovery times will also depend on your own general health. The healthier you are to begin with, the quicker you bounce back to real life.

6. What is the cost of getting this skin care treatment? Again, each procedure is different with doctors charging different rates. Also, in some cases, insurance may pick up the tab. Sometimes, payment plans are an option. Ask in advance what their fees and other costs cover. Will it take care of post-operative care and follow-up visits?

7. If I smoke, does it matter? Be sure to tell them if you smoke or not. If you are a smoker, this could potentially have an impact on your recovery time and even the choice of anesthesia and other medications, especially those for post-operative pain.

All of these questions and much more are a part of the process in choosing the best cosmetic surgeon for your needs. If you manage to find a good cosmetic surgeon, the whole operative and recovery process will be a whole lot better for you. And soon you will have a new look and life.

Ken Black is the owner of, a website about skin care, including Cosmetic Surgery.