Liezl’s Weblog

Entries from October 2008

4G

October 31, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Last night, I started to take a food supplement called 4G (Garlic, Ginseng, Grapeseed and Ginko Biloba).

I hope it will work as a very good anti-oxidant.

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Ten Tips for cleaning out and organizing your closet and keeping it clutter free

October 31, 2008 · Leave a Comment

1. Start at the bottom

Dig out everything from the floor and find temporary storage for your shoes until you can buy a shoe organizer, which will keep them all in one place. If you don’t have floor space, get a hanging shoe organizer instead of a box system.

2. Spend a half hour a week going through your closet.

(Don’t worry; you won’t have to do it forever. Once it’s tidy, go to once a month organizing). Pitch everything you aren’t wearing into one of two boxes: one box goes to the Goodwill and the other into a separate storage space. The goal is that the clothes you wear often should be in the closet and the rest either in storage or to people who will wear them.

 

3.Put your “fat clothes” or “thin clothes” into a separate closet.

We all have fat and thin clothes! Separate them. This is also good for the morale. If you must have your fat clothes in sight to stay on track with a diet, pick out the best item and keep it around. 

 

4. When you buy something new, throw out something old.

Now that you’ve bought those new suede slippers, do you really need those funky, ratty old cloth ones that belonged to your boyfriend before they came to live at your house? 

 

5. Put a light on it.

One reason people avoid dealing with their closets is that they can’t see inside them. Hang up a clip light or a battery operated stick-up light from the hardware store if you don’t want to actually deal with wiring. Or just put a new bulb in the light socket. When you can see what’s going on in there, you’ll be more likely to deal with it. 

 

6. Hang the things you rarely wear towards the back

of the closet and the ones you wear often near the front. 

 

7. Hang all your pants together,

then all your blouses, sweaters, etc. to make it easy to find the pieces when you get dressed. (You may want to do this twice, for the things you wear frequently and the things you don’t) 

 

8. Get a second-stage piece of furniture where you can lay clothes

that are in that fascinating in-between state; not really dirty, but not totally clean. We all do it: maybe we’ll want to wear those lightly worn jeans tomorrow to go sailing or to scrub the kitchen floor. Why do more laundry than we have to? Use an old quilt stand, a lounge, or even a fruit crate to keep your in-between clothes off the floor when you aren’t committed enough to either hang them up or wash them. 

 

9. Match your hangers to your clothes.

Pants should have pant hangers, skirts must have skirt hangers, and if you’re the kind who hangs her lingerie, get hangers that can hold skinny little straps. The right hangers will keep your clothes from slipping off and winding up on the floor. 

 

10. When you’re shopping for clothes, try to buy things that will coordinate

with as many of your current clothes as possible. The idea is relatively seamless integration of new garments with old, so you won’t find yourself standing in front of your closet with half an outfit on and nothing that matches it.

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Ten Essential Clothing Items Every Woman Should Have for their Classic Wardrobe

October 31, 2008 · Leave a Comment

1. 3 piece black or grey neutral suit (skirt, pants, and jacket)

There is nothing more versatile for work than a three piece black or gray suit, because it goes with everything as well as being two suits in one. Dressing professionally for a living requires at least three such suits, but most of us in the business casual arena can get by with one or two three piece suits. They are ideal for meetings, luncheons or anytime you want to impress someone with your professional poise. These suits should never be trendy, or you’ll have to buy a new one every six months: aim for getting classically cut, perfectly simple suits that can be added onto your wardrobe where they will serve you beautifully for years.

2. Pair of close-toe black heels or pumps

Your close-toed black heels will not only make your three piece suit extra professional, but can also meet up with most of your dressy wardrobe items in a fashionable expression of understated style. They are ideal for work; it’s not appropriate in many workplaces to wear open-toed shoes, which are considered sexier than close-toed ones. They are also the perfect shoes for the evenings when you want to go out and look nice, but don’t want to refurbish a worn pedicure. Hide those toes in a good looking pair of heels!

3. The Classic Little Black Dress

The Little Black Dress (LBD) is such a fashion must, that many French women base their wardrobes around that one garment. That makes sense: it’s the one dress that fits perfectly every time and can go anywhere with the right accessories. The fashion-fabulous French know that it makes sense to buy an expensively perfect dress that you’ll wear for fifteen years instead of fifteen cheap dresses. Get the dress, and then build around it, choosing heels, handbags and jewelry to support it in its many incarnations. Then wear it, and wear it again. 

4. Crisp white button down shirt

A crisp, white button down shirt will never go wrong: it can be worn with jeans on an impromptu outing or with a elegant skirt for a simple evening look. It goes beautifully with your suit skirt, either under the jacket or with a sweater. It must be made of cotton or linen, and its crispness comes not only from flawless ironing but from tight, perfect seams and clean cut lines. 

 

5. Colorful scarf that can be used to accessorize a plain outfit

Choose a colorful scarf to dress up your jeans, brighten up your workday or cover up on the days when you feel a pale shadow of your true self. Color affects the mood, so choose blue or green if you tend towards anxiety and need to be calmed; pick pink, red or yellow if you sometimes lack energy. Get a scarf that complements your complexion: you may be wearing it around your neck or over your hair. You can even use a colorful scarf as a belt. 

 

6. Bathing suit you feel great in (nothing too sexy)

There are many things more wonderful than a bathing suit you feel great in. Your bathing suit has the power to infuse you with confidence or make you slink around under a towel. Like shoes, whatever it costs is worth it: if you spend any time at all in or near the water, you must have a bathing suit you feel great in. Look for suits in the miraculous new fabrics with more holding power than Lycra, but also don’t neglect styling: surplice wrapped tops, shirring at the waist and excellent cut can slim you as soon as you put on the suit. 

 

7. Dark wash, straight leg jeans

Dark wash jeans are ideal for the wardrobe because they can dress up or down much more easily than faded denims can. Wear your crisp, white button down shirt with dark wash jeans, and put on your party earrings. Wear them to poetry readings, concerts, the movies and out to lunch. Look for full figured jeans in the nearly-original indigo blue that was once the only choice in blue jeans. Choose tailored straight leg or slightly book cut styling, medium to heavyweight denim, and no ornamentation beyond the occasional, traditional rivet. 

 

8. Everyday classic purse that goes with everything

An everyday classic purse is one of the more misunderstood wardrobe items. Let’s face it; it’s the one that goes with you everywhere, and is seen by everyone. A cute purse earns compliments; a classic purse inspires. The everyday classic purse is often leather, but animal-free purses are available in denim, velvet, tapestry and a dozen other fabrics.
If you don’t carry a lot of stuff around, look for a purse big enough to hold what you need, but not so large that you might be suspected of carrying your terrier inside it. 

 

9. Classic cardigan sweater set

The classic sweater set is also called the twin set, and the classic fabric is cashmere. If you can get a cashmere twin sweater set, your wardrobe will always benefit from it, because this item can dress up skirts, jeans or even work pants without even trying. It consists of a sleeveless shell covered by a matching cardigan, and women once chose their twin sets from their “signature colors”. That’s the color most flattering to you, usually not black or white. Follow with a simple, single strand of pearls. 

 

10. Wide legged dressy black pants

Straight legged dressy black pants are the wardrobe item that you may get the most wear from, because they look great with nearly everything. Instead of a boot cut or flared leg, these pants fall straight from the hip to the instep in a flowing, sensuous line of fabric. They can be worn with a moderate heel, a nice sweater or a designer T-shirt for a more casual look. For something more formal, look for a silk shirt in a neutral color. Straight legged dressy black pants wear well in wool gabardine. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on these since they will be a long time wardrobe staple that will get lots of wear.

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Win a Free Handbag!

October 2, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Just visit http://www.handbagplanet.com/ and join the contest.

 

Handbag Planet is almost here. To celebrate the October 15, 2008 launch, we are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of the launch. Our high fashion, trendy handbags are inspired by popular designer brands and priced between $30 and $80.

After signing-up in one easy step below, you can select the handbag you would like to win. There’s absolutely no catch – this means no shipping/handling fees or credit card required. Yes, it’s really that simple!

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