Tim Gunn’s 10 Essential Elements

Must-Have Basic Wardrobe Pieces for Any Woman

© Kelly Whitt

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10 Ways to Wear Your Favorite Jeans

Cuffed, with a tank top
Finish the look with ballet flats.

 

Uncuffed, with tops layered
Then add heels and jewelry.

 

Warmed up with a cardi
Brownie points for chic accessories.

 

Unbelted, with a turtleneck
Cuffed with flats again—pretty!

 

Topped with frills
Offset the girliness with your canvas sneaks.

 

With a graphic blouse
It looks sexy with heels.

 

Cuffed again, with a fun tee
Your new weekend uniform.

 

Similar tee, with cardi, and flats
How cool is this mix of pieces?

 

Tuck jeans into boots
Your slimmest, stretchiest denim will bunch the least and look the best.

 

Cuff and add a belted jacket
It’ll look especially new with ankle booties.

Source: MSN Lifestyle

How to dress 10 pounds thinner

Match your separates.

“Lose” five pounds by matching your pants or skirt, stockings and shoes. You’ll seem 10 pounds lighter if they’re all black! Is the one-color thing too tame for your taste? Slip on a pair of bright shoes to shake things up.

 

Remember the number one secret of slim dressing: proportion.

Full, round shapes on top and bottom will make you look…full and round. So always accentuate your smallest part by pairing your more generously cut pieces with a snugger mate. Balance a full skirt with a fitted shirt, a flowy blouse with pencil-thin jeans, a miniskirt with a longer top.

 

 

Get yourself a shift dress.

It’s one dress everyone looks great in. They’re usually constructed with darts at the bust, curve-enhancing seams and a shaped waist—all sveltering features.

Wear red!

In its deeper-hued incarnations, it absorbs light and therefore conceals just as well as darker (but not as exciting) colors. And because it is a color associated with power, your bold confidence in wearing it is ultimately the most figure-flattering trick of all.

Pick your prints wisely.

Prints aren’t as slimming as solid colors, but you can make them work for you by playing up their camouflaging features. If you’re bigger on the bottom, try pairing a printed A-line dress with a pair of black tights. The golden rule of prints: The smaller the print, the smaller you look.

 

Sport the right jacket.

Jackets that are hip-length with tailored lines will look sleek; ones that are too baggy or that pull are figure-flattery disasters. Tapered jackets will always whittle your waist.

Choose shapely skirts.

The tailored cut of a pencil skirt (we love that it’s not skintight through the hips) makes all bodies look sleek. A-line ones work wonders on anyone whose thighs are a little heavier.

Slip on a long cardigan.

Waist-length cardigans tend to shorten your body while long, hip-grazing versions make torsos seem long.

Dress up jeans with heels (and tuck in your shirt).

Ever wonder why you see this look again and again on celebs, in ads, in magazines? Because, done right, it makes every woman look longer and leaner. Most flattering: straight-leg or boot-cut jeans that sit on your hips (as opposed to at your waist or below your hipbone) and cover your instep when you’re in heels.

Use the right belt.

Try one with a little nylon stretch that comfortably pulls you in. Wider belts instead of skinny ones will actually make you look smaller.

Look for these flattering pants features:

• Flat-front styles. They’re instant minimizers if you’re curvy. Unlike pleats, a flat front creates an unbroken line across your stomach—making you look taller and slimmer.
• A waistband between one and two inches wide. Narrower ones can divide (and draw attention to) a tummy bulge.
• A slight flare. These have long been a top seller for a reason: They make hips look slimmer.
• A smidge of stretch. It helps pants hold on to the clean, sharp fit you bought them for.

 

 

Take notice of where your top meets your pants.

Anything that cuts you off at the waist adds pounds. You’ll look slimmer if your top and bottom meet just below the waist.

Keep white in your wardrobe.

It’s not as slimming as black, but it’s such a nice break from it—and if you keep the look fairly monochromatic, it can actually work nearly as well for you. Proportion is key; a loose white blouse with billowy sleeves begs for slim white jeans, while a -length white coat calls for simple but bold-hued separates.

From Glamour

Healthy-Hair Strategies

Healthy-Hair Strategies from Cosmopolitan

 

Getting hot locks can be a catch-22: You assault your mane with blow-dryers, brushes, and styling tools to make it look great. But over time, all that primping can leave hair dull and brittle. What’s a girl to do? Follow this advice from our book Cosmo’s Sexiest Beauty Secrets for preventing tress distress.

Suds up less often. Wash your mane every two days with a gentle shampoo to avoid stripping it of its natural oils.

Condition with care. Daily wear and tear saps hair of moisture. In addition to using a regular conditioner, treat your locks (especially your ends, which are driest) to a weekly intensive mask.

Keep tools in top shape. Old, worn bristles on your brush can rough up your hair’s cuticle. When shopping for a new one, run it down your arm. If the bristles feel abrasive, skip it. And while you already know that it’s best to detangle wet strands with a wide-tooth comb, African-American babes should do it in the shower, right after applying conditioner, to protect your fragile tresses.

Blow-dry, don’t blowtorch, your hair. Before you even as much as look at your blow-dryer, apply a thermal protective styling product (pick one that calls this out on the bottle). Dry your locks at least 50 percent with your dryer on the low-heat setting. Then you can crank up the heat and wield a brush. Once you get going, hold the dryer 3 inches away from your hair, point it downward, and keep it in constant motion to prevent fried sections.

Move on from metal. Go for a ceramic flatiron or curling iron. Unlike metal models, ceramic heats up evenly, so there are no strand-scorching hot spots. Another rule of thumb: Don’t heat any one section of hair longer than three counts of “Mississippi.”

You Should Know…

Scrub your scalp: A head massage not only feels amazing, but all that rubbing removes product buildup and boosts circulation so more nutrients can get to the hair follicle. So beg your stylist for an extra-long scrub session or do it yourself at home using your fingertips.

TLC for African-American strands: Blot, don’t rub, damp hair when you get out of the shower and always apply a leave-in conditioner when styling your hair with heat. Also, when you’re using a blow-dryer, keep it on the lowest setting the whole time.

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