Connect With Us

Archive for July 2011

Look Fabulous in Every Photo

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (0)
Saturday, July 30th, 2011

It’s that time of year again; time for having your picture taken at all different events such as weddings, graduations, picnics and other celebrations. Follow these easy tips and you’ll look fabulous every time.

Men-Make sure your fly is closed. This isn’t the time to go scruffy. Make sure you’re freshly shaved or if you have facial hair, that it’s recently trimmed and groomed. Take time to trim and/or pluck brows, nose hair and ear hair. Seriously.

Women-Make sure you don’t have lipstick on your teeth. Blot off all oil and shininess (paper towels work great). Plump up your hair if it’s lost its volume.

Both genders-Make sure your shoes are clean and shined. Smile as naturally as possible. You don’t want to look forced or uncomfortable. Slightly lower and push forward your chin. This will help with lines and double chins.

Stand at a diagonal with one foot in front of the other. Remember that air equals slimness so stand with your hand on your hip so there’s air between your body and arm.

Follow these tips, and you won’t be afraid to show off you and those pearly whites.

 

Comments (0)
Categories : Beauty Tips
Tags : , , , ,

How to Save Money While Packing for a Trip

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (0)
Friday, July 29th, 2011

Going on a trip this summer or fall? If you’re driving, space may not be an issue but if you’re flying, you need to make the most of every square inch of your carry on suitcase so you don’t have to pay extra fees.

To save as much room as possible, wear your thickest, largest layers on the plane. You’ll be happy to have the added warmth.

Determine a color scheme for your clothes-1 or 2 neutrals depending on the length of your trip. Then pick a couple of colors in your color palette to add punch to your outfits. This will make creating outfits easy and take up less suitcase space since you won’t have needless garments.

Instead of folding your clothes, roll them. It will make them smaller than folding and you’ll be able to get more in. stuff the toes of your shoes with socks or small toiletries.

Use zip lock bags for everything that’s wet (such as toiletries). You may even want to double bag them. Better safe than wet, messy, dirty suitcase contents.

Make sure your toiletry bag is packed with travel sizes that you have filled since your last trip. It doesn’t make sense to get to your destination and find you only have a day’s worth of shampoo or toothpaste.

Here’s a trick if you are so inclined: take underwear (none with holes-throw them out now!) that may be somewhat worn and instead of bringing them back home, throw them out after using. You could also do the same with socks. More space for souvenirs and less laundry!

All of these tips will make your costs less and give you more room for travel purchases (like more clothes).

Comments (0)
Categories : Fashion Tips
Tags : , , , , ,

7 Wardrobe Essentials for Summer (both genders)

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (2)
Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

It’s been a mighty hot summer so far. Has your wardrobe taken a beating? Is it still clean, pressed and ready? Are you ready for the work week, weekends, events, networking, picnics and other fun summer activities?

If you’re not quite sure, or you know for sure you’re not, here are 7 wardrobe essentials that will give you a great foundation for everything you need to do this hot, long summer.

1. Crisp white shirt/blouse-caveat: if your coloring dictates off white or cream, substitute the correct shade. There’s nothing like a crisp white shirt/blouse for all things professional. You can also dress it down and wear it with jeans on the weekend. Depending on the quality of garment you invest in, it may last for a few seasons or just one. Once it gets dingy or starts to lose its shape, get a new one.

2. Trench coat-instead of a garish raincoat, invest in a quality trench coat that you can wear on rainy days or chilly mornings. You will get a lot of wear out of it and it will protect your clothing underneath. Women, you can find trench coats in many different colors so pick one you can live with for the life of the coat.

 

 

 

 

3. Lightweight cashmere cardigan (neutral color)-think of all the ways you can wear this. You can dress it up with a dress shirt or blouse for the office. You can also wear it over a dress or cute top and skirt. Easy! Afterhours you can throw on a t-shirt underneath and rock it with some jeans and sneakers. In a pinch, you can even use it as a swimsuit cover up (just don’t get it wet).

 

 

 

 

4. Swimsuit-yes, this does strike horror in many hearts but if you’re going anywhere near a pool, lake or other body of water, you need one. Look for one that’s appropriate for many occasions (actual swimming, pool party, boating), which usually means skip the skimpy, barely there one that will probably end up embarrassing you with a malfunction. Men, I beg you, leave the speedo-like ones for underwear models. Make sure, no matter what your gender, you get one that works well with your figure type and coloring.

5. Light, neutral colored no iron pant-okay, there may be minimal ironing but it’s better than slaving away for hours during the hot days of summer. Light colors reflect light which means they’ll be cooler than dark colors. Idea: pair them with your white shirt/blouse and cardigan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image by Tony Marinella

6. Scarf-yes, men wear scarves and look very handsome doing so. Your scarf will be different than women’s-no floral. Pick either a cotton solid or geometric print that is in colors you feel comfortable with. Hang it around your neck on cool days. Ladies, pick the type of fabric, color and pattern that moves you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Well fitting bra-men, you can skip this one. Women, this is the most important item of the whole list. If you don’t have the correct foundation, your look, no matter what you’re wearing, will be off. A correctly fitting bra will make you look thinner, younger and maybe even taller. It lifts your chest and gives you more room between your chest and waist which makes you look thinner. There are many department stores that do it for no charge. Go do it today!

These essentials will get you through the rest of this hot, hot summer in style!

Comments (2)
Categories : Fashion Tips
Tags : , , , , , , ,

Men: Are You a Bear or Stallion?

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (0)
Friday, July 15th, 2011

Which animal do you look more like, a bear or stallion? No, I’m not talking about their physique. I’m wondering about body hair. Are you hairy like a bear or sleek like a stallion?

Body hair on a man is culturally changing. Back in the day, you could be a hairy, unkempt male and everything was okay. Today, not so much. You don’t have to shave your extremities yet (unless you’re in certain sports) but you do need to stay groomed.

When you’re young, you need to keep your facial hair either shaved or trimmed. You also need to keep your eyebrows trimmed, if you’re like a bear. If you have a unibrow, pluck or wax it.

When you get older, you need to do the same things as when younger and add keeping your nose hairs trimmed and your ear hairs trimmed inside and plucked on the outside. Even though you think these areas aren’t noticeable, they are and reflect on how you take care of yourself.

Your eyebrows at this time in your life need to be trimmed regularly because there’s nothing stranger than a man with long wild brows. Don’t say they’re your trademark. That’s just weird.

For bears of all ages, make sure you always wear an undershirt to shield your chest hair from people.

If you follow these tips on a regular schedule, you can be confident that you’re properly groomed.

Comments (0)
Categories : Beauty Tips
Tags : , , , ,

The Anatomy of a High Heel

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (1)
Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Have you ever wondered the different parts of the object of torture you’re wearing on your precious feet? Here’s a basic lesson so you can make informed choices in the future.

Last-This is a model of the foot which establishes the arch which determines how your weight is distributed along the length of your foot. If your arch doesn’t conform to it, the shoe will always be uncomfortable. This is why it’s very important to try on both shoes and walk around.

Shank-This is the curve of the shoe under the arch. The shank absorbs your body weight through the ball of your foot and across the top of your foot. Quality is very important for comfort.

Quarter-This is the back of the shoe where it touches your foot. If it’s too low it won’t offer support. If it’s too high it will dig
into your ankle.

Vamp-This is how high or low a shoe is cut for the toes. The higher the vamp, the more support there is which also helps keep your foot in position so it doesn’t slide back or forth. Especially with high heels, it’s important to have a high vamp.

Toe box-This is obviously where your toes sit. It can be pointy, round or square. The one you pick should complement your height and body type. No matter how pointy the toe box is, you need to be able to wiggle your toes.

Heel height-This can be anywhere from 2” to 6” or higher. Even though the media (and retailers) show you that every woman is always in stilettos, that’s not true, nor is it healthy for your feet or back. About 2 ½” is a good maximum height you can probably do on a daily basis.

Heel width-Generally high heels are thinner although it is stylish now to wear a chunky platform heel which may be quite high. If you don’t like high heels but want the illusion of wearing them, wear kitten heels which are low but thinner and give you the look of wearing heels.

I hope this simple lesson gives you ammunition to make an informed, comfortable choice for your next shoes.

Comments (1)
Categories : Fashion Tips
Tags : , , ,

Fun & Different Laptop Bags

By Kimberly Gomez · Comments (2)
Friday, July 1st, 2011
A colleague recently asked for me to give her some options for briefcases and laptop bags that are fun and different; not the usual black or dark brown leather. I did have to search to find ones that had flair but I did end up finding some that will make heads turn in admiration as you enter the workplace, a meeting or a networking event. I found more laptop bags than strictly briefcases but of course you can use a laptop bag as both.
CoolComputerBags.com has nice options at all different price points (all images are from they’re website) such as the Amy Butler Harmony Laptop Bag for $179.99Amy Butler Harmony Laptop Bag
Caught Ya Lookin $119.99 can be monogrammed

Laurex laptop messenger $59.99

Mellow World Charmer Rolling Laptop $152.15

As you can see www.computerbags.com has great options for you. They also carry tablet covers, laptop sleeves and other bags of different kinds.

Another website I found with out of the ordinary options is www.ebags.com. They have an extensive selection of all different kinds of bags for everyone in your family. Of course I chose the fun ones for you (all images are from their website). The first one that caught my eye is this Giraffe Rolling (what’s better than rolling??) for $67.99.
Another bag that caught my eye was this pretty purple “Mimosa” rolling laptop bag for $124.80.
For those of you that want a little more refined look, here’s a bag that loosely resembles a Birken bag (never a bad thing) for $83.99. Much less costly than the real thing!
Here’s a hip backpack that you can put a laptop in and many other things. The price is an incredibly low $27.99.
I hope these give you some ideas on ways you can make a great impression with your bags.
All prices are as of this posting on July 1, 2011.
Comments (2)
Categories : Fashion Tips