I’ve compiled a few tips to help you find a pair that’s both flattering to your shape and comfortable.

photo credit: limpciano

The first step is fit.

You have to make sure the jeans you choose flatter your body shape and conceal your flaws. Are you an hourglass (curvy with a small waist), pear shaped (wider around your hips and bottom), ruler/ rectangle shaped (bust and hips are same size with less curves, more of an athletic build), apple shaped (waist size is larger as comparison to bust and hips). Finding out what body shape you are will make it easier in finding flattering jeans.
If you have an hourglass shape opt for skinny or low rise jeans to show off your curves. Pear-shapes should look for stretch jeans with a bit of flare to show off their curvy hips and even out their proportions. Ruler/rectangle shapes should look for boot cut or wide leg jeans to add more curves and define their athletic build. If you’re apple shaped try looking for high-waisted, boot cut, stretch jeans or jeans with a bit of flare at the bottom to even out your proportions.

Here’s a few more jean buying tips for every body!

-stretch jeans are great for comfort and a body hugging fit.
-boot cut and flare jeans give a lean and long look.
-cuffed jeans are not very flattering and will usually make your legs look shorter.
-shop for dark denim, light denim makes you look wider.
-tiny pockets on your butt will make it look oversized, low pockets will make your butt look higher. 5 pocket jeans are a classic and flatter most shapes.
-while in the fitting room, crouch down and move around to ensure jeans fit comfortably. The front button should close easily and the fly should remain flat.
-avoid those butt enhancing jeans. False advertisement. Love your booty even if it’s a little small, its still yours and confidence is sexy!
You will probably still need to try on various jeans to ensure you find a good fit. These are just a few tips to help make your shopping experience a bit easier !

Going to a party, date, business event, or dinner with friends?Can’t go wrong with a classic black dress.

Here’s a link to one that I found which is pretty flattering for most body shapes since it’s an a- line with empire waist.

Check it out ! Carve Designs Pullover Dress – Black

Feeling a bit more daring?! Try this pin up inspired dress.

Classic style with just the right amount of sexy and a comfortable fit. Sounds good to me. You be the judge, love it or leave it?!

The Micheline Dress in Black with Black Chiffon Trim by Pinup Couture

Feel free to send me a link to your favorite little black dress!

Today I came across the stylish w-bear down jackets from Parajumpers in Italy.

These jackets look stylish, super comfy, and are all the rage in the LA fashion scene right now.

They are also made with a fur trim made out of murmansky.

Murmansky fur? I had never heard of it, I just figured it was some funny name for a synthetic type of fur. Thats when I decided to do research. If you search murmansky into google and wikipedia not much shows up, but when looking for murmansky fur I came across this news article.
According to this article murmansky is… wait for it….

RACCOON DOG FUR.

“Murmansky (Nyctereutes Procyonides)”, or raccoon dog – a wild canid originally from eastern Siberia, northern China and Japan.

OMGWTF!!!

Once again citing the earlier BBC News article:

According to the Humane Society of the United States, which has carried out a large undercover investigation in Asia over the past few years, some Chinese manufacturers have admitted they would attach any label to the garments to make them more marketable.

The US organisation estimates that about two million dogs and cats are slaughtered in Asia each year and used in the clothing industry.

Personally, I think this is gross. Just more proof that you need to read labels and research before you buy!

Women sometimes store beauty products for quite a while or until the container is empty, but in reality these products do have an expiration date. When products go bad they don’t perform as well, and might possibly cause irritation or an infection.

When you open up a makeup or lotion jar it starts to oxidize and over time lose it’s consistancy. The oil from your fingertips also aids in makeup loosing it’s potency and can sometimes transfer germs and dirt. Not good for your face, and in some cases might cause mold or bacteria to grow on your makeup itself:( Store your makeup in a cool, dry spot instead of a humid environment (like a bathroom), the heat and humidity from your shower can help bacteria and mold grown on makeup.

Keep reading for a list of makeup products and their estimated shelf life, let me know if I missed any!

Mascara tube-

approximately 3 months. Mascara will start to get hard and clump your eyelashes when it’s time to be replaced.

Powder eyeshadow-

up to 2 years. If you notice your eyeshadows’ color changes or it starts to crack and smell, it’s time to toss it.

Eyeliner-

liquid= 6 months, pencil= 2 years ( make sure to sharpen after every use to prevent bacteria, and extend shelf life), cream=1 year.

Lipstick-

1 year. If you notice water beads or your favorite tube has a smell, toss it. I’ve heard that storing your lipstick in the fridge can help prolong it’s shelf life.

Blush-

up to 2 years, if you don’t use fingers to apply and clean your brushes regularly.

Foundation-

liquid and cream=1 year. Powder= 2 years.
Concealer- 1 year.

Nail polish-

2 years. Polish will change color and dry up when it’s time to replace it.

Lipgloss-

up to 6 months.

There you have it, a complete list of beauty product expiration dates.

Good hygiene is very important in helping your beauty products last longer and preventing bacteria from growing. Some products vary in expiration dates just remember; if it smells funky or changed colors it’s time to let it go.

Germs are spread from person to person that’s why washing your hands often is vital. Wash with warm water and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Eat whole foods, they help boost your immunity level. Meats, poultry, dairy, fruits and veggies are great examples of whole foods. Build your diet around them and avoid sugars and starches. Probiotics improve your bodys’ ability to fight infections and raise immunity a perfect example is plain yogurt.
Take your daily dose of vitamin C. Whether you prefer it in pill form or eating an actual orange is up to you, but make sure you get between 500-2000mg a day. Echinacea is also said to be helpful in preventing colds. It’s a flowering plant found throughout the U.S. and Canada. It comes in the form of supplements, liquid extracts and teas made from it’s leaves, stem, flower and roots.
Avoid stress and remember the number 8! Get your daily 8 hours of sleep and drink your daily 8 glasses of water.
These are tips you should live by not just to prevent colds but for overall health as well. Do you have any tips or homemade remedies to prevent and treat colds?

once you start seeing results you’ll get hooked and it will be smooth sailing from there!

Losing ten lbs overnight is unrealistic.

Losing ten lbs in one month can be accomplished. The recommended amount of weight you should loose is about 2-3 lbs per week. Daily exercise along with a healthy and balanced meal plan will give you that body you’ve been wanting. Keep reading for a few simple tips you can follow to loose weight and keep it off!

1. Drink water daily.

8 glasses a day is the recommended amount.

2. Workout for thirty minutes daily.

You have to do cardio and weight training in order to loose lbs and tone your body as well. You can trade off doing weights one day and cardio the next to give your muscles a rest.

3. Plan your meals in advance and try to eat at about the same time daily.

If you know what you’ll be eating in advance there’s less of a chance that you’ll eat junk or more than you should. Portion control is the key. Don’t restrict yourself, just eat in smaller portions. And remember, always eat breakfast and never skip meals. This aids in keeping your metabolism active throughout the day.

4. Keep a food journal.

Jot down your meals, caloric value, and physical activity done per day. Doing this will make you aware of everything that goes in your mouth and help you change your eating habits.

5. Weigh yourself at least once a week.

I know people say “don’t weigh yourself daily you’ll get obsessed!” but there’s a difference between being obsessed and aware. Remember being healthy and fit involves more than a number on a scale. Don’t freak out , run to the gym and starve yourself if you gained a pound. Your weight fluctuates daily between 5-10lbs because of a few reasons including weather and water intake. Also, muscle weighs more than fat so don’t give up if the numbers don’t go down right away.

6. Lifting weights means you have to get your protein.

Eat foods high in it like meat, chicken and fish. Eat your veggies as well, mom was right they’re good for you! Remember that food pyramid from back in health class?

7. To get sleek- well defined muscles use light weights and more repetitions.

For example, lift lighter or moderate weights and do about 5 sets of 10-13 reps.

8. Take up yoga or pilates.

These workouts are great in toning your entire body. They use your own weight for resistance and target specific problem areas. Circuit training is another great option. It’s a combination of light weights and exercises to help tone your body and burn fat.

Remember a healthy and balanced diet along with daily physical activity are needed for your success.

These tips have helped me out and I hope you enjoy them as well!

* This information is not intended to substitute medical opinions, seek a health-care professional for that*

Homemade recipe for frizzy hair:

You will need olive oil (amount depends on hair thickness and length), a plastic cap, half a lemon, and water.
Warm up olive oil and apply to your hair from root to ends, put plastic cap on for about 30 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water. For extra shine rinse with a half lemon half warm water mixture and say goodbye to frizzies! Do this once a week for best results.

photo credit: Shishb

Homemade recipe for sugar body scrub:

Mix one cup of sugar and half a cup of olive oil. Use in shower like a regular scrub once a week to leave your skin feeling oh so yummy! ( you can also grate a lemon and add the zest in to brighten and even out your skin tone.)

Homemade beauty recipe for oatmeal face wash:

you will need oatmeal, witch hazel, and water. First wet the oatmeal then add about two tsp. of witch hazel. You can also add two drops of olive oil if you’re skin is dry. Add a few more drops of water to make a paste and apply to your face with a gentle massaging motion. Rinse with warm water.

photo credit: Mr. T in DC

Quick Tip: Ever run out of shaving cream? Use olive oil or hair conditioner for a smooth shave.

Homemade blackhead removal method:

all you need is some honey. Warm it up and apply it to affected areas on face leave it on for 12 minutes and rinse off with warm water. Facial steamers are also good for blackhead removal.

Homemade energizing coffee foot scrub:

you will need ground coffee, ground oatmeal, sea salt, olive oil, peppermint oil. Mix the ingredients well ,about four tsps. of each ingredient and two drops of the peppermint oil. Scrub feet in circular motions, rinse off with warm water and dry with a warm towel.

Hope these homemade recipes were useful.

Got any of your own?!

photo credit: helgasms!

photo credit: ~ aliwin ~

What’s up with that? Personally I believe the culprit is, as usual, the media. Most celebrites wear tons of makeup and are sometimes humiliated when spotted without it. In their business they have to wear all that makeup, taking pictures, shooting movies, regardless off all the photoshop done on them afterwards. They have to cover up every oversized pore, and conceal every pimple, vamp out their eyes, and plump their lips, because they are portraying an image. But it’s pretty normal to see girls walking down anywhere from the grocery store to grabbing a fast food meal with full caked on makeup. Specially if they work at certain makeup counters. I understand they’re trying to sell a product but is it a job requirement to advertise every item on their face? Don’t get me wrong, those girls have talent and do great looks, but personally sometimes they’re a little too overdone.

photo credit: milena mihaylova

Wearing too much makeup daily isn’t great for your skin either it needs to breathe.
I’m not being judgemental, I love makeup and wear it most if not every day, but I prefer accentuating one best feature and keeping the rest more natural. For example, if you have gorgeous lips wear your favorite shade of lipstick, liner and gloss and keep your eyeshadow bare or to a minimum. Stunning eyes? Play with shadows, eyeliner, mascara and keep the rest soft. Great cheekbones? Show them off with your blush blending skills. There’s no need to wear tons of foundation, heavy eyeshadow, dark lipstick, and sultry blush all at once, unless you’re going to an event or such. Its unbelievable how some women go to certain extremes as to waking up before their husbands to apply their makeup before the hub realizes they have a few freckles. It just seems a little too much, at least in my opinion.
Makeup is an art and a way to express individuality, it’s one of those things that make being a girl great but it shouldn’t have to conceal your face. It’s not much of a turn on for guys getting all that lipstick, foundation, and other products all over them, even worse not recognizing a girl when all the makeup washes off.

photo credit: Ben Chau
Just remember ladies, makeup should be used to accentuate a woman’s beauty, not define it.

Dry skin happens for various reasons including genetics, diet, vitamin deficiencies, skin conditions and most often environmental factors.

Around winter, temperatures drop, the air is dryer, and winds are harsh. All these factors can irritate your skin making it dry and sometimes peel or even crack.

Here’s a few things you can do to prevent and treat dry skin.

This ones hard to avoid but even cutting down helps.

Tap water has many chemicals that can be tough on your skin. try limiting the amount of times you use tap water esecially on your face. Also remember to use lukewarm water rather than hot since hot water takes moisture from your skin.
moisturize daily!

Normal everyday activities and weather conditions affect skins natural moisture level so it’s very important to replenish lost moisture. look for creamy but light moisturizers so they won’t leave your skin looking greasy. one of my favorite body lotions is Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Lotion ($7.99 local drugstores).
Use creamy bodywashes rather than using a bar soap since they can strip your skin of natural oils and dry it out.

There’s a vast amount of body washes promising to leave skin silky but everybody is different so it’s a good idea to test out different ones and see which one quenches your skin better. I prefer bodywashes that are infused with oils and have Shea butter, aloe vera or other natural moisture enhancing ingredients.
Exfoliate to remove dead cells and flaky skin.

Limit exfoliation to twice a week maximum, or once weekly or bi-weekly depending on how sensitive your skin is. over doing it can cause skin irritation and dryness.
Take vitamins.

They help maintain your body from the inside out. Omega 3 fish oil pills (sounds bad, it’s not) are excellent for dry skin.
Don’t forget about your lips, hands and feet.

Use lip balm to prevent chapped lips. One that works for me is Burt’s Bees Lip Balm ($4.99 local drugstores) or for very chapped lips try Carmex tube ($1.69 local drugstores). Avoid licking your lips and don’t over do it with the lip balm since too much can make chapped lips worse. to keep hands soft use a hand salve. try Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve ($12.50 at kiehls.com). A good fix for very dry hands/ feet is to apply a thick lotion or Vaseline before going to bed and wear gloves/socks so moisture is sealed in.

photo credit: Victor Bezrukov

Here’s an all natural homemade facial recipe for extra dry skin.

It’s used as a mask and recommended once a week to help heal dry skin.
you’ll need:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. of honey
• 1 tsp. of olive oil

application: mix ingredients and apply over face. leave on for about 15 mins remove with lukewarm water.
Try it out and let me know what you think! or share any recipes or tips you have to battle crocodile skin around the holidays!

photo credit: Tom@HK

The more sugar-filled foods you put in your body, the harder it is to resist them, but there are a few things you can do to stop your sugar cravings.

photo credit: jonrawlinson

To stop first you must know why sugar cravings happen.

Two of the main reasons why you get sugar cravings are adrenaline which is pretty much when your body needs energy, and serotonin a feel good hormone which is released in short bursts by sugars. Usually sugar cravings are predominant when you’re distracted, stressed, or for some women before their period. Having some sugar in your diet isn’t bad. Your body needs some sugar to function, but most of the time we overdo it.

Sugar is found in lots of foods, here’s a few other names used to disguise it :

Brown sugar, corn syrup,demerara sugar,dextrose, free flowing brown sugars, fructose, galactose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup,invert sugar, lactose, malt, molasses, maple syrup, sucrose, and maltose.

Keep reading to learn a couple things you can do to stop your sugar cravings!

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

-cut down your sugar intake over time don’t try going cold turkey. And if you do overindulge don’t beat yourself up for it, instead see why it happened and how you could change it. For instance, If your used to drinking a soda daily, try limiting to two sodas a week and keep cutting down as the weeks go by. Don’t try to live a sugar-free life we all need some sugar in our bodies. The key is portion control.

-drink more water. Drink at least eight glasses of water. Sometimes people mistake hunger for thirst, so before you go for that donut drink a glass of water! Keeping hydrated keeps you alert and prevents overindulging.

-exercise daily. Keep a balanced diet. Eat more veggies and fruits.This will help keep your body strong and healthy. Working out daily releases serotonin and prevents stress, which in turn will make it easy to prevent sugar cravings. Keeping a balanced diet and eating more veggies will keep you full longer and make it easier to skip that unnecessary sugary snack. Avoid processed foods. They are usually super high in sugar and salt.

-keep healthy snacks at hand. Such as sliced apples, baby carrots, nuts, dried fruits and berries. Avoid keeping too much junk food around. Instead of buying a gallon of ice cream and keeping it at home go out and buy a single serving when you want a sweet treat!

-get enough rest. If you skip your recommended eight hours a day you’re body will suffer overtime. You might experience health consequences Iike high blood pressure, trouble concentrating, and even high cholesterol. While you’re sleeping, you’re immune system and organs are working on cleansing and restoring.

Much of the body’s healing work takes place while you sleep.

-try to eat your meals at the sand time everyday and don’t skip meals. This will help regulate your body and prevent eating when you’re not supposed to.

Hope you enjoyed and found these sugary tips useful. Are there any tips or tricks you use to fight sugar cravings? I’d love to hear them!

photo credit: Flóra