I want to make sure you mark your calendar for an exciting free telecall that will get you out of your fashion rut and into a put-together and fabulous style.
DATE: Wednesday, January, 27, 2010 at 12 pm Eastern
TOPIC: “Get Out of Your Fashion Rut: 5 Simple Ways to Jump Out”
(In a hurry? Click here and sign up.)
It’s so easy to fall into the habit of walking into your closet and emerging wearing the same boring outfit you always wear. It’s safe, and much easier than dwelling over your lack of other options.
Let’s face it. It’s easy to find yourself in a fashion rut.
Spice up your wardrobe and love what you wear by joining me for this free telecall “Get Out of Your Fashion Rut: 5 Simple Ways to Jump Out.” On this call you will discover:

• What style secrets can constantly refresh your wardrobe.
• How to never fall into a fashion rut again.
• What three simple things can change up an old favorite.
• How to make your wardrobe feel fun and new without spending a lot of money.
• What three rules every piece of your clothing must follow.

This call will be recorded. Just sign up and the recording will automatically be emailed to you after the call.

Reserve your space today!

See you there!

I love when the sale alerts from Shop It to Me hit my inbox each day. You never know what kind of deals will be delivered straight to you. Today as I scrolled through my selections I was struck by this Nanette Lepore top. At first glance I was surprised to see a pluz-size model, but then I realized it was actually the top making this model look larger than she really is. Nanette Lepore is a beautiful designer and so is this top. However, I point it out as an illustration that your body is not the enemy; often it is your clothes that are doing you a disservice.

This top gives our model friend zero shape making her look top heavy and shapeless. You can see from the picture of her in the more structured dress that she has a beautiful shape that is completely different from what we see in the red top.

No matter what you typically spend on clothes, they are an investment. When you invest your money you expect a return, and you should expect nothing less from your clothes. Your clothes should work hard to make you feel happy and look your best. A good investment is clothing that fits like a glove, makes you feel great, and that you can wear over and over again.

The next time you try on something new ask yourself what it can do for you. If the answer isn’t “This makes me feel great and I look fabulous” put it back and move on.

Written by Kelly Tick

Great clothes with visible panty lines are like makeup on neglected skin. That’s right, skincare is like your make up’s undies. You probably wouldn’t go out of the house without a bra on, try to think of your skincare routine in the same way.

Our skin changes all through our lives; hormones, stress, weather, climate, all have an effect on our skin. Proper cleansing, and moisturization are crucial to making our skin look it’s best. Finding a good dermatologist is also essential. They can help with correcting damage (I just had two post baby sun-spots frozen off in the office for $20!) and they can recommend treatments such as Obagi or Retin-A to smooth and soften the skin. 

Regardless of what kind of skin you inherited, many problems can be corrected or controlled. Sometimes in a simple, straight-forward way, sometimes in a counter-intuitive way. Take for example oily skin: you hate it because you break out and make-up slides off. Well, for one thing take heart, you ain’t gonna wrinkle easily. Finding the right products for your skin and following the routine will be essential.

Maybe you deal with dry skin. Dry skin is lucky because it doesn’t usually suffer breakouts like our non-wrinkling oily peers. Dry skin sometimes requires several levels of help. You’ll want to make sure you’re cleansing gently and moisturizing well; I love Laura Mercier’s Emu oil cream.

For all of us eye cream is a must. The skin around the eyes is very delicate and prone to showing and telling. When we  sleep poorly, drink too much, cry into our pillow all night- our under-eye area tells the tale. Using an eye cream everyday will help to lessen the look of fine lines and wrinkles and the pressure you use to apply the cream helps to reduce puffiness.

Here’s wishing you gorgeous, glowing skin!

Kelly Tick is a freelance makeup artist in Charleston, South Carolina. She worked for years as a makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue and is specifically trained by Yves Saint Laurent Cosmetics and Clarins of Paris. She believes that simple techniques and excellent products can transform a person.

1.         No matter where you are going or what you may do, create an appearance each morning that makes you feel confident and happy.

2.         Kick laziness to the curb. 

3.         Organize your closet so it works for you. 

4.         Stay consistent with the image you want to portray. 

5.         Take care of your wardrobe. 

6.         Edit your closet. 

7.         When in doubt, make it work. (Thanks Tim Gunn!)

8.         Get in the habit of tailoring your clothes.

9.         Don’t settle when buying wardrobe pieces. 

10.   Make an effort. Small steps have a big impact.

The gift of an experience

Create memories: Present requires your presence

Before you can discover a style that is right for you, you need to know why having a style matters.

1. Style is fun. Think about how much fun you had as a kid playing dress up. It was an outlet to be whatever you wanted to be. All you had to do was put on a frilly dress and you could become a princess. Actually when we get dressed each morning you do the same thing, except your clothes are no longer kept in a box in the playroom. You put on certain clothes and you feel more confident, more bad ass, more put-together, more modern, whatever strikes a chord with you. If you haven’t felt any of those feelings in a long time, I recommend playing dress up in your own closet.

2. Style affects the way people perceive you. Your style makes up your appearance, which sends a message to the rest of the world about who you are. 55% of the judgment people make comes from your appearance alone. You may think that anyone who would make judgments based on appearance alone is egotistical and not someone you would have a lot of contact with. The fact is, we live in a very visual society. Without even realizing it you make judgments about all sorts of things just by glancing at them. Things like, whether or not to try a new restaurant based on the way the outside looks, what fruit looks the most delicious, if you want to be friends with the neighbors that just moved in, everything! Judging by appearance alone is simply human nature. 

In the spirit of trying to play by the rules and wear what you think is appropriate, or, what you “should” wear, it is really easy to end up losing yourself in a style that just isn’t an authentic version of who you are. Often times you end up thinking something is your style, when it is actually the opposite of the look and feel you want to achieve from your clothing.
To feel more authentic about who you are in your clothes you have to dress intentionally. This means you purposefully choose clothing that makes you feel and look a certain way. You become very disciplined about what you buy and what is allowed to live in your closet. If a shirt doesn’t make you feel great and doesn’t help you portray who you are, it’s simply not for you. That doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you, or your body, it just means that it’s not the shirt for you. There will be plenty others!
Clothing then becomes something that you enjoy wearing, not something you have to wear because you can’t leave the house naked. Getting dressed becomes easier each morning. Think about the days you are able to dress quickly and easily. Those are usually the days that you love what you are wearing. Alternatively, it takes a few tries to put on an outfit that doesn’t match who you are. You’ll change your clothes over and over again because they never feel quite right. It never feels authentic.
The next time you are out shopping, or editing your closet, I encourage you to really think about your clothing. Does your clothing match the image you want to portray? Does it make you feel great? If not, spend some time figuring out the disconnect and become disciplined about what clothing truly puts a kick in your step.

This is the season for shopping! Follow these shopping rules for a more successful shopping experience.

1.      A deal isn’t always a deal.

You only wear 20% of the clothing you own. For a second go back and think about the 80% of your clothing that you don’t wear. How much of that did you buy because it seemed like a great deal? Deals can often get you into trouble. Based on price alone you often end up buying items you don’t really need. You’re seduced by the price tag, not the way they can serve you and your style. Be disciplined about what you need. If you know that you desperately need shoes that are appropriate for work and only have a certain budget, a designer dress no matter how great of a deal, isn’t going to help you figure out what shoes to wear on Monday morning.

2.      You should be able to think of more than one way to wear something before purchasing.

The second rule of shopping is that you shouldn’t buy something unless it can be worn multiple times or in multiple ways. When you are shopping for new items think about how they can mix in with the clothing you already own. If you’re considering buying a great jacket, think about whether or not it will be versatile enough to wear to work and also casually on the weekend with a pair of jeans. Or is it a jacket that you don’t have anything to wear with. There are lots of pieces that make up that 80% of your clothing that you don’t wear that were bought because you figured you would find something to wear with them later, but never did.  Be disciplined about what you need and how it can work for you.

3.      Your body is not the enemy.

The third shopping rule is to remember that your body is not the enemy. That may sound funny, but what’s not funny is that for many of you shopping is really frustrating. We end up taking out our frustration of not finding something on ourselves. It is not your fault when something doesn’t fit you quite right. The challenge is that we are all totally different sizes and proportions. Some brands and cuts simply might not work for your body shape, but others will.

I recently bought this Karina dress at one of my favorite stores, Mary Mojo Boutique. It is kind of wild for me, but the fit is perfect and I loved the idea of trying something bold and different. Prints get a bad rap for being too memorable making them hard to wear over and over again. On the contrary, prints offer a chic and sophisticated look and can definitely be styled different ways. Check out the ways I’ve worn this fun dress.

The Dress

This dress can be worn with any of these 5 pairs of shoes.

For a casual look I added a jean jacket, red belt, and casual black boots.

For a more professional look I added a red heel and fitted black jacket.

How can you wear something different from your closet? Add a tight? A jacket? A cardigan? Play dress up in your own closet and see what you come up with.

Message from Lee

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of being perfect. You work hard to have the perfect career. You workout at the gym to get the perfect body. You buy more and more clothes in search of the perfect outfit. I think that the pursuit of perfection can drive you nuts! Is anyone or anything ever really perfect?

Style is never perfect, and that is what is so great about it. My perfect outfit could be your least favorite outfit, and your perfect pair of shoes might be ones I can barely walk in. Style is all about you. It exists to tell the world who you are, not set a standard of perfection you must meet to be considered stylish.

When you look at fashion magazines and see women who look perfect, don’t assume you can’t have that “perfect” style too. Why not? All you have to do is learn how to adapt that “perfect” style to work for your body shape and lifestyle. It’s easy to give up and conclude you can never look a certain way. I believe with a little knowledge about who you are, you can have the look or style that you want to achieve.