You have to feel sorry for the Olsen Twins. I wonder who dresses them and does their makeup? They no longer look healthy and beautiful do they?
The one on the left (can you tell who is who?) looks like she is going for Grandma of the Year award. There is nothing about her look that is good. Her hair is the wrong colour for her skin and it looks brassy. She has no cleavage to spill out of the deeply slashed neckline. One look at her face and all you see are eyes. They even outweigh the red lips.
Smokey eyes have been in vogue for some time now and can look stunning. They were primarily used on catwalk models to add drama to the look, and to make the models all look alike. Have a look at the pic beside the Olsens. This is makeup for the catwalk. It is on a pale face and is very heavy on the eyeliner. They look wonderful for modelling but imagine bumping into them at the Golden Globes? Scary!
The sad thing about wearing so much eye liner under the eye is that it can close it in and make it look smaller. The Olsens have wonderful, big, luminous eyes, but they are lost here in the overdone makeup.
If you want to do the Smokey Eye look, have a look at the way Keira Knightley has done hers. They are elegant and not overdone. She has achieved the smoky look without drowning her eyes in it. The colours she has used are soft to match her gentle colouring. If she had black hair she could have been a little heavier on the shadowing, but you need to take into account your natural colouring. Blondes will not need dramatic black to get the look because a little darkness will be a big contrast naturally.
So choose your colours carefully - look at the colour but at the strength of colour too. Black is not always best, even for smokey eyes.
Some days life can be boring. It is an endless round of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and picking up of rubbish left around the house. We all know the feeling. Why not challenge yourself? Step out of your comfort zone while you work?
Try this new wonderful sport. It is called extreme ironing. If you don’t mind risking your life in the quest for smooth creaseless clothes, then maybe it is for you.
Visit Extreme Ironing and see what other people get up to when they iron!
Jewellery Sample Packs.
Australian business Beauty Banquet is an online store that sells fashion beach style jewellery both retail and wholesale. Part of the intent behind the Beauty Banquet business is to help women who have been out of the work force a while to start their own business.
One way to start a business is to build their own online jewellery store or party plan business.
To make it easy to get started the company offers jewellery sample packs of excellent value. They are priced at AUD$50 and $100 and include a wonderful cross section of their fashion jewellery range and a sample piece of sterling silver. A sample pack is an easy way to kick off your business - just buy it and sell it on for profit.
Beauty Banquet offer support in starting your business. They can help you put together a basic business plan so that you know what you are going to do.
If you are looking to start a business then visit Beauty Banquet before you do another thing. International customers please visit the international branch at Shell and Bead Jewellery.
Spotted on the forum at www.realmums.com.au
Some people are like Slinkies: not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs
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Chocolate has been an essential part of life since the Mayans discovered it around 2000 years ago. It was used in ceremonies and rituals in much the same way that champagne is used today.
I admit to being chocolate worshipper and decided to share with you the 7 Wonders of the World - chocolate world, that is.
1. The Cacao Tree.
I bow in respect to the tree that can create such a magic pod. It is the true fountain of life.
2. Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
The rich red against the warm chocolate colour is a work of art. The taste of fresh, tangy strawberry mixed with rich, creamy chocolate is a divine experience for the tastebuds.
3. Chocolate Ice Cream.
The perfect summer food. It cools as it soothes the palate and the emotions. Chocolate ice-cream is the definition of summer serenity.
4.Hot Chocolate Drink.
Oh what a life saver! Oh what a diet saver! Even the low fat versions of the chocolate drink are tasty. In the summer, try a chocolate milk shake. If you love your chocolate drinks, try this one:
Chocolate Caliente
4 squares Cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 cups of skim milk
2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time. Do not allow it to boil, but when it is hot, whisk the drink and then pour into cups. If you would like, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon over the top of the drink. Some people like to add a touch of sugar when stirring the drink into the pan.
5. Chocolate Fondue
How wonderful it is to be able to select something that appeals to you, and then dip it into warm, rich chocolate. Strawberries, marshmallows, banana lollies………aaahhh. Don’t have a fondue? Don’t worry. Try a chocolate body paint and see what you can apply it to.
6. Tim Tams.
Need I say more? These little beauties have been the saviour of many a mum for years. Midnight snacks, temper soothers, power boosters and hormone controllers. Forget the fancy flavours. The original Tim Tam is perfect.
7. Flourless Chocolate Cake with Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce.
Soft, moist, rich, pure chocolate heaven in cake form. The warm chocolate sauce adds a different texture to the gorgeous sin on your plate. Coming close behind it is the Chocolate Mud Cake - for those days when you just can’t get the other one.
There are many other chocolate pleasures that deserve to be listed but we could be here forever. As Dianna Troi (Star Trek - The Next Generation) says, “I never met a chocolate I didn’t like.”
No matter how expensive your outfit or how much jewellery you wear, nothing will stamp you as a slob as much as poor table manners.
I’m not talking about in which order to use your cutlery, or dinner party etiquette. I am not talking about snob level manners. I am talking about simple, basic table manners that your Mother would have taught you. Why do we think we no longer have to use those manners now that we are adults?
I recently went out to our local bistro for a meal. It is nothing fancy (no crystal glasses) and fairly casual. The tables are well set with cutlery and proper table napkins, and it is quite a popular place to eat. I watched a beautifully presented woman arrive with her family and they sat adjacent to our table. As soon as she began to eat her lovely image was shattered. I was reminded very much of all the rules that my mother taught me about table manners.
1. Don’t eat with your elbows on the table.
There is no way that you can elegantly eat with your elbows on the table. You have to hunch over to reach your food and to eat from your fork. Your posture is bad and you end up sitting with a hunched back, like a really old lady. It does not help you digestion either.
2. Don’t chew with your mouth open.
What a horrible sight it is when you see the half chewed matter inside your dinner partners mouth. What potential for spits and dribbles too! Keep your mouth closed while you have food in it.
3. Don’t eat with your fingers.
You have cutlery, so use it. Keep your fingers clean and look as though you understand about hygiene. Although there are some items that you will need to eat with your hands (think hanburgers, hot dogs) these are usually for casual meals. When you are sitting at a table think about how Princess Diana would have eaten the meal. Can you see her picking at her plate with her fingers?
4. Sit on the chair.
Don’t tilt it or rock in it. You are asking to fall backwards, legs in the air! How graceful can you be in that position? Sit on the chair with your feet on the floor. Please do not put a foot on the chair as you eat. Your knees are not designed to be under your nose.
5. Don’t speak with your mouth full.
You cannot eat and converse at the same time without showing half chewed food, or spitting at your partner. People are happy to wait until you finish chewing to hear your reply. Assuming you haven’t shovelled great lumps of food into your mouth, they won’t have to wait long.
6. Don’t pick at your teeth.
There is nothing worse than watching people pick at pieces of food stuck in their teeth. Keep your fingers out of your mouth. Rolling your tongue around your teeth only makes you look as though your dentures are loose. If it is bothering you, excuse yourself and leave the table while you correct it.
I am sure that you heard your mother telling you these things while you were a child, too. She was right. You can get away with not knowing which fork to use if you have decent manners. If you are not confident, pick yourself an elegant role model (like Princess Diana, Jackie Onassis, Audrey Hepburn) and think about how they would have behaved. Remember, image is in the way you behave as much as in the way you dress.
Just in case you are wondering, yes - the beautifully dressed woman broke all those rules at the one meal, and her lovely outfit was stained by the time she went home.
Article by Anne Maybus,
www.divadays.com.au .
Do you ever have those days where you wonder what ever happened to the body that you used to have?
How long is it since you did something that was just for your fun, health and fitness? Something where you didn’t have to take anyone else into account?
Does this sound familiar?
The last time I remember my body being truly my own was as a child. It did everything I wanted it to do, when I wanted to do it. The sheer bliss of being able to run, climb and skip when I wanted to! All I had to do was feed it and keep it clean.
By the time I was about 15 it seemed to me that my body was becoming something out of my control. It was an item for other girls to comment on, and boys to whistle at. In many ways it was a liability and, like many teenagers, I lived with embarrassment for years.
Then I got married and started to share my body with someone else, but at least I got to share his too! Inevitably I became pregnant. My body belonged completely to the little alien invaders who arrived out of nowhere and took control. It was sick in the morning, ravenous during the day and uncomfortable most of the time. It moved of its own accord - nope, nothing to do with me.
Since then who has time to think about what their body wants? We are too busy trying to keep up with the demands of other bodies who are now growing and developing right under our noses.
Is it any wonder we lose ourselves in domestic life? Is it any wonder that we come last in priority for everything? We can see how it has happened and we know that it is not healthy for us, but starting to find our bodies again is really difficult.
It is time to regain our bodies.
I would like to suggest that we all do something completely new - something we have never done before. Do something physical rather than mental. Perhaps try belly dancing or tai chi? Buy yourself a bike? Start a regular walking group with some friends. Have a makeover. If you have never had a real massage, go find one. Have a pamper party. Have a facial at the local salon. If all this is too much, then at least have a manicure and pedicure.
These new activities and treats all involve some part of your body. It will help you bring your attention back to yourself, and to remember what it was like when your body was your own. You will start to feel those parts of your body again rather than just use them for work. I can tell you that after a manicure I really notice and feel my hands. I think about them and what I am doing. I look after them because I now notice and remember them. They aren’t just tools anymore. Look after one part of your body and you will gradually look after the rest.
These ‘treats’ are actually essential to your physical and mental health so don’t think that they have to wait until junior gets his new shoes. Give yourself the priority that you need and that you deserve. Bring back the joy that your healthy body used to give you.
Just think what you can do with that body once you get it back.
Article by Anne Maybus, www.divadays.com.au .
How long is it since you did something for yourself? Something that really made you feel special? Made you feel like a Diva?
Can’t remember it? I know the feeling. By visiting the link below you can accss a free newsletter full of hints and tips that you can do at home to treat yourself.
