confidence

How do you define beauty?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

We all define beauty in our own way. This is especially true when defining beauty for ourselves. We each have our own style and opinions on what we think look good. I'll give you an example. I have naturally curly hair. Most people are surprised to hear that since I never wear my hair curly. Since I graduated high school I have been blow drying my hair straight. I prefer it that way. I don't know how to style curly hair and I simply don't care for it on me. With that said, I've had both friends and strangers tell me that they like my hair with a natural wave to it. This usually happens when it's been too humid and my hair starts to curl. While others are admiring this, it's driving me crazy! I don't like the texture and I don't like how it feels. But apparently to some, it looks very attractive. So even though I know others like my hair curly, I always blow dry it straight. I do this because it matters more what I think. If I like the way I looks, it will be reflected in my positive attitude and confidence levels.

When I meet with clients, I keep this in mind. What matters most is not the conventional definition of beauty or the rules of fashion. What matters is the way that you define beauty for yourself. I want you to feel beautiful and confident every day. I work with my clients to achieve the best versions of themselves. When they do, they will beam with confidence and beauty.

I went out to dinner with my husband this past weekend to a fairly new and very cool place in the city. We were dressed up as was everyone else in the place. I happened to notice a couple sitting near us that stood up to leave. Her husband began to walk behind her and she stopped, let him pass and started walking behind him. She did not walk with an air of confidence. She walked behind him as if she wanted to not be noticed. She wanted to be an afterthought. There was a small part of me that wanted to walk right over to her and say "pick your head up, throw your shoulders back and walk with confidence!" I don’t know the reason why but everything about her demeanor screamed uncomfortable, intimidated and self-conscious. By contrast there were two girls sitting the next table over, when they stood up to leave they strutted out of the restaurant like they owned it. They were smiling, heads up, confidence beaming! And they looked gorgeous. But it had less to do with what they were wearing and more to do with how they wore it.

We can be our own worse critic. I know I am. It's easier to focus on what we need to improve than on what we have going for us. We think about the weight we need to loose, and the teeth we need whitened and the hair we need dyed! We focus on the wrinkles in the mirror and the bags under our eyes. We don't need someone else to critic us. We do a pretty good job of that on our own. But how often do we compliment ourselves or think "wow, I look great today". I'm sure it happens but not nearly as often. What if we did that more often? What if we could find a way to feel more confident? What if we could share that feeling with others? That's what I have attempted to do with this business. I want you own your style, your confidence and your beauty so that you can walk with that Beyoncé swagger every day.

 

 

New Year's Resolutions?

It's that time of year.... do you have your New Year's resolutions ready? Do you need some ideas? How about one really great idea?! Let's make a resolution to boost our confidence levels in 2016.

That statement is a little open ended on purpose. You should tailor it to your wants/needs and lifestyle. What can you do to help boost your confidence next year?

It can be something as simple as cleaning out your closet. Or it can be something as complicated as cleaning out your life. A new year brings a fresh start. You just need to figure out in what way you need that fresh start.

I've often found that I feel the worst when I'm indecisive. When things are in limbo and I don't have a good plan, I get an uneasy feeling. That's when the stress and anxiety start. The most confident feeling I have is after I've made a decision. It doesn't matter which way I've decided but the fact that I've made that decision always me to get comfortable with it and move forward.

Feeling confident in your clothes and your style can go a long way. Do you catch yourself looking at the girl in the office who appears to always look put together? She probably goes about her day with a little extra confidence. Do you wish that you could do that? You can. All you need to do is make the decision to do it. Once you've done that, you can put all your effort into making it happen.

If you want a more organized closet or a more streamlined style, you just need to put in a little extra effort in the beginning. Clean out your closet. Pull together your basics. Put together a few good "go to" outfits for a variety of occasions. Figure out what you need and get rid of the excess. Make getting dressed simple. You'll feel better about what you're wearing and save time not staring at your closet!

Do you need a push in the right direction? Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of it? Don't be! Sometimes we need an objective third party to help us along the way. This is where I come in. I can help you to figure out where to start and how to move forward. I'm so looking forward to working with new clients in the New Year and adding new and exciting content to my site. If you've been at all thinking about a new start for your style and wardrobe, there is no time like the present! I can't wait to hear from you!

Happy New Year!!

 

Find a little time for yourself...

Make time for yourself

We hear this message all the time.  We need to make time for ourselves. We need to take vacations. We need turn off our phones. We need to take care of ourselves (in whatever way that means for you: gym, yoga, spa, ect). What a grand and wonderful idea!

Who has time for that???

We are crazed. Forget about the added stress of the holidays. We are always multi-tasking. And most of the time we feel like we are always behind.

We have lives. We have children, husbands, parents, siblings, girlfriends, boyfriends, jobs, carpools, practices. The list goes on and on. I think I feel it most in the morning. As a working mom, I always feel like I'm juggling too much in the morning trying to get myself and my kids out the door. As a result, getting dressed in the morning is something I need to do with ease. I plan my outfit the night before, making sure that whatever I'm wearing is clean and wrinkle-free. Even though I plan the night before, I still don't have much time to do it. I'm usually picking something just before getting into bed at which point I'm so exhausted that the last thing I want to do is put any effort into pulling together a cute outfit. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.

Since this is the case, I wind up wearing a rotation of outfits that I know work. No time for switching things up or incorporating something new. But after a while you can get bored. So how do you find time and energy to add that something new?

Here are a few ideas:

1.      Make time for one big planning session on the weekend. One hour might be enough time to give you some ideas. Basically take out your work friendly clothing that you wear with the least amount of frequency. Lay out whole outfits (including shoes & accessories) and start taking pictures. If you're unsure of how something will fit, try it on! This is your chance. And then snap a picture of you wearing it! After an hour, you'll have a reference point for these new ideas that will help you incorporate them into your weekly wardrobe.

2.      Shop in outfits: When you actually do have time to go shopping (even if it's just online), try to shop in outfits. Most retail sites have an outfits section that will help to give you some ideas of how the clothes they sell can be coordinated. If you buy a new sweater think about what you're going to wear it with. If you can't come up with anything, look for the matching piece to buy with it. If you can't find something, re-think the purchase. Your money will best be spent in working around your current wardrobe. The pieces that you never wear are the ones that you can't coordinate or never have an occasion to wear!

3. Find multiple ways to wear one piece: We see this on websites all the time "How to wear our most popular dress 3 ways!" Retailers know you want to get the most out of your clothes. Find a piece that you can wear in multiple ways so that you can maximize your usage and minimize your hassle getting dressed in the morning. This can come in especially handy if for example, you're almost out the door and your sweet child spits up on you. We all dread this. But if by some miracle, your child only spits up on your sweater, the rest of the outfit might be salvaged if you knew how to wear the other pieces in another way.

Finding time for ourselves is never going to be easy, but maybe if we manage to steal a few minutes every now and again, it can help us to feel better about ourselves in the long run. If you can take the time to pull together a cute new outfit for work maybe it will help you to feel strong and confident the rest of the week! If we can do it once, maybe we can do it again. Try to find ways to add it into your routine. It can be once a week or once a month. Whatever works best for you is how you should start!