Look Slimmer ... stand tall

How are you sitting, or standing, reading this?  Are you sitting up straight / standing tall, or are you slouching?  Good posture can instantly make us look slimmer, taller, more confident and healthier!  And it's free!!

To help your posture, stand in front of your mirror, front on and side on, to see where your problem is. Then stand tall with your feet comfortably apart. Draw in your stomach, draw your pelvis up and move your shoulders down and back. Imagine you've got a thread attached to the top of your head and it's drawing you up to the ceiling - feel your body lengthening and straightening. Now look at your posture again. You should look taller and thinner.

If you need help to straighten your shoulders or your core, here are some simple tips ...

Exercise your rhomboids, the muscles in between your shoulders. To work them, draw your shoulder blades together, hold for 10 seconds and release. Do this five to 10 times every day, and you'll soon see a difference.

A strong core helps support your back and abs, and makes good posture easier. Stand straight and imagine your midsection has been replaced with an apple. Now, imagine that an apple corer has removed the core of the apple, leaving a void right down the middle. You need to pull in your midsection, front, sides and back (and up through your pelvic floor) to fill in the apple. Pull in tightly, imagine the void getting smaller, keep pulling in, then hold and release. Do this once a day and keep holding for a little longer each time until you can hold for 30 seconds or more.

When you sit, push your bottom to the back of the chair and sit up straight, with your feet flat on the floor. Do this at work, at home and in the car and pull in your core.  It'll soon show on your figure!

So true!

Look Younger ... with sparkling white teeth

Yellow teeth are very ageing, but if you like curry and tea as much as I do then you need to have a good toothpaste.  If you feel that your teeth could do with a little whitening, try Arm & Hammer's Extra White mint toothpaste, it contains baking soda to give teeth a deep cleaning (they feel amazing afterwards).  

It's not the nicest tasting toothpaste, a bit of a salty aftertaste, but if you use it for a week you'll see a big difference in your teeth.  Go back to your usual toothpaste once you get the results you want.

Look Younger ... be gentle with that cleanser!

The skin under our eyes is very delicate and needs to be handled with care, to avoid increasing those little lines that like to gather there!

I've seen many people removing their eye make-up by rubbing the area under their eyes "to ensure it's all off", but the right product does all the work for you, without the need to scrub.  

I have tried lots of eye make-up removers over the years, but always come back to Lancome's Bi-Facil Non Oily Instant Cleanser; it removes even waterproof eye make-up instantly! 

For best results, pour the cleanser onto 2 cotton pads, place on your eyelids, leave for a few seconds (enjoy the cooling sensation which will reduce any puffiness) and gently wipe downwards.   Hey presto, make-up off, and a few less lines will be added over the years!

Lancome Bi-Facil Instant Cleanser

Look Slimmer ... don't let your tights add pounds!

Unless you're very brave or immune to cold, frosty winter nights, you're probably stocking up on a few pairs of tights to see you through 'til Spring.  If your legs aren't your best feature, make sure you purchase matt tights rather than tights with shine, as these will make your legs look bigger than they actually are:

I have purchased lots of cheap tights in the past that only last a few wears, but for a pair that will last for years, Wolford & Falke are the best brands.  They're not cheap, so their January sales are always a good time to stock up.  

The Wolford ones below have the added bonus of a control top, great for the calorific Christmas season!

Wolford Control top tights

Look Younger ... say goodbye to dry, frizzy hair

'As we age, the scalp produces less hydrating lipids, so hair becomes drier and more prone to frizz'.  This was not good news to me as I was born with frizzy hair!  But, 2 years ago I discovered pure Argan oil and have managed to keep the frizz reduced.  

Prior to Argan oil, I had tried a LOT of frizz reducing products, some did work but they tended to be the most expensive brands, I'll save that for a later post.

Anyway, if you're looking for an affordable, guaranteed improvement for dry, frizzy hair, then you need a bottle of argan oil in your life!  It's great for applying to dry ends after blow drying, but for best results apply half an hour before showering, or if you don't have the time mix 4 drops in with your conditioner.

I always purchase the aluminium bottles with a press top as the pour bottle can be a real mess!  You can pay for branded options but I usually purchase mine from ebay for less than £10, and it lasts for months.
 

100% pure Argan oil for dry, frizzy hair

40+ Style ... in love with sleeves

I love dresses with sleeves; they hide untoned arms, can be worn for work, or dressed up for a night out, and at this time of year are essential to keep you warm!  

With the Christmas party season about to start, there are lots of figure flattering sleeved dresses in the shops ...

M&S Collection Drop a Dress Size Beaded Collar Dress with Secret Support, £47.20

 

Damsel in a Dress, Framboise dress, £129

Phase Eight, Latoya Lace Miracle Dress, £99

The Pretty Dress Company, Atlanta Red Pencil Dress, £95

Coast, Olivia Sleeved Jersey Dress, £85

Look Slimmer ... thinner hips instantly!

If you have wide hips, and wish they were slimmer, avoid separates in different colours that meet at your widest point.

If you look at the photo below, on the left, Christina Hendricks' beautiful curves aren't flattered by her outfit choice, as our eye is immediately drawn to her hips / stomach.  However, when the black cover-up is ditched and she wears a cardigan in the same tone as her skirt, our eye flows past her hip area and instead focuses on her beautiful hourglass shape.