Inner Thigh Workouts & Thigh Gap Truth Revealed!

The thigh gap. A small amount of space between your legs that females everywhere beat themselves up over. Many females see this gap as a sign of “skinny” or “in shape”, but they are terribly wrong. In order to obtain a natural thigh gap your body composition must be changed. Thigh gaps are solely based on bone structure, and you shouldn’t damage yourself over bones. Girls with thigh gaps have wider hips that spread their pelvic bones out. The only people who have a thigh gap that doesn’t seem natural to their bone structure are corpses with decaying muscles. Many of the pictures of thigh gapped girls are taken with a certain modeling technique. You simply stick your feet together, arch your back, stick your bum out but remain upright, and try to push your knees out. This will bow-leg your knees and create a “natural thigh gap”. Your thighs are beautiful, healthy limbs attached to your glamorous body. Embrace them! Love them! Don’t worry about a thigh gap. A man won’t love you less if your thighs touch, and if he does he is not worth your time. According to a survey, 9 out of 10 men would rather their girl not push for a thigh gap and just embrace her own body.

The inner thigh area is an area that is capable of housing strong muscles. Toned thighs start from the inside out and these steps will help you tone up your inner thigh area to become muscular and healthy. No thigh gap, no problem. Let’s begin!

Begin with heels touching and toes slightly turned out.  Keeping heels together, rise up onto your toes. (Hold on to a wall if you feel wobbly, but maintain posture.)  Bend your knees into a half squat for two counts, then come back up in two counts, keeping heels together. Complete 5 reps of 10.

Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointed straight ahead. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your legs just above the knees. Squeezing your inner thighs to keep the ball steady, lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one, then return to standing for two counts.

Place your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart and point toes to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Grasp a dumbbell (three to five pounds for beginners, 8 to 12 for more advanced) vertically in front of your stomach. With arms straight, lift the weight to shoulder height as you lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one count, then slowly lower the weight and return to standing for two counts.

Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Slowly lower for two counts into a squat position. Hold the squat for one count, then straighten your legs for two counts to go back to the starting position.

Lying on your back on a mat, bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are flat on the floor. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your knees. Contract your inner thighs to squeeze the ball for 30 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds, then repeat the cycle four more times.

 

Fall Beauty Trend: Berry Lips!

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with a new lip color – the changing seasons means you can take a break from candy-colored pinks and corals, and try on a bold, dark shade. Berry lips are versatile and classic, plus this shade is flattering on every skin tone. Let’s begin!

If you’re new to berry (or feel it’s too dark for daytime), wearing it sheer is the perfect way to test out the color. It’s also a much less tricky way to apply lipstick, so if you’ve ever had trouble with application (we all have!), this is a foolproof method. If you don’t prefer it, then just simply take a napkin to wipe it off or blend another color to your favor.

If you’re looking to really rock a trend this fall, deep, dark berry lips are sure to make a statement. Dare to wear during the day, or play up your berry pout for a great night-out look. Whichever you choose, this look takes a little more time (and maybe practice!) to apply than the sheer look, but the payoff is worth the effort! Using a lip brush would be the best way to apply it because it will go on evenly and not smudge off you lips.

My 3 favorite berry tinted lipsticks include Revlon Super Lustrous in Black Cherry, Maybelline ColorSensational in Deepest Cherry, and L’Oreal Colour Riche in Plum Explosion.

How To Look Slim & Your Best in Photos!

Not everyone has a crowd of paparazzi’s following them daily, but when that camera comes out for the individual or group shot you want to have faith that one picture is going to be the best picture. The art of taking perfect pictures is a skill that we believe only models and celebs contain, but you are wrong! Taking a fabulous photograph is based on knowing your angles and having confidence. Let’s begin!

No matter how much you try to avoid it, everyone has a double chin. If you don’t believe me, then try sticking your chin to your neck in a mirror. In order to diminish that turkey neck stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth. This process collects all of the loose skin from your jawline. In may be odd when you first smile while doing it, but it’s useful. Models and celebrities all across the world use this trick.

The next tip is to always be aware of how you position your body. This picture is a prime example. Guess which girl in the picture is 20 years old and which one is 16 years old. Well Ariana Grande, right, is actually 20 and Kylie Jenner, left, is 16. You wouldn’t expect that due to Kylie’s mature stance. This is the proper pose for a woman. The slight angle embraces your curves and having one foot in front of the other makes it look more sophisticated. Keeping a straight back makes Kylie look longer.

Taking pictures in direct sunlight is one of the worst things you could do when taking a picture. It forces your eyes to squint and water. Your face will develop forehead wrinkles and awkward shadows that will make your face look wider. Makeup in direct sunlight doesn’t show through the best and it is just painful to pose in. Go for shaded areas that offer natural sunlight.

The next trick is having a tan, especially on your legs. Tanned legs shine better on the camera and make you look leaner. I actually haven’t gotten a spray tan since June so I feel you pale girls every where. I will most likely be getting a Mystic Tan for Fall. Using a self-tanner or spray tan is the best possible way than UV tanning because it is healthier.

Pictures taken at a down angle that snap your whole body from farther away flatters females the most. Taking pictures from an upward angle that are really close to your face can make your nose look 2x larger than it actually is. The downward angle elongates your legs and makes you look taller. This angle is truly for full-body shots though, for example a fashion photograph.

Weekly Fashion Update~ 12 Celebrity Inspired Party Outfits for Fall!

Fall time doesn’t only qualify as orange leaves and pumpkins, it also means parties galore! From New Years Eve to the traditional Christmas party, you shouldn’t be fashionably discouraged due to the weather. Here is 13 looks from celebrities everywhere that prove to us the true meaning of fall fashion. Let’s begin!

The first look is effortless but will surely turn some heads. Queen Bey pulls this look off amazingly. She wears her voluminous hair down to emphasize her facial structure. This printed shift dress and over-the-knee boots keep the outfit warm, but also show a small bit of skin to keep it sexy. If you don’t prefer thigh-highs, then just pair the dress with calf height boots and sheer colored tights.

Take note from style crush Rachel Bilson for and don’t be afraid to mix eye-catching textures and colors for a cocktail event. Complementing the dress with metallic heels is an amazing way to make each part of the outfit unique. Her trick: Skip the metallic on the dress to avoid any matchy-matchy-ness and keep the shine to a sleek minimum.

Lauren Conrad is always busy with countless projects, so dressing to go from work to play is her specialty. The essential: a tweed mini-dress, with an interesting element, be it LC’s bustier top or sophisticated embroidery. Layer on a blazer or cardigan by day, then strip off it off for night. Don’t forget to stash a pair of strappy metallic heels and a bright lipstick under your desk for the post-5 P.M. switch too.

Seriously, the no white after Labor Day rule has become obsolete. Winter whites are huge for fall too, so try a long-sleeve jacquard top and blousy shorts like Amanda Seyfried’s  outfit. Soft gray pumps bring the look into fall without being as jarring as black. You’ll stand out from the crowd at those September rooftop parties and chic wine-tasting nights you have planned. Wearing a deep berry or auburn lip adds the autumn feel.

Several stars have shown us that printed suits are mandatory for all fashionista’s going-out closet. Keeping all other pieces neutral besides the printed suit adds a feature of elegance for any occasion. She stayed buttoned up, but her high-heel patent Mary Janes give the menswear vibe a dash of playful girliness.

Kate Moss’ silky blazer and toned-down vibe makes this look perfect for a casual night out. To add more flare, accompany the blazer  with solid colored pants and keep all other pieces neutral. Accessorize with a long necklace and cute rings to add more shimmer to the look.

This combo isn’t for the faint of fashion heart, but if you’ve got some serious sartorial game, try a lush green wide-leg jumpsuit topped off with a bold purple faux-fur jacket. I dare you. These hats are huge for the fall season and can be found at Forever 21 for less than $20.00!

This is the trick to an effortless, eye-catching outfit ideal for hanging with your girls. Just mix and unmatch a patterned bomber jacket and pants in totally different prints. Plus, you can wear each piece on its own with matching pairings later. If you don’t prefer high-cut crop tops like this, a black tank top works just as fine.

Don’t put those dancing heels away just yet; September is a major month for weddings. So stash those pastels and try a glimmering metallic—specifically gold—instead, like fashionable Brit Alexa Chung. She even matched her peep-toe heels to her dress for a 100 percent pure precious-metal ensemble. If you live in a cold area, pair this with printed tights or even a cropped leather jacket to add a more rugged feel.

Don’t give up your pretty lace dresses just because the season has turned. Look to Sienna Miller’s flirty frock as an example. Pick a fall-friendly hue and long sleeves, and temper the femininity of the piece with edgy black embellished pumps. The look is perfect for a fall wedding, a romantic dinner, or an elegant celebration with friends. Wearing the hair up with a dress like this adds a lovely touch.

You’re thinking about investing in a pair of leather pants and you want to coordinate with a glam, but elegant top for a night out. Look to Zoe Saldana in Gucci to amp up the sexy staple even further with a gold-and-black sleeveless blouse. If you keep the silhouettes tailored (and your skin covered), the overall look stays sleek and refined.

Keep your florals blooming for fall, but experiment with moodier digital prints, like Rose Byrne. Take the look up a notch with sexy sheer panels and bad-girl gunmetal stilettos—perfect for date night or if you’re looking for someone to share a date night with, if you know what I mean.

Fall is, hands-down, the best season for layering and Olivia Palermo is at the top of her game in that department. If you’re looking for a trendy office-to-play or chic cocktail bar outfit, think about co-opting this one. Start with an exuberantly printed yellow dress (possibly crossed over from summer?). Then top it off with an electric purple leather jacket, which is an inspired investment for fall. You can work this outfit with a rainbow of color combos—just be sure the hues complement one other.

Product Battles: Stila Primer vs. Almay Primer

Today I will be trying something different! I am introducing Product Battles where I will be comparing high-end beauty products vs. drugstore products to see which one is truly worth the money. The products being challenged will be nearly exact in formulas, but not in cost. The first Product Battle will be the Stila One Step Corrector Primer and the Almay Smart Shade Primer. Let’s begin!

The Stila Primer costs $36.00 and is a Primer that is a blend of green, white, and peach. The medley of colors is supposed to reduce redness and make your complexion clearer. It doesn’t contain Salylic Acid or anything that would actually work on blemishes.

It comes out looking like this and is semi-thick and mainly a green color than the white or peach. After a day of wearing it, it didn’t really correct anything but did a great job as a primer. It felt really light on my skin and did a good job, but it is also $36.00 for a primer that didn’t correct like it was supposed to.

The battling product is the Almay Smart Shade Primer and if you recall I actually referred to this in my Flawless Foundation Routine. It costs $9.99 and is a blend of a green and purple.

The solution comes out as a even blend of the two colors and is a bit more liquidy than the Stila. It blends in really evenly though, especially with the dark purple. After a day of wearing it, it has the same amount of primer powers as the Stila Primer. I usually wear my primer and foundation combo for 8+ hours, so they are both getting tested for long wear.

The product that won this was the Almay Smart Shade Primer! The mixture was really evenly blended and light weight throughout the day. The Stila Primer is still a great primer and will be used up, but the price and thickness took points off. Comment below if you have any specific products you would like me to do a Product Battle on!

My Nightly Beauty Routine!

Usually, I do this same infamous routine every night. It consists of fully removing all makeup, prepping my skin, cleansing, and moisturization. Some nights I may add a natural face mask or a gentle teeth whitener. This process does not include my shower though. I like to fill my evenings with relaxing music and good products. Let’s begin!

To begin, I take off both my eye makeup and face makeup with Clean & Clear Facial Cleansing Wipes. They are oil-free and do a great job of fully removing all makeup. I don’t typically use liquid makeup remover unless I have a lot of eye makeup, for example liquid eyeliner. If I have lipstick, I will make sure to remove all of it fully so that it doesn’t stain my lips overnight.

For my face I use the Dermalogica Oil/Normal Skin Care Kit. It can be purchased at Ulta and Sephora and comes in various sets according to your skin type. Within the stores there are skin-matchers who test your skin for free to find the perfect kit for you. Within it comes a Special Cleansing Gel, Multi-Active Toner, Skin Prep Scrub, Active Moist, and Total Eye Care. First, I scrub the Skin Prep Scrub with clean hands all over my face to remove any excess dirt or makeup from the day. I wash it off with a warm wash cloth and use my facial brush the gently apply the Special Cleansing Gel. I use a Face Secrets facial brush that I got from Sally’s Beauty Supply for less than $3.00. I rinse that off with the same warm rag and spritz my face with the Multi-Active Toner. While that dries I brush my teeth and then apply the Active Moist moisturizer.

Next, I apply Vaseline on my lips and eyelashes, Massaging Vaseline helps my eyelashes to grow longer and thicker. Every other night I will apply a hair mask to my hair. Lately, I haven’t found the perfect hair mask so if you have any recommendations comment down below.

Before bed, I usually french braid my hair down. In the morning when I undo the braid I will have big voluminous curls that were heat-free. If I want to wear my hair straight tomorrow, I will straighten it in the evening so that I don’t have to waste time in the morning straightening it. This process saves me tons of time in the morning.

After all of these facial steps, I lay in bed and apply Organix Coconut Milk & Hibiscus lotion. This lotion smells like the Carribean with a gentle scent of coconuts. I also like the Organix lotion with Cherry Blossom and Rice Milk. I apply this to my arms, legs, feet, and hands. This product isn’t greasy and dries quickly. I prefer lotions that dry quickly because they don’t leave my hands slippery.

And after a long day, I like to unwind with Tazo Calm Tea and either a good book or some good TV. With my doggies by my side, I know it will be a relaxing night!

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!

Today was the big opening day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! Here were the outstanding recaps of the day:

Products I Regret Buying In Summer!

Technically, Fall isn’t for 19 more days, but in my household the autumn candles are burning and Starbucks is featuring their Pumpkin Spice Latte. Thus, it is Fall in my mind. Summer literally flew by! Whether it was spent by the beach or with friends, every day of Summer was an adventure. The worst part of Summer, though, was when I would be so excited for a product I just bought and it fails to prove me right. Leading to this list of products that I just collect dust in the back of my cabinets. Let’s begin!

The first product are these Cuinong lashes. I liked the style and have used ones like these before, but when I wore them they would irritate my eyes. I was so scared I was going to get pink eye or a really bad infection. I ended up throwing them away, but saved the picture I sent to a friend the day I bought them. Both packs together only cost $10.00. A big thumbs down to these lashes!

Next product is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Serum. You are supposed to put this on when you go to sleep at night and it will promote lash growth. I wore this for a few months and it literally did nothing. I get 10x better results from using Vaseline than this stuff. I also don’t like the packaging because if I were in a hurry I could easily just grab this and mistake it for a lip gloss. One tube of this Accelerator costs $8.99.

The Topshop Cream Blush in ‘Neon Rose’ is a product I also regret mainly because of the color. I bought this after hearing lots about it on YouTube, and after seeing it in person I was sold. It’s an amazingly vibrant coral color that looks so promising in the pan, but sadly it just does not suit my skin tone at all. No matter how little I apply it still manages to look really artificial and doll-like instead of being the natural flush of color that I usually go for. It costs $9.00.

The final makeup product is the Scandal Eyes Show-Off Mascara. I really dislike everything about this mascara. The brush shape doesn’t help anything and actually promotes getting mascara all over your face due to that little ball-like shape on the end. It’s really difficult to get off at night, even the one that isn’t waterproof. The formula is kinda flaky, but what really turned me off is that it started to smell weird after a while. I only had it for less than a month and it started to smell really gross. This one tube costs $7.89.

The Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion is one that I am kind of on the fence about. It has decent moisturization ability, but if you have like a small wound, for instance a paper cut, then it burns. I would put this on my legs after I shaved and if I had a small slice from the razor or even razor burn, it would sting. I was confused when it did this because it claims to be all natural and have no harsh chemicals, yet burned my skin like it was composed of harsh chemicals. Maybe it was just me. This regular size bottle costs $10.90.

On to the hair products! During the summer I don’t really do my hair that much because I am trying to retain its moisture. This product is the Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo and is probably one of the worst dry shampoos ever. I spray it on second-third day hair and it makes my hair even stickier and greasier. It makes my hair feel like I just took 12 gallons of hairspray and sprayed it all over my roots. It costs $5.99 and will certainly not be repurchased.

TIGI Rockaholic Leave-In Detangler & Defrizzer is the final product and is another one that I didn’t really like, but used up. I would love this product, but the smell made me hate it! This has the worst smell ever, not sure what I can compare it to. When I just spray it on my hair I feel like re-washing it. It’s a nice detangler, but I wouldn’t say it’s a great defrizzer. This bottle costs $14.99.