Shop With Style

You’re seeing it everywhere right now. The dark lip trend is in magazines, on the runways, even strutting up and down the city streets and sipping at the local coffee shop. You might be thinking, “That trend isn’t for me. I’ll never be able to pull that look off.” But guess what? You soooo can!  And here’s how…

• Pick the right shade – Rest assured, there is a lush, dark hue for each and every skin tone out there. If you have fair to medium tone skin, try versions of purple-based merlot colors. For those with medium to olive skin tones, try hues of burgundy with a more terra cotta base. Deep tone skin can really push the boundaries of deep and dark, so try a merlot with a bit of black or brown.
• Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate – You’ll hear this tip in almost every lip color guide…because it honestly makes a huge difference to how color glides on and looks. If your lips are dry, cracked, and flaky, any lip color will get stuck in the cracks and crevices…but a dark lip color will look positively atrocious. Scrub gently with a product like Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, or Bliss Fabulips. You can also use something simple like olive oil and sugar. Then wipe with a warm, damp cloth and follow with a non-waxy moisturizer.
• Check your upper lip – You may not think it will make a difference, but trust us, it will. Wearing a dark lip color will draw attention to…yep, you guessed it…your lips. Not only can the dark color get snagged on the tiny hairs, but the hairs can also cast a shadow on that upper lip. Both of which will draw the wrong type of attention. And bleaching the hair won’t work. So, go the distance and remove the hair completely.
• Let your skin glow – Dark lips will tend to highlight any blotchiness or imperfections in the skin, so even it up and make it glow as much as possible. That means scrubbing and exfoliating your face, removing any little patches of dry skin, then applying a skin brightening BB or CC cream, which will also help to even things up and get you glowing. After all, you want a clean, even canvas for those bold lips!
• Even the base – Everyone’s lips have some sort of natural hue, and sometimes, that hue can throw off a perfectly wonderful deep Winter lip color. So after applying foundation, dab on a bit to your lips and blend. You’re not looking to completely white-out your own hue, you just want to tone it down a bit so that the lip color reads true when you apply it.
• Strategically line – Lining when applying a dark lip color can be tricky. If you make a mistake, it will be very The best way to line a dark lip is to start with a nude color. Line just outside your natural lip line and blend away from your lip. The will not only help to keep the lip color from running, it will also make the color itself pop. Next, apply a liner in a similar shade to your lip color to just the area of your cupid’s bow and the middle portion of your bottom lip. Next, apply the lip color with a lip brush, to give you more control over color placement.

And there you go! Perfectly luscious, perfectly beautiful deep, dark lips for the Winter season.

You’ve got some great pieces in your wardrobe. You know you do. So then why is it that every time you open your closet, you either A) find you have absolutely nothing to wear, or B) stick to your same ol’ “safe” outfits. It might all come down to a very simple reason: you are not taking full advantage of color matching. Once you start looking at colors, and new ways to combine them, a world of possibilities with your existing wardrobe will open up before your eyes!

• Complimentary Colors – Unless you remember high school art class, you might need to get on Google for this. On the color wheel, a complimentary color is one that can be found directly across from your current color, and it is combo guaranteed to look fab. See? It’s science!
• Think Ombre — Admittedly, this is the easy way out, but it will work in a pinch. It might even get your color matching juices flowing! Just as ombre uses varying shades of the same color, try pairing differing hues of the same color in pastels, jewel tones, earth tones, etc.
• J. Crew Cheat Sheet – When in doubt, hit the catalogues! It works to find inspiration in almost anything… decorating, interior design, gardening…so why not fashion? J. Crew in particular is fantastic at coordinating items resulting in the most beautiful array of colors and patterns you’ve ever seen! It’s almost guaranteed that even if you don’t have the exact pieces J. Crew is using, you most likely have the colors. So look at how their experts are pairing the colors, and follow their lead.
• Look to Your Prints – Some of your favorite, most unlikely, most delightful color combinations might be hiding right in front of your eyes! Maybe it’s in your closet, or your accessory drawer, or maybe it’s something straight from a fashion mag or your favorite designer’s runway show. Prints! You know ‘em, you love ‘em…and they can unlock all kinds of winning color combinations for you. Also pay attention to the proportion in which each color is used. Make the most-used colors the inspiration for your big pieces, and let the lesser-used colors inspire you for small pieces and accessories.
• Black and White – It’s classic for a good reason: it works! Pairing black and white is not only striking, but it works on a scientific level, since these two colors are opposites on the color wheel. And they also combine to provide an epic base for adding a pop of color in shoes, belts, jewelry, bags, and other accessories (just do us a favor…don’t take it too far and go all Cruella Deville on us).

We know the frustration that can sometimes come from looking at the fashion magazines and then trying those looks on our own body type. More often than not, those fashion mag styles just don’t look right on us. Some even manage to look downright hideous. But it’s not your body shape that’s to blame. Would you blame your size 8 foot for not fitting a size 5 shoe? Of course not. The key to looking better is to know what works on your unique apple-shaped body. Once you know that, you can take inspiration from the fashion mag pics and make those outfits your own!

What identifies an apple-shaped figure?  Typically, apple-shaped figures are known as “top heavy.” You likely have broad shoulders and a full bust, waist, and upper back. You might also have thinner arms, legs, and hips, since you tend to gain weight around your middle. The key to dressing an apple shape is to draw attention away from your waist.

What to avoid:

• Patterns/pictures that will draw attention to your middle
• Any belt, especially those that are thick, will only highlight your mid-section
• Clingy material
• Shirts/dresses that are much too big, thinking that more fabric will camouflage your belly. It won’t…it will only make you look bigger.

Tops: Go for v-necks and slightly plunging necklines; those will help to elongate the look of your torso while camouflaging your middle. And even though you are an apple shape, you can still emphasize that small portion of your upper waist, right under your bust line with empire-waist tops. You can also try wrap tops that drape loosely over your belly.

Jackets: Belted jackets can help create the look of a thinner waist. But in general, coats, jackets, and blazers look great on you when worn open, as this creates a long visual vertical line, lessening the roundness of your middle. In terms of length, make sure the coat ends mid-thigh or longer. Shorter coats only serve to draw attention to your middle.

Bottoms: Pants are one article of clothing for you that can contain lots of embellishment, especially around pockets. Look for trousers with a flat-front and slightly flared bottoms, which will help to create balance with your mid-section. Wide legs would also tend to work well at balancing you out.

Dresses: Look for A-line, empire, and wrap dresses. All of these will help to create the illusion of a waist, without drawing attention to your belly since they nip in and then flow out and away from your problem area. Skirts should be A-line, and you can even get away with shorter lengths, since your legs are an asset!