Woman Beauty and Fashion

The hairdressing industry is thriving. Whilst some people prefer to pay ten pounds for a quick trim, others are prepared to spend thousands of pounds to get the most modern, stylish or unique look. Our high streets are full of salons, covering their windows with photographs of the latest ‘doo’ and promoting their newest offers.

Whether you want your hair neatly trimmed, drastically cut, dyed, spiked, shaved, waved, curled, straightened, extended or plaited, there is always somewhere close by you can go and get your new look.

Hair products also over rule our shelves. There is wax, moose, styling sprays, heat protection sprays, shining sprays. However, it does not stop there. For instance, wax is not just wax. You have to chose which type you require, be it strong, wet look, non sticky or fluorescent.

Is this fashion craze a modern development, or has hair been a great cause of concern and a victim of experimentation for years? (more…)

Ok, Ok, I know, everyone has to chip in. After all, we all live on this planet, right? So honestly, I don’t mind the recycling every object that comes into my home. I don’t mind all the sorting and bins and the 245 different brand numbers on the bottom of plastic items. I don’t mind the chemical deprived household cleaners that seem to work OK and smell a lot nicer. I don’t mind the smaller model car that has; gasp and count them, four cylinders although I will admit to missing my big block Chevy.

My point is I am trying. I can buy organic with the best of them, I watch my energy and water usage and count my carbon footprints. I consciously try to reduce my garbage and I and filter my water too. I can reuse plastic bags and buy swirly looking light bulbs. However there is one “green” issue I just can not abide by. I’m talking about those ugly re-usable shopping bags. I mean, whose idea was that, and why do they have to be so darn ugly?

There is no way in heaven I’m gonna walk around with a ugly colorless store branded re-usable shopping bag over my arm. I have to draw the line somewhere and that is it. No way am I going to pair my beautiful shoes, vintage purse and designer outfit with a faded green looking canvas bag, even if it is just from the store out to the car and then in side to the kitchen. Gosh darn, doesn’t someone have to stop and say enough! (more…)

One of the important factors of a fashion magazine is that it helps to determine why certain materials are used for certain styles. You will find that two or more materials are used at times in styling an outfit. A wise designer planning an outfit for herself will not be inclined towards a material simply because she likes the texture and the fall of the material. This is where fashion magazines help you to select the right kind of material for the design of your choice.

While designing a garment, certain materials are used for certain sections of the garment and not simply whatever may catch your fancy. For example crepes are manufactured to be used for clinging styles and not fluffed up designs. Materials such as taffetas, organdies and crisp batistes are used in suit styles where fluffs are involved, as against the crepes, which are used for the clinging styles. A very important point to be observed is that fabrics are designed to suit styles and styles to suit fabrics.

Color Suggestions (more…)

Nike has always been a leader in the upscale tennis shoe market and since the 80s they have pretty dominated the market by signing big name sports stars like Michael Jordan and more recently LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Nike spends big money on getting these celebrity sports star endorsements to the tune of nearly 500 million dollars a year so it must be working for them. The signature Michael Jordan shoes called Air Jordan continue to be popular even after 20 years on the market and his no longer playing basketball.

Nike Air Jordans can be easily distinguished from other tennis shoes just by their logo alone. The earlier releases featured a winged basketball and could be found near the ankle area on both sides of the shoe as well as the tongue. When Nike introduced the 4th generation of the shoe the logo was changed to a basketball player in air as if he were dunking a basketball. This logo is known as the jumpman and appears in numerous places on the shoe.

Air Jordan tennis shoes are innovators in technology in the industry, the whole technology behind designing the shoe to bring in air to the soles gives them the comfort that everyone is looking for. This feature is standard in all of the Air Jordan tennis shoes but the newer ones of course are much better and even feature an adjustment pump which enables the wearer of the shoe to adjust it to suit his own needs. (more…)

To Shakespeare’s age-old question, “what’s in a name?” I would answer with one word: Prada. For example, even though Prada goods are definitely made with quality materials, consumers usually buy Prada items for their reputation more than their style. Gucci products are the same way. After all, Prada has been one of the biggest names in the fashion industry for several years now and their products have become symbols of wealth and status in many societies.

An authentic pair of Prada sunglasses will probably cost about $300 dollars, but there are plenty of imitation brands on the market with the same look about them that are much more affordable. For some reason, a lot of people really want genuine Prada products though. If you fall into this category, you can buy directly from Prada retailers or ask stores for certificates of authenticity.

Whether you choose to buy imitation or authentic products, the most important factor to consider is the kind of protection they give your eyes. If possible, buy glasses with one hundred percent protection against UV rays. And, if you spend a lot of time exposed to the glare off of water and snow, polarized lenses would probably be a good idea too. For people with extremely light-sensitive eyes, wide frames and large lenses can help block out additional light as well. (more…)

Since the 1960’s, the fashion world has taken a stand on numerous social causes. The antiwar movements and women’s rights are just a couple of the areas in which the fashion world has made strong statements. More recently, fashion has taken to assisting and speaking for individual charitable causes and in some cases, it has been questioned just whose best interests are involved.

A prime example of this has been the partnership between Gucci, Prada and Armani and UNICEF; the United Nations Childrens Fund. The reasons and motivation behind this particular collaboration have been questioned by some international groups and, perhaps most telling for the United Nations, by the very front line workers who would receive the proceeds.

Senior staff members of UNICEF have strongly stated their displeasure with the charity’s close ties with the world of glamour and celebrity, saying it is both demeaning to the work that the UN is doing as well as having a strong smell of hypocrisy about it.

UNICEF staff in Pakistan and India have spoken against the alleged working practices of the French conglomerate PPR (formerly Pinault-Printemps-Redoute), the owners of Gucci and whose Asian suppliers have, for a number of years, been linked to sweatshops in Mumbai and Karachi. (more…)

How can you define alternative clothing? Surely, what is normal for one person would probably go down as alternative clothing in another person’s book. Stick ‘alternative clothing’ into a search engine and many of the sites listed will be for goth, emo or punk clothing so I guess, in the main, these would be considered alternative.

But alternative to what, or who? To a goth or emo, their clothing is normal. To my gran it would be laughable, to her gran it would have been a sign that you were ready for the funny farm. Yet today we have a world with an ‘anything goes’ attitude so you can walk down any high street in the country and see people dressed as chavs, Goths, punks, man from C & A, or walking floral creations that are usually someone’s grandmother.

You see, the problem is that as people get older, there are less of them. In turn, this means they are in the minority so surely that would make them the ones in the alternative clothing?

To me, alternative clothing would mean my going out on the town in my PJ’s, which I’ve always thought would be a good thing seeing as I’ve never subscribed to the fashion over function club. In fact, last time I went out to a nightclub, I swear some of those girls were wearing their night dresses! Yes, I know, that makes me sound old but I really don’t care, they are going to catch their deaths dressed like that! (more…)

Designer sunglasses may seem a relatively modern phenomenon, the celebrities we see today posing in designer shades on the promenades of the south of France and Los Angeles are not however the archetypes of this style, the trend is far older than that. The history of sunglasses goes back eons with a wide variety of materials used in construction as well as a huge variance in the uses, one thing is certain, the designer sunglasses we see today are in no way the first.

If the annals of history are correct the first time sunglasses were used was in ancient Rome. Emperor Nero reportedly has a pair of shades made up from polished emeralds; the purpose of these designer shades? To let the emperor watch gladiator bouts without straining his eyes. Conjecture still surrounds their effectiveness, some historians now believe that the emerald acted as a mirror meaning that sight was hindered rather than enhanced.

After Nero’s pair of specs the next recorded used of sunglasses comes from ancient China. The designer of these Chinese sunglasses once again could not use glass and hence natural materials were used. This time, instead of emeralds the glasses were manufactured using flat, smoky quartz. Their usage however was not comparable to how we use our sunglasses today; in Chinese society these glasses were used by judges; not to shield their eyes from the sun, but to shield their eyes from the courtroom. The reasoning behind this was that if those inside the courtroom could not see the judge’s eyes, they would not be able to read any of his emotions or facial expressions, and subsequently a clue to the outcome of the trial. (more…)

If you are seeking to buy fake Coach purses, this will probably not get you an answer but perhaps you may want to find out how to spot imitation Coach purses instead. In fact, if you really want to for the fake purses, this could help you distinguish them as well.

Most trendy and fashionable women in the world would want to own a coach purse. At least one in their wardrobe. This is because Coach is one of the most popular brands when you speak of high fashion for women. There are many leading brands as well but if you speak of handbags, Coach handbags and Coach purses comes to mind. Not only do they add class to your fashion sense, they can so long-lasting that you may not need another purse unless you are among those who keep changing purses year on year.

So how do you differentiate fake Coach purses from the original ones and why? It is not wrong to wear a replica or fake but on items as classy as Coach, you wouldn’t want to spoil your image unless of course if you really cannot afford one but still want to look like a million dollars. Lacking in quality, replica Coach handbags and purses are cheaper and anyone can but them. The question is, deep down inside, do you really want to be like everyone else? (more…)

The time has come to buy new glasses, but where do you begin? After you have had your exam and know your new prescription, you must choose frames for your glasses. You now face a major decision point: will you choose designer frames or regular frames? Before you reach for the Calvin Klein pair thinking that they are definitely better quality than the identical generic model, you need to know what the differences between regular and designer eyeglasses really are.

Designer Frames Are All About the Name

Is there a difference in quality between designer eyeglasses and regular eyeglasses? Unless you are shopping at an extremely poor discount shop, chances are the quality between the two types of glasses is pretty similar. Sure, the Christine Dior frames may last a little longer, but when you compare that to the price you pay for the frames, you are not going to save much money.

In reality, the main difference between designer frames and regular frames is in the name. You feel great knowing that you are wearing some great designer’s glasses. After all, not all of your friends can say that they are wearing Prada glasses, can they? (more…)