Win this fabulous beauty bag from David Jones

I’ve been lucky enough to be given a Beauty Bag full of exclusive beauty goodies from David Jones worth $370 which I want to give to one of you lovely readers.

Inside you’ll find:

• Aromatherapy Co Votive Candle 50g
• SK-II Facial Treatment Essence 30ml
• OPI Nail Lacquer 15ml
• Lancome Absolue Precious Cells Eye Cream 5ml
• Lancome Absolue Oleo Serum 5ml
• Napoleon Perdis Luminous Lip Veil 5ml
• Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist 10ml
• Philosophy Hope in a Jar 7ml
• Marc Jacobs Fragrance 4ml
• Shu Uemura Porefinist Gentle Foaming Cleansing Water 50ml
• Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream 7ml
• Clarins Beauty Flash Balm 30ml
• Ella Bache Great Tan without Sun 50ml
• Molton Brown Body Lotion or Bath and Shower Gel 30ml

These were part of a DJs promotion but they’re completely out of stock now, so this is your last chance to get the last one!

There are so many great beauty brands at David Jones.  From perfumes to shower gels, lipstick to anti-wrinkle creams you can find it there!

Win the Beauty Bag

Just go to the David Jones website and look through their list of beauty brands and leave a comment here telling me which product in this beauty bag you’re keen to try in 25 words or less to win this fabulous prize!

Open to Australian Residents only and entries close midnight on 22nd May 2013

Hi Imogen! I just discovered your blog today and I find it wonderfully visual and enormously helpful. I saw your post on How to Make Your Feet Look Longer. Could you please post advice on How to Make Your Feet Look Shorter? I am 5 feet 4 inches tall with a size 9 shoe and this is a fashion issue I have struggled with forever. I would love to be able to see a visual presentation of the shoe styles I should be leaning toward to make my feet seem shorter. Thank you!

1. Nude shoes which don’t draw attention when you’re wearing skirts or dresses.
2. Blending your shoes to your tights and pants rather than wearing alternate coloured shoes.
3. High heels shorten your feet
4. Horizontal straps and detail cut your foot up.
5. Rounded toes won’t add extra length

I have a red plaid blazer that I adore but I am getting really bored with what I wear underneath it since I read the only appropriate items are neutrals or colors in the plaid.
I’ve worn leopard print shoes with it and loved the look. Leopard print top underneath.. .not so much which I now understand is due to the scale of the pattern and the colors thanks to your blog.
I’d love it if you could make a post about what can be worn with plaid besides neutrals or a matching color.

Yes the easiest option to wear with plaid is to pick a colour out from the plaid.

Then you can mix it with other patterns with related colours.

Plaid is a very ordered print so it works well with ordred prints like stripes, or large graphic prints. Alternatively you could mix it with a floral print that is more sparse, or a very dense print like the leopard that you’re wearing it with.

The further away from the plaid garment, you can be less specific with the colours and how related it is to the pattern, there is a little more leeway.

Just remember to relate the intensity of the colours, so if it’s more muted, then the pattern you mix it with needs to be more muted. If it’s bright, mix it with bright.

Many of you may know Jill Chivers from the videos we’ve created together on a variety of topics from colour to accessorizing and shopping.

Jill is an amazing workshop facilitator and is running a course on how to make your workshops better and more interactive.

It’s not industry specific, so if you’re interested in doing this workshop in Melbourne on Thursday 6 June book your place today as spaces are limited. Find out more and book in for Workshop Wonderland.

Plus Jill will be offering on Friday 7th June her 1/2 day Media Mastery workshop too – if you want more publicity for your business this is an essential workshop to attend as Jill has gained much media attention and knows how to hook the media and get interviewed.

Here are some testimonials from people who have attended the Workshop Wonderland workshop

“What a fabulous focus to spend a day on – exploring how to ensure that the learning environment and the presentation style I offer is the best it can be for the authors who share their time with me.  A couple of weeks later I held my first ‘post-Jill’ workshop.  I could feel the difference in the group, and the difference in myself.   The learning continues, with plenty more strategies to incorporate into another workshop coming up soon. Thanks so much Jill.  It’s rare for a one day session to create so much change and so much ongoing reflection”. – Alex Mitchell, Author Support Services

“AWESOME workshop! NOW I know how to make learning about money fun, relaxed and engaged. Jill, thank you for your knowledge and wisdom. LOOK OUT everyone – you will love my upcoming workshops!” – Michelle House, Michelle House International

Treat your mother right this Mothers’ Day there are so many wonderful gifts you can give her, the most important one is the message that you love her … and then she also might like a present! Here are a few ideas!

It’s starting to get cold here in Melbourne as winter is setting in, and from all reports there are many in the Northern Hemisphere who are still surrounded by snow, so pashmina scarfs are a necessity in many corners of the globe.

How to Win this Gorgeous Cashmere Scarf from L’affaire cashmere

L’affaire cashmere want to give one of my readers a gorgeous pure cashmere scarf just like this red paisley pashmina that I’m wearing here.  They’re soft and warm so for your chance to win, leave a comment here and tell me which is your favourite  scarf from L’affaire cashmere (put the link in too), and also pop over and LIKE their Facebook page.  Entry is open to everyone!  Entries close midnight 18 May 2013.

If you found this blog post useful or inspiring please share it!

I just found your website – it’s heaven sent. I am 7 months postpartum and still need to lose about 20lbs. Having said that, my issue is that nothing fits me. I am such a weird shape right now. My arms are fat, I have a pooch under my belly button thanks to my 3 c/sections, and my breasts have deflated. I’m short and round – it’s truly awful.
Any help would be appreciated.

When you have a tummy that hangs down and is hard to find, you need to look for clothing that drapes over it rather than clinging, and use foundations garments to give you back some lift and shape.

Great Foundations

1. Get yourself the best bra that lifts your breasts
2. Get fitted by an expert who has a large range of brands and sizes so that it’s supporting you correctly  (some bra fitters will give you the best they have, which is not necessarily the right fit for you as they may not have the right size for you)
3. Find the shapewear that works for you – it may be a tank or a pair of pants
4. Buy your shapewear in a size that is supportive and enhancing, but still comfortable, not binding, so that you’re happy to wear it every day

Tummy Hiding Styles

1. Tops that flare and don’t cling to your tummy
2. Longer jackets and cardigans
3. Tunics in flowing fabrics
4. Slim leggings and pants
5. Dense busy patterns which distract attention
6. Eye enhancing colours which draw attention up to your face and away from your stomach
7. Column of Colour to elongate and not draw attention to your tummy
8. Drape and detail that covers your tummy

Some more tips on dressing your tummy:

Top 10 Tips on How to Make Your Tummy Look Slimmer

How to Flatter a Protruding Stomach

How to Hide Your Tummy

How to Choose Slimming Fabrics

Can you believe it? It’s already May? The year is flying by, and in fact in just over 1 week I’ll be flying to the USA to attend this year’s AICI conference in Phoenix Arizona.

My question to you today is now that you’ve completed 1 or more of the April style challenges, what did you learn about your personal style?

Did you find your Style Statement?

Did you discover new colour combinations?

Did you find great new ways to combine your wardrobe?

Did you enjoy the capsule wardrobe challenge?

Did you play with accessories and try out some different looks?

Share with me what you enjoyed and discovered over the month of April!

You speak of neutrals which raises yet another color question. I always thought that gray, white and black were the only true neutrals, however, I’ve always thought stone should be included in that list. I also read in some fashion magazines where they indicated that teal and coral were colors that looked good on everyone, as they were neutral, because they were not too warm or too cool. So are there certain colors that look good on everyone? And what are the true neutrals?

Firstly, Teal and Coral aren’t neutrals, and yes teal is a universal colour but coral isn’t (it’s always warm and doesn’t suit cool complexions).

You are right about stone being classed as a neutral.  Neutrals are those colours that aren’t really on the colour wheel, or are really dark colours – such as navy.  Or colours that have a lot of grey in them so that they stop being obviously colour, kind of forgettable, which is why they are great staples in your wardrobe as they go with lots of colours and people don’t notice that you’re wearing the same pair of pants over and over!

These are just a few of the thousands of neutrals that you might find in clothing.  Ideally warm neutrals (tan, camel, warm browns, khaki, grey green) are best for warmer complexions, whilst the cooler neutrals (black, grey, navy, rose beige, dark chocolate) are best for cool complexions.