All Things FLABulous!

I want to be the best Mom. I want to have time for myself. I want to look fabulous. I want...wait who am I kidding here ! ?!!
Actually no one. 'Coz you can look fabulous even with the extra baby weight and the drools and dribbles on your clothes. All you need is a mirror, perhaps a measuring tape and this 'Cheat Sheet'.


CHEAT SHEET 
Look at your self in the mirror and measure your bust -line , your hip -line and the smallest part of your waist. Write them down.
Then identify your body type, which has NOTHING to do with how much you weigh.
All of us fit into one of these body types -


1) RECTANGLE - Your Bust-line and hip-line are approximately the same width and you have very little waist definition.
Your Challenge - Add curves.
a) Wear wrap around skirts and dresses which give a curvaceous look. 
b) Wear wide belts with your tops, sweaters and dresses to create a defined waist. 
c) Wear medium to high necklines to make the bust-line seem slightly wider than the waist.
d) Wear A-line dresses and skirts to help narrow a waist.
e) Wear wide-legged and flared pants which makes it look like you have hips.
And remember -  Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz, Cheryl Crowe, Uma Thurman are rectangles too! 


2) APPLE - Your bust-line and midriff are proportionately bigger than your hips. You have a full chest, with little or no waist definition.
Your Challenge - To make your mid-section look narrower.  
a) Try wearing the same colors both top and bottom for balance or restrict prints to the bottom half.  
b) Wear shoulder pads and low necklines to proportion the top with the midriff.  
c) Wear tops and dresses that flow through the waist to take away focus from the area.  
d) Straight legged, flat fronted pants (no pleats) in flowing fabrics to camouflage the tummy.   
e) Straight or slightly flowing skirts also help with hiding the tummy.
f) Eye catching shoes take focus away from the mid section.   
And remember, Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Simpson, Chandra Wilson , Angelina Jolie are apples too!


3) PEAR - Your bust-line is proportionately narrower than your hip-line and you have a well-defined waist.
Your Challenge - To create balance while still emphasizing your curves.
a) Wear clingy and wide neck tops to create focus on the upper body.
b) Wear A-line skirts and dresses to camouflage wide bottoms and heavy thighs.
c) Boot-leg or wide-leg jeans and pants to balance out the hips.
d) Empire-waist dresses with light shoulder pads to accentuate your shape while slimming your hips. 
And remember, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Janet Jackson , Beyonce are pears too!


4) HOURGLASS  - Your bust-line and hip-line are approximately the same width.You have a well-defined waist.
Your Challenge - Just don't hide those curves.   
a) Wear belts at the thinnest part of your waist. If you are slim wear narrow belts. This will accentuate your waistline.
b) Wear fitted, semi fitted clothes.
c) Wear dresses with defined waistlines which nip at the waist and then flair out.
d) Do NOT wear bulky fabrics, high necklines or skinny jeans.They will hide your figure.  
And remember, Marilyn Monroe, Scarlet Johansson, Salma Hayek, Halle Berry are hourglasses too!


5) INVERTED TRIANGLE  - Your shoulders and proportionately broader and you have a larger bust-line with narrow hips.
Your Challenge - Create more curves.
a) Wear A-line dresses skirts to add volume and width around your hips.
b) Wear flared pants for balance. 
c) Wear low to medium low necklines to soften the shoulders.
d) Wear large straps and 3/4 sleeves top/dresses, narrow straps will just emphasize your shoulders further.
e) Wear long tops/sweaters/jackets that nip at the waistline,then flare out. 
f) Wear bright, eye catching shoes that shift the eye to your slim legs.
And remember, Demi Moore, Teri Hatcher, Naomi Campbell, Renee Zellweger are inverted triangles too! 


Come on, lets be FLABulous :)

Bring Back That Pregnancy Glow!

One of the things I absolutely loved about being pregnant (other than someone else carrying my grocery bags ofcourse), was when someone said,' Omg girl, you are glowing'. It didn't even occur to me that that was just a 9 month shindig. If you are like me, however, looking after yourself has become a nonessential. You probably have trouble squeezing in a little, 'me time', let alone an elaborate skin care regiment. But I discovered a little bit can go a long way, and when you look good, you feel good and your mojo has that butterfly effect...

So here's what works for me - 

1. Honey I Shrunk Skin Care - I spash some water on my face, plop a teaspoon of honey  (Organic Honey or Raw Honey is best) on my palm and massage it into my face. Then I go about giving my little munchkin her daily massage which takes about 10-15 mins. Thats about all the time the honey needs to work as well, and I just wash the honey off my face with water. It works because honey is a natural anti-microbial agent and also an antioxident. Definately sets the tone for my day. Or if you still have some of that pregnancy mask, massage a little bit of 'yogurt' ( organic, full cream yogurt) into your face instead, the milk fat helps remove impurities, the lactic acid helps disolve the dead cells and lighten that mask a little everyday. 


2. Spice Up Your Life - I add a little 'oregano' to almost every meal. Oregano is a very potent antioxident, hence really good for your skin. To put it is perspective, on a per gram fresh weight basis, oregano has demonstrated 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and 4 times more than blueberries (whfoods.com).


3. The Nut Job - My snack bag is a mixture of 'walnuts' - full of omega 3 fatty acids , 'brazil nuts' - excellent source of selenium (do not consume more than one a day), 'raw almonds' - high in vitamin E and manganese, 'pumpkin seeds'-  contains manganese, magnesium and zinc, 'sunflower seeds' rich in vitamin E, vitamin B 1, manganese, selenium etc and 'goji berries' - which add an almost chocolate covered berries flavour to my look good/feel good concoction and oh they have 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine (gojiberrieshealthbenefits.com). 


4. Ketchup! Thats Right - Organic Ketchup is high in Lycopene, another great free radical enemy you want to be friends with... so dip and dunk!


5. Sweet Sweet Potatoes - Steamed / baked/ sauteed sweet potato is a popular side dish for us, very high in beta carotene which has excellent free radical fighting properties to get the glow going.

So be a 10 minutes- a- day honey, rub oregano on everything you like, steam up those sweet for your skin potatoes, go nuts every once in a while and you will ketch-up on that glow!

Next Post: All Things FLABulous!

Mirror on the wall

So, I'm turning 30 in a few days... and I had my first baby a few months ago. With 40 pounds of pregnancy plump to still wave goodbye and half my head of hair, I finally gathered my wits and looked at myself, in the mirror on my wall. Needless to say, I don’t look the way I did even a year ago. Embracing this new reflection is tough, but here's what is helping –

1. Focusing On What I Still Liked About What I Saw - My wrists and my neck are probably the only things that haven't put on weight...so I draw attention to them by wear wider necks and pretty bracelets. My face, even though plumper still has its basic bone structure, so I spend 5 minutes a day highlighting what I think is best about it with makeup.


2. Recognizing And Dressing For My New Body Type - So I used to be a pear, now I’m more err...like a pumpkin. Now I wear dresses that end at my slimmer areas (eyes are pulled towards the contrast, where clothes meet skin), like knee length dresses that end at my relatively slimmer calves or tops/dresses with 3/4th sleeves that focus on my forearms (conveniently taking the attention off my chicken wings). I wear 'Empire Waist' tops and dresses to give me a little bit of shape.


3. Getting An Easy To Maintain Yet Flattering Haircut - I have straight shoulder length hair, which involuntarily used to end up in a pony tail thanks to all the hair that keeps falling and falling. I needed a haircut, but couldn't get myself to go short. So, I got face framing layers that look good, are easy to maintain and give volume. I also reverse comb while blow-drying for volume i.e. tilt my head forward, then comb my hair from root to tip.


4. Spanx! - A body slimmer which slims the thighs, buttocks and tummy is a must have. I spent $28 on one and it hides the rolls and lumps perfectly under any outfit. It’s been worth every cent.


5. Wearing My Favorite Pair Of Heels When Possible - Nothing boosts my confidence like a pair of high heeled shoes. Don't know why, but it always seems to add that lil extra :). So when I am out with my husband, I let him carry the baby while I revel in a little bit of extra strut.


6. Shiny Nails - It's been forever since I got a manicure, I don't have the time and I would rather spend the money on diapers or something cute for my baby. But filing my nails really short (easy to maintain and safer for the baby) and slopping a shiny transparent coat on them every now and then definitely does the trick.


7. Epilator - I don't have the time to shave ever so often, nor do I have the luxury of a professional wax at a salon. So I bought an epilator (it's not for everyone as it may hurt) it keeps my legs smooth for at least 3-4 weeks.

Next Post: Bring Back That Pregnancy Glow!