Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Slay the dance floor with these 9 moves thanks to Queen Bey

You all know that Queen Bey is our all-time life inspiration. These flawless dance moves by Sascha Fierce will have you d’floor ready this weekend. You’ll find us practicing in our bedrooms.

1.The Power Strut

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The best entrance into any club.

2.The Kick and Go

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3.The Shoulder Shrug

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4.The Bey and Snap

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5.The Shimmy Clap

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Finge is necessary for full effect.

6.The Stop and Stare

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Not a dance move in itself, but feirce enough to be included.

7.The Squad Goals

Nobody gets pants

8.The Ride The Surfboard

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9. The Casual Hair Flip Of Life

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Why he is the one you go back to but never the one who commits

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Simply put, it's the toxic drought without him that leaves you in chains.

Time and time again you make excuses for his faults and flaws. You convince yourself that his mistakes are forgivable and you continue to put yourself in situations where you're the one picking up the emotional baggage.

He grips your hips, bites your bottom lip and stares into your eyes and you give up. Nothing else matters except his touch, the feeling of being embraced by the one your body aches for.

It's that blinding feeling that leaves you never satisfied. Like a drug addict, you're on a high when you're with him, and then when you're coming down, it's the withdrawals that hurt the most. It's a vicious cycle that quickly leaves you looking for another hit.

You try to beat the emotional urges but then the lying and dodgy reasoning sets in and once again you're on the verge of doing whatever it takes to get his attention.

You blame your addiction for weakness. But you soon realise that it's the rejection that has you clinging.

The pain and his touch is the perfect, destructive cocktail mix to a broken heart.

A shot of disappointment, a teaspoon of regret, a dash of confusion, a garnish of loneliness and whole lot of shaken-not-stirred, unresolved feelings.

So all in all, it's the toxic drink from hell. It's the worst combination of everything you don't want or deserve, yet it's all you seem to be living for.

Once you get over the needy emotions, you convince yourself that maybe exploring the path of friends may be what you need. But you are quickly brought back to reality when you realise that he is the perfect f*ck buddy that comes with tons of baggage. The baggage you're willing to accept.

It's the overload of lies, the unfiltered promises and the flood of compliments that's everything you want to hear but has zero meaning. The gaze which you think means more but really he's just bored. The urgency in his voice to be with you which simply means he can't wait to get in your pants.

He plays with women - and you keep letting him play with your heart.

You can't decipher the difference between desperation, love and lust.

Which one are you strung up on?

It's the unanswered questions, the what ifs and the maybes that leave you unsatisfied.

Deep down you know that he is what you need to leave in the past. But while you try and figure out how you will cope, you desperately hope he realises what is in front of him. And if he doesn't, you pray that you will be his massive, life long regret.

Image Source: Tumblr

3 Easy Outfits To Take You From Day To Night

You’re busy. You’ve got a full social calendar to match your brimming business agenda. You’re all about looking stylish in and out of the office, but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day for a costume change.

The last meeting of the day ran late and you have happy hour plans? Not to worry – there are a few outfit staples easily transformable for stress-free day to night dressing. Wear one of these looks when you're on-the-go, and you’ll be able to switch up your style faster than you can say, “fashionably late!”

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The Practical Pencil Skirt
The working woman’s staple item, the pencil skirt can go a long way if you know how to style it right. Consider picking up pencil skirts in a variety of bold colours to keep your wardrobe fresh and versatile. As a pop of colour, your pencil skirt instantly transforms from drab to fab. And depending on your office’s dress code, an edgy shoe pairing per Who What Wear is a polished gladiator sandal. Simply stash the sandals in your work bag for a quick change after work if you think they’re too risky.

3DressingWorktoPlay03 The Do-It-All Dress
Some might chalk up the little black dress to be a girl’s ultimate go-to garment, but other women might find a printed frock to be her cup of tea. Why a printed dress? A high neckline and modest length will ensure you’re keeping it classy in the conference room, but a playful print is less stuffy for when you grab a drink afterwards. The above dress from Lyst is a perfect example of this respectful balance; it can hold a cardigan well, but it looks great on its own.

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Block with Black and White
This dynamic colour block duo is a work wardrobe must. Chances are, you already have some great pairs of black pants, but you can turn up the trendiness with a chic pair of high-waisted, bell-bottom slacks. The stylish and fun silhouette elongates your legs, offering a modern twist on the too-tired boardroom garb. Bring an “it kit,” as celebrity stylist, Cristina Ehrlich explained, containing gold jewellery, an eye-catching clutch and a pair of sassy shoes to amp up this outfit as soon as the clock strikes 6 p.m.

On your next shopping day, consider investing in some core pieces that will serve double-duty purposes. There’s something to be said about the woman who can shop with both conferences and cocktails in mind. Whoever said not to mix work with play must not have been very savvy!

Today's Fashion Tips is proudly sponsored by Lyst and endorsed by Fashion Weekly. Thank-you for supporting the sponsors who make Fashion Weekly possible.

Monday, October 12, 2015

1 body 126 Photoshopped images show the diverse expectations of ‘beauty’

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – it’s an age old saying but how often do we think about what it really means? Photographer and video artist, Kelsey Higley, is showing just how much the perceptions of beauty really differ across the world.

For her University project titled Manipulated, Higley took one photo of herself and digitally altered it 126 different ways to fit different beauty ideals. The video illustrates the effect media has on women’s opinions of their own bodies and what they should strive to look like.

“The video loop is a stop motion self-portrait created by combining roughly 126 digitally manipulated photos that create the illusion that I am molding my body like modeling clay. The video goes through several stages of “beauty” as I receive conflicting opinions on what true beauty is,” Higley writes in her artist’s statement.

“The work is a commentary on not only these unrealistic idealizations of beauty, but also the women’s desire to be attractive. The women in these photographs and video have an unnerving and unreal quality created by digital manipulation of the body shape, skin and hair, demonstrating how many women will go through great lengths (starving themselves, undergoing cosmetic plastic surgery, removing hair, etc.) to modify their natural body and achieve what society believes is beautiful.”

As this project goes viral we hope it will inspire more women to embrace their bodies as they are.

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Crazy Celebrity Weight-Loss Diets

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What do you see when you look at a jar of baby food on the shelf? If you’re like us at Costhetics, you see unappetising puree of strangely coloured “mystery food.” If you’re a Hollywood celebrity or international singing sensation, however, you may see a quick and easy way to lose weight.

The baby food diet is just one of the mad fads that A-listers are using to get runway-ready in just seven days. Here’s the scoop...

Can You Take 2 Baby Steps & Lose 3 Kilograms in One Week?

Head-turner Jennifer Aniston, she of the sleek body and enviable tresses, is the most recent celebrity to talk about the baby food diet. She joins Lady Gaga, Madonna and other figure-focused stars who keep their weight in check with a week-long devotion to this two-step plan:

  • Step 1: Meal Replacement – Instead of breakfast and lunch, dieters eat 14 servings of pureed baby food (about 1000 calories worth).
  • Step 2: Dine Lean – Dieters eat an evening meal that centres around high-nutrition vegetables and holds back on fatty meat.

Simple, yes...but it is effective? That depends on who you ask. Anniston says the diet helped her drop seven pounds in quick order to prepare for filming a new movie. It’s easy on the digestive track and can serve as a cleanse.

On the other hand, baby food lacks the adult RDA for nutrition, including dietary fibre and fat, essentially starving the body for a week. This lack is one of the reasons that The British Dietetic Association ranked the baby food diet as one of the five worst fad diets out there.

Hall of Fame: 6 Wacky Celebrity Diets

Celebrities are notorious for the lengths they go to in order to drop weight.

  1. Anne Hathaway’s Oatmeal Paste Diet – Anne Hathaway ate nothing but two squares of dried oatmeal paste in order to lose 15 lbs. “The idea was to look near death,” she said of her decision to “starve herself” (under doctor’s supervision) for her role in Les Miserables.
  2. Liz Hurley’s Watercress Soup Diet – Liz Hurley has been linked to odd men and odd diets, since she retreated to Elton John’s house and ate nothing but oatcakes to lose her baby weight. More recently, she admits to drinking six cups of watercress soup a day when she wants to lose a few pounds.
  3. Beyonce’s Master Cleanse Lemon Diet – Losing 20 pounds in 14 days made Beyonce Knowles a true believer in the power of lemon juice. The leggy songbird sips a lemonade made with purified water, lemon juice, dark maple syrup, and cayenne pepper.
  4. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Fat-Slaying Cabbage Soup Diet – To keep in top vampire-slaying shape, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar sometimes relies on a diet of unlimited cabbage soup plus a limited amount of low-cal fruits and veggies.
  5. Brook Shields Grapefruit Diet – It’s not easy to be in the public eye your whole life, but Brooke Shields is still looking good. The actress and former Calvin Klein model eats half a grapefruit before every meal.
  6. Christina Aguilera’s Seven-Day Colour Diet – Can’t be bothered reading complicated diet plans? With this approach, you simply eat foods of a different colour on each day of the week. Red foods on Monday, white foods on Tuesday, green foods on Friday.

Is everyone in Hollywood diet-obsessed? Not in the least. Then there’s Jennifer Lawrence who achieved iconic status as the famished star of “The Hunger Games.” She has vowed never to lose weight for a role.

It takes all kinds!

Costhetics is Australia's leading independent information source for cosmetic surgery, non-surgical cosmetic treatments and the latest in industry advancements. The online portal aims to inform and educate Australians on all aspects of cosmetic enhancement, by providing detailed and unbiased information.
For information on procedures, pre and post op care, surgeon profiles, and articles visit www.costhetics.com.au.

Image Source: Instagram

A guide to clear skin for summer with Holistic Skin Expert Fiona Tuck

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Fiona Tuck is a holistic skin expert and the Managing Director of Skinstitut Australia. Passionate about dispelling the myths in the health and beauty industry, Tuck writes a weekly blog that promotes a holistic approach to skincare. The Myth Minx offers simple and easy-to-follow advice that will have women looking and feeling better on the inside and out. Tuck shares her knowledge from over 25 years’ experience in the skincare industry on how you can get clear skin for summer.

No matter how many layers of foundation we apply, our skin looks bumpy and uneven, how can we improve this?
FT: Uneven bumps on the skin are a sign of overuse of... skin clogging makeup. Some makeup [products] can cause a skin condition called acne cosmetic, [causing] tiny bumps on the skin due to skin clogging ingredients. Keep heavy makeup for evenings or special events and choose a lightweight mineral makeup [for everyday] which will avoid congestion forming in the skin. Regular exfoliation with a hydroxy acid based scrub, such as the Skinstitut Glycolic Scrub 14%, will help to remove any pre-existing congestion.

If we have a hot date coming up and suddenly feel a massive crater of a pimple form under the skin, what can we do to get rid of it quickly?
FT: Avoid feeding the monster with oil based products such as face oils [and] heavy makeup ... use calming, anti-inflammatory spot treatment products. A quick home treatment that works a treat is to apply Manuka honey to the inflamed lesion and leave overnight.

If we want to wear a light coverage foundation in summer, but we are feeling self-conscious about dark patches of skin, how can it be improved?
FT: Dark patches of skin can be caused by hormones, a diet high in sugar and low in antioxidants, and exposure to ultra violet light. Eat a wholefood diet devoid of junk food with plenty of fruits and vegetables and be sure to wear an SPF 50 every day... to prevent more dark areas from appearing. Ingredients such as vitamin C, daisy flower extract and vitamin B3 can help to reduce uneven skin pigment which will give you back a smooth even skin clear skin.

Blackheads are a problem many women struggle with and no matter how much we scrub at it, they often won’t go away! What else can we do to remove these?
FT: A series of professional skin treatments, such as microdermabrasion, will help to exfoliate the skin and keep blackheads at bay. Blackheads can be quite easily removed by a professional skin therapist but it usually takes a couple of treatments depending on how many blackheads are already present.

During summer, our face tends to get really oily. What should we do daily to avoid this leading to breakouts?
FT: In summer we need to switch our skincare regime to more lightweight products. Our skin needs less oil based products... so look at using antioxidant hydrating sprays like the Skinstitut Multi Active Mist, instead of heavy moisturisers. Avoid bronzing powders and mineral oil based SPF’s which can aggravate breakout prone skin.

Fiona Tuck worked closely with Australia’s leading cosmetic pharmacists to create Skinstitut, Australia’s most cost effective and active cosmedical skincare range. Tuck believes that quality skincare should be accessible to everyone, and in a holistic approach to skincare focusing on lifestyle and nutrition as essential to healthy looking skin!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Jardan opens first Australian retail showroom in Brisbane

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It's no secret that Jardan makes the most stunning furniture. Known for their beautifully designed products and high quality craftsmanship, it comes as no surprise why uncontainable excitement is high on our list right now. Why? Because the Melbourne-based furniture designers and manufacturers Jardan have opened their first retail showroom at Fortitude Valley’s fashionable James St precinct!

The space aims to capture the essence of a quintessential Australian brand that feels more like a home than a store. Say no more ....

Headed up by brothers Nick and Mike Garnham, the family owned business has been in operation since 1987 and employs a team of specialist artisans and craftspeople in excess of 100 people.

"We are excited to move to a new space in Brisbane in the heart of the James St precinct where we are surrounded by design, fashion and food. The new store now feels like a home where we can showcase our furniture and new homeware, bedding and lighting ranges...the whole Jardan lifestyle,” says Nick Garnham.

The space was designed by Melbourne based architect Iva Foschia of IF Architecture.

“Jardan's retail store represents the perfect balance of style and function. It is a starting point for those who wish to extend their vision of a modern Australian home, yet allows a sense of history and classicism to enrich that aesthetic”, says architect Iva Foschia.

In keeping with Jardan's philosophy, the space and materials have been chosen to ensure they satisfied the company policy of 'making locally, acting mindfully and minimising all waste and by-product'.

Jardan furniture is made to last. A lifetime and more. Enduring beyond trends and fashion.

The Brisbane showroom is now currently open to the public, 7 days a week.

The details:
Jardan
16A/23 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Ph: 07 3257 0098
W: www.jardan.com.au