Outlook of the day: Encouragement

Besides the economy body size and fashion seems to be the most discussed topics in the world today. I love to be in the know when it comes to fashion and if I happen to hear anything about body image I'm all ears too.I am always looking for new ideas to share,especially in the form of blogs. I see a lot of women who have learned to embrace themselves but in a negative way that will get the attention off the flaws and imperfections of their bodies that they feel somehow don't fit in the strict categories that have been set by the fashion industry. I was one of those women. I always thought that negative attention was the best attention when it came to my image because that is how I was self taught and forced to view myself. I was always told, "you have such a beautiful face and flawless skin..." I never heard anything else. If you were big than you were considered fat but if you showed more skin on your body it made no difference if you were big or small because there were the female variances in view and that was the main display. For years I would never look at myself in the mirror no more than to brush my teeth and do my hair. I don't know where I had learned to think so negatively of myself, but it wasn't from my family. My mom taught me how to love myself and my grandmother encouraged me even more in that sense. Growing up, I think that it may have been the ideas of others that influenced my self image of me because of their own stinkin' thinkin' of themselves. I haven't been posting anything because I am at a place where I feel nothing I post is of any significance until I get over this hump I sometimes feel about myself. I am just at that level of wanting to give up and go back to my poetry That way I can hide behind what I really feel but in an artistic way without putting myself and my emotions on display. I know that I just started this blog a month ago and I know that it takes time to get things together like I want too,but frustration can sneak in and stay a while if you let it.Something I am trying very hard not to let happen. I love what I do and I love doing photo shoots and fashion shows but somewhere in there I think I have forgotten how to truly love me while not worrying about what anyone else thinks and be the absolute best at being me on my blog like I set out to do . So I decided to take time out today to look at other fashion blogs and to see what makes these blogs so unique but in the same sense of fashion as all the others.That still didn't do it for me, I wanted to know what makes some blogs stand out more than others and now I am convinced that some blogs have given the true meaning of the word "blog" that's why they are so popular. so I looked up the definition of blog and this is the official definition here: blog /blôg/ A Web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis. So that being said it doesn't matter what anyone maybe thinking about me and my ideas whether it be fashion, exercising,running, or my size. It is my blog and its all about me. I just choose to tastefully share anything that may be of some use to any woman no matter the size, color or shape that may inspire and encourage in a positive way. You want see me half naked showing things that I wouldn't want my daughter to see or my sons for that matter, just to get followers or likes. I have the control to start or stop anything when it comes to my blog and my life. I know that starting anything new can be a bit of a challenge and sometimes you are in it alone but the hardest part is over and that was just to get up and do it! I was always aquiring the help of others to journey with me when it came to any new venture in my life and when it didn't work out like I wanted I always had someone to blame. The same result was in the end of anything I started I was always left with an incomplete wondering of what would have happened if I had finished and saw it through even through the bad times when I had no one but me left. This is one of those times and this is also the first time that I am not going to give up! I have always wanted to be an inspiration and an encouragement to women not just by my fashion choices or the clothes I wear but also with my informative posts, and this is the time for me to do it. There are too many women who don't know enough about self motivation and self image when it comes to themselves and their size. We have to learn to be lovers of our own well being. I just felt like fashion was an added bonus. If I have to be the only one to encourage myself I will. Hopefully I will be an inspiration to other plus size women with my blog. Sometimes we have to ride alone until we find our place in this world, and if you see me on the same road don't hesitate to stop and talk I love company and I love making new friends in all walks of life. Thank you for reading and if you have any encouraging words that you would like to share I would love to read them! Feel free to leave a comment!

My corduroy creation

             Before                                                     After

 

Well I finally finished my skirt! and I am very pleased with it. I would like to thank everyone for giving me their fashion Ideas. I know that I said that I was going to put up a sketch of the ideas that I chose but I have been very busy getting ideas and outfits  ready for an upcoming fashion show and taking photos. I just didn’t have time. Then I was told that  I had to come up with an original look so  I had to figure out what type of look I was going for and decided on bold colors to bring out the orange. I added a purple shirt (Catos) But then I thought that everything just looked to plain. I then added a white and black polka dot belt (Rugged warehouse) to give the whole thing a bit of energy and to give a polished look and to also accentuate and add some excitement to  my waist. I must say I didn’t think I could pull it off but the more I looked at it the more it seemed to work. The aqua blue cardigan (Gap) really brightened up this look as well. My accessories were just a pair of purple pumps(Thank you to Michal T Kaplan owner of Hollywood Heels I love the way they fit!)

 

                                I then added a bronze and gold handbag  ( thrifted) Liz Claiborne)....
                  

  a gold pair of dangling hoops...



 and a gold bracelet on the wrist.

* I also added a white topaz, diamond accented gold ring to add some sparkle to the whole ensemble. You can always add any ring to these colors to give more of an interesting look just remember to find your focal area and don't over do it.*

Photo of the week!!!

I was sitting in front of my computer having my usual cup of coffee and checking my emails when one particular one stood out so I opened it and this is what I found!

 

Hello Latresa,

Thank you so much for contributing to the Nap Photo of the Week! You can find your post at http://blacknaps.org/2013/01/07/nap-photo-week-latresas-dreadlock-mohawk/. Thank you for showcasing your beautiful style.

Sincerely,

Ariane Roberts
CEO & Editor

So of course I am ecstatic and I don't know what to say!!! I was featured as the photo of the week in this magazine.

The right hairstyles for the right face shape

I recently went out with some of my friends for dinner just to unwind and relax. I had a wonderful time with these ladies! And as we were sitting at the bar waiting to be seated, I started thinking about fashion again (as I always do...) And one of the things I noticed as I was sitting at the bar  is the different hairstyles that the women coming and going in this particular restaurant were wearing. There were so many different hairstyles some were very complimentary to the ensembles the women were wearing and some looked flat and oily,like a bees nest,and some looked big and poofy and not so complimentary at all. That's when I started to ponder about what thoughts were going in there heads when they decided to style their hair before actually leaving the house. In this instance, the atmosphere was more of a casual one, so most of the women here seemed to have chosen  hairstyles which  were more relaxed and casual, and easy to maintain. So the question that I am always asked remains still unanswered... Is there a universal hairstyle that any woman can wear with any outfit and never go wrong???? So when I got home I decided to look at some pictures of hairstyles I have had over the years and try to figure out why I decided to style my hair those different ways; even though hairstyling was not an easy thing for me. I then researched the Internet to see if choosing hairstyles had to do with the size and shape of the woman and the image she wanted to portray and there were no real concrete answers there either. It was then I looked at myself in the mirror  and  the conclusion I came up with was.... wait for it......THERE ISN'T ONE!!!!Each person is different, and choosing the right hairstyles to fit them will depend on the person's face shape, hair texture, and the occasion! The right hairstyles can accentuate your best facial features while downplaying any flaws, as well as  redefining the way you look. However, there are some things to consider when choosing that best hairstyle for your face. First thing you need to be aware of is the true shape of your face. All people have one of  7 face shapes: round, square, rectangle, long (or "oblong"), heart, diamond or oval. I am going to show you how to measure your face to determine the true shape of your face; or at least get close to your natural face shape. And if you find that you may be classified into one or more  facial shapes than that's an even better way for you to explore new hairstyles and find the ones that will compliment anything you decide to wear for any occasion!  I learned to do this at a makeup bar that I attended a few years back and it has always been the way that I determine any one's facial shape. Its like weight watchers and their point's system to me. I have done it for so long that I know it by heart! LOL. OK...OK seriously,  look in a big mirror and examine the bone structure and curves that make up your face.
you'll need a ruler or a tape measure. Here we go, just be sure to write down the measurements for each step:

• We'll start with the forehead. Measure across your forehead at the widest point.
• Move on to the cheeks. Measure the widest length across your cheekbones.
• Now on to the jaw. Measure your jawline at its widest point.
• Finally, we'll measure the length of your face. Put the ruler just under the eyes and imagine there is a line there and measure from ear to ear (stopping at where the ear begins). Then place the ruler at the top of your forehead at your hairline and measure to your chin using the imaginary line there also. Your ratio will either be 1 (your width) to 1 1/2 (your length) or 1 to 1 or 1 to 2.
• If you are one who isn't good at measuring yourself  and there is no one available to do it for you. Another way to determine these measurements  is to  have a photo of your face taken and use the measurements on the photo. You could also use an old tube of lipstick and while you are staring at your beautiful self in the big mirror that I forgot to tell you you needed... you  could trace an outline of you face (with the hair pulled back and out of  the way!) This will measure only what is seen looking forward and will also provide the facial measurements you need just by using the ruler or a tape measure.

Now that you have your facial measurements its time to determine your facial shape. Here is the characteristic guide I used. I also added the types of hairstyles that I felt would be best suited for the different facial shapes.

Round

               

                                                                       
              

• Your face is almost as wide as it is long
• Your jaw-line is round and full
• Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face and round
• Your hairline is most probably round 
•  You'll want to make your face appear longer and leaner and less round. Try styles that fall just below the chin like the long bob hairstyle. Also soft, emphasized layers  are great because they make your face appear slimmer and tend to remove  the look of fullness from the sides. Consider wispy and tapered styles.  The "wispy-ness" takes emphasis off the roundness of your face.
  When it comes to bangs, keep them long or side-swept. Avoid the very straight or very curly hair as it can accentuate the roundness. And never let the ends of the hair rest  directly onto your cheeks  as it adds more emphasis on your round face. If you have bangs let it slightly drape past your cheekbones.

Square

                        
                                                                                                               

• Your face is almost as wide as it is long
• Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are the same width
• Your hairline is most probably straight
•  Texture, in the form of curls or choppy ends, does this brilliantly. You can also get away with short, spiky cuts and long, sleek styles with layers that start at the jawline and continue downward.
•  Avoid one-length bob hairstyles (especially chin-length) and wide, plain bangs. These will only accentuate your angular features rather than soften them.
 

 Inverted        Heart
 Triangle


                                                                       

The only difference between the inverted triangle and the heart shaped faces are that the heart has a widows peak. They basically are the same.

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is long and pointed
• The sides of your face taper from your forehead to your jaw
• Your forehead is the widest part of your face, or the same width as your cheekbones
• Your jaw is the narrowest part of your face
• Short hair tends to look great on heart-shaped faces, as well as chin-length bobs just avoid bob styles that are above chin level. This draws the attention away from eyes and emphasizes the chin. Steer clear from short, blunt-cut bangs and and the wild, choppy layered look.
• Side-swept or wispy bangs look fabulous with long, wavy hair, shoulder-length modified bobs and even pixie cuts.
 

 Triangle
                
                
            

                                     

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw is broad
• The side of your face tapers from your jaw to your forehead
• Your jaw is the widest part of your face and your forehead is narrow
•  Your face looks best with short hair that shows off the forehead and cheekbones, while  taking the attention away from the chin. Asymmetrical layered look is also a great choice. Also the soft layered look helps  to balance out a strong jaw and chin.
• Avoid  Bobs and other angled styles that end at the chin. They place emphasize  toward the chin area.

 Diamond
                         
                      
                              
   


           
                      








                                       

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is long and pointed
• Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face. They are often high and pointed
• Your forehead and jaw-line are tapered
• Your eyes, nose and mouth are well balanced vertically 
•  The classic Bob style with a little volume at the bottom is always a great choice, or a layered look with flipped-out ends is also a ideal choice. 

    
    Oval

                                         










                                         
              
             

• Your face is slightly longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is slightly rounded
• The outline of your face is an inverted egg-shape -- your face is widest at the cheekbones. Your forehead is fairly broad (broader than you jaw)
• Your face can be divided into 3 equal horizontal sections between the hairline, eyebrows, end of nose and chin
• Your eyes are evenly spaced, with one eye width distance between them
• Your face has no extreme characteristics. For example you do not have very small or very large eyes, mouth or nose.
• Considered to be the ideal facial shape  because it's easier to style than the other face shapes. An oval can get away with almost any hairstyle  because of the balanced proportions.
• Pay close attention to your facial features when choosing styles.  You may have a more tense or delicate look and this needs to be considered as not to draw the eye on one area on the face more than it needs to. Styles that keep everything in balance include tousled shoulder length styles that bring everything into proportion like it already is without emphasizing any one feature more than most. Classic bob with a side part and Pixie styles which shows off  the cuteness of the oval face! I have an oval face by the way....LOL!

   Oblong

                       



                   

                          







                                          

• Your face is definitely longer than wide
• Your jaw-line is softly rounded
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
• Your hairline may be rounded
•  Too much height on top and super long hair should be avoided.Your face shape is long and needs to be shortened. Long hair can work for you but you need to work a lot on styling it in a way that makes it look voluminous on the sides of your cheekbones to give more of  an illusion of a "full cheeky" look. "Chin-length bobs" are ideal because they create the "cheeky look" (as I like to call it)  or illusion to the make the cheeks and face appear fuller. Just make sure your stylist cuts the hair shorter or even tapered in the back so it doesn't look plain! curls and waves would work as well because again the focus is to add width and fullness to the face.

 Rectangle



                                                                           
                                                                                                        

            
                                                  

• Your face is definitely longer than wide
• Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
• The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
• Your hairline is most likely straight
• layers and asymmetrical cuts help soften the tense look and  draws the eye away from the chin and jaw-line.
  You should also avoid blunt haircuts, such as straight bangs and chin-length bobs as they make your face look tense and emphasize your jawline. If you decide on getting bangs make sure they are hitting just below the eyebrows and end longer at the sides of your face.  Side-swept bangs compliment your face shape a lot better than straight bangs. Other styles that look good are wavy bobs, super straight and long  or long and wavy styles.Keep in mind if your hair is super long, or you have super long extensions either way that's fine as long as it  sits close to the sides of your face. 

 The face shape images are from tips.tricks.net in the article Haircuts and Face shapes! by Tania Sabnam

The locations for the hairstyles came from the following websites:
Round: beauty-and-bath.com
Square: short style Image came from kookhair.com
                curly style image came from   naturallycurly.com
Inverted Triangle/Heart: style  image from the hairstyler.com
Triangle: style images from the hairstyler.com
Diamond: style images are from thehairstyler.com  
Oval:  First three oval styles are images are from thehairstyler.com
             short wavy oval style image  from  blackhairplanet.com
Oblong:  Images are from thehairstyler.com
Rectangle: shoulder-length curly style Image from naturallycurly.com
                  assyetrical and long curly style Images from beauty-and-the bath.com
             

 

                                                                      
        



                

I am still creating…

I am working daily on my outfits and fashion ideas for this blog but I think I have come to a block in the fashion road because I have all these ideas but I have no way to organize them! I hate it when this happens! So while I was taking a break from my" fashion mental block" I recently found this orange
corduroy A-line skirt barely hanging in the back of my crowded closet, that I made some years back. (This must have been a very trying time in fashion for me! LOL!) Now I got a great deal on this fabric when I made this. And I must have seen some future fashion potential in it for it to be still in my wardrobe, but if you are one who likes to go to thrift stores and find items that you can either wear or turn into something else that is more of your style just remember that  there are styles from every era that can look great on  plus sizes body types.The best tip for finding thrift clothing that fits well is to try everything on, and if that is not possible, measure yourself and know your own measurements. This is the best way to get a flattering fit regardless of you size or body shape. Knowing your measurements will also make it easier to buy thrift or vintage clothing and be assured that they will actually fit. For example, I am more of a pear shaped and A-lined skirts can be very flattering on pear shapes, When I am making or buying skirts I  always pay attention to the  the length and fabric type. I try to avoid heavy fabrics and lengths that fall between the calf and knee which shorten and will exaggerate my bottom half. A line cuts not only emphasize the waist but looks great on all  plus sized figures.  Just be mindful of bulky fabrics like wool, tweed, and corduroy. Make sure that the cut of the skirt in these fabrics will flow with your shape.  another tip for plus sized vintage or thrift clothing shoppers is to look for labels with a 1/2 size. Half sizing is how plus sizes were originally labeled.)  This being said,  I love the feel of corderoy and I love this color! but this skirt is very plain so I decided to revamp it and turn it into something more fashionable. I knew this would be a challenge but I never back down from a challenge! LOL! I just hope what I am visualizing in my mind will look half as fabulous as it will on
me……stay tuned! and remember to stay absolutely fabulous!

To eat or how not to eat? That is the question! and it's a choice

Me thinking

 

 

As I was sitting here lamenting the Christmas holiday and the new year that is about to evolve. It dawned on me that I needed something to discuss in this new found blog that I woke up and just decided to start. Well 8 hours later I still haven't found anything until I laid in my bed again and got back up with the idea of blogging about the first thing that popped in my mind. So here goes. Since we are in a super sized category and whenever it comes to holidays there is always the thought of how much we are going to eat at the office shin dig or will we eat any refreshments at the small gathering at a friends home we were asked to go to? I always wonder if I am going to be the biggest one there and if so will people look at me as if I may eat more than I should considering the size that I am?  I think  that eating is fine as long as its in moderation. The reason being is because it's good to map out whats going to be in the "big spread" once you get there. Just because there is a variety of those gourmet cookies you like doesn't mean you have to try each one on the platter.I also always consider what I will be wearing and how I think its going to look once I get there and start filling up on sausage balls or the macadamia nut fudge or any other type of fudge or food  that these festivities are known to have not to mention how I want to be perceived once I walk through the door and mingle before heading towards the food. I always eat a little snack before I go to any event where food is going to be served. That way I want be hungrier than usual and I want seem like the party pig inhaling everything in sight. I try not to eat anything filling this leaves room for me to casually nibble and I never eat anything before any social gathering that will cause me to feel bloated or gassy.

 Let's face it there is nothing cute about a plus size woman or any woman; letting one rip in a silent but deadly way that automatically draws more attention to herself. And ladies if you are going to be wearing a girdle which I know you are  (which is another topic all in itself) you definitely do not need to drink anything with carbonated water in it. because  we all know that women tend to swallow air when we get nervous or anxious. That is a gas bomb waiting to explode! The main thing is to nibble and mingle don't go there to get your belly so full that all you want to do is sit down with your legs open and pat your belly. That's fine if you want to do it at home but not in public! (trust me I have seen this done before, one of the plus sized models in a fashion show I was in was just about to get on the runway and stuffed herself till she couldn't eat anymore and she made the red fitted dress look like a tomato ready to pop! This was  from all the salty chips and fried foods she was stuffing herself with. And we want even go there with the gas! That's not the name or the look you want to be associated with. You know how its been said that, just because its made in your size does not mean you should wear it? well the same applies to food. Just because there is a lot of food doesn't mean you should try to eat all of it. You came there looking fabulous and fierce and just because you are plus sized doesn't mean you have to hide behind the bowl of chips. .Remember, you are there to have fun  and feel confident and look fabulous not look and act like you are a wild boar scavenging for your next meal.