Lips Don’t Lie

Just in time for Love Day I thought I’d do a little update about lipsticks. Just recently I’ve begun my exploration of bright, tantalizing lips. For years I never did much more than pink lip gloss; lipstick was a serious no-go. But then two summers ago I fell into an Audrey Hepburn rut (if you could call it a rut). All summer I wore black, white and red. Red, red, red.

I Love Red.

No, seriously.

I never knew I would love red so much, thank God for that eye-opening summer! Since then I have continued my love affair with the fabulous color red.

Of course, one other thing I realized during that lovely summer was that pale, pink-hued lips just weren’t going to cut it.

Since then I’ve finally put a finger on one of my biggest pet peeves; miss match colors. Red lips with a pink outfit. Coral lips with a pink outfit. Pink lips with a red outfit. The horror! Honestly! I never realized it before that summer, but something just looks so wrong when your lips don’t match the theme of your outfit.

So in honor of Valentine’s Day (and perfect outfits) I thought I’d throw together a little something on love-love-lovely lips.

Purple Lips

The newest color that I’ve added to my repertoire is a deep purple; it’s absolutely delicious! I’ve been searching for a color that I liked for awhile and finally settled on this one called Matte Amethyst by Avon -It’s wonderful! It’s very quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Quick Tips for Purple: When I wear this lipstick, I choose berry colors for the rest of my makeup to better incorporate it into my outfit. Typically I wear deep purples on my eyes and Pink Buttercream blush by Laura Geller.

Red Lips

This is an absolute classic. I wear it on those days that I want to pop and really feel like a woman. This is called Matte Viva Glam by Mac makeup (which is my all time FAVORITE makeup). I’ve had this one for years and it’s basically part of the foundation of my entire look; I just L-O-V-E this stuff!

Tips for Red Lips: When I wear red lipstick, especially with this bright of a color, I like to keep my makeup really subtle. Typically I wear Rock’in Rose blush by Covergirl and keeps my eyes really understand. Although I’m wearing a really light smoky eye in this photo, I usually just wear a cream colored eye shadow all over my eyelids and then do a light cat eye look using black eye liner.

Pink Lips

Another great way to make a statement is to go with a bright pink lips. I bought Bomb Shell by Mac almost ten years ago for a pageant and it’s been my go-to color of choice ever since. This is basically the opposite of red, but just as bold. Red has that eye-catching flare, while pink screams total girl. I love wearing this lipstick, I feel like it brings out the “bomb-shell” in me….Pun totally intended.

Tips for Pink Lips: I’ve found this is a pretty easy color to pull of with many different looks. I like to wear deep greens shades on my eyes to really make this look pop. I also compliment this lipstick with my Laura Geller blush.

Nude Lips

And of course you just have to have a nice nude look. I also just recently found this color and added it to my stash and I am so glad I did! This is a really great versatile color that I can wear with just about anything. Sometimes I just wanted an understated look and this lipstick goes a long ways towards achieving that goal. This color is called Politely Pink by Mac.

Tips for Nude Lips: The best part about a nude lipstick is that you don’t really have to worry too much about what you do with your makeup or what colors you wear. Honestly, this could probably be qualified as my lazy day lipstick, I slap this one on to finish off just about any look.

Coral Lips

I took the plundge into coral lips the same summer that I discovered my love of red and red lipstick. Shortly before I found red, I found coral. You could say it was part of what opened my mind to trying new colors. The thing with coral is that you HAVE to match your blush to your lips! Please, please, please don’t make the mistake of rosy pink cheeks and coral lips -ugh! It’s so bad! I actually had the blush before the lipstick in this case. I’ve had Mac’s Fluer Power blush for several years and never totally knew why it looked funny (sometimes) when I wore it. I later came to realize it’s because I was wearing pink lips with a coral blush which threw off the aesthetics of my entire outfit.

Tips for Coral Lips: WEAR A CORAL BLUSH! That is my only tip. Oh, well, and this is a lovely summer color. It’s beautiful with that lovely summer glow and turquoise.

I don’t always go straight to the higher priced makeup counters. Sometimes, if I want to test out a color, I’ll start with a cheaper brand. (Honestly though, it just makes a lot more sense to go to a makeup counter and have them help you pick out a color/try them on, rather than wasting your money on many different shades.) If you go the Walmart route, bring an item along with you that you want to match the color to. When I was searching for a purple color, and the sales associate asked me what color I was looking for I referenced the shade of my hair to help give her an idea of what I wanted. I know that sounds funny, but truly I wanted a deep raspberry or plum like color and I already knew that that particular shade looked good on me, so I knew is I could find something similar I’d been in business. If you bring in a scarf, shirt or some other item that you think is a flattering shade with your complexion your less likely to walk away with a totally horrendous color.

So there you have it ladies; go out and paint your lips many beautiful shades of pink to get ready for a fabulous Valentine’s Day.

Biggest tip for bright lips; match cheeks to your lips!

Meet Netania Sjoberg

Netania is your class-A type of gal. She’s that girl that you’re proud to know because her level of class boosts yours just by being friends. She’s an all American type of gal with big brown eyes, long locks and a spunky attitude all rolled into a pint sized bundle.  She’d be that girl you love to hate, except she’s so darn nice and down-to-earth that you can’t help but love her! I’m telling you, this girl is the real deal. I ran into her at a coffee shop the other day and she the perfect –I mean the PERFECT- up do. Of course I ask how she did it, “Don’t hate me,” she laughs covering her eyes with her hand, “I literally just threw it up!” Yeah believe me, this girl has got life wrapped around her pretty polished finger nail.

I met Netania through my husband’s job. He’s a full time security guard at IHOPKC and she was the secretary for a of team of ALL men; if that ain’t a tough job, I don’t know what is! And of course she did her job, like she does her life, with excellence and style. My husband would rave about her to me, and “Oh, by the way”, he would say to me, “She likes tea. You guys should hang out”.

And hang out we did.

Our first coffee date meeting over tea, was at a cozy urban coffee shop and lasted for four hours. We talked and we talked and we talked. I was instantly smitten with her perky personality and drawn in by her big doe eyes. We were immediate friends.

Something that has always struck me about Netania is her love for life and her ability to do it so well. She takes everything in stride, never seems to have a bad day and is always up for trying new things. Currently she’s conducting a full scale move from Kansas City Missouri to White Bear Lake Minnesota. Why you ask? Because it’s time for a new adventure. She’s on a hunt for love; in more than one sense. “I’m doing it for me,” she confided to me today, “not because I’m running away from something or to something, but because I know that there is more for me, and I’m not okay with a mediocre life.” As she sat curled up in a corner of my couch this afternoon she reminisced about the dreams she had as a child; “All my dreams and childhood desires I know are possible, but they got lost along the way; I’m on a quest to fall in love with life again.”

“Since High school I’ve been on a journey of embracing who I am. I’m a classy girl, so I dress classy. But then I also like to pull in a bit of edge so that there is always that air of unpredictability. The color of nail polish I’m wearing usually reflects the season I’m in. Lately I’ve been wearing black, because part of me wants to let that edgy side out; it’s moody but still classy. Red to me is bold, ‘here I am, love me! Embrace me!’. Nude pinks are always for subtle moods, always feminine. Fashion allows you to show the world who you are without using words. It’s part of your personality, it’s part of who you are on the inside coming out.”

Netania smiled softly and gazed across the room, “Fashion allows you to show the world who you are without using words. It’s part of your personality, it’s part of who you are on the inside coming out.” She shifted positions then turned her eyes back to mine; “I don’t think clothes should dictate you; you should be in control. If you want to be comfortable then dress comfortably, but be presentable.” No one is going to try and argue that with her as she sits primly in her skinny jeans and demure top. “Image sells. You demand respect if you dress well.”

Name: Netania Katherine Sjoberg

Nick Name: sometimes I’m called Nattie, Nat, Nans, or Nettie (not a favorite), or for a short period in high school I was referred to as “Lasagna.”

Age: 25

Height: 5’1 (and a half)

Body Type: Petite Pear Shape

Eye Color: Brown

Favorite Color: Difficult, probably black and red

Style: Casual Class and Sass

Inspiration: Audrey Hepburn

Intention: To mirror who I am on the inside by what I wear and how I present myself to others.

Philosophy: Fashion/outward beauty should mirror who you are on the inside. If you’re beautiful on the inside don’t be afraid to show the world by how you dress. We should be beautiful inside and out and not ashamed to tell the world who we are by what we wear.

Where are you from? Minnesota, the Twin Cities

Do you feel your home state had any influence on your style? Slightly, I love that cozy Autumn/Fall look which is not just cute in MN but necessary.

What are the basics of your closet? Skinny jeans, basic v-neck tops, cute sheer-like blouses with cami’s and cardigans, ballet flats for shoes and brown/black boots for winter.

When did you feel you really became “a woman”? Probably last year…I don’t know if anything specific happened it just occurred to me; I suddenly had more responsibility so that made me feel like a women.

Who inspires you the most to be beautiful? Women who live with passion and are unafraid to be themselves while showing kindness and love to those around them. For real.

Do you feel people treat you differently depending on how you dress? I feel like strangers do, so yes. I can tell when people are sizing me up and then deciding how they’ll treat me and I think it’s based on how I look and carry myself.

How does God affect your style? Through purity; I am a child of God and because of that I know my self-worth. I know that displaying myself in a seductive manner does not honor Him and at the same time it’s me not respecting or understanding my worth as His child.

How do you best think you can represent God’s image to the world? God is love, so in all things we love first and let that be the real beauty displayed from who we are and how we appear before others.

What do you feel God calling you to? Most definitely to be a wife and mother, but presently to pursue nutritional therapy and build a business selling essential oils while educating people on the two subjects.

Do you have any tips for other young women? Be you! Don’t change who you are to fit in someone else’s mold. Be bold, be beautiful and be brilliant.

 

Dressing for the Bump Months

The Goal: Be the Cutest Pregnant Lady Ever.

The Struggle: Trying to dress cute even while continuously gaining weight, changing sizes, being exhausted and feeling nauseous.

Yes, welcome all, to pregnancy. The wonderful months of the “glow”, where everyone tells you that you “look great” and “it’s all baby”, and you just want to slap them in the face because your pregnancy hormones are already raging. As if you’re not already self conscious enough about your beautiful ballooning stomach, everyone around you thinks they have the right to touch it and talk to it just because there’s a baby in there; I’m all “Whoa! Back off stranger! Hands of the goods!”

Ah, the wonderful, beautiful, realities of pregnancy.

Of course it’s not all bad; it’s actually quite wonderful. From the moment you find out that a tiny human being is growing inside of you, you’re sucked up into the mysterious miracle of life. It’s honestly an incredible time and I loved my entire just about all of my pregnancy. It was a great time for me and my husband as we anticipated the little one that we were about to usher into the world. It also brought me closer to God as I felt life move inside my body and watched in awed wonder as a human being was harbored in my frail human body; it was astounding. But also hard. Shove a beach ball under your shirt, try to make it look cute, and you’ll have some idea of how it feels to be pregnant.

I always planned to be the cutest pregnant lady ever -that’s what I always told people. And then the blessed event actually happened and I realized it wasn’t going to be quite as easy as I thought. All those serene pictures you see of radiant women embracing their sweet little baby bumps? Yeah, they’re photo shopped. Let me just be the first to attest to the fact that most of the women you see in those pregnancy ads are actually NOT pregnant! It’s totally unfair. They’re cute and perfectly skinny and I’m all fat and unhappy over here.

Now, it’s not impossible to dress cute while pregnant; it’s just challenging. But don’t let the challenge scare you out of your goals. You CAN be a cute pregnant woman and show the world that motherhood is a beautiful thing from start to finish.

Go Long! Maxi dresses are a great option for a changing body.

Pregnancy is all about the “glow”, the radiant beauty of bringing new life into the world. So think womanly. If your face shape allows it, grow your hair out long! Lush locks are just one of the wonderful benefits of those giant prenatal vitamins you’re taking. I loved wearing my hair down while I was pregnant because it helped to draw the attention up to my face rather than my ever changing body. I did feel beautiful with such super-star worthy hair.

Don’t rush out and buy a new wardrobe; you can wear your normal clothes for awhile.

You don’t have to break the bank to be cute while pregnant either. I bought a few basic tops, two pairs of maternity jeans and then let my accessories do all the talking. Especially when you’re just beginning to show; the temptation is to rush out and buy a whole bunch of maternity clothes -don’t! You don’t need them yet! You can still wear your normal clothes and they’ll look just as cute with your little baby bump. They’ll probably actually show that bump off better than if you were to go out and buy and bunch of the ruched styles that are made for a much larger stomach. Allow your body time to begin growing and changing before you go out and buy new styles so that you don’t buy too small of sizes and then have to buy larger ones later.

Think accessories!

You greatest weapon is going to be your accessories; scarves, statement necklaces, chunky earrings -this is the time to go big or go home! Your main goal should be to draw attention up towards your face and away from your belly. So don’t wear long necklaces that will bounce around over your baby bump; wear thick, chunky, statement type necklaces that will draw the focus towards your face. Accessories also allow you to change the look of your outfit so you can buy less and no one will notice.

Have fun experimenting with colors and patterns.

Don’t be afraid to wear clingy fabrics. This is the time to embrace your bump; not hide it. While skin tight is not always the best look, you can choose stretchy breathable fabrics that will embrace your bump and make you look cute rather than frumpy. Often times women choose loose or ill fitting styles that don’t follow the contour of their bump and ends up making them look dowdy or bigger than they really are. Be conscientious of the styles you are choosing.

Show off that waist!

Don’t put away all those cute belts just yet; you still have a waist! Especially when your bump is smaller a belt can add more definition to your outfit and allow people to see your cute little baby bump rather than assuming you just ate a little too much at lunch. Also if you’re like me and buy items that are a little on the big side (so your belly has more room to grow) a belt is a great option that will still allow you to wear all those cute things you bought.

Splurge on just a few statement items.

If you have the budget for it, allow yourself to splurge on just a few few pieces for your maternity wardrobe. Especially if it’s your first pregnancy and you don’t have a large stash of maternity clothes built up yet. I was pregnant over the holiday and I wanted to make sure that I still felt pretty and attractive so I bought a few dresses for special occasions. This dress I actually found on sale at the end of the fall season. I had short cap sleeves but with a little added cover up it become a great winter dress. Because it was grey and fairly neutral I could pretty much add any color I wanted with it to change it up. I also looked at thrift shops and surprisingly found some pretty cute items. But don’t buy something at a thrift store just because it’s maternity! Try it on and make sure that you like it; if it’s cute, buy it, if not PUT IT BACK!

Enjoy it!

Basically it all boils down to having fun. Enjoy your pregnancy. You won’t be pregnant forever -even though I know it feels that way. Embrace the life that is growing inside of you and flaunt your beautiful life-giving figure rather than trying to hide it. Try new things and be bold about your outfit choices. If there is one thing that you’re definitely allowed to do while be pregnant it’s dress cute and be happy.

PS) All these photos were taken for my own personal week-by-week bump update; so don’t judge me on the quality!

Keep Your Head Up!

Self Image: Posture

There is a lot more that goes into fashion and presenting yourself well than I think people realize.  Most people think of fashion as shoes, bags, cutting-edge outfits and crazy make-up.  But true fashion is individual, style is what makes you who you are.  It’s the way your present yourself to the world and it’s everyone’s first opinion/impression of you.  And the really sad thing is most people don’t even think twice about it!  But it’s my goal to change that.

So today we’re going to talk about posture.  Which, in today’s day and age, is basically none existent.  Everyone walks around with their shoulders slumped, their backs bowed and their tummies hanging out; it’s positively atrocious!  I know we don’t live in the 18oo’s anymore, but sometimes I wish we did!  At least back then women knew how to carry themselves well.  Their backs (thanks to their ever-present corsets) were always straight and their head held high; they looked positively regal.  Although I can’t ask you to wear a corset to help improve your posture, I can make you aware of it and give you some basic tips to help you present yourself in a way that shows the world how beautiful and confident you really are.

I never knew I had bad posture until my grandpa said something to me one day.  I was about 13 years old, going through my super awkward stage and basically I was very embarrassed with my appearance.  So naturally because I didn’t feel good about myself, I allowed my shoulders to slump in an unconscious effort to hide myself from people.  My grandpa was always my biggest fan, I was his princess.  He always told me how beautiful I was and encouraged me to be myself.  One day I walked into my grandparent’s house and my grandpa hugged me, slipped his finger under my chin and raised my head to meet his eyes.  He smiled at me and said; “Stephy, you’re beautiful, keep your shoulders back and your head up princess; I want to see your beautiful face.”  I was startled, but I started noticing how horrible my posture was.  From then on I made a mental effort to keep my shoulders back and my head held high.  And every time I would slip a bit my grandpa would smile at me, tapping his shoulders he’d wink at me and I knew to roll my shoulders back and raise my head just a bit.  All I needed was a little bit of encouragement, I’m so glad my grandpa was there to push me along, now I’m here to give you the nudge you need!

This first thing to remember is to keep your shoulders held back.  This will feel very awkward at first; you will actually feel the pull on your chest and back muscles and you may actually be a bit sore for a few days if you really work hard at this.  But I promise you-it will get better!  You can’t even imagine what just this one little thing will do for you.  Not only do you look more confident, but you’ll feel more confident.  I always find that when I forget to work on my posture, my emotions slump right along with my shoulders.  So first things first; keep your shoulders back!

Secondly, hold that tummy in!  I know this may not make much sense right away, but this will actually literally add height to your frame.  So often we stand all hunched over and give the appearance of being inches shorter than we really are.  By making a mental note of holding your stomach in you will straighten your back and cause yourself to grow taller; not to mention naturally slim yourself.  Now I’m not talking about sucking your stomach in, I’m only talking about engaging your abdominal muscles to help hold your torso in a straight up-right position.

But all this won’t do much if you don’t also keep your head upright.  Don’t tuck or jut your chin!  Keep your eyes off the ground and look straight ahead; your head will naturally fall into an appropriate position.  I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful you will look when you just simply work on your posture.  You will naturally come off as more confident and look poised and regal.

To practice good posture and even just get a feel of how your body should naturally be aligned you can;

• Stand up against a wall with you heels, butt and shoulder blades touching the wall.  Make sure that your back is not touching the wall, but that your shoulders are rolled back and thus your shoulder blades should be gently lifting your middle back off the wall.  Take note of your posture, how does this feel?  Does it feel natural or un-natural?  Did you have to shift a lot from the way you normally stand to be able to stand up against the wall?  Also pay attention to you abdominal muscles.  This position should naturally engage your abdominal muscles to help and keep you nice and straight.
• Once you feel you have general idea of how you should be standing.  Try practicing your good posture by finding a thick, hard covered book, placing it on your head and walking around.  This will really test your balancing skills; which is very good for your posture.  This is an awesome test to see if you’ve begun to master your posture skills and if you keep them while walking.  Try walking around the house and even sitting down; does your book fall off easily?  Also try standing in your normal position, every time I would try to slump my shoulders even the slightest, my head would follow and dip slightly and the book would instantly slide off!  I found I had to have perfect posture to be able to keep the book on my head.
• When you are sitting down at a high back chair, roll your shoulders back until you shoulder blades are touching the back of the chair.  Sit like this for a while to allow your muscles to stretch out and start getting used to good posture.

Good posture does not happen overnight.  Often it will take weeks to be able to hold yourself properly without having to consciously think about it.  But if you make an effort to do this, you will see improvements.  Just don’t be surprised when you feel like you’ve gone through a major work out by the end of the day-you have!  Because of bad posture our muscles are weak and so it will take time to strengthen them again.  When you feel sore at the end of the day just pat yourself on the back and know that it’s working!

Mystery and Confidence

What is it about that woman that causes you to stare?  Why can’t you take your eyes off her?  You know the one I’m talking about.  Chances are there is at least woman you’ve seen in your life time that turns heads.  Maybe she’s doesn’t even have super model beauty, but there is just something about her that you can’t take your eyes off her.  You want to be next to her, get to know her; you want her to pay attention to you.  Yes, she’s beautiful, but there’s more than that.  What causes one woman to be simply pretty and the next to be captivatingly beautiful?

The two keys to captivating beauty are mystery and confidence.

The hardest thing about these two is that I can’t teach you.  I can push you in the right direction, but there is no three step action plan to achieve them.  Some people may come by it more naturally, others learn over years, some will never find it; it can be learned, but it takes time and patience.

Well, here goes nothing; I’m going to try and teach something that can’t easily be taught.

One major key to mystery is to keep your mouth shut; there is nothing mysterious about a woman who talks too much.  And while I know that some personalities are more talkative and out-going than others that doesn’t mean that this rule doesn’t apply to them.  Some things are just better left unsaid; this lends to the mystery.

Now there is a difference between being mysterious and being cold.  When someone asks you your name it doesn’t mean that you stare them down and walk away; that’s not mysterious-it’s rude!  When I say mysterious I mean being careful not to monopolize the conversation; actually try not talking.  Wait until someone asks you a question or address you, don’t be the first to offer information about yourself, allow others to draw it out of you.  In short; be cool.  Stay calm and just wait it out.  People are more interested to get to know the quiet ones than the people who talk all the time.  Actually people tend to get bored of overly talkative people because they have a tendency to always bring the conversation back to themselves and mainly just give too much information; if I already know everything about you why would I want to ask you out to coffee?  If you are careful to restrain your effusive description of yourself you may be surprised at how people are just that much more interested in you.  Be warm and friendly but never offer too much information, always hold something back; it adds to the air of mystery.

A mysterious woman always has a smile on her lips because she knows she still has a few secrets.

Mystery doesn’t only have to do with talking too much; it also has to do with covering up.  There is nothing less mysterious than a woman who lets it all hang out.  Everyone is so afraid that people won’t see them as attractive if they cover up, but really it’s quite the opposite.  Men like mystery, and there is a great deal of mystery in a well put together outfit that covers all your assets; a scantily clad body on the other had offers no mystery.  So cover up!  Have respect for your body and who God made you; don’t let it all hang out, whether in your clothes or your speech.  Mystery is all about subtlety.

Mystery is sexy simply because everyone knows that there is more than meets the eye.

I’m sorry, I can’t teach you how to be confident; oh yes I could teach you how to fake it, but false confidence only fools people for a little while.  Real confidence lasts forever and doesn’t waver in any circumstance.  I’m not talking about being confident in the fact that you’re pretty or attractive, I’m talking about being confident in yourself; who you are.  When you’ve accepted yourself, love yourself and are proud of who you are you will be confident in a way that can never be taken away from you.  But like I said, I can’t teach you how to be confident.

Confidence is contentment and acceptance of who God made you.

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”  -1 Peter 3:3-4

If you really want to be confident and mysterious take this verse to heart.  When I say I can’t teach you it’s for this reason, it has to do with your spirit.  And while I can help you look your best outwardly I can’t truly do anything for you if you’re ugly on the inside, but God can.  True beauty comes from your heart; something only God can change, even you can’t change your own heart.

So maybe mystery can be learned to a degree, but when it comes to confidence; only God can teach that.