5 Ways To Lose Weight By Looking Great (Thanks Fitbie!)…
Being a self-proclaimed health addict who spends way too much of my time scouring the Web for fitness/healthy eating articles, I was more than happy to stumble upon Fitbie’s “Fashion-Forward Ways to Lose Weight.”
This article offers 10 chic ways to lose weight using some of the seasons most popular styles. I just had to share with you some of my favorites but be sure to check out Fitbie for the entire article.
1. Lipstick: Fitbie states that wearing lipstick, especially those of a coral, red, or fuchsia hue, can prevent you from eating messy or sugary foods since you won’t want to constantly mess up your kissers. Nutrition Director Sari Greaves, RD, from Step Ahead Weight Loss Center confirms that you will want to eat daintier as no not smudge your makeup! My preferred lip colors are from Sephora.
Left to Right: Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain “Always Red” $12/Charlotte Ronson “A perfect Kiss Lip Gloss” $14 (Sophia-Creamy Coral)
2. Carry a Clutch: Marisa Moore, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Fitbie that carrying a clutch, instead of a shoulder bag or purse, keeps your hands busy, making it more difficult to carry a drink AND a plate of food (genius because, lets be honest, the cocktail would always beat a plate of food if I had to choose one).
From Left to Right : Clare Vivier Aqua and Neon Foldover Clutch from $156/ H&M Straw Bag $17.95
3. Buckle Up: Fitbie suggests wearing a belt to not only kick up your style a notch, but to also help define your waistline. (Also, it is a nice reminder to have: once it starts feeling a little tight you know to put down that last donut)
From Left to Right: Forever 21 Colorful Braided Belt $6.80/ Tory Burch tory Reversible Logo Belt $195
4. Do Denim: Hopefully you work at a more laid back office where you are given the freedom to wear jeans on Friday. A study from the University of Wisconsin showed that people who wore their favorite dark-washed jeans to the office took 491 more steps than those who wore suits.
From Left to Right: Forever 21 Stretch Skinny Jeans $10.80/ Madewell Skargorn Bones Skinny Jeans $128
5. Sneak Attack: Fitbie’s article encourages commuters to save their heels for the office and rock some your favorite paire of sneakers into work. Not only will this make your morning routine more comfortable, but it will also give you the availability to get a quick work or walk out in during your lunch break.
From Left to Right: Nike Free 4.0 Women’s Running Shoe $90/ New Balance 860 $89.99
~Michelle Mass
Great Gifts For Any Mom…
Ok, maybe you’re mother isn’t super chic, quirky, professional or free-spirited. Maybe she’s just a little bit of all those things. Regardless, she deserves an above-average gift.
So to officially conclude our Mother’s Day Gift Guide, here’s a slew of thoughtful treasures perfect for pretty much every type of mom other there…
Meet Supermodel and Make-Up Extraordinaire Cindy Joseph
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ford Classic supermodel and entrepreneur Cindy Joseph about her career, her new make-up line BOOM! By Cindy Joseph, and her perspective on how every age can be beautiful. The 61 year old silver fox will also be speaking at the new raw food and juice café, Jar Bar.
PWStyle: Hi Cindy! You are so beautiful! Please tell us how you were discovered as a model.
Cindy Joseph: In 1999, I was approached on the street by a casting agent who wanted to know if I could model for Dolce and Gabbana. I was 49 and had silver hair. I did the shoot and 6 months later, the campaign was launched. I went to Ford models and they signed me. I have been modeling every since.
PW: What do you think is the most beautiful age a woman can be?
CJ: Every age has its own unique beauty. Think of a newborn’s tiny hands and feet, reaching out for sensation and the absolute awe in their eyes from experiencing all the new sensations. Then think of the sweet cuddly beauty of a toddler’s tender smooth skin romping around in their diapers. From that age through teenage years, through puberty, and young adulthood, all the way through a woman’s
30s 40s 50s, past 100, there is a nuance and shift that reveals another kind of beauty. It is our choice to seek and find that beauty in every girl and woman.
PW: What is your favorite beauty secret?
CJ: Taking joy in life
PW: Do you believe women should change their make-up routine as they age?
CJ: Depends on what they were doing when they were younger. Best thing to remember is that your face attains more character and develops more features as you age; so less of everything is better. If you wear eyeshadows and contours and powders and heavy foundations you will be just be adding more texture to the fine lines and wrinkles, and end up looking older. Think moist, dewy, color and radiance. Softer eyebrows. No dark shadows or hard eyeliners etc. Keep it simple and relax with the changes instead of fighting them. It will only make you look strained and possibly older.
PW: Do you prefer the natural make up look or the made up (to go out) look?
CJ: I think it’s all great as long as the girl or woman is motivated to wear makeup for fun rather than feeling desperate and motivated by fear.
PW: Do you believe women should embrace their age or hide it?
CJ: Not only EMBRACE their age but celebrate it. Be proud to have earned each SILVER hair and wrinkle they have!!
PW: Please tell me a little bit about BOOM! By Cindy Joseph.
CJ: BOOM! By Cindy Joseph is the first pro-age cosmetic line ever to exist. The message is that women are just right the way they are. The right size, shape, features, coloring and age, just as they are. And when a woman is taking joy in her life, experiencing pleasure she is extra attractive. It is her smile and her joy that makes her compelling and attractive. Boomsticks are easy to use, applicator free and great for multitasking. Simple, easy, and affordable. They are designed to make every women look as she naturally does when she is experiencing pleasure. If she is laughing dancing or romancing, her circulation revs up and her lips, neck, cheeks, forehead become colorful and her skin becomes dewy and radiant. Boomstick and Boomsilk are all safe, paraben phthalate free cosmetics.
PW: Explain your take on the “Pro-age” movement!
CJ: I named BOOM! By Cindy Joseph because that is the sound of a revolution. BOOM is the Pro-Age revolution! Women and men, children and adults are ready. It is simply time. Our society has hit a screeching crescendo of anti aging attitudes and products. If we believe that the largest percentage of our lives is downhill, which is after we turn thirty, it is a sad story. Life is not a mountain with one peak. Life is a V, expanding and becoming more as time goes on. As you age, you become more self-aware, develop taste and wisdom. Women are going under the knife and are injecting Botox; 9-year-old girls are worried about their weight and becoming anorexic. Women of all ages feel unseen, unnoticed, unless they look younger than they are. It is time for women and our society to realize looking like we are in our childbearing years just to be valued is archaic thinking!! Not only that, it simply does not work. It only makes a woman look desperate and they cannot fool anyone. The whole idea that women are only valuable for bearing children, ended 100 years ago with suffrage!!! Remember Women’s Lib? That happened over 40 years ago! Everyone is waking up to reality. That is the Pro-Age movement. We are not accepting this anti-age attitude anymore. Women are free, powerful and attractive at every age and are valued on many levels for many reasons. Its time to wake up and smell the coffee!
PW: Is BOOM! By Cindy Joseph only for a certain age group?
CJ: BOOM! is for every female from new born to over 100 years old. Girls and women of all ages enjoy Boom!
To learn more about this captivating woman head to the Jar Bar on May 10th from 7-9 p.m. Cindy will be offering interesting make-up tips for every age and will be discussing how you can discover yourself and live a passionate, happy life!
~Michelle Mass
Art Institute Student Creates An Award-Winning Wedding Gown
The Art Institute of Philadelphia is swarming with talented young people and Adriana Maria is one of them.
Currently enrolled in the Institute’s Fashion Design Program, Adriana officially made a name for herself last month having won Philadelphia Wedding’s “Sew in Love Fashion Showcase. Philadelphia Wedding, a publication of Philadelphia Magazine, asked design students to create a one-of-a-kind wedding gown that cost under $500. The dresses, refereed by Fashion Icon Nicole Miller, Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll, Danielle from Bridals by Danielle, Pattie Lamantia from The Wedding Shop, Mary Dougherty from MKDA Agency, Danielle Hoysa from Bridal Garden and Philadelphia Wedding’s Editor-in-Chief, Carrie Danny, were judged in three categories including creativity, execution, and emotional response.
Having been deemed the best of 21 entries (all from five local design schools including, Drexel, University of Delaware, Philadelphia University, and Moore College of Design), Adriana not only will have her dress (pictured left) featured in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Philadelphia Wedding, but the budding new designer also won the chance to work closely with the Bridals by Danielle owner on her brand new eveningwear line.
Making the competition even more exciting, 50 percent of ticket proceeds from the April 20th reception event went to the non-profit organization, Wish Upon A Wedding, which provides wedding renewals for couples who face life-threatening illnesses.
Great job, Adriana!
~Michelle Mass
Gifts For The Fun Mom…
If your mother isn’t afraid of bold colors or prints and has a personality to match, here’s some Mother’s Day gifts worth considering…
Gifts For The Working Mom
If your mom is a nine-five gal who’s always on the go, here’s some Mother’s Day gifts sure to appeal to her professional side.
Seventeen Magazine vs. Teen Girls of America
Having grown up reading teen magazines, I’ve actually given a lot of thought to whether I’d want my hypothetical future daughter reading the selection of teen glossies out there today.
And by “selection” I mean Teen Vogue and Seventeen since, due to the demise of CosmoGirl!–a far more commendable publication, in my opinion–they completely dominate the market.
On one hand, both mags seem intent on training girls to become superficial pieces of shit, feeding them such vapid editorial content as “Flirty Text Messages!” and “Weird Boyfriend Behaviors!” (note: I didn’t add the exclamation points).
On the other hand, as much as they might prey on the all-consuming insecurities of teen girls, they definitely make an effort to ameliorate them with the health/sex Q&As and articles like “Make Peace With Your Body,” a slideshow of “Real Girls” in bikinis who have drawn peace signs on the body parts they’re most proud of (note: all the girls are attractive and skinny).
Either way, I’m all for the new online petition launched by a 14 year-old girl from Maine calling on Seventeen to print at least one unaltered photo spread each month.
“For the sake of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up,” writes campaign leader, Julia Bluhm. “I know how hurtful these Photoshopped images can be. I’m a teenage girl, and I don’t like what I see.”
Bluhm is also a member of SPARK, a girl-led activist movement that works with organizations to put an end to the sexualization of women and girls in media.
So far, over 50
thousand people have signed the Change.org petition, which comes just days after the international editors of Vogue signed an agreement to portray models with healthy bodies and the pledge that Glamour made last month to no longer alter body size in photos they commission.
Unfortunately, after Bluhm and her friends staged a little protest outside of Seventeen’s headquarters last Thursday, the magazine’s editor-in-chief Ann Shoket sat down with her and proceeded to rejected the request while also refusing to comment on what exactly their Photoshopping practices are.
Seriously Seventeen? All this girl is asking for is ONE measly a month that doesn’t distort a girls appearance. As far as I’m concerned, for a publication that reaches 13 million young women each month, that’s the least you could fucking do. Perhaps it’s time someone started a petition against the entire magazine.
Anyway, in other news, I’ve officially decided that any hypothetical future daughter of mine will not be allowed to Seventeen. Guess she’ll just have to re-read The Feminine Mystique each month.
DIY Nail Stickers
I’ve never really been into making a big deal out of your nails. It always seemed like way too much effort for something that would look just as good with a simple coat of red polish. But, it’s like you can’t avoid the tricked-out nail trend right now, so you might as well pick one and at least try it. You never know, you might like it.
I found this super simple DIY for nail stickers of Lauren Conrad’s Beauty Department and I thought it was such a cheap and easy way to make a super special nail, that I had to share it with you guys.
Something New To Do With Your Instagram Pics…
While I’m not one of those obsessive Instagrammers who literally see the world through potential Instagram pics, I do appreciate any technology that can transform an otherwise uninteresting photo into a work of art with the click of a button.
Even better, now your instant masterpieces don’t just have to live and die on your phone—they can be transformed into an awesome piece of décor.
Using digitally printed versions of your favorite Instagram shots, Stitchagram (aka. brother/sister team Dou and Rachel Pfeffer from Washington, DC) will create a custom, 100 percent handmade throw pillow.
Once on their site, all you have to do is log into your Instagram account, choose from one of two layout designs then drag and drop your desired photos into the designated spaces.
Each of the 15 inch pillows come with a soft and fluffy removable insert and the back is a dark navy color with an envelope-style closure. Though normally $94.50 (plus shipping), right now they’re having a spring sale, offering folks their awesome creations for just $64. Not only are the pillows likely to last long after you inevitably drop your iPhone into a toilet, but they would make a really great, deceivingly thoughtful gift.
I’m already picturing one on my couch.
Introducing the JoeyBra
It is no secret to anyone that knows me that when it comes to going out to the bar, I don’t like carrying purses. I feel as though it limits me being able to prowl-I mean dance- around with my friends!
Unfortunately, putting my phone, apartment keys, credit cards, and ID in my pockets is less than practical and the extra weight on my fanny is certainly not that comfortable. There is also that fear that by the end of the night I will be fishing any of the above items from the toilet, should I forget to take them out pre-potty.
Luckily for me, two good people from Seattle, Washington have invented a product to help such “free-spirits” like myself. JoeyBra, a company recently founded by Mariah Gentry and Kyle Barlow, is a sexy, pocketed bra that allows you to conceal any items you choose to stow in the safety of your bosoms. Most cell phones and any other items, regardless of breast size, can fit into the otherwise normal looking bra. The best part, besides that it comes in a must-have leopard print, is that this bra is only $19.99, and comes in sizes to accommodate any bust size.
They even have a video to show you how easy it is to use. Enjoy!
~Michelle Mass