How To Upgrade Your Style With Five Easy Ways

With busy schedules and an endless list of things to do, it can be all too easy to find yourself wearing the same old outfits every day and forgetting to be experimental with your style. Thinking about how to do this, let alone actually trying these new things out, is put off a lot of the time as you may think it will take up too much time. To give you a helping hand, this quick guide will give you five simple ways you can shake things up that won’t take up lots of your time and will most definitely be worth all the effort. By following these tips, you will be able to look your best as soon as possible so you can begin living your best life.

Featured Photo from H&M

Bringing the glamour

One great way of upgrading your style is to invest in some gorgeous accessories that will elevate any outfit, no matter what the occasion is. Roma Designer Jewelry is a good place to start as you will be able to browse a huge range of on-trend products online on your phone or laptop anywhere, so you can make the most of your commute to and from work rather than having to put time aside especially to just go shopping. Something as simple as investing in a statement necklace with a unique design will go with lots of outfits and give you a little injection of glamour whether you are going to an important job interview where you have to dress to impress or just going out for a coffee date with the girls on the weekend and want to look your best.

Out of your comfort zone

Getting out of your comfort one is one of the very best ways to discover a new style that you love and a great way to do this is by experimenting with fashionable hairstyles to try out. This is a great thing to do because it doesn’t require you spend lots of money or make a long-term commitment to a new look, such as changing the color of your hair.

A hairstyle that is very in at the moment is the textured low ponytail. You start to create the texture by using a curling wand and gently pulling your hair into a ponytail. Before you tie your hair back, leave a thick strand of hair loose from the ponytail and wind it around to cover the elastic hair band for a natural look that appears effortlessly professional.

A great professional look is a top knot which requires barely any effort. To create the look, start by brushing your hair smoothly into a very high ponytail, then use a hair doughnut to get instant volume and definition without having to use lots of product or heat to create the dome shape and then secure with pins.

Finally, there is the Sleek Chignon for a stylish French look. Pull your hair back into an ultra-low ponytail, sitting just above the nape of your neck. Next, take the hair and twist tightly before securing in a small spiral with bobby pins.

Striding into style

With the winter on its way, on fashion item you will need to make an investment in is a good pair of boots. The best winter boots for women will be something that is functional, comfortable, and all importantly, fashionable. Think about the outfits you like to wear and decide whether ankle, knee, or thigh high boots are right for you. For example, if you prefer to wear to dresses and skirts, then a higher boot will be the best way to keep warm, whereas if you like wearing trousers, then a sleek pair of ankle boots will do the trick with your boot cut jeans. When it comes to color, you need to make a choice between versatile, with colors such as black and brown, or statement colors like red or electric blue.

Looking good

A great accessory that is a worth the investment is a stylish pair of glasses. Even if you do not need them to read or drive, getting a non-prescription is an easy way to heighten your style and instantly make you look more intellectual. You need to really pay attention to how to choose the right glasses for you, as different styles will suit different face shapes, which is the most important factor when making your choice. If you find that you have a naturally round face, then you should try on rectangle and cat eye styles as the angular lines will contrast well with the soft lines of your face. Conversely, if you have a square face, round frames or the aviator style will work for the same reasons.

The one winter staple you can’t do without

As it is getting much colder in the coming months, there is one fashion must have you need to get and that is a gorgeous winter coat. There is lots of advice on how to choose the perfect winter coat that you can find online which is really worth reading as, when you are going to spend so much money, you need to know what you’re getting is both exactly what you want style-wise, while also offering the functional warmth you need to get to and from work. One way of ensuring your get quality is to always check the label of what the coat you want to buy to check that it is not largely made or acrylic material as this will not offer you’re the warmth or comfort that you need.

Upgrading your style doesn’t mean you have to completely throw out your wardrobe and chop all your hair off, it instead means that you take the basics and essentials of your outfits and find ways of making them more exciting. Taking a few moments every morning to add something new to an outfit or try a different hairstyle will give you the extra spring in your step you need to upgrade your style.

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Give The Gift of Ann Taylor and Infinite Style This Winter

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s hard to not think about all of the upcoming holidays this winter, and with holidays, come gifts. Ann Taylor is here to help anyone and everyone shop for the woman in their life.

Buying a gift for someone can be tricky sometimes, you don’t always know their taste and what they do, or don’t already have. Ann Taylor has a variety of pieces that are bound to fit into everyone’s winter wardrobe. Consider these looks for a gift guide, or even a gift to yourself this holiday season!

And for those friends who have a new style every day, you may want to consider giving the gift of Infinite Style! For a flat monthly rate, subscribers can receive as many items as they would like to rent, 3 at a time, with an option to purchase the items they love and up loving at a special price.

 

Get The Look: Beyonce Inspired Gray Lipstick and Beauty Trend

Gray lipstick is a hot beauty trend that’s the stand-out color between nude and dark brown. The muted taupe adds a high-fashion flair to Fall outfits and accessories!

This popular shade comes in a variety of tones, just like any other lipstick and can be worn with monochromatic clothing. Beyoncé accented her gray lipstick with a coordinating suit and Chanel brooch.

When wearing this lip trend apply a simple face; using limited eyeshadow and blush.

Everyday girls can find the perfect gray lipstick from the following beauty brands.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color

Wet N Wild Liquid Matte Lipstick

MAC Matte Lipstick

NYX Pin-Up Pout Lipstick

 

 

World Series Styles from DOONEY & BOURKE: Rep Your Team During The World Series

From catching the game on television to rooting for the home team in the stands, rep your team with one of the newest Dooney & Bourke Red Sox or Dodgers styles including:
  • Heritage Leather Milly Crossbody
  • Pebble Leather Medium Murphy Backpack
  • Pebble Leather Ginger Crossbody
  • Pebble Leather Small Lexington Tote
  • Leather Credit Card Billfold
  • and much more!!
All Dooney & Bourke Red Sox + Dodgers styles are available at Dooney.com and both stadium stores.

ESSENCE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF NEW INITIATIVE TO INSPIRE FUTURE BLACK WOMEN LEADERS: “ESSENCE GIRLS UNITED”

ESSENCE, the leading media, technology, and commerce company serving Black women, debuts ESSENCE Girls United. This impactful new initiative is designed to inspire young Black women through a year-long mentorship program, as well as an interactive digital/social content hub that will convey the core principles of leadership and self-love.

ESSENCE Girls United demonstrates the iconic brand’s mission to serve its multigenerational audience globally as a 100% Black-owned company across its platforms through content, culture, and community—especially the millennials who comprise of 26% of its core. With its focus on mentoring young girls, this multi-platform program will feature year-round video, digital and social content that will focus on core pillars, including: “Owning Your Power,” “Presenting with Confidence,” “Developing Brand You,” “Finding Your Voice,” “Making a Difference In Your Community,” “Life Skills 101,” and “Self-Love.” The initiative will also feature workshops and conversations with thought leaders, a social network directory for girls to interact with each other, a mentorship program, a leadership development “toolkit,” events such as the upcoming ESSENCE Girls United Summit and much more.

ESSENCE Girls United will allow us to even further demonstrate the brand’s commitment to inspire Black women by engaging this vital audience,” said Moana Luu, ESSENCE Chief Content and Chief Creative Officer. “With year-round content across all of our digital and social platforms, ESSENCE will be a great resource for our girls in the areas of leadership, confidence, and self-love.”

As part of the initiative, ESSENCE and Ulta Beauty will join forces to co-produce ESSENCE Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities. This exciting six-part web series will use digital and social content to create a deeper connection with young Black women. The web series will include a search to discover six young women who will then embark on a journey to discover their personal potential and elevate their entrepreneurial spirit all within the beauty industry. Each young woman will have a chance to participate in an opportunity of a lifetime, including helping to create a limited-time collection for Ulta Beauty; mentorship by ESSENCE and Ulta Beauty brand leaders and more. ESSENCE Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities is open nationally to girls ages 16-19.

For more on ESSENCE, Girls United visit ESSENCE.com/GirlsUnited, pick up the November issue of ESSENCE or join the conversation on social @Essence #ESSENCEGirlsUnited.

Dr. Mathew Knowles and Mrs. Gena Knowles Dressed By Designer Gert-Johan Coetzee: South African Fashion Week

A fortuitous meeting during the busy red-carpet season ahead of South African Fashion Week saw premier South African fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee create bespoke looks for Dr. Mathew Knowles and his wife Gena Knowles to wow the media at three separate events in a week.

The couple was in South Africa to promote Knowles’s new book The Emancipation of Slaves Through Music. The influential music mogul, who is also Beyoncé’s father, hosted the African Leaders 4 Change Awards in the capital city of Pretoria last Thursday and was a guest judge on the music talent show Idols, South Africa. In between, he also managed to address the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business and finally, attend the glamorous opening party for South African Fashion Week.

“My wife Gena and I will be wearing some surprise designs by Gert, one of your top designers here in South Africa,” Knowles said in an Instagram video (@gertjohancoetzee) before the SA Fashion Week red carpet on Monday. The couple had asked Coetzee for some African-inspired styles, and the designer pulled out all the stops, creating a matching suit and gown in shades of magenta, green and brown, with embellished leaf detail that grabbed media attention for all the right reasons. It was pure Afro-chic, the Gert-Johan Coetzee way.

Celebrity favorite Coetzee, who is known as South Africa’s designer to the stars, made his name dressing South Africa’s A-list, from Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel Peters to Minnie Dlamini and Bonang Matheba, over a ten-year career. He has also extended his reach into Africa, with celebrity clients such as Tiwa Savage and Toke Makinwa, and has dressed international megastars such as Grammy winner Fantasia, Kelly Rowland, and Kourtney Kardashian.

Coetzee is coincidentally launching his new men’s range this week at SA Fashion Week, alongside ready-to-wear womenswear and the red-carpet showstoppers that he is famous for. “Menswear requires a totally different focus, so it was great timing because we now have that infrastructure in place.” He dressed Knowles in a two-tone navy and French navy suit with matching Gert-Johan Coetzee shirt and bowtie for his hosting engagement. Gena Knowles sparkled in a form-fitting off-the-shoulder floor-length scarlet gown studded with Swarovski crystals and with a high slit. “As aspect that I love about my job is how a gown can accentuate the wearer’s best features, such as great legs or toned arms. I really enjoyed working with Gena to create a dress she felt great in,” said Coetzee.

For his guest-judge duties on Idols, South Africa on Sunday Knowles appeared on stage in another, moss-green Gert-Johan Coetzee suit with a casual open-neck shirt.

This might well be the start of a relationship full of potential, but Coetzee would not be drawn on details. “It was such an honor to be asked to dress the Knowleses, and we had a wonderful time getting to know them,” he said.

Coetzee’s new Autumn Winter 2019 collection will be showcased at SA Fashion Week on Thursday 25 October at 20:00, and fans can watch live updates on Instagram, @gertjohancoetzee.

What Makes A Diamond The Most Worldwide Gem

Diamonds are known worldwide to be a gem possessing exceptional physical qualities. Of all the bulk materials of the world, diamonds have the highest hardness. Therefore, their properties give them the capability to be the best for polishing and cutting tools. Thus, diamond knives have come into existence.

Featured Photo from Glamour

Most diamonds were formed in the mantle of the Earth at depths of 93 to 155 miles down. Due to the high temperature and pressure at that level of the Earth’s mantle, minerals were dissolved by carbon-containing fluids. The minerals were then replaced with diamonds. Volcanic eruptions carried diamonds to the surface depositing them into igneous rocks.

Since diamonds are the hardest of all the gems, they last longer without being damaged in any way.

Diamonds are different from the other gems because they are formed from a single element. Since the other gems are created by a combination of two or more elements, they are compounds. The uniqueness and the long-lasting ability of diamonds gives them more value.

Where are Diamonds Found?

Diamonds have been discovered throughout the world in 35 countries. The major producers of diamonds are in Botswana, Russia, and South Africa, but the major industrial producer of diamonds in Australia. Africa possesses the most famous and remarkable deposits of diamonds.

In the United States, diamonds have been found in Arkansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. These are the only states to have a conformable diamond source. At this time, there are efforts going on to find other potential diamond sources. One reliable source of beautiful diamonds would be Diamonds Forever San Diego Jeweler.

The Refining Process of Diamonds

The diamond stones are removed from the material that holds them as they are mined from the earth. All the diamonds don’t have the same quality. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the diamonds have a quality that makes them more suitable for industrial use. The industrial quality diamonds are sold in bulk to companies that manufacture precision instruments and tools that are diamond-coated.

The raw, finer quality diamonds are separated to be used as gems. These gem-quality stones are then grouped by size. The larger gem-quality stones will receive special treatment which will make them more valuable.

When the gem-quality diamonds finally reach the cutting table, they will undergo a series of steps. On the cutting table, a rough diamond stone is changed into a valuable faceted gem.

In order to change a rough diamond stone into a faceted gem, the following steps are followed:

  • Planning – The diamond manufacturers make decisions about how a specific rough diamond will be cut.
  • Cleaving or Sawing – In this step, a diamond manufacturer may separate a rough diamond into pieces. Each piece will be finished as a separate gem. The sawing process of a rough diamond may be used by a manufacturer. With the sawing process, a rough diamond is cut into pieces through the use of a laser or diamond saw.
  • Bruting – The objective of this process is to shape two diamonds into a round stone. This process is done by placing each of two diamonds into a spinning axle. The two spinning axles will turn in opposite directions in order to grind them against each other. The result is two round diamond gems.
  • Polishing – The facets are now cut into a diamond. Once the facets are cut, the diamond gem is polished.
  • Final Inspection – The diamond is examined to determine its quality.

The Colors of Diamonds

A perfect diamond has no color or hue since it is both chemically and structurally pure. However, diamonds are nearly never perfect. It is the chemical impurities or structural defects that give a diamond color. The value of a diamond is determined by its color. The rarer the color; the more the diamond is worth.

For example, red diamonds are the rarest diamonds, and they, therefore, have the most value. The more yellow hue in white diamonds, the less value they have. On the other hand, blue and pink diamonds can be more valuable.

Various Cuts of Diamonds

The cuts of diamonds are as follows:

Round

Asscher

Cushion

Emerald

Radiant

Heart

Marquise

Oval

Pear

Princess

Hopefully, you are now an expert of diamonds. You know where they come from, how they are processed by manufacturers, the style cuts, and the most valuable colors. Now, you can make your purchase of a gorgeous diamond for your special occasion.

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