The girls that want to have straight hairs can make use of blow drier and straightening irons to straighten their hair. However it is advisable that you opt for the opinion from your stylist as they can provide you with the professional advice regarding your straightening. This is because they are the ones that are trained and have a great experience which will help you to have healthier hair. One of the treatments that these stylists will advice you is Brazilian keratin treatment.

You would certainly like to know more about this treatment and what makes it to stand out as compared to others. The most important thing that you need to know about it is that is not a permanent treatment but then the more times you get it done it will be better for your hair as well as its look. With this treatment you can actually repair the damages that your hair has gone through. The best thing about this treatment is that it is very different from the other treatments as they involve chemicals whereas this treatment utilizes a natural substance called as keratin.

The brazilian keratin treatment has many benefits and so it is gaining so much of preference. One of the benefits of this treatment is that it can treat any type of hair which works best for chemically as well as damaged hair. This treatment will make your hair smoother, softer and shiner. This treatment also acts as a moisturizer which will protect your hair from humidity and heat which makes your hair frizz free. This will avoid your hair to look lifeless.

Children can also go for this treatment but the only case is that they should be above six years of age. This treatment should be avoided by the women that are pregnant. These are some exception to this treatment, other than this anybody can go for this treatment. Brazilian keratin treatment can give you gorgeous hair which you always thought about.

Winter is a difficult time to look fashionable, especially if you live in a colder climate. However, it is not impossible. To start with you can buy clothing that are made from warmer materials like wool and cashmere, and that also reflect the colors and patterns from this season’s clothing trends. Generally speaking winter fashion trends will relay partially on the timeless winter classics so you won’t need to replace your entire winter wardrobe to stay in style, as long as you know what these timeless pieces are you should only have to buy a few new winter pieces each season to stay in style.

To build a winter wardrobe that follows the current winter fashion trends you will want to start with your footwear. While you may not think that winter boots offer much flexibility when it comes to fashion choices there really are a lot of great options to choose from. However, if you want a boot that will remain in style through several seasons then you can’t go wrong with a black winter boot. Then if you winter budget can stand it, buy a second and/or third pair of boots in this season’s colors and styles.

The next area of your body that you will want to protect from the coldness of winter is the lower half of your body. To stay warm look for pants that have a flattering cut for your body type and that are also made from a heavier material like wool. If you like to wear skirts in the winter then you can protect your legs by wearing colored tights.

To really pull your fashion forward winter wardrobe together you will want to look for top options that really pop. Joules Jumpers, Joules scarves, and fashion accessories can also easily be added to reflect winter fashion trends from this season. For the best clothing options for your body, look for tops that have a shape that de-emphasizes your problem areas and that also have a color palette that compliments your skin tone and hair color.

Wildly popular in all the blogs and a hot topic in those social networking forums I love to hangout in, everyone seems to be thinking about getting a Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT). Wait! I type. Before you call your stylist to book your salon appointment, make sure you have all the info you need to make your choice. Silky hair is good, but with a Brazilian Keratin Treatment you might be getting more than you planned.

What you and your stylist may not know is that the active ingredient in these BKT “wonder” treatments is formaldehyde, which is a dangerous chemical, especially if you breathe it in. Hence the protective equipment – face masks, gloves, ventilation fans – as a safety precaution when giving or getting a treatment. Is straight hair worth wearing a gas mask? Now THAT’S something to consider.

According to Allure Magazine (we love them!) “some of the most popular BKT treatments contain at least ten times more formaldehyde than the .2 percent considered safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. The FDA doesn’t currently regulate cosmetics, but they are investigating the safety of escova progressiva treatments.” Now, I’m no expert, and I have considered a BKT when I originally heard about them, but ten times more formaldehyde really sounds like a bad idea. Very bad. There’s no way that’s good for you.

The best, or I should say worst part about the Allure Magazine expose? I’ll loosely paraphrase here, but the gist is: “Keratin has nothing to do with straightening. Nada. There is nothing in Keratin that will change the structure of the hair, it’s the formaldehyde that makes the treatment work. Keratin is window dressing and provides a good marketing story.” Sounds like a sham to me. And really, who wants that kind of toxic treatment?

I’ll opt for my own straightening treatment – a super smoothing shampoo and conditioner combo, followed by a silky straightening lotion, a great flat iron and a strong thermal protectant. And maybe a trip to Brazil!

The fashion industry is currently a thriving business worldwide. This industry exploited the need of every person to be attractive and fashionable. It is a fact that a person’s social status is highly regarded if he or she is fashionable. While a man’s being fashionable is usually his sharp-dressed and well-coiffed look, a woman’s fashion sense is much more different. Women’s clothing and apparel to be fashionable and stylish should follow the trend of the time. And the trend changes very quickly, so the women must adjust and buy the new trend.

 

This is probably why we see more women’s clothing stores and boutiques everywhere we go. Whether in the malls and downtown areas, women’s boutiques are more common.  This is why more shop owners of women’s apparel always have to be competitive in their clothing lines and prices for them to attract more costumers. And with the availability of many suppliers and the intense competition, wholesale prices are very competitive and purchasers can have a lot of options where to buy wholesale. It is important to find a supplier that is reliable. International fashion clothing suppliers can be more reliable than local suppliers due to the bigger market they handle; international fashion suppliers cannot afford to be uncompetitive in its supplies.

 

International fashion clothing suppliers have also branched out to reach a bigger market for their designer clothes. One of these international companies is the CausewayMall. This international store offers for wholesale a complete array of lady’s apparel, fashion dresses, tops, skirts, and accessories. The products this store offer are also of certain quality in very affordable. Not only that, the store also offers different fashion clothing lines of  several Asian countries such as Japan and Korea and western cities such as the city of Los Angeles. Hong Kong clothing wholesalers can order from this company the latest trendy party dresses, fashion clothes and apparel. Korean wholesalers can also select from the assortment of trendy designer clothes the CausewayMall offers. CausewayMall’s fashion clothes and women’s apparel is available in large quantities due to its close relationships with clothing manufacturers which allows the company to offer mass produced trendy and fashionable clothes which would give the purchaser a lot of choices of different styles of fashion dresses and ladies apparel including cute trendy clothes, halter tops, cheap party dresses, and other women’s clothing. These are all available on wholesale from CausewayMall. What makes the CausewayMall competitive in the wholesaling business is that quality of the designer clothes and apparel the store offers and the affordability of the same.

 

Conveniently, CausewayMall is also an online sourcing mall. This would allow purchasers to order online and select from the available styles of latest fashion dresses and accessories. The focus of this store is to communicate and execute with honesty and efficiency. And being one of the more reliable fashion wholesalers known internationally, it is apparent that the CausewayMall will create long term relationships with customers and will be in the wholesale business for a long time.

We may be entering a credit crunch, but personal shopping services are booming in popularity. As customers are becoming more cost conscious, they are increasingly employing the services of a personal shopper to ensure those precious pounds are well spent. Customers are searching for clothes that fit in with their existing wardrobe and making sure that what they purchase will not only go the distance but, are good value on a cost-per-wear basis. Add to this the tantalising offer of a personal stylist to whisk you round the shop for free, and thousands of customers are signing up to the ‘in-house’ services across the country.

Sounds great until you start to realise the actual cost of that free service. What if the person ‘advising’ you had no additional training than anyone else on the shop floor? What if that person worked on commission, gaining a higher paycheck for greater sales? Suddenly the flattering service they so tantalisingly offer, with the separate changing room, massive mirror and rack of specially chosen clothes (never from the sale section), isn’t quite so seductive.

For qualified and experienced style consultants across the country, it’s been an interesting dilemma, most of us have continued to work steadily, as the quality of the work speaks for itself. Some customers will always go for a free service, much like some people will always chose the cheapest builder. However, they rarely factor in the additional cost of having the work re-done.

The huge changing room to yourself in a brilliant weapon in the psychology of sales. Everyone looks smaller in a large room (most customers want to look slimmer), you then have a rack of clothes chosen ‘especially for you’, cue the British politeness of being obliged to agree with the sales person, as they have made the effort. The rooms are often white, making the clothes ‘pop’ out and appear more attractive. Then, add an enthusiastic ‘expert’ telling you how wonderful you look and it’s no surprise that most customers leave with bags full of shopping and an significantly lighter purse.

So, how do you let the the new customers know that you do get what you pay for and that the service we offer is actually better?

Customers are seeking advice because they don’t know what suits them. Many of my clients have been stuck in a rut and really have lost the ability to see themselves in a new light. Makeover shows work on the ‘wow’ factor where people undergo huge transformations but, it doesn’t always have to be such an ‘extreme makeover’ to create a massive impact. You can look 10lbs slimmer in the right clothes, surgery is not mandatory to looking better!

For the private style consultants, this just makes our job slightly easier, customers are increasingly saying they saw someone for free, but just didn’t feel they came away looking better. Many pulled out the clothes at home and didn’t get the desired reaction from partners, family and friends.

It might take customers slightly longer than before, as they go on the bargain detour, but quality will always win out.

The real value is always in qualified, experienced and perhaps most importantly independent advice.

For personal shopping services contact Chameleon Fridays.

So which one are we now? A rectangle, triangle or hourglass? In the current climate of ever changing styles and with such a fast turnaround from catwalk to high street, fashion is struggling to define an era. What do the noughties say about us? When we look back, what will be the defining shape and style of our time?

Fashion goes in cycles and what used to be a treasured vintage find from our parents wardrobes can now be found from our very own, recycled and reborn (from really not that long ago). All we need now is a very large wardrobe rather than fashion hoarding parents. Yes, each year there is a new twist, there is always, say the ‘new’ wide leg trouser. But, we also all know that everything can be updated with a fabulous accessory.

• Turn of the century was an hourglass moment. Women were the chattels of men and had the sloping shoulders (sign of weakness) and large hips and stomachs (indicating fertility) to prove it. If you wanted to look hot, you didn’t tan (only the working classes worked outdoors) and your lilly white skin was accompanied with a lot of ‘junk in the trunk’. Being fatter signaled wealth, much like the paler skin and those ladies who didn’t get to always lunch wore padding and bustles to emphasise their lower proportions. Breasts were presented on shelves, to again reinforce how great the ladies were at bearing children.

• The twenties and thirties were all about the rectangle. Women were striving for liberation and equality with men, resulting in a more ‘masculine’ shape being the most fashionable. Broad shoulders were desired and women often bound their breasts to achieve the straight up and down ‘flapper’ style, eschewing any definition of waists and hips. Women also wore trousers for the first time, suffragettes reinforced the politics and styling. Despite the tailoring of any outfits not distinguishing feminine attributes, the materials were still very female using silks and lots of beaded embellishments.

• The war years of the forties were all about the triangle (inverted). As the men went off to war, the ladies took up the mantle of working the factories, offices and fields. Big shoulders on a woman signaled capability/strength and as a result, shoulder padding for jackets was in big demand. Women often became the sole providers, the male and female parent to the children and their look mirrored this. Their bodies became split, almost in two parts. On the top half was bulky, masculine and strong with the bottom half having a tiny waist, rounded hips and a tight skirt. As cloth was limited, skirts became short for the first time and having nice shapely calves was the most important feature (previously only ankles were visible). Fabrics were harder wearing and cheaper due to rationing.

• In the fifties it was back to being at home and an hourglass for the ladies. Despite keeping the country running while the boys were away, the girls were sent back to the house to look after the heroes and have babies to boost the lost population. Breasts became very important and bra-engineering was invented to give women the best uplift ever. Curvy, ‘child bearing’ hips and rounded stomachs were considered sexy. Women were being cared for by men again, like children – even to the point where grown women wore pony tails, frilly petticoats and ankle socks. Materials were more readily available and the skirts as a contrast to the forties became voluminous. It was a very girly image in comparison to the ladylike turn of the century when the hourglass was last in vogue.

• The return of the rectangle was during the sixties, as the advent of ‘the pill’ gave women sexual freedom and prompted the movement for equality and liberation to rise again. The ideal form returned to the androgynous twenties style with straight shoulders, flat chests, no waistline, flat hips, stomachs and thighs. Huge technological advances saw the rise of new fabrics such as nylon and PVC, and fashion was influenced heavily by the moon landing, becoming ‘futuristic’ For the first time in the century, everyone had enough to eat, so looking well fed meant nothing. Dieting began as every women attempted to fit the new physical ideal and wear the most challenging materials yet in a flattering way.

• The seventies was back to hourglass (albeit a softer outline). As this generation rejected the consumerism and excesses of the previous generation, ‘make love, not war’ meant that society became more spiritual. The previous symbols of fertility such as breasts, hips and stomachs were back in fashion. Eastern influences on women’s appearance were strong, long flowing hair coloured with henna. Voluminous kaftans were a relief for those women still struggling with the dieting to fit the fashions from the previous decade. Materials became more ‘natural’ and softer.

• The inverted triangle returned for the eighties as society saw a boom in the economy. Women were encouraged to buy houses, start businesses and combine motherhood with a career. ‘Superwoman’ had arrived, and like the forties, took the world upon her again padded shoulders. This time women were not allowed the curvy hips and bottoms though and were expected to be incredibly fit and toned. Clothing became very body conscious and brightly coloured to command attention to accompany the capable shoulders.

The nineties/noughties has bucked the trend and we have yet to repeat this cycle in such a definite shape. Each year we often see all three of the silhouettes twisted for each season. We’ve finally seen women start to define themselves most appropriately as individuals, choosing the shape that best suits them rather than aligning themselves with the politics of that decade. It also means that designers have now got the freedom to design creatively rather than attempting to distinguish themselves within the confines of that decades style.

Added to this the rise of specialists such as style consultants, giving women the inside track on being both fashionable and dressed to suit their own figures, and we have a very new woman.

The question is not whether we’re a triangle, rectangle or hourglass, but in the UK , each woman should ask “What am I today?” McQueen, Westwood, McCartney, Jackson, Galliano, Smith………………………………..

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Stylists are often talked about, but what are they?

A wardrobe stylist is someone who picks out the outfits (clothing, accessories etc) worn by people in catwalk shows, photo shoots, commercial print catalogues, TV appearances, music videos and concert performances. They also choose the outfits for any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures.

A stylist will mainly use designer ranges and collections not yet available to the public (i.e. a season early). In contrast to ‘personal shoppers’, who tend to work with the general public, mainly using high street stores and widely available designer pieces.

Stylists often consult with the client, photographer, hair stylists and make up artists to put together the particular look or theme for the specific project.

A wardrobe stylist is sometimes referred to as a style consultant, fashion stylist or image consultant. The job may also entail casting models, restructuring a client’s entire wardrobe, reorganising a client’s closet as well as many other duties relating to the client’s personal lifestyle.

Prices for independent stylists range from £500 to into the thousands for a day.

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Personal shopping is often talked about, but what is it?

A personal shopper is a professional who advises their clients on what and where to buy. Though the definition of “personal shopper” on Wikipedia includes advice on range of items from furniture to online shopping, traditionally a personal shopper focuses on fashion and clothes. They tend to work with the general public, mainly using high street stores and available designer colections. In contrast, a stylist who will tend to work with celebrity clients and mainly use designer ranges and collections not yet available to the public (i.e. a season early).

Large department stores are increasingly employing staff internally to act as a personal shopper, though they will normally work on commission and will only advise on clothes in that store, as a result the client is unlikely to get the range or independence of a freelance personal shopper. Honest opinions are also often a compromise with the sales targets are looming.

Prices for independent personal shopping range from £50 to £100 per hour.

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If you examine the support systems of most successful professionals you’ll often discover a ‘coach’ as a part of the team. Life coaches provide the missing focus and encouragement needed to pursue individual goals, without the bias or politics work and social circles can bring.

Coaching is a relatively new and often misunderstood phenomenon, arriving in the UK around 1997. Life coaches are not therapists, they do take into account the blocks and obstacles, but negotiate the goals and formulate a plan to get there.

A coach is responsible for being both encouraging and challenging, enabling the client to understand what they want and why. A coach will break down the plan into appropriate stages, and like a personal project manager, ensure it is delivered.

At Chameleon Fridays, our Life Coaching aim is to make dreams realistic, put plans and strategies in place to achieve success, enable our clients to become more efficient and most importantly, maintain the focus. Much like a personal trainer is for your body, our services are personal training for your personal goals.

A coach will meet with you to breakdown the targets, negotiate the focus and write a plan to achieve success. Our coaching is available in thirty minute client facing and/or telephone sessions. We recommend a programme of eight sessions.

Chameleon Fridays

Chameleon Fridays was established in May 2006 by Chloé Rose Merrigan having noted a need for a quality and professional service combining the two elements of coaching and consultancy.

Chloé has a over 10 years of experience within the areas of project management, training, psychology, mentoring and coaching. Chloé has been formally trained as a Master Life Coach and Style/Image Consultant since 2003.

The chameleon is often misunderstood. Their amazing ability to transform is not to camouflage and blend in, but to convey mood and distinguish themselves from the competition. At Chameleon Fridays our aim is to make our clients like a true chameleon, providing them with the tools to really make their mark as an individual.

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