Support a Cause and Sense The Exhilaration

-absorbed at times. Too much stress, too much work and all we can bother about is how to make it through the work-week. But there are stress-relieving and rewarding ways we can become better people. By helping others in ways we can.

There are plenty of way you can get involved in a cause you believe in. Here are some to get you started!

1. Support financially or by becoming an ad hoc basis volunteer for a large charity or organization. This is the most common and popular way of tangibly supporting a cause you care about. But wait there’s more!
2. Fundraising. This is successful when done at a local level. Even if you live in the Big Apple, you can still fund-raise for your neighbourhood.  Organize it don’t just participate or contribute. The excitement and thrill of finally giving the money to the cause/person you’ve chosen will be a tingling, one of a kind, fulfilling experience.
3. Make a buzz. Ok so you’re not really the manager type of person. No worries, there are plenty of other ways to support your cause. Why not focus on its media exposure? You can be in charge of an organization’s media kit, or press release writing. Getting the word out there is as important as the whole organizing thing. Because, if the world doesn’t know, what the use of it?
4. Kickstarters and other similar  project funding websites offer great venues for promoting your fundraising event. This weekend will be dedicated in setting up your project. Let the fun-ding begin!
5. Make insane use of your skills or experience that a charity might need or find useful for their actions. A language you are fluent in, your impeccable negotiating or lobbying skills could contribute a lot in the success of an organization.

Think out of the box, if a cause you believe in doesn’t share your ideas, develop your own, or let them know your brilliant ideas.

Hiking, Pic-nics and Outdoor Playing

Spring is the time when everything awakens or comes to life, it’s a magical time of the year and there’s no better way to savor it by going to the nearest park. The smells, the horizon-reaching green, the dizziness of happiness that seems to have infected everyone is a common scenery you’ll come across at parks and public gardens.

Spring Cleaning

Do it early and enjoy a clean, peaceful home for much longer. But this year make things differently. Make it fun, playful and why not enjoyable. Spring Cleaning is more about in-depth scrubbing, it’s about welcoming a new season, prepared and with open arms!

Create your own Green Oasis

Why not plant and enjoy your own little heaven of colorful flowers and other plants. Spring is the ideal season for planting flower seeds of Nicotiana, a majestic white flower that grows tall and exhumes the most mesmerizing night aroma! If you’re more of a lily person then this is the time for these too!

Bachelor Buttons aka as cornflower is a perfect spring planting flower it can grow and beatify your summer garden giving you ample color and zing to your garden! Other options include sweet peas flowers and dahlias.

Spring at your Table

Cooking with spring vegetables. Choosing in season vegetables for delicious meals is no brainer. Spring generously provides exciting, scrumptious new vegetables to enrich your cooking ideas with. From artichokes and asparagus to brocoli and  beetroots, your Spring salads will be the least heavenly!

Bake mouthwatering strawberries tarts and delicious apricot pies with in season strawberries and golden apricots.  Why not enjoy a rhubarb or early spring fresh mango smoothie as well?. Nothing will wake you up to a delightful sun-shining spring morning than a honey-sweet rhubarb smoothie! Other fruit you might eat raw or in desserts are currants, cherries and if you can find locally, nectarines, the most delicious peach-tasting juicy fruit known to humankind.

Yes you feel like this year is your year! You will be funnier, sexier and of course more successful. What about your weight? Your Zumba classes will take care of that. You will most likely plan to be less selfish, perhaps practice self-control with your spending, eating healthier and so on.

Having resolutions for the new year is a particularly human need, we strive for improvement and success and the beginning of a new year seems to be the right time for  doing so. But you fail to stick to your new year’s resolution every single year and only because you set yourself up for failure.

Are you guilty of the following? Then there’s no wondering why you fail, year after year!

What you’re doing wrong

Too many goals. Anything beyond five goals is a recipe for disaster. Having such a long list will frustrate more than it will motivate you.

Unrealistic expectations. Our ridiculous optimism makes us promise things we cannot possibly realize. Getting a new house and a new car is never a good goal combination!

Waiting for the new year to motivate yourself to change. Why does it have to be the beginning of the year anyway? Why not set new goals in March or September? There’s no reasonably justified way to only make resolutions on new year’s.

Not well-thought-of resolutions. They are often vague or contradicting with other goals. Think of your goal to become a pro dancer and get your Ph.D before 2014. Yep, bound to fail.

What to do instead

It's either a baby or a new house. What's it going to be?

Have less goals. Get two, or three goals the most. Keep your list short and feasible. Having a clear mission will make it easier to realize.

Make them short-term. Choose resolutions that are doable in a few months or less than a year. This will keep you motivated.

Make them simple and doable. Don’t fall into the trap of creating multi-sided goals. Keep them clear and singular. Beware of multiple goals disguised as a single one like the infamous, “be healthier”.

Have team resolution goals. Your friends will act as your motivation and you will be theirs too for all those I’m-giving-up moments.

Good Luck!

Go Classic, Go Smart

When everyone else will be dressed in the oh-so-predictable red, you will beg to differ with a breathtaking, picture-perfect LBD. A black dress is the most appropriate part outfit; it’s sleek, classic and you can never go wrong with it.

And all eyes will be on you!

For extra glamour and an edgy luxuriousness, choose LBDs with beads, studs, anything that sparkles! For a super-ravishing entrance opt for an off-the shoulder mini LBD, or for a form-fitting, draped one.

Go Glitter, Go metallic

It’s the season of glistening, flamboyant colors. If you think gleaming fabrics are reserved for your Christmas home decorations, think twice!

Metallic shades in dresses are big this season, especially shades of gold and bronze. If you’re a bit skeptical about this all-eyes-on-me option, go for a subtler version of it, with metallic details on the shoulders or back for a more minimal feel.

Feeling brave enough? Why not opt for super shimmering sequin dresses in ice silver shades? You will be getting everyone’s admiration all night long!

Go low-key

So you don’t feel like being a show-stopper this holiday season, but still can’t bear the thought of being under-dressed?

The key here is accessorizing big time. Get an extravaganza statement necklace, an uber-twinkling clutch in metallic or red shades and you’re half way there. Keeping your outfit understated can be compensated with chic shoes. Oh-the-shoes! Go mile-high with a luscious pair of black peep-toes.

Contrasting color shoes would work wonders as well. If your dress is black, go for neon pink, or spicy hot red heels. Make sure you take good care of your hair-do as well as it will upscale the glamour of the whole outfit!

Now go and have a blast!

Oxfords shoes are all about teaming up feminine skirts and dresses with this down to earth more serious vibe, oxfords send out.

For more classy and classic outfits wear them with straight line pants and chiffon blouses. Let’s discover the many fun ways you can wear your newest shoe fetish!

Smart and Classy

As oxfords are a female adaptation of a man shoe they can’t help but emit an air of masculine stylishness and smartness! What’s pretty exciting about oxfords is their versatility, you can team the up with pretty much anything you could imagine and still look you’ve just jump out of a catwalk!

A feminine vision

A floral or glitter-y high-waisted skirt or a dress in the colors of fall foliage is an amazing outfit for bringing out the eccentricity of your oxfords.

This subtle and harmonious look gives you instant stylishness. Don’t be intimidated just because they’re traditionally worn by men. You can make them extra fun and flirty with your favorite, most womanly skirt.

Extra style points if you wear them with frilly pink-shaded socks!

Cropped jeans and cigarette trousers

Oxfords look great and feet-flattering when they are worn with cropped skinny jeans, just right above the ankle.

Having your ankles exposed and the oxfords smoothly embracing your feet, gives out a smart, French-like tone of style!

Cigarette trousers, especially dark colored ones can perfectly team up with your lace-up oxfords. The latter helps you get a look that’s both androgynous and obscurely feminine at the same time.

To get this clashing effect, make sure you wear your most feminine accessories to accentuate your flirtiness!

For extra preppinesswear them with your favorite blazer and button-down shirt. Finish up the look with your most sexy, feminine purse ever! Who said oxfords can’t be fun and smart at the same time?

Why wear heels when you can go oxfords?

Other options

Wear a white, fall-appropriate dress and your leather jacket, opaque tights and your tan oxfords. You’re a rock girl who knows how to sport men-inspired fashion!

For more feminine versions for girls who feel oxfords to be too mannish too serious: you can go extra feminine by wearing them with a floral, three-quarter sleeve dresses, knee-high socks and a mini satchel.

You will be accentuating your feminine side, without entirely forsaking your androgynous influences.

What’s your best way for wearing your oxfords this fall?

You can never go wrong with skinnies in foliage tones!

It’s September already, and before we know it we will be diving into heaps of blankets and fuzzy sweaters to keep ourselves warm. But before hastening to get the winter blues, it’s time for our annual fashion spree. If kids get to get a new school wardrobe (every single year), we most definitely deserve one ourselves!

Below are some fashion trends that we keep falling and falling in love with. Take a glimpse! Can you blame us?

Leather Up

In the past two seasons, leather jackets have been all over the catwalks and the high street. So it’s really nothing groundbreaking anymore. However, leather pants are radically sassy, bold and scream “I’m my own boss!” For tough, don’t-mess-with-me looks leather pants paired with lace or chiffon are plain heavenly!

Statement Necklaces

Forget those discrete, feminine necklaces. Fall calls for maximalism. It’s either: go big or go home when it comes to accessorizing your fall outfits.

Keep everything else low-profile and make a super-loud entrance with chunky, glitzy and oh-so-ladylike necklaces. We just love statement necklaces, and you know why? They instantly freshen up our fall wardrobe without burning holes in our pockets. Fashionable and with money in our hands!

A Fall Pallette to die For

Skinny pants are a fashion that’s becoming the norm. But you can easily update it with super cute and flattering skinnies in tones of the foliage spectrum; mustard yellow, rusty red, eggplant purple and of course antique gold! As if we needed an excuse to get yet another pair of skinnies!

Play havoc with winter blues, stir them up with an extensively colorful fall palette!

Metallics

You might already have a piece or two of this new trend. For eye-turning appearances, metallics are a must. Add shimmer and a spicy glamor with a pair of lamé pants. Of course not a trend for the faint-hearted, metallics are all about assertiveness and bold femininity.

For low key adaptations, opt for metallic peep toes, or a purse with gold sequins.

Lace

But enough with the bold, statement fashion trends. Thankfully feminine trends are still going strong. From peplum dresses, to silky oriental shirts, our options are boundless.

Lace must be a winner though. It’s subtly sensual, it is entirely girlie and is amazingly adaptable. You can wear it practically with everything, leather, high-waisted shorts, with your favorite skinny jeans, in accessories, in purses, in shoes. I’m telling you it’s an uber-flexible trend that gets fresher and fresher the more we think about it!

So, what trends will you be seen this Fall?

If you feel still dazed from the Mediterranean sun, and just too lazy to find what fall trends are, we got you covered. So read away your way to a stylish, in-trend fall wardrobe!

Suit Up Girl!

The androgynous look is back, or was it ever out? This fall try tailored evening shorts (who didn’t have enough of dresses and skirts this summer). Make over boring fall outfits with dazzling sequined  shorts, or masculine-cut, strong-shouldered blazers. Hurry before it’s too chilly and you cannot wear them!

Ditch the skinnies and go for the flared ones!

Move over you skinnies!

Flared or wide pants are coming strong this fall. Move over skinny trousers and let the big guys in! Flared pants are flattering for most body types, unlike their tricky skinny counterpart.

Why we are already head over heels with this trend? Its utterly versatile, has a classic, chic line, it is uber comfy and with discreet sensuality on top!

Fairy Tales of Peplums

A trend that is surely here to stay. I mean who doesn’t love the idea of stylishly hiding away those muffin tops with an extra feminine peplum dress?

Peplum tops and dresses are all about fun and flirty feminine lines. Think of playful looks, that are made perfect with the ever-romantic peplum twist.

Gothic-ize your look

Invest in a timeless Gothic piece, be it a biker jacket, or black leather pants. Leather has been seen all over the catwalks in unexpected combinations and styles, we’ve seen it in dresses, we’ve seen it in tees. Right now there are more than one way to wear it. Choose one that will make you stand out? How about those long sleeve, backless leather tops?

Lavishness of patterns

Opulent fabrics, maximalist patterns had us drooling at the catwalks. How to bring this trend into your wardrobe without looking a little bit… umm overstated?

Try an embellished jacket, with studs, patches of flowers, brooches, whatever makes you grin. Graphic prints and florals are another option for more feminine jackets that are still sumptuously intricate.

Plaids (they’re not) just for girls

Embrace the school-girl in you: From tartan pants and mini skirts, to lacy ankle socks and prim Peter Pan collars, fall takes a new approach to the school girl look reviving it in a more urban, current rendering.

The key piece: leather brogues or suede loafers. For statement outfits invest in a patterned or embellished collar to pump up any fall look. We promise, it’s the ultimate succesorize this fall!

Your make-up and hair style that is. Spending hours meticulously applying make up and flat-ironing your hair seems plain crazy to me.  It’s all going to drip down your face and pitilessly stick to it, making you look as if you’d been training for the 42K Marathon. So what’s the point really?

Why spend all that effort in something that’s bound to be torn to pieces because of the hellish humid weather and blazing sun? Summer calls for smart low-maintenance style.

Use summer-smart cosmetics

If you haven’t had a chance, go ahead and read this informative article on summer makeup!

Summer multi-tasking cosmetics are a must; waterproof mascara, a BB cream, a tinted SPF sunscreen, you get the idea. It’s anything that saves you time and still makes you look gorgeously chic.

Go natural

Time to embrace the natural locks your mother’s genes gave you. Use light styling and keep the heat to a minimum (only use a hair dryer/iron if you REALLY, REALLY have to). Opt for updos, playful braids, ponytails; messy buns were never more fashionable!

Having a lousy hair-day? Accessories is your savior. Embellish your luscious locks with whatever suits your sense of style, from scarves, to headband and hats, summer is full of choices!

Dress light, but classy

Summer Beauty is Chic and Breezy

Whites, linen dresses, big sunglasses and sun-protecting clothing owe to be your go-to summer choices. Whites keep the sun rays away, linens are breathable so they keep you cool, sunglasses and sun-proof clothes help protect your skin.

It might be 100°F out there, but this is not an excuse for baring (too much) skin for the world to see. You can keep yourself cool without sacrificing style and taste.

Wear this

Wear your best smile and an in-trend positive attitude, you are ready to go. Summer’s found in simplicity, joviality and naturalness, why ruin it with too much make up and over-the-top dressing choices?

Skin and Hair care is all about being proactive; taking all necessary measures to avoid the toll of irreparable damage.

Hair: Weekly Deep Conditioning

All hair problems tend to exacerbate during summer. Frequent outdoor swimming, chlorine, the sun and humidity are ruthless hair enemies that leave our once silky manes exhausted.

A little known secret to bring to the beach your favorite hair strengthening treatment.

Fill a little bottle with it and apply once you get out of the beach. Let hair dry naturally, putting them up in a bun optimizes the treatment’s effectiveness as it blocks the heat and allows the nutrients to get deep into your hair.

Hair needs sun protection too

Your hair and scalp are the first to meet the harsh sun rays, frying it up whilst you work up a tan in the rest of your body.

Shame isn’t it? Reach for a an SPF 10 hair spray and quench your hair’s thirst every now and then, protecting it from sun damage at the same time.

Deep condition your hair to enhance shine and strength

Avoid styling

Curling irons, flat irons and blow-drying should be kept at a minimum as your hair is already tired and dull from sun exposure.

Hairsprays, gels and serums should also be used wisely as they tend to worsen brittleness and take the natural shine away.

Instead of styling products opt for accessorizing your hair. Wrap a scarf around your head a la Jackie O’. Use flowers and other embellishing pins to polish up ponytails and buns.

The Three-Step Rule for body and Face: Exfoliate, Moisturize & Protect.

Whilst most women think that summer requires that we exfoliate and moisturize less because of the heat and humidity, actually the other way round is true.

We need to take care of the skin as often as we do in winter, what changes is the consistency and type of products we should use.

Exfoliating

It might seem counterproductive to your tan to exfoliate, but in fact a good exfoliating means that dead cells are removed allowing you to have an even and healthier tan. Plus, it is the basis for a deep nourishing of your skin.

Water-based, lighter moisturizer

Switch to lighter moisturizers that don’t stack up on the skin. Serums and creams tend to be lighter than any other types of moisturizers. Moisturize from head to toe, don’t overlook your lips, ears, back, feet and toes.

Sunscreen

When it comes to sunblock the more the better, find the one suited to your skin type and apply often, especially if your skin tends to burn. Don’t forget to opt for broad UV protection.

Even better, switch to bronzing creams rather than sizzling yourself up at the beach, putting your skin in great danger. Whatever you choose, make sure that you do your best to protect your silky, youthful skin. Nourish it, don’t burn it.

Despite the crazy weather having us bound in air-conditioned offices and getting us to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity like the plague, there are some no-fail tips that every woman should know and pass down to her offsprings.

So since summer is all about ice-cream, sandy beaches and romance, sticky lipsticks, running eyeliners and smudged eyes are definite no-nos.

How to avoid them? Don’t use them at all. (Ok that might sounded harsh.) Makeup meltdowns are preventable and you can still look fresh and cool despite the 100°F degrees out there. Here’s how:

Priming your face: Primers have been a cinema little secret before they got mainstream, and all us average girls could benefit from them. Applying primer right after your daily moisturizer ensures that any make-up that you will put on later will stay in place.

Go minimal: There’s no need for a cake-y makeup right in the middle of hellish weather. Avoid unnecessary layering by using a tinted moisturizer with SPF in place of the three different products you would normally use; foundation, sunscreen and moisturizer.

Don’t go over the dark side: Be as natural as possible. There’s no need for heavy eye shadows, sliding eyeliners and thick lipsticks.

Strategically use some bronzing powder and slightly highlight your eyes with extra mascara. It’s all about going natural not going all drama-queen on your make up. Some plum shade blush on your cheekbones will go a long way than spending hours getting a smoky-eyes look.

This summer's motto: Go Light, Not Bright

Accessorize: Be all ready for emergencies and meltdowns; they’re inevitable mind you!

•  Have blotting papers when your forehead goes all shiny on you.
• A matte transparent powder for touch-ups.
•  A refreshing, finishing spray to set makeup in place again.
• Another cheeky beat-the heat tip is to use creamy make-up instead of powdered ones. This is so because, whilst powders cake up with sweat and humidity, creams stay right in place!
• Avoid gloss and glitter, you really don’t need that extra shine on your already gleaming face.

What are your no-fail summer make-up tips? What keeps your make up in place and you looking fabulous? Care to share?