Confident Curves

I love magazines, the fashion, the gossip, the hair and make up and all things pretty, but there is something i really hate, the negative focus on body image! I buy the glossies to see what the celebrities were wearing at the Grammys or what new product my life wouldn't be complete with out, not so see some poor celeb being criticised for putting too much salad in their mouth whilst out for diner!  The emphasis for too long has been to be skinny, but the craze for size zero is sooo last year, CURVES ARE BACK!

We now have permission to embrace our curves and about time too!! And with the media using more and more "normal" sized models it should give us all the boost we need to enjoy our curves, what ever size or shape we are. All hail Kim Kardashian and Beyonce for showing us how sexy (and normal) curves are! 

It seems that everything has been given a boost, the hair has more volume, the eyelashes have more flutter and the heels have become taller, it almost seems the bigger the better.  But whilst we are celebrating our beautiful curves by dressing in figure hugging couture, there is one really important element that may be being over looked and that's actually feeling 100% comfortable in your own skin!

I'm a firm believer in the fact that beauty starts from with in, and if you feel gorgeous on the inside you are bound to look great on the outside.  Here are a few everyday tips to have you oozing confidence any time, any place!

DRY BODY BRUSHING

This may seem like a bit of a faff to do every morning but actually it will take you two minutes and you will see and feel results very quickly.  The idea behind body brushing is to increase blood circulation, exfoliate the skin and help toxin removal, and as I'm sure most of you know reducing toxin build up helps to reduce cellulite.  If you do this in the morning before you jump in the shower, always brush towards the heart and in no time you will notice a difference!


SOAP & GLORY

Having products that feel good on your skin and smell great is a really important part of getting ready.  My favourite body products are from soap and glory, not only does it do exactly what it says it does, its smells amazing and the packaging is pink!  my bathroom is a wash of pink as its full to the brim of body wash, body butter, shampoo, body scrubs, if soap and glory make it i probably have it! my top favourites are the "clean on me" a creamy moisturising body wash, "breakfast scrub" a sugar scrub with Shea butter and "the righteous butter" a rich fragrant body butter which leaves the skin super hydrated and smooth.  The range of products they offer is huge but every item is gorgeous!



SIMPLE BEAUTY
A sure fire way to make you look healthy is a spray tan, now I'm not talking a jersey shore snooki style tan, just a natural light glow will suffice, it just has an amazing way of  giving you a little confidence boost.  Giving your finger nails a shape and paint will give you the groomed look, even if its just a clear coat of varnish it will just put the finishing touches to your routine. A good product to use is OPI Nail Envy, its gives a chic shiny finish whilst strengthening the nails at the same time!  Perfume is also a great way to make you feel gorgeous, you may have what you would class as your signature scent or a few favourites you love to wear, my sister always have a bottle of perfume in her bag and not only does she always look great she smells amazing too.

I think the most important thing to looking and feeling gorgeous is to do what makes you feel good, whether its a quick 30minute routine or a full on 3 hour session!

And my most important beauty tip ever......SMILE, because you are beautiful!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x x

All that glitters...............Is not always good!

Now i never thought i would ever say that!

If i can add glitter to something i will, Nails, Make Up, Clothes....a sparkling accessory will brighten up any ones day.  Even when we were introduced to the Vajazzle by the 'The Only Way Is Essex' despite being slightly sceptical at first, once i saw that it involved sparkly diamante they had me shouting "shut up, i love it" in no time, in fact i could take as far as to say, My name is Grace Kingsley and I'm addicted to glitter!

That was until my Tuesdays nights were taken over by 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding'! My normal Tuesday evening routine consists of the latest issue of Look magazine and a cuppa, curled up on the sofa.  When i saw this programme advertised i knew it was going to be right up my street, and judging by the amount of comments on Facebook and Twitter after the first show about 10 million other peoples too!  Now as a self confessed glitter junkie (and believe me it hurts to even think this!), Surely these girls are taking just a tad too far! I swear there was enough crystals on one wedding dress to sink a battleship.....But i still secretly love it!

I think there is a fine line between just the right amount of glitter and looking like a disco ball!  So here are a few tips to pulling it off the right way!

Part of this seasons fashions are based around a subtle amount of glitter with gorgeous metallics and rich looking gun metal silvers.  These colours can be carried through to your clothes, shoes and hand bags (although maybe not all at the same time!) or maybe you would prefer to start smaller by using a shimmering grey eye shadow to get a smokey eye look or add a splash of sparkle to your nails.

I have a few favourite nail varnishes which will keep you looking fabulous and on trend, they are from OPI, which in my opinion are the best nail varnishes for quality and last ages.

The first one is My Private Jet, its dark grey with a rainbow metallic running through it. I love this as its still got that pop of colour even though its dark and edgy!

The second one is called 'Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous', this is a beautiful gun mental metallic grey and is spot on for spring '11 fashion trends.

And finally the third is 'Light My Sapphire'.  This ones breaks the fashion rules slightly, it verges on the side of blue/black rather than grey but its such a great colour.  It has a very slight amount of shimmer. 

The perfect way to wear these darker colours is to keep your nails shorter and neatly shaped, you really don't need great long talons for this look to work. Also remember you choose a fabulous clutch bag to compliment your beautifully fashionable nails!

There are so many ways to be on trend, but I think the key is to keep it simple...........Maybe somebody should tell the girls from My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding!

Grace x

Hello Gorgeous!

Well this is very exciting, my very first blog!

Supposedly yesterday was the most depressing day aptly named blue Monday, I don't think it was that bad, but i can understand why people can feel down in January.  The excitement and festivities of Christmas and New Year are over, yet the cost of it all is still here, we have over indulged and feel those extra few pounds tugging at our beautiful couture's, the weather is miserably grey and so is our mood! Well when i saw the sun was shining this morning it made me think how do we flip these feelings back around?

Yes, we may have over indulged and gained a couple of pesky lbs, but the food was yummy and the drinks were flowing and I'm sure we all had an amazing time with memories that will hopefully keep us smiling. As for feeling skint i always think as long as i had a good time that's all that counts (but then I've never been too good with my pennies!), and if you did, then I'm sure you need January to recover from all the partying so just think of this month as a mini break...... normal practise to be resumed on 1st February!

January is the month we all put pressure on ourselves to stick to our New Years (slightly over ambitious) Resolutions!  Well this year i kept mine simple and made just one, LOOK AFTER ME! 

We are such a busy bunch of high flying beauties these days that the little things slip away from us so easily, but this is the time to take it back and make time for yourself. 

Whether its having a relaxing Facial or Massage to help keep you stress free, having your hair colour revamped (new year, new you!) or just brightening up a grey day with a bright pink nail varnish, taking it back to basics can mean we start the year the way we mean to carry on!

Getting yourself into a good beauty regime is a great way to ensure you get that essential "me time".  Whether its having regular waxing or treating yourself to a mani/pedi,  The range of beauty treatments available is never ending.  With new treatments, products, looks and trends coming out all the time, we will keep you informed and looking fabulous!

Stay gorgeous

Grace x