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Thursday, 03 December 2009

Cold Weather Outfits: Going In vs Going Out

Ever put together a gorgeous outfit only to realise in the last moment that you'll be covering it with a huge coat that you won't take off all day ? Or, created a delicious outfit around a jacket and then had to take that jacket off at destination ?

After that happened to me a couple of times, I realised that there are two kinds of outfits for cold weather: Going-In outfits and Going-Out outfits.
Going in is when you plan to spend most of your time indoors, with a short commute to reach the destination. On arrival, you leave your outer layers in the hall. That would be a visit to a friend, a concert or partying at a club.
Going out is when you spend the whole time outdoors, and not only you'll keep your coat on, you might need warmer clothes since you'll be spending a lot of time in the cold. Going out is sight-seeing and shopping (although if shopping for clothes, keep your outfit neutral and easy to take off).

What to wear when going out:

Coordinate your scarf, gloves, boots and handbag with your coat or jacket. What you wear underneath is much less important (I usually slip on a simple golf sweater). If you own just a basic coat in a neutral colour, spice it up with colourful gloves, hat and scarf.
Don't bother with jewellery unless it's chunky earrings that will be visible between the cap and the scarf. Think about how you'll wear your hair so that you can get the scarf and cap on.

What to wear when going in:

The fun part here is that often you don't need to match your outer layers to your inner top layer. If your blouse won't be visible, then just make sure your coat, scarf and gloves match your shoes and trousers. The outer layers are meant to protect you during transit, so wear a nice outfit underneath that you'll show off on destination. Yes to jewellery, a cute top, layers, and more elaborate hairstyles.
If you'll be taking off your boots on destination, don't forget to match your socks to your trousers or skirt.

And for those in-between times:
Just match everything with everything, and don't forget to check out the various stages of undress in the mirror.

Do you have such dressing rules in the winter ? I'd be especially interested what you Fashion Bloggers think of this... you know who I'm talking about

You might also want to read:

* What they wore on New Year's Eve 08/09
* Winter: give your breasts a rest from push-ups
* How to wear jewelry in the winter
* Reconstruction: customise and reinvent your clothes !
*more*

Wednesday, 02 December 2009

Bra Brands: La Senza -- Lace, Feminity and Colour Now In Cup G

La Senza, formerly known for gorgeous bras for small busts, has recently expanded it's repertoire to cup size G ! What's more, the models for bigger sizes are just as gorgeous, and won't break the bank. Although it's still a far cry from a full range of sizes, La Senza is a great option for gorgeous bras for those that are within their size range.

Aesthetic:
   Very feminine, ranging from sweet to boudoir. Lots of lace, bows and satin, although you can find some subtler styles. Lots of jewel tones.

Sizing: Important !!!
   La Senza tends to have bands tighter than standard, and the cups tend to be small, although not always ! So to someone wearing an EU 75E I'd suggest trying on a 80F in La Senza (a useful guess for Ebay; if buying from the online store, just order a couple of sizes and send back the ones that don't fit.)
For details take a look at the non-standard cups and bra band tables.
Underwires range from quite narrow to broad.

Sizes Available:
Bands: 30 to 40 (EU 70 to 95), in practice 28 to 38, see above.
Cups: A to G
All of these cups are not available in all the band sizes

Models & Styles:
Most bras are padded, and are either balconette or demi-cup.
There are some *gasp* pretty T-shirt bras,
There are a couple of nursing bras, but just one look at the models shows that they are provide zero support.
La Senza carries an array of speciality bra solutions for all those frontless, backless dressless dresses you want to wear.
Matching knickers are usually available

Bra Fitting
   Ouch. Just look at their models, 9 out of 10 have cups way too small. I heard that their fitting of customers is not very good either. Just do your own fitting, and you'll be fine !

Prices:
Quite reasonable, starting from 15£... sometimes including matching knickers !

Where to buy:
Check their store locator on their site for stores in your country.
They do ship internationally, but you do need a credit card.
There are lots floating around on Ebay, often dirt-cheap.

Websites:
http://www.lasenza.co.uk/ (UK)
http://www.lasenza.com/ (US & Canada)

*Disclaimer: this post was not sponsored in any way.
But, I would like to get some of these gorgeous La Senza Bras for reviews, please !

There will be posts on other noteworthy bra brand coming soon ! What other info would you like me to include ?

You might also want to read:

* Sports Bra Favourite: Freya Active Underwire
* Nursing Bras: brand & model recommendations
* Bra Bands: all you need to know about them
    *more*

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

You, Too, Are A Spammer
Spam is not just junk e-mail telling you that you won an inheritance from someone in East Africa and that you should send them you name, sex and address (what would they do with that anyway, I often ask myself). Spam is everything on the Internet that wastes space, people's time, and nerves.

You probably think that spamming has nothing to do with you, but just a look at these, and ask yourself if you are guilty of any of these:
- Recipe comments: 10 people say "Sounds great, I can't wait to make this !" Please, I'm looking for just one person who actually made this and then bothered to say how it turned out...
- Facebook: if you don't want your friends switching your posts off from their wall, limit yourself to posting one video or link per day. If you post more, I'll hate you on facebook, much as I love you in real life. C'mon, move over, you are blocking everyone else ! Besides, I've seen it all before, from reddit, blogs, forums and other Facebookers that tried to shove it down my throat.
  However, I'd love it if you updated your status more frequently, since I am interested in what you are up to (other than what you watch on Youtube). But no, I don't want to see your fortune cookie or Mafia Wars results on my wall. I actually want to be able to see wall posts, photos and status updates ! Yes, really !
- Reviews not only on Amazon: "Nice camera, I used it straight out of the box. Takes nice pictures. Thumbs up all the way" -- yup, that's waaay helpful. If you hadn't posted this, i wouldn't have known which camera to choose ! Honestly, people who know nothing about cameras and haven't used one before shouldn't bother waste their time in writing reviews. Another type of reviews that makes me want to tear my hair is: "This camera has a 6x zoom, a fully manual mode and macro form 1cm" ...as if I couldn't read the product specifications on top of the same page.
- Youtube comments: It's official, the world's morons spend their lives commenting on videos. In a way it's almost become acceptable, so I guess you're free to do that there. Just leave Vimeo alone ! BTW xkcd's idea of audio preview of Youtube comments was actually implemented for a time. *check this out for some laughs*
  Update: yay, there is actually a Firefox extension that blocks the dumbest ones !
- Yahoo answers: It's almost as bad as Youtube. Your desperate question gets informative responses like "I guess so". Actually, I don't see the whole point of this site, unless it's for people who don't have enough IQ to use a search engine.
- Anyone who writes the sentence: "There are many types and models available, you can choose one that suits your needs / lifestyle / figure". I know that there are different types of cameras / harem pants / cloth diapers available, that's why I'm googling ! *tears hair* Unless you can tell me exactly how these differ from each other and how to find out what I need, paws off the keyboard ! (About.com and other "professional" website articles are often the most guilty of this)
- Trackback: bloggers, do switch this off. I don't think anyone wants to see it, and the pros agree. Personally, reading comments mixed with trackbacks feels like running an obstacle course.
      If I think about it longer the list will be unending. After all, what's life (to a Virgo) without criticising helping people improve themselves ?
     What would you add to this list ?

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur

You might want to read:
* How To Keep Your Home Clean & Tidy In Just 15 Mins A Day
* Lesser-known facts about Virgos
* Our eco-mistakes and green-gullibility
* more tagged 'random' *

Monday, 30 November 2009

Sports Bra Favourite: Freya Active Underwire

Never having worn any sports bras myself (the most 'strenuous' thing I do is hoopdance), I was thrilled when ina60eorf send me this review of what she finds is the best sports bra. BTW, take a look at ina60eorf's bra metamorphosis after she found out her correct bra size on my site !

I've worn a lot of sports bra - compression and encapsulated .. this one is the best I've ever worn.

It's the Freya Active Underwire in Beige. It's nice because you don't get uni-boob and it does give you a shape. I bought 28E. I find the cups are a bit small but not enough to go up a size.

It is a bit of a strange fit as it moves things east west so there is a lot of material at the armpit - almost like a minimizer.

The band is a bit tight but I like that in a sports bra.

There is virtually no movement even while running. There is a good range of motion for sports that require your arms to be moving i.e., aerobics, weight lifting, boxing, etc.

The fabric is wicking and really does help moisture drawn away. Plus it's very soft not scratchy at all. It's also thicker and sturdier than the material in any other bra I own.

The straps are padded. Honestly it's probably one of the nicest feeling comfie bras I own. And you've seen how many I own!!! I've seen reviews from other women who wear it as an everyday bra - I can see why they would.

The lady on the left (photo from Figleaves) is wearing the correct size, while the lady on the right is not (she needs to go up a cup size). Can you spot why ?

Bra Specifications:

Colours: Beige, Red, White and Black.
Sizes: 28D to 38H
Video of a 34D running in it, from Herroom.
Also available: a model without underwires.

*Disclaimer: This post has not been sponsored in any way !*

You might also want to read:

* Break out of the Bra Matrix
* Bra wardrobe: How many bras do you need ?
* Most Idiotic Comemnts Of Bra Sellers
* Bra Bands: all you need to know about them
*more*