DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU SOUND WHEN YOU SPEAK?

The goal of speaking with professionals, clients, and colleagues is to win the day by appearing credible, successful, and professional. Often you’re up against some major challenges when ‘WHAT’ you say is as important as HOW you say it.

I imagine you can think of people who have a disconnection between what they’re saying and how they sound when they speak. And you’ve likely made conclusions based on HOW they sound instead of what they saying.

Professional women need to have dependable, timeless jewelry to enhance their ‘visual business card’. It’s fine to mix things up with trendy pieces, but timeless jewelry is an investment in your success because it keeps your appearance sophisticated. And, dear blog readers, you know by now that much of what people think about you is based on your appearance.

Here is your business jewelry checklist:

Silver jewelry if your skin tone is cool (you look best is cooler, blue- based colors)

Gold jewelry if your skin is warm (you look best in warmer, yellow -based colors)

Ears:

Studs: Always a winner
Diamond studs: Studs are perfect with everything so long as they’re under a carat. Be sure to avoid anything “rapper-ish”
Small hoops earrings: no larger than a nickel
Small dangle earring: no longer than a half-inch dangle

Neck:

Pearls: 16-18 inch single or a double strand (White-white pearls look best on cool skin while a bit creamier version looks great on warm skin)
Long Chain: Something that you can double to make a collar piece too. Also a necklace with a pendant is good to have.

Wrists:

Bangle or link bracelet: Avoid anything too big or noisy
Classic watch: A sleek, clean watch that you wear every day with a gold, silver, or black or brown band.
Evening watches are still popular, but if you don’t have one, try to skip it or be sure your classic watch works with your dressy outfit

Fingers:

Rings: wedding rings and classic rings are fine, just avoid large stoned cocktail rings that are all the rage right now. Avoid the ‘ring-on-every-finger’ look too

Save your funky, chunky, costume jewelry for weekends.

Fashionably yours,
Lori Ann

Are you one of those women who’ve been wearing the same bras since high school? If so, then listen up: Times change, bodies change, so an annual fitting is important. If you have lost or gained a significant amount of weight, or been pregnant, then you need to have a bra fitting NOW.

According to real scientific research (yep, not just marketing hype) our bra size changes on an average of 6 times over our lives, and heaven knows how many times manufacturers change the cut and shape of your favorite style. The average bra size is a 36D according to Wacoal, up from the 34B of 10 years ago.

Here are some tips on getting a proper fit & appearing up to 10 pounds thinner:

When the bra is too small:

• You’re pouring over your cup, literally… ‘your cup runeth over’
• You are squishing out the sides of the bra
• You appear heavier than you are
• You have welts on your body after wearing your bra all day

When your bra is too big:

• The back band starts to creep up your back, band too big
• You can hide too many ‘lipsticks and credit cards’ in your cups- major gap-o-sis. Bra cups should lie flat against skin

When you have the wrong style/shape bra:

• You get the ‘back bacon’ bulge – go for a wider back band
• You get sagging – hike up the elastic on the shoulder strap, adjust cup fit and add support
• Your breasts are going too far east and west, so they look like they sprouting from your armpits, you may need a bra with an interior side sling

Many of the fit rules apply to all of your undergarments-watch for elastic cutting into your flesh, unsightly re-shaping, and ‘muffin top’ bulges.

Fashionably yours,

Lori Ann