Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Valentines Day Makeup Tips
Make-up Ideas for Valentine’s Day
1. Don’t go too heavy on the eye makeup during the day. At night, going a bit heavier may be okay. However, it is a good idea for you to wear natural shades that complement your eye color. Consider shades of beige, brown, gray and purple. For eyeliner, be sure to consider shades of brown or gray, rather than black for the most natural appearance.
2. Be sure to opt for natural shades of lipstick or Lip-gloss. Although red can be very impressive, it is often a little bit too bold. Besides, you probably won’t want to leave red lipstick marks on your Valentine. It is best to opt for lighter shades of pink, peach and brown of lipstick. Consider a clear or light shade of lip gloss.
3. Add a little bit of mascara or curl your eyelashes, especially if this is not something that you normally do. Drawing more attention to your eyelashes can really help your eyes stand out altogether.
These are just some of the many Valentine’s Day makeup tips that you may want to take into consideration. Although many think that they need to overdo their makeup by applying a whole lot, it is really best to go natural. If you have a valentine, it is likely that he or she would rather see your natural self than your natural self hidden behind tons of makeup.
Gothic Hairstyles

Gothic hairstyles give you a truly unique look. Gothic hairstyles, unlike other hairstyles, are unique in a way as they are actually designed to send a different sort of message. This is the case with almost every thing that is associated with being Gothic. Gothic hairstyles are not punk and also not something that can be termed mainstream. This particular hairstyle is not easily understood and sometimes even considered spiritual. A Gothic haircut though could completely transform your looks and make you look more stylish, glamorous and confident.

Types of Gothic Hair Style
There are basically two main types of Gothic hairstyles. The first one type is the one where hair is left to grow long and flows down with strands literally going in any direction they want. The second type is the one where puffy hair is made to float around the area on the head above the face. There are other wild styles too which are part of Gothic hairstyles. Good examples for these wild hairstyles would be the ones in which the hair is made into different shapes like horns or spikes. There are other styles too which can be considered conservative among Gothic hairstyles too. A good example would be the version where hair is presented in a much sleeker and lighter type setting.

There are also several other Gothic hairstyles where hair extensions are used. Hair extensions can be attached to the hair and would stay there for around two to three months. You can also choose from a range of clip-in hairpieces these days. One advantage with them is that you can remove them whenever you want. This way you can also change your hairstyle almost every day, by going in for different lengths, colors and textures. Clip-in hair falls also come with another advantage in the sense that they are suited to most hair types and are also inexpensive. Moreover it would take only minutes to put them in or take them out.

'Big' Gothic hairstyles too have been popular for a long time now. These styles can be achieved by curling, crimping, or backcombing and allow you to sport that mysterious look. Based on the specific style, big Gothic hairstyles may require treatment techniques. They would also need application of certain styling aids such as hair spray, curling irons, hair rollers and perms, to mention only a few. Gothic hairstyles are gradually finding an increasing number of takers these days. A good Gothic hairstyle can make you stand out in a crowd.

Gothic Hairstyles Maintenance Tips
Gothic hairstyles, just as in the case with other hairstyles need regular maintenance. Here are some tips:
1. A professional hairstylist would be able to suggest various styles based on the shape of your face.
2. Gothic hairstyles are particularly known to look good on people who have small features such as a petite nose or mouth.
Gothic Hairstyle Guide

The term Gothic hair takes me into a timeless era. It has values that appeal to our senses because of which it manifests itself into our life styles in varying degrees. Goths were originally an East Germanic tribe with a lifestyle different in all aspects. They believed in extreme appearances so had bold and very funky styling. Gothic hair is more about color and bold styling.
Gothic hair varies from what kind of Goth you are? Gothic hair can be romantic and can be cyber Goth or death hawk too. Many different kinds of styles are there.
Gothic hair stands for basically black color hair with some random streaks and color also. Streaks can be in red, purple, blue, burgundy, ink blue, yellow or fire engine red or optionally pink too. Gothic hair was generally kept straight and long but you can have a Gothic look with short hair too. Keep them straight and get some strands on the back crimped. You can keep them jet black to match them with the charcoal eye liner look and the black dress for a complete Gothic look.

For variations in the Gothic hair look try these: Color hair purple and tie them on both sides. Leave hair on the sides and slightly curl them for the washed away look. For One more Gothic hair look, long black hair with long orange streaks and pull up some hair till the neck and roll them in and let the orange streaks fall in till the shoulders and voila there you are, cannot get more Gothic than that.
For another Gothic look, color some hair burgundy and leave the rest black. Do Cleopatra styles cut with a fringe in the front and layers for the rest of the hair. To make it more like Gothic hair, color the tips burgundy and that should do wonders. For a cyber Goth style Gothic hair is a little bolder and go platinum and black long straight hair with slight crimps. This will shine out. You can also have a Gothic hairstyle with a short crop. Do a blunt till your cheek bones and roll them in and mix some orange with black color.

Gothic men can have very similar Gothic hair styles; they also use colors and have their hair long and short. For Gothic hair they can turn all hair one side and some long some short and can shave off a little portion of the other side. Men can also color their hair in red, orange and many times they used blue too. They can spike them and add highlights too. This will give a very punk Gothic hair look which was followed in the late 1970s.

Gothic hair styles have been there since Romans and carries on till now. It is a culture and very bold attire. So it is not only Gothic hair but also the whole look which one can adapt and look different and stand out. Gothic hair styles are sometimes seen as fashion and can be taken by many people as morbid and dark at the core of Gothic ideology lies the concept of darkness being an inherent component within us. It is only when we are able to recognize and assimilate this characteristic within our personality we are in a position to complete the fabric of morality.
Goth culture is a classical and a bold manner of living and it brings out a lot of confidence in people. Gothic hair can do wonders with your personality.
Goth Makeup Tips For an Edgy Look
There are many different goth makeup styles and looks that you can go for, some of them can make you look really dark and myserious, whilst others are much lighter and subtle makeup gives hints of Goth without looking too heavy. Whichever one you choose is up to you entirely, but we have detailed below all the essential tips and techniques you need to achieve a great Goth look in next to no time at all.
Goth Makeup Foundation
Foundation is not essential for a great Goth look, but it certainly can help the image a lot. You need to decide whether you want to have a pale face or not (pale faces are generally much better to contrast against the heavy black makeup for a more striking effect), if you do go for a pale face look, don’t get cheap foundation as this will wear off too quickly and may not give a smooth finish.
Eye Makeup
Black is the key here. You will want to brush plenty of black eye shadow onto your eyelids and/or below the eye area to give it that dark, mysterious look. Don’t overdo the goth makeup, but if applied correctly it should really bring out the natural color of your eyes and really help to give a striking Goth look.
Lipstick
You may need to experiment with the lipstick color. Some Goths go for the traditional black lipstick which complements the eye shadow nicely and gives a much darker look, or you can go for much more colorful shades and have bright colors such as red which can work very well also. Bascially, you need to try a few out and see what suits you the best.
Cheek Highlights
An important, but often forgotten technique with goth makeup. Lightening your cheeks looks great and a soft pink color really gives your look that special edge, however you do need to choose a shade that matched your skin tone and color otherwise it may look odd. Practice makes perfect!
Gothic Fashion
Gothic Fashion
Goth fashion is stereotyped as a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, dark eyeliner, black fingernails, black period-styled clothing; goths may or may not have piercings.
Styles are often borrowed from the Elizabethan, Victorian or medieval period and often express Catholic or other religious imagery such as crucifixes or ankhs. The extent to which goths hold to this style varies amongst individuals as well as geographical locality, though virtually all Goths wear some of these elements.
Gothic Fashion: From Romantic to Cyber goth
Traditional period Goth garb usually consists of mostly black clothing along with some white and are often accessorized with silver or pewter. The stereotypical gothic outfit sometimes referred to as the romantic look may include elaborate gowns and corsets, veils, full skirts, neck corsets, fishnets, lace and velvets. Also popular are tight-fitting trousers, pointy boots, flouncy poet or pirate shirts and footwear with buckles. I find the simplicity of traditional Goth style lends itself to variation, and is can be combined with fetish elements to give it a dark and romantic edge.
Closely related to the Romantic (Victorian, Elizabethan, Renaissance) Goth style is the Gothic Lolita style that emerged from Japan, usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses. Some additions may include mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses.
Most recently, Goth fashion has been infiltrated by forward-thinking styles that are more futuristic, science fiction and youthful. UV-reactive colors and materials, progressive fashions, huge shoes and boots, wild hair extensions using artificial materials, often with an undercut shave, goggles, cybernetics, androgyny, the influence of cyberpunk or anime themes and body modification are some of the elements of Cybergoth. A full-spectrum of bright or neon colors are an exciting addition to black. For example, a popular combination is black with hot pink, a flattering color for most skin tones.
Of course, you can borrow elements of one or more gothic subcategory and sometimes this is dependant on the occasion. For gothic theme parties, you may combine elements of vintage, Victorian and fetish to create a costume that is intentionally spectacular and fantasy-oriented as an artistic display.
Punk Fashion History
Original styles
The original punk fashions of the 1970s were intended to appear as confrontational, shocking and rebellious as possible. This style of punk dress was significantly different from what would later be considered the basic punk look. Many items that were commonly worn by punks in the 1970s became less common later on, and new elements were constantly added to the punk image. A great deal of punk fashion from the 1970s was based on the designs of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, as well as the dress styles of punk role models such as the Ramones, Richard Hell, Patti Smith and the Bromley Contingent.Mainstream punk style was influenced by clothes sold in Malcolm McLaren's shop SEX. McLaren has credited this style to his first impressions of Richard Hell while McLaren was in New York City, supposedly managing the The New York Dolls (Note: In the documentary Punk: Attitude, David Johansen said McLaren was never their manager, and that he only designed clothes for them and booked them one concert; the Red Show.)
Deliberately offensive T-shirts were popular in the early punk scene, such as the infamous DESTROY T-shirt sold at SEX, which featured an inverted crucifix and a Nazi Swastika. These T-shirts, like other punk clothing items, were often torn on purpose. Other items in early British punk fashion included: Anarchy symbols; brightly-colored or white and black dress shirts randomly covered in slogans (such as "Only Anarchists are pretty"); fake blood; patches; and deliberately controversial images (such as portraits of Marx, Stalin and Mussolini) were popular. Leather rocker jackets and customised blazers were early, and are still a common fixture of punk fashion.
Preferred footwear included military boots, motorcycle boots, Brothel creepers, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and (later on) Dr. Martens boots. Tapered jeans, tight leather pants, pants with leopard patterns, and bondage trousers were popular choices. Hair was cropped and deliberately made to look messy; in reaction to the long smooth hairstyles that were common in the 1960s and early 1970s. Hair was often dyed bright unnatural colors. Although provocative, these hairstyles were not as extreme as later punk hairstyles, such as liberty spikes or the Mohawk hairstyle.
Other accoutrements worn by some punks included: BDSM fashions; fishnet stockings (sometimes ripped); spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry; safety pins (in clothes and as body piercings); silver bracelets and heavy eyeliner worn by both men and women. Many female punks rebelled against the stereotypical image of a woman by combining clothes that were delicate or pretty with clothes that were considered masculine, such as combining a Ballet tutu with big, clunky boots.
Punk clothing sometimes incorporated everyday objects for aesthetic effect. Purposely-ripped clothes were held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; black bin liners (garbage bags) became dresses, shirts and skirts. Other items added to clothing or as jewelry included razor blades and chains. Leather, rubber and vinyl clothing have been common, possibly due to their connection with transgressive sexual practices, such as bondage and S&MAbout Fashion Accessories
About Fashion Accessories
Fashion accessories such as handbags, shoes, sun glasses, watches, suits, perfumes, jewelry, apparel, swimwear and so on, used by you, make an important fashion statement. They help you define your image and personal fashion style.
Handbags - Fashion Accessory
Handbags are a very important fashion accessory for women of all ages. They also carry a status symbol. "Louis Vuitton Handbags" is one of the oldest and most popular designer for purses and ladies handbags.There are many other popular brands like Gucci, Prada and Chanel. Handbags come in different colors and styles. There are casual handbags, novelty handbags, romantic handbags, fabric handbags and traditional handbags.
Reading glasses, Sun Glasses & Contact Lenses - Fashion Accessory
Many people worry about wearing reading glasses. They feel that glasses will make them look older and not project an appropriate image. But you need not worry anymore. There are many reading glasses in the market that actually help improve your image. These glasses come in all styles and colors. In fact these glasses become a part of your fashion accessories. You can find a huge selection of glasses for all occassions. Wearing the right kind of reading glasses can enhance your image.
Contact Lens as an alternative to reading glasses
If you choose not to wear glasses even though you have poor eye sight, then you can wear contact lens. Colored Contact lenses are one of the hottest trends in cosmetics today. Contact lenses are becoming popular because they are now easily available at much lower prices. One of the reasons for the popularity of contact lenses with fashion conscious people, is that contact lens allow the wearer to change her/his eye color vey easily to suit the occasion by wearing a different colored contact lens.
Sun glasses - Fashion Accessory
Sun glasses make you look hipper and trendy! It is important to pick the right shade for your sun glasses. The frame of you glasses should match your facial profile (especially the shape of your face and nose). Pick a frame for your sun glasses based on whether you have a round face, square face, oval face or oblong face.
Watches - Fashion Accessory
Watches are also an important fashion accessory. You can find the right watch that fits your budget and style without too much difficulty. At the higher end are luxury and designer watches such as those from Rolex. For lower budgets there are a variety of swiss quartz watches (and other popular stylish yet lower budget watches from companies like Citizen, Swatch, Seiko, etc...).
Watches make a strong fashion statement and carry a status symbol in many societies across the world. Choose a watch to complement your style and the occasion. You can find stylish watches having leather or metallic bands. Some are water resistant and sturdy, good to use for sports. You can also choose between digital display or analoy display watches.
Dress Shoes - Fashion Accessory
Shoes are an important fashion accessory especially for men. It is important to invest in a good pair of shoes. First of all, shoes should be comfortable and strong. Men's shoes are usually made of leather. Leather comes in different grades of quality. A good leather shoe should look rich and feel fine and supple. The leather should not have any scars or blemishes. Calf skin leather is the best. Good shoes have insoles made from leather instead of cardboard. The shoe lining should should also be made from leather. The soles and heels are subject to wear and tear and therefore should be strong and sturdy. It is the soles and heels are also made from leather. Finally the stitching of the shoes should be of high quality and display a good finish.
Women's shoes also come in a great variety. A wide range of designer shoes, high heel shoes, sandals, boots and so on, are available. The correct choice of shoes is also important for women. For example, cowboy boots can make a woman look sexy. High heel shoes make a woman look taller and create the appearance of slimmer legs.
About Menswear - Designer suits, Dress shirts, Blazers
Businessmen can spend thousands of dollars on designer suits such as those from Armani because it affects their business image. Popular colors for men's suits are black, charcoal grey and navy. Some men prefer double breasted suits. Two or three button jackets help give a classic look. Well tailored and comfortable pants are important. A popular fabric for men's suits is wool. Wool comes in different grades and designer suits use higher quality wool.
Dress shirts are available in many styles, colors and fabrics. Cotton dress shorts are usually most preferable. Shirts may have different styles of collars such as straight collars, spread collars or button down collars. A good choice of neckties, cuffs and accompanying cuff links can help your dress stand out even more. Note that the color of your belt should match the color of your shoes.
A blazer is also an important part of a man's wardrobe. The blazer is multipurpose and so should be very comfortable. Tweed is a good option for a blazer. Black, brown and navy blue blazersa are popular. Match your blazer with your trouser. You can try a denim blazer along with a woven shirt and knitted sweater as evening wear.
Swimwear and Beach Wardrobe
Swimwear is an important segment of the fashion industry. There is a huge market for designer swimwear and Bikinis. You can buy thermal swimwear, water sports swimwear, maternity swimwear and so on. When you select your swimwear, or bikini prefer solid colors to printed patterns. Pick basic colors instead of funky colors. Funky colors and prints go out of style very fast.
A good beach wardrobe includes towels, sunglasses and hat besides the swimsuit. Apply sun screen lotion extensively all over your body. Use waterproof makeup. Choose clothes that are comfortable and easy to put on and take off. Carry a stock of snacks and liquids because swimming on the beach can dehydrate you quickly. Lastly, choose a beach bag that is large in size
What is Fashion Designing?
Fashion is an important part of modern living. Lovers of fashionable styles should know that their fashion world is created by fashion designers. What then is "Fashion designing"? First of all fashion designing applies to clothing and other lifestyle or fashion accessories. Fashion design also relates to the fashion practices present during a time period for a culture and society. Fashion designing is an art applied to creating new types of clothing and other fashion accessories.
Categories in Fashion Designing
Fashion designing originated in Paris (France) but has now spread all over the world. Fashion designing can be divide into three main parts:
- Made to measure garments:
This category of fashion designing usually concentrates on creating garments of high quality and made of expensive fabric. The garment is tailor made for an individual customer giving great attention to minute details applicable to the individual customer's needs. The french called such designing "haute couture". - Ready to wear garments:
Clothes in this category are not made for an individual customer but still a lot of attention is paid to the design and fabric of the garment. Such garments are expensive and usually seasonal to allow them to be exclusive even though they are bulk produced. - Mass market garments:
Here clothes are produced in large quantities to meet the needs of a large range of customers wanting ready to wear, cheap yet fashionable clothing. Such garments rely more on machine production and often use cheaper fabrics.
Popular segments covered by Fashion Designing
Fashion designing mainly concentrates on Day wear and evening wear for women and men, women's lingerie, teenage clothing, sports wear, outer wear, bridal wear and accessories.
Note that the choice of proportion, color and texture of garments and accessories are most important in fashion designing.
Life cycle of Fashion Designing
A fashion designer conceives the design of a garment. A pattern maker will draft the shapes and sizes of the various garment pieces. A tailor will make the garment. A textile designer helps to design the prints and weaves for the garments. A stylist will assist in mixing and matching clothes, jewelry and accessories in an appropriate way to meet the fashion requirements of the customer. A model wears and displays clothes and accessories at fashion shows and poses for photographs to be published in magazines to promote a designer's products.
