Style Harmony

Green is the new colour trend this autumn/winter. Lady Gaga was photographed wearing green from head-to-toe in Japan..literally, as her hair was dyed turquoise green!

Green Gaga

Are you bold enough to be like Gaga? The new colours for this season are sage teal and winter mint, which are softer and more wearable than lime green from head to toe. I love how the designers combined the different shades of green on the runway. The result was sophisticated, classy and refreshing. I think green looks gorgeous when paired with its neighbouring colours like purple and yellow or with neutrals such as grays and whites. Find your own shades of green that works for your skintone. If you have yellow undertones, go for something bright like pistachio green. Blue or pink undertones can look good in winter mint. Play with textures, prints and fabrics to make your head to toe look more interesting.

Dramatic & sultry eye makeup trend

According to Harper’s Bazaar, the dramatic smokey eye look is still hot on the New York fashion runway. The smokey effect is achieved by applying dark eyeshadow (black is best!) close to the upper lash line and outer corners of the eye, blending it half-way in. Use a lighter shade on the lid, inner corner and the brow bone. For a more sultry look, draw a thicker line on the lower lash with black kohl pencil and for a glam effect, apply glitter shadow on top of the lined lower lid. Of course, it won’t be complete without long dramatic false lashes! Keep the rest of the face clean and neutral. For lipstick, stick to nudes. See my makeup (below) for my glamour shot today; all thanks to my wonderful friend and makeup expert, Amy Chow! 

You cannot help but notice the colourful window displays at DKNY, Topshop, Warehouse and many more. Colour blocking is a hot trend now and what a fun and simple way of styling your wardrobe. Colour blocking is basically coordinating two or more solid colours together to create a colour block look. Your accessories, shoes and handbag can also be in different solid colours. Colour blocking can also help “transform” most figure shapes to look like an hourglass shape.

Look at the above picture which I’ve put together. To achieve an hourglass shape from a:

V-shape body: Keep the top fitted and in dark colour (halter neck narrows down the wide shoulders with its diagonal straps) and widen the hips with a flare skirt in a bright colour. Dark colours recedes and make the space appear smaller while bright colours do the opposite.

Inverted V-shape body: Wear tops in bright colours. To extend the shoulder width, choose horizontal necklines and puffed sleeves. Bottoms should be in slim cuts and darker colours.

Rectangular body shape: Extend the shoulder width and hips to make the waist appear smaller. Use light and bright colours from top to bottom to widen the areas and a contrasting colour belt to narrow down the waist.

Oval body shape: Needs to widen shoulders and hips by wearing V-necklines and flare sleeves and bottoms. Camouflage the tummy area with a loose low waisted top in darker colours, preferably.

Colour blocking is a great way to camouflage or enhance your body shape where it is needed.

Tell us if you like this trend or not.

OUT

1. Frosty pink lipstick (so 1980s)
2. Harsh eyeliner
3. Smudgy eye makeup
4. Red lipsticks
5. Heavy foundation

IN

1. Pastel eye colours
2. Blue lids from turquoise to indigo (so 1980s)
3. Smoky eyes
4. Nude lip colour
5. Bold matte lips

Feathered hairbands are the rage now and I could not resist owning a few myself! In fact, my niece and I picked up 5 pieces for our feather-themed Christmas dinner party and had everybody wear it, including the guys! These hairbands are perfect for jazzing up a plain outfit, T-shirt and jeans and they also go well with fringe dresses which are in trend now. Choose a style that best complement your personality, face shape and features. For example, if you are quirky and has a small face with fairly large eyes, you can opt for the bigger feathered bands (see Jessica Alba and Drew Barrymore below). If you have a round/curvy face, wearing feathers which stand upright gives the optical illusion that your face is slimmer (see lady with red hairband).