Taking graduation photos

I know starting this week a lot of you may be taking graduation photos and if not family portraits will be coming up real soon. So here are some tips that will help you look your best. Look out for guys' portrait tips coming soon!
1. Avoid large accessories that may detract from your face. Keep the focus on you with small accessories, such as simple earrings, thin necklaces. Leave large hoop earrings at home!

2. Get your beauty sleep. All the retouching in the world won't fix puffy eyes. If you do happen to pull an all-nighter before hand put some tea bags in the freezer and then put them on your eyes in the morning to reduce swelling.

3. Aim to look like a more polished version of your everyday self. This isn't the time to try out new hairstyles, hair colour or makeup. Concealer and mascara are a must even if you don't wear them usually.

4. Powder will be your best friend today. Keep it with you to reduce shine and apply it right after your concealer to keep it in place.5. For grad photos, opt of a collared shirt or one that won't show up under the gown at all.6. Opt for a moisturizing lipstick or lip stain instead of a gloss.Lip gloss looks great in person but can look like a shiny, I-just-ate-fried-chicken mess in portraits.

8 Things That Maketh Not The Lady

8 Things That Maketh Not The Lady
by: T. O' Donnell
1. Tattoos.

Tattoos used to be the colouring of soldiers, sailors, mafiosi and punk rockers. About ten years ago, they became fashionable. The lower-middle classes started taking them up. Unfortunately, unlike last years' shoes, tattoos can't be taken to the thrift shop and disposed of.

To a certain class of person, tattoos are 'cool'. To another, they are a graffito on the temple of the soul. They mark a woman definitively as lower class, alienated, depressed, and a bit daft. They're also a handy way to identify one absolutely to the authorities. Which shows how stupid some crooks are.

The same goes for piercings. My family are farmers. I associate nose rings with bulls, and piercings with cattle tags. They are a haven of dirt, infection, and their openings look unsightly.

With tattoos and piercings, before you've opened your mouth, you've already typed yourself to people you meet.

2. Highlights and streaks.

Are you blonde, or brunette? Make up your mind! These might have been novel ten years ago. Now they just look common. Not all gentlemen prefer blondes. A healthy head of untinted brunette or raven dark hair is a pleasant novelty these days.

It is true that blondes have more fun. I used to be one! Most people on the planet are dark. A non-blonde with blonde hair looks 'interesting'.

Now this fashion is done to death, however. If they're doing it in Romford, it's buried!

3. Big hoop earrings.

Unmistakably part of the wardrobe of the gypsy. Which is fine if you are one. Strangely popular. Perhaps they're to make the wearer's head look smaller. Add them to the features above, and an unattractive type emerges.

4. Binge drinking.

Binge drinking, squawking and falling over in the street is hilarious if you are the one doing it. If you are the spectator, it's less so.

5. Visible G-string.

This is erotic, no doubt about it. Unless you haven't the figure to pull it off. Likely to provoke a reaction of 'Mother of G*d!' when adorning the pasty, blemished buttocks of the 'full-figured' young lady. Bad diet, no exercise, five-pints-a-night, then 'peek-a-boo!'. Agggh!

I used to wonder why so many saucily-dressed young ladies walked the streets hatchet-faced. Now I now. Half are trying to ward off unwanted vulgar advances from men, the other half are annoyed they're not getting any!

There's nothing sexy about contrived, blatant eroticism. What's erotic is what seems to be an accident. 'A glimpse of stocking is something quite shocking' etc.

Likely to irritate female co-workers also. Assuming your company allows such clothing. It doesn't? I wonder why?

6. Swearing.

Your gentleman friends might find this amusing, to your face. What they think in private is another matter. Habitual swearing is another sign of a depressed, angry person. It's unattractive. The more you do it, the more it corrodes your subconscious.

7. Breast Augmentation.

Also known as a 'boob job'. These look fine, from a distance. Compared to a natural pair, they look odd. They are to real breasts what a transexual is to a 'red hot mama'; no competition. Up close, they're just not as good as the real thing. A perfectly functional piece of equipment has been turned into a cartoon joke, with possible long-term medical consequences.

Some men like small breasts. Beauty is a matter of proportion. Some women are neurotic about their appearance; nothing will please them.

A good example is ...

8. Disappearing Eyebrows.

They get plucked away to nothingness, then get drawn or tattooed back in. And this is better? One can end up looking freakish, even clown-like. Loss of hair suggests illness. Plucking out one's hair is often a sign of mental illness. Girls, desist! Don't try to gild the lily!

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are people who'll encourage you in the above. They'll say you look lovely. Misery loves company, and some people delight in the fall of others.

Be your own woman. Stand back from yourself, your life and your surroundings, and decide your own destiny.

5 Insider Beauty Secrets

5 Insider Beauty Secrets Other Women Don’t Want You To Know!

By far one of the most important of our beauty assets is our smile. Who can resist an enigmatic sparkling white smile?

You also can’t hide yellow teeth like you can most other physical defects. So you should always be sure your smile is at it’s best.

Perfectly straight teeth aren’t always necessary either, so if you couldn't afford braces or retainers as a teen don’t worry too much.

Some of the most beautiful women I know (and even myself), have never worn braces in their life. And have small imperfections in the straightness of their teeth.

Even some famous actresses have teeth that have obviously never worn braces (think Amber Tamblyn, Kirsten Dunst, Kristin Kreuk).

And yet they still manage to be amazingly beautiful because their teeth are well cared for, and shine like pearls.

So how can you make your smile enviable without spending a fortune at a dentists or on teeth whitening products?

Beauty Secret 4
Whiten and brighten your smile.

For this little beauty secret you use two household items that are rock bottom cheap to buy; Baking Soda, and Peroxide.

Yep, thats how simple it is.

You take the baking soda and peroxide and you make a thick paste out of them. You shouldn’t need more than a tablespoon of the paste.

Apply the paste to teeth, and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes every morning and night.

The most effective way to do this, and brighten your smile, is by brushing your teeth with the paste. But remember that it will only work if you use it every morning and night, without fail.

Baking soda and peroxide will not only whiten your teeth but clean them too, if you use them in place of toothpaste.

Then just sit back and watch the results!

Your smile will become visibly whiter, and to boot you’ll save a bundle on toothpaste, and teeth whiteners.

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Don’t you always hate it when summer rolls around, and your body is hardly swimsuit or shorts ready?

Or even the rest of the year when it seems impossible to disguise those figure flaws!

Beauty Secret 5
Hide figure flaws and defects.

If you are pear shaped:

Wear tighter tops to show off your trim upper body, and skirts that taper towards the hemline to disguise your pear shape.

Buy jeans that are a snug fit and are low rise (the low rise will emphasize your small waist and the tightness has a surprisingly slimming effect on legs and butt).

Dresses that end just a little above the knee work nicely for pear figures as they hide bulky upper legs.

The best swimsuits for pear figures tend to be bikini’s that have low cut bottoms with a flounce skirt. This draws eyes away from the legs, and minimizes them at the same time.

If you are spoon shaped:

Wear shirts that tend to fall straight down and don't cling, to hide a bulky stomach.

Or wear a snug t-shirt with a button up shirt or sweater over it, leaving the buttons unfastened on the shirt or sweater.

Wear shorts and skirts that are short to emphasize your good feature (your legs).

The best swimsuit for women who are big on top and little on bottom is a full piece that is high cut in the hips.

This hides the stomach, and shows of slender legs and buttocks.

If you are an extremely skinny woman all over:

Wear skirts that flounce out and shirts that ruffle to give you a more rounded appearance.

Wear semi loose dresses that are cinched only in the right spots.

For instance emphasize a small waist with a dress that is cinched in the middle but flounces out from the hips to give a curvy appearance.

Wear snug jeans, or loose slacks with a pull over sweater, these will both work well for your figure type.

The best swimsuits for skinny women are of course bikinis. Full pieces give slender women a “little girl” appearance, and are not very attractive.

The bikini’s are best if they’re high cut in the hips and butt. This flatters a thin woman best by showing off her waist and legs.

Low cut bikini’s will also work well with a skinny woman though, if you want to emphasize slender hips.

If you’re a large woman all over:

You should go for just slightly loose fitting clothes. Too loose and you’ll only make yourself appear bigger.

Wear panty hose to make your legs look slim. Avoid overly tight clothes at all costs, this will make your skin roll, and you’ll look bigger than ever.

Choose mainly capri’s and knee length skirts or dress for summer. Avoid shorts, mini skirts, or short dresses until you slim down.

The best swimsuit for a full figure is (you guessed it) a full piece, cut low in the hips, and with a skirted bottom.

If you’re a curvy woman (also known as an hour glass figure):

You can wear almost anything you choose to and look good; loose slacks, snug jeans, loose shirts, snug shirts, loose skirts, snug skirts, dresses, bikini’s, full pieces, etc...

So be proud of your figure and choose your clothes with some taste to best show off your unique shape.

Now that you’re armed with these beauty secrets, go out and put them to use. You’ll definitely start to turn heads, and command a respect in people wherever you go.

Because, remember it’s not the shape of your body, or face, or the size of your nose or lips or eyes, that denotes beauty.

It’s the proud way you carry yourself, and the neatness, and good taste with which you pick your clothes and accessories.