Smoky eyes..

For this look we are working with just two colours .. Black and white.. This is too dramatic a look and works well on the ramp and fashion shoots. For someone who wants to do this for a night out I suggest u choose a warm brown and a nude shadow. This works well and do remember it's more an evening look rather than a day look.

- The brown tone goes on the eye lid and the nude that's a highlight goes on the rest of the eye.. The beauty is in the blending .. To perfection. You can always add a silver or gold highlight just under the brow curve to add drama.

-The Eye shadow should not spill onto the nose or too far out from the sides

- Your imaginary guideline is the inner corner of the eyes to the beginning of the eyebrow and outer corner of the eye to the end of the eye brow.

- Highlight the brow area with either a Matt nude eye shadow or a frosted soft silver or gold tone.

- Do not take the dark eye shadow colours higher than the crease of the lid

- smoking out your kajal, finishes the smoky look.

- For added intensity or ‘smoulder’ you can darken the outer corner of the eye lid. This contouring adds drama and character to the eyes

how to keep your lipstick looking fresh and lasting longer on your lips.

Here are a few Tricks of the trade on how to keep your lipstick looking fresh and lasting longer on your lips.

1. After you apply Lip Balm, blot you lips with tissue before you apply lipstick or lip pencil as the oil or moisturiser from the balm, will prevent your lipstick from sticking to your lips.

2. Use a Lip Pencil the same colour as or close to your lipstick colour not just to line the edges of your lips but all over your lips. Use your lipstick on top of this, and softly blot with tissue.

3. Use foundation on your lips, blot excess, and then apply lipstick on your lips. Softly dust translucent powder on your lips and blot with tissue to set. Use very little powder so that you don’t get a cakey look.

4. Use a straw to drink water etc, as much as possible. If using a straw is not an option to stop your lipstick coming off onto your coffee cup or wine glass, discreetly press your tongue to the spot where you’re about to sip and the lipstick won’t stick to or mark the glass or cup.

How To Reduce Hair On Face

Indigenous methods of removing hair are with ashes and Methi: Take the ashes of Agarbathi (incense) and rub it on the hair. Then pull out the hair. For children don't pull at it .. Leave it on till the hair falls out on its own. Soak Methi seeds, pound them coarsely. Make a paste, apply; when dry, rub it off. It will remove the hair. Other methods of removing hair from the face are waxing ( I don't recommend this since it pulls at the skin)and threading. Hair can be permanently removed through laser.

how to make a curly hair

A long curly hairstyle can be described as soft and elegant, giving you a romantic allure. Here you will find an ingenious way to make perfect curls.

You will need:
- a few tin foil strips;
- a flat iron.

Directions: Separate the hair in many rows, then start wrapping strands around the finger. Drop each wrapped strand into the tin foil and fold. Continue the procedure for the rest of your hair and press each packet with a flat iron, for approximately 6 seconds. Let cool, then unwrap the packets, one by one. If you want looser curls, wrap hair strands around 2 or even 3 fingers.

hairstyling

A proof that imagination has no limits in hairstyling is using soda can as curlers. Some researches tell us that it is very simple and can produce lustrous, bouncy curls in a snap. So if you’re strapped for cash and can’t afford a salon visit, don’t fancy curling irons or simply have a whole lotta’ soda cans lying around – look no further!

YOU WILL NEED:

- Hair dryer
- Empty soda cans with rubber bands wrapped around them
- Hair spray
- Bobby pins
- Hair spray or mousse
- Hair clip

DIRECTIONS:

NOTE: If you want soft waves, do this on dry, straightened hair to get soft waves.

1. Apply a small amount of hair spray or mousse to wet hair.
2. Tie your hair up with a rubber band or clip, leaving out the bottom layer of your hair.
3. Spritz hair spray down the length of your hair, roll it on the can as you would on a regular curler and then secure by sliding two bobby pins in to the top and bottom of the curl, being sure to nestle them into the rubber band that you’ve previously wrapped around the can for extra holding power.
4. Once you’ve got your whole head canned up, give it another mist of hair spray, and check for any loose pieces.
5. Blow-dry hair until the cans are hot and your hair is completely dry.
6. Slowly unroll the cans and finger-comb your hair out.
7. Say hello to pretty, voluminous waves😀😀

For all the girls out there with frizzy curly hair....

Yes it is difficult to manage frizzy hair ( I should know).. Use liss ultime or unlimited Loreal shampoo and conditioner ( that's what I use) or any other product that's meant to control frizz ..
On towel dried hair use serums to control the frizz .. My preference is Liss control and mousse .. All these products are available in 'A' class salons all over the world.... Take small 1 inch sections and twist around your finger till you get a perfect smooth ringlet . Do your whole head In thick ringlets .. Let it dry naturally .. Once fully dry gently open ringlets to form frizz free curls.

Oscar Dresses worn by Best Actress Academy Award Winners from 1929

WILLS Lifestyle 2014

Shilpa for Tarun Tahiliani at WILLS Lifestyle

Anupama Dayal for WILLS lifestyle

Hair tips

Like I keep saying, please shampoo and condition your hair maximum three times a week .. But for those who work out everyday and gets a sweaty scalp or for those who need to wash it more often due to an oily scalp ... Should try this. 

Baking soda works wonders on hair, It’s gentle, it’s the weakest alkaline, and it very gently clarifies hair from chemical buildup, and sweat. 
The standard amount for hair care is one tablespoon of baking soda to one cup of water. Pour into a squeezy bottle.
In the shower, I soak my hair with water, then I squeeze a bit of the baking soda mixture on my scalp, starting at the crown. I massage it in as I go, squeezing a bit more here and there, concentrating mostly on the scalp. I include my hair as well, but since most of the oils originate from the scalp itself, the hair will naturally get cleaned once the scalp is clarified.
After a few minutes, I rinse it out, just like I would shampoo.

Apple cider vinegar is a mild acidic, working well to counteract the baking soda, and thus acts as a great replacement for conditioner. It detangles the hair folicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance.

A little goes a very long way, just like the baking soda. The standard recipe is also one tablespoon apple cider vinegar to one cup water. For this, I use an old conditioner bottle, and fill it with the vinegar and water via funnel, then finish it with a shake.
If your hair is on the oily side naturally, don’t use much of this. pour a little on just the ends of my hair, let it rest for a few seconds, then rinse it out.

Sewing tutorial: Sew a 90 minute beach cover up

(Warning: Lengthy post with many photos follows)

Ditch the t-shirt this summer in favor of a bit of glamour with this oversized beach cover-up.

The inspiration for this cover up came from a Neiman Marcus mailing. When I saw this black polyester caftan my first thought was “oh, how cute” followed by “I can sew that for a lot less than $120!”

You can too. Why spend big bucks when you can sew one that's unique to you in 90 minutes or less?

Sizing:

• One size fits most.
• The length of the cover up is approximately 36".
• The width of the cover up is approximately 78" at the bust and 58" at the hem.
• Pattern can easily be made larger or smaller.

Materials:

• 2 yards fabric. Choose a lightweight fabric that drapes well. This sample was sewn using a lightweight semi-sheer knit with a hint of sparkle sprinkled throughout. (From a Fabric Mart Fabrics mystery bundle.) 
• 1/2 yard stay-tape
• thread
• Ruler
• Chalk or marking pencil

The pattern: 
You can draw the pattern on paper or directly onto your fabric.

• If you draw directly onto the fabric, make sure your fabric is folded in half before you begin.
• Using a ruler, draw two rectangles that measure 36” (long) by 20” (wide)
• Along the top edge, measure 3” from the fold and make a mark.
• Along the bottom edge, measure 15” from the fold and make a mark.
• Along the right edge, measure 12” from the top edge and make a mark. This will be the armhole opening.
• Draw a diagonal line connecting the 15” mark along the bottom to the 12” mark along the side.
• On the front pattern piece, measure 8” from the top edge along the center front fold and make amark.
• Draw a diagonal line connecting the 8” mark along the center front edge to the 3” mark along the top edge. This is the front v-neckline.
• On the back pattern piece, measure 1-1/2” along the center back edge to the 3” mark along the top edge. This is the back neckline.

Prepare to sew the cover up

• Seam allowances are 1/2”.
• Cut out the front and back pieces. Remember both pieces are on the fold of the fabric.
• Cut one piece of fabric 1-1/2” by 30”. This is for the neck binding.
• Cut 2 pieces of stay tape each 7” long. You’ll use this to secure the gathers at the shoulder seams.

Sew the cover up
Shoulder Seams

• Gather each shoulder edge beginning and ending 1” from each edge.
• Pull up gathers to measure 7”. Secure in place by sewing stay tape over the gathers.
• You can easily make your shoulder seams longer if you want them to fall lower on your upper arm. Instead of pulling the gathers to 7" try 10" or 12".
  
  
  
  • Sew left shoulder seam together.
  • Sew right shoulder seam together, ending 2” before the neck edge. You’ll finish the shoulderseam after you add the neck binding.
  Binding the neckline
  
  • Stay stitch the center front point of the cover up. Clip to point.
  • Beginning at right shoulder, pin binding to neck edge right sides together. Sew together.
  • Fold binding to the wrong side, encasing the raw edge. Pin in place.
  • With right side up, stitch in the ditch to secure binding in place.
  • Trim excess binding fabric on inside of neck edge
  • To get a nice point in the binding, fold the binding with right sides together at the center front.
  • Stitch a small vertical seam from the point on the cover up to the top of the binding.
  • Finish sewing right shoulder seam.
  Side seams and armholes
  
  • Right sides together, sew the side seams ending at the mark you made 12” below the shoulder edge.
  • Hem the armhole opening.
  • Hem the bottom edge.
  
  Done!
  Enjoy wearing your new cover-up at the beach!
  
  
  
  

Refashion a man's dress shirt into a woman's ruffled strapless cami

Near the beginning of the summer season, I saw an adorable menswear top at Anthropologie. It was a simple strapless cami with an elastic waist and ruffled edge. When I saw the price of the top (originally $68, now marked down to $29.95) I immediately thought that a similar strapless cami inspired by the design could easily---and more economically---be sewn using a men's dress shirt.

So here you go. A super quick tutorial on how to refashion a men's shirt into a cami.

One man's dress shirt + elastic + bias tape + thread + a few hours = ruffled strapless cami.


Begin with a men's button front, long sleeve dress shirt. Best to choose a size L or larger.

Lay the shirt on a flat cutting surface.

Draw a horizontal line from underarm to underarm.

Cut the shirt along the line you just drew.

If your shirt had a breast pocket, carefully remove the remainder of the pocket. Don't worry if a bit of the stitching lines still show as it will be covered by the ruffle.

Baste the top of the front plackets together.

Trim away excess placket on the backside to remove some of the stiffness if your shirt has a firm interfacing on the placket like mine did. This will make it easier to create the casing.

Sew the front placket closed, unless you want the front buttons to remain functional.

Press under 1/4" on the upper edge.

Press under another 3/4" on the upper edge. This will be your casing.

Baste in place, leaving an opening at the side seam to insert your elastic.

Measure the upper edge of the shirt and multiply by 1.5 to determine the length of the ruffle you will need--- my shirt measured 52" x 1.5 = 78".

Cut the sleeves off of the upper portion of the shirt. Remove the cuff, and cut the sleeve open so it lies flat. You're going to use the fabric in the sleeves for your ruffle.

Cut enough strips of fabric to measure the total length of your ruffle by 3" wide. I used four strips 19-1/2" x 3". Note that the stripes on the ruffle will be horizontal, not vertical.

Sew the strips together along the short edges until you have one long strip of fabric. Mine measured 78" x 3".

Narrow hem the two short edges and one long edge.

Press under 1/2" on the remaining long edge and run a gathering stitch along this edge.

Pull up gathers to fit top of cami.

Pin the wrong side of ruffle to the right side of the upper edge of the shirt positioning the ruffle 1/2" from the top edge.
From the top side of the shirt sew the ruffle to the shirt about 5/8" from the edge. This will also create your casing. Don't forget to leave the opening on the casing for your elastic.

Once the ruffle is sewn on you can remove the gathering stitches for a cleaner look.

Measure from your underarm to your waist to determine where to create your waist casing. Mine was 9". If you want the casing higher than your natural waistline, measure from your underarm to where you want the elastic and use that number.

On the inside of the shirt, measure 9" (or whatever your measurement is) down from the top edge of the shirt and make a mark. Continue around the entire circumference of the shirt.

Using bias tape, place the bottom edge along the line you just marked and pin in place.

Sew very close to both edges of tape to create the casing. Don't forget to leave an opening at a side seam to insert your elastic.
Measure and cut two pieces of elastic, one for the upper casing and one for the waist casing.

Insert elastic into casings. Lap the two edges and sew securely together. Sew the casing closed.

Evenly distribute the elastic in the casing and you are done!

A sweet summer cami in mere hours. Happy Sewing!

Golden goddess gown - a side tie infinity dress that is smokin' hot

How to sew a smokin' hot side tie infinity tube dress in two hours. No pattern needed!.

Measurement instructions edited 6/14/09

Four knit rectangles + elastic + thread + sewing machine + 2 hours = one fabulous knit tube dress.

Front views

Back views

That’s right. You can sew a fabulous knit tube dress in two hours. Here’s how:

Fabric and notions:

• Approximately 2 yards of 60” wide knit fabric.The wrong side of the fabric will show with the tie variations, so keep that in mind when you choose your fabric. Your yardage will depend on the width and length of your rectangles. You’ll figure those out in the next step.Basically you need enough fabric to cover the width and length of your body.
• (If your measurements + ease indicate you need to cut two rectangles wider than 24", you'll need to purchase enough fabric to cut two dress lengths)

EDITED 6/14/09:

Thank you to the Anonymous (Jun) for asking for clarification on this step. I see I skipped one very important sentence and added the clarification below. 

Take your measurements:

• Measure around the fullest part of your bust. Add 12” for ease and seam allowances. EDIT: Divide this measurement by 2. This will be the width of your two rectangles. Example: bust measurement = 36" + 12" = 48". 48" divided by 2 = 24".
• If your hips are larger than your bust add 12” to your hip measurement and use that number as the width of your rectangle.
• Measure from underneath your underarm to the floor. Add 3 inches for upper casing and hem. This will be the length of your rectangle.
• Each dress rectangle for my golden goddess gown was 24” (w) x 61” (l). For this dress: bust measurement = 36" + 12" = 48". 48" divided by 2 = 24". The front dress rectangle was cut at 24" x 61" and the back dress rectangle was cut at 24" x 61". 

Cut your dress:

• Find a large flat surface to cut out your dress.
• Fold your fabric in half, wrong sides together, and lay on a large flat surface.
• I used the floor in my sewing room, much to the delight of my little helper Sophia, who promptly plopped herself on the fabric and refused to budget. (Until a puppy treat magically appeared.)

• Measure, mark and cut your rectangle. Because you had your fabric folded you will now have two fabric rectangles.

Cut your ties:

• Cut two rectangles that measure 6”(w) x 50” (l). You can cut the ties longer if you think you'll need it to do the tie variations.
• Edit 6/14/09: If you have a larger bust line you many want to cut the ties wider and longer. If you choose to do so you will need additional yardage. My fabric, when folded, measured 30" wide, which allowed enough width for the dress rectangles (24") and the tie rectangles (6"). 

Sew your dress:

• Hem the two long edges and one short edge of the ties.
• On the golden goddess gown I turned one edge under 1/4" and stitched over it using a a wide zig-zag stitch making sure the right swing of the zig-zag was just off of my fabric. You could also turn the edges under 1/4" and stitch in place, or leave the edges raw.

• Run gathering stitches along the unhemmed short edge of the ties.

• Pull up gathers to measure 3”
• On wrong side of dress beginning at the top edge, measure down 2” along side edges (the long sides) and make a mark.

• Place the upper edge of the tie along the mark you just made, right sides together and matching raw edges. Baste in place.

• Pin the two large rectangles together along the long edge, right sides together.
• Using a 1/2” seam allowance, stitch the side seams.
• If you don’t have a serger, sew the seam using a narrow zig-zag stitch stretching the knit fabric slightly as you sew. Sew a second narrow zig-zag seam next to the first seam and trim the seam.

• Turn under 1” on the top edge of the dress. Pin in place.

• Stitch 3/4” from the folded edge forming a casing for the elastic, being careful not to catch the ties. Be sure to leave an opening so you can insert the elastic.

• Cut a piece of 1/2” elastic that fits snugly around your chest (above your bust).

•  Place a safety pin on one end of the elastic and thread it through the casing you just created.
• Don't forget to pin the other end of the elastic to the garment or you’ll lose the elastic in the casing when you begin to pull to thread the elastic through.
•  Once the elastic is through, secure the elastic to the dress by pinning both ends to the dress seam.
•  Try the dress on to make sure the elastic is tight enough to hold the dress up.Adjust if necessary.
•  Remove the pins, overlap the two edges of elastic, stitch together securely (you don't want that elastic to come undone while you're wearing the dress now do you?) and tuck into the casing.
•  Sew the casing opening closed.
•  To hem the dress, turn under 1” on bottom of dress and stitch in place.

Done!

Put your dress on, twist the tie ends to form different bodice variations and then prepare yourself for the onslaught of compliments that are sure to come your way.

This beautiful yellow dress was sewn for beautiful Julie who has been learning to sew in my Sewing Studio Sundays. I'm hoping to convince her to model it for us for a future post.

It's a bit reminisce of these Greek Goddess dresses. And for all of you gorgeous older babes who remember this style from decades ago...yes, it was inspired by fashions from the 1970s.