Best Kept Secrets....to looking Young, Thin, and Fabulous.. (yes, you)

"So many women tell me that they can't find clothes that fit. I'll spend five minutes with them and they'll have tons of options," says Kay Unger. The designer of Kay Unger New York and Phoebe Couture clothing lines, she's known for fun, flirty dresses and flattering work wear. Kay understands women's bodies and says it's her duty to make them gorgeous. Here, she spills her best-kept secrets.

Getting Ready

• If your carrying winter weight, don't wear loose clothing. It hides nothing and makes you look larger. Go for fitted clothes, which give you shape.
• Think about your underwear - it can make you look 5 pounds thinner. Spanx makes a nude slip, and there's a new product called Yummie Tummie, which comes in tank top form and doesn't ride up. Use it as an under layer or camisole.
• In spring, transition out of stockings. Make your legs look great with a self-tanner. I love Estee' Lauder Bronze Goddess Self-Tan, and Neutrogena makes several great self-tanning products as well.
• Put together your outfit and accessories the night before so you'll have something ready to go. In the morning, adjust accordingly based on your mood.
• Apply lotion frequently.

Going Out

• Invest in a great shirt dress and wear it all year long. It's fitted at the waist with a full skirt, so it gives you a nice proportion. In the spring, wear it with sandals and bare legs. In the winter, put on opaque hose and heels.
• Don't cover up too much. A V-or scoop neck opens up your figure, making you look taller and leaner. You don't want a neckline that cuts straight across.
• Your eye naturally goes toward color, so to bring attention away from your bottom half, wear a pattern on top and a solid on the bottom.
• Off the-shoulder dresses make your waist look thin by balancing your proportions, and cover the area of your arms that most women are self-conscious of.
• Look for waistlines that hit an inch above the natural waist. They give women of any size a defined waistline.
• Every woman should own a versatile black suit. The jacket goes with jeans or a skirt, or over a black dress. The pants match anything.
• If you want to be remembered, walk into a room wearing color --any color you want. I don't subscribe to that Color Me Beautiful stuff.
• If you have big thighs, go with a dress that cinches your waist. It will draw the eye up.

Accessorizing

• Wear bold bangles. They go with a lot of different outfits, day or night. You can even thread them along a grosgrain ribbon and make a necklace.
• Vintage shoe clips are so versatile. You can put them on a belt, pin them to dresses and jackets, hang one from a chain and wear it as a necklace, or use them as they were initially intended: to jazz up a plain pair of shoes.
• If you're not keen on wearing boldly colored clothes, try bright shoes or a belt.
• High heels are always appropriate. They make you stand differently and give you presence. When someone in my office has to give a presentation, they wear heels. You don't have to wear them all day. Keep a pair at your desk or in your car.
• I often carry two bags: a large one to hold my stuff, and inside that, a clutch with essentials. Move the small bag from purse to purse and you won't forget anything.

I hope you enjoy these tips... more to come....

Let me know what your tips are. Leave them in the comments below.

Stay Beautiful - Beauty Queens

-queenbbeee