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Oscars 2019 Best Dressed

Oscars 2019 Best Dressed

thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

Today I bring you TLL roundup of the best dressed of this years Academy Awards. I must start by saying I thought this years dresses were very disappointing, I liked so little. It did confirm to me that award seasons dresses so often look better or the womanly woman, which should be celebrated since it so rarely is in fashion these days. What did we learn? Metallic is going to be huge this season as is color in particular yellow. Pink was on a popular choice in all tones and lavender. There were many looks which were almost there but either the color choice didn’t suit the skin tone or the slit was too high of the neckline too short. The exciting thing about the nine ladies who made the cut is that each dress was by a different designer, which keeps fashion exciting and invigorating. So if you are in the dress market for a gala, ball or event may this inspire you, if not just enjoy. Who did you like?

Emilia Clarke, Balmain. Pretty lavender metallic dress, simple, elegant and a beautiful silhouette. This dress is sophisticated but youthful at the same time. I love the simplicity of her minimal accessories so the dress is the centerpiece which I think makes it look modern. My best dressed of the evening by a country mile she is the mother of dragons and fashion. Plus secretly love to see a Brit as best dressed.

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Constance Wu, Versace. Exquisite color for her skin tone, I love a bold color but in a softer fabric makes it pretty and feminine. Several woman this evening wore bold colors with too strong a silhouette or detail and it fought each other and didn’t work. She looks comfortable and happy and that makes it an Oscar winner.

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Jennifer Hudson, Ellie Saab. Red is a bold choice for a carpet. Jennifer demonstrates perfectly why womanly/hourglass figures really shine in award season, she has the curves to display the elegance and structure of this gown. Her curves wear the dress, the dress does not wear her. I love how the slit in the skirt is not too high which is why a few woman didn’t make TLL cut. Mr Saab is a genius at balance in a gown and the ruffles are proportioned perfectly by the one sleeve and layering. Hollywood glamour at its finest.

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Olivia Coleman, Prada. This lady can do no wrong for me, firstly she makes no secret of feeling uncomfortable with all the attention and I love that she wore something that she is comfortable in. I secretly hoped she would wear green, it suits her so. I love the high neck and embellished sleeves. She used the character she was nominated for as inspiration for the gown and touches of the embroidery on her dress reflect Queen Anne, this shows what an intelligent and thoughtful person she is. Her pixie cut and simple earrings finish off her look and show her to be the Queen she is. She also dresses so age appropriate and in my opinion looks younger in the process.

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Jennifer Lopez, Tom Ford. She is no longer Jenny from the block, she is Hollywood royalty and tonight showed why. The dress fit her body wonderfully and she demonstrated how to wear the metallic dress. Miss Lopez kept her hair sleek and elegant and accessories to a minimum. Top marks.

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Dame Helen Miren, Schiaparelli. Love love love this color. The knockout pink look of the night. I love pink but most the frocks tonight were horrendous. Helen always shows a lady how to dress age appropriately but in a fashion forward way. She keeps herself covered up but creates a playful edge in the soft floaty skirt and demonstrates that woman do get better with age. Did you see her diamonds? Sorry folks but another British knockout.

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Emma Stone, LV. Sharp shoulder detail which flatters her slender frame. So elegant, her accessories were minimal which let the texture and color speak. The bronze color was unlike anything else tonight which suited her skin tone and made her standout and a metallic trend hit.

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Charlize Theron, Dior. I wanted to love this, I often think Charlize hits it out of the ball park in the fashion stakes. I just didn’t like the color with her new hair color and I am not sure about how the dress sits in the bust area. The style of the dress would have flattered a few of the maturer ladies better. I wish she had kept her hair blonde it would have been outstanding. I also think there was a little too much jewelry for my taste. It did demonstrate how sexy it is to be covered up and the back was stunning, a lovely dress and look if styled a little different.

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Marie Kondo, Jenny Packham. Not only is Marie teaching people to clean their homes but also how to dress. This pretty dress is soft, elegant and shows her petite frame to perfection, the soft pink is fashionable and the small metallic touches make it forward. I also love how she has covered her shoulders, she looks cute as a button and she will have to say many a thank you to that dress when she throws it out.

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To finish I had to leave with the man I thought hit a home run and for me this evening that was Rami Malek. He didn’t try to reinvent the wheel he kept it sharp and smart in Saint Laurent. Keeping it classy couldn’t be a better tribute to Mr Mercury.

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Have a wonderful week friends.

Ta Ta for now

Kate x

HydraFacial

HydraFacial

thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Friday, wow this week has flown by, yesterday I took a timeout and went for a little pampering. I love a facial and it would be my desert island beauty treatment. A facial can transform your skin and how you feel. When your a mum or have a busy life making time to have a little pampering is often difficult so you want it to be good. My thoughts on those who don’t like facials is you either haven’t found the right treatment or the right person. It is that simple. I have come out before feeling a little let down by the money taken and the result and that is not a good feeling. So when you get the right combination keep it up. I have wanted to try a HydraFacial for an absolute age but hadn’t had the time or inclination to do the research, well now I have.

What is a facial?

A facial is a multi step beauty treatment for your face conducted by an esthetician. A facial generally includes cleansing, exfoliating ,extracting, masking and nurturing the skin. The objective is to assist with skin concerns which can be a wide range from skin complaints like acne or rosacea etc. to anti-ageing with a primary focus on creating clear, clean and hydrated skin.

Why Facial?

A good facial is an essential part of an effective skin regime. It clears pores in a way cleansing at home can not , diagnoses skin issues which can change with age, climate and lifestyle. A skilled esthetician can help you with a skin regime suited for your skin type. The lights and equipment make them able to see your skin at a microscopic level and assist in diagnosing issues and guide you on effective products more than a person at a beauty counter. Finally they can perform extractions properly, whether it is blackheads (we all have them,) milia or regular spots they can assist in their removal without scaring and no God awful pore strip in sight.

How Often?

A good facialist will say to see great results you should visit them monthly and honestly that is not always practical financially or schedule wise, so my answer is get them when you can. An annual facial is better that no facial, plus they make awesome gifts.

Why HydraFacial?

A HydraFacial is a  new gentle treatment, it is the latest offering in non laser skin resurfacing. It combines cleansing, exfoliating, extracting and hydrating products into  your skin. It does this with the use of a small machine with high suction which works like a vacuum. The suction absorbs dead skin, clears and extracts blocked pores. The HydraFacial is effective for all skin types including sensitive skin and can assist and treat all skin needs and issues. It leaves you with clearer, cleaner and more beautiful skin with a limited recovery time.

My thoughts and results.

After doing lots of research and reading reviews I decided to visit a med spa within walking distance of my home. I was not disappointed, my esthetician Heidi was a lady older than me who had terrific skin, looked and dressed well. I always feel more comfortable when the person performing procedures looks like I would like to. She was not heavily made up with too many procedures and her professionalism in her work was similar to her appearance, excellent. She was incredibly knowledgeable and careful. I really appreciated the time she took to explain each step of the procedure and she  did extra extraction without the machine (removed a few of those beastly milia.) The extraction pain was minimal discomfort. The whole procedure was painless, it is not as relaxing as other facials mainly because of the noise of the machine but that did not concern me as I could feel the benefits. I got particular satisfaction from the machine extraction because it feels a little like a scrubber on a saucepan and I knew it was cleaning and clearing those pores. At times I could feel my cheeks flushing in particular and you will see that in the pictures below, that is expected for me as I have sensitive skin and slight rosacea. Heidi talked me through and explained how I could change and add to my regime to help with the issues. I was pleased to hear she felt my regime was working very well and that my skin was hydrated with minimal lines. All the hard work is paying off, I enjoyed chatting through some of my skin care concerns and how I felt my skin had changed since we had moved to the more humid climate of the Houston. One thing I found remarkably satisfying is to see the dirty liquid sucked from you face, I enclose a photo for those of you mad enough. The sediment is things stuck in my pores – gross. As I left my skin felt warm and I did have redness, but my skin felt glowing and it never felt dry or tight. The redness went down very quickly and I attach photos immediately after, after about an hour where you can see some dried skin cells on my face and then about two hours later when I had washed my face and reapplied sun screen. I am writing his approx six hours later and my skin feels clean and wonderful. I can’t wait for the next one!

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Before the procedure, my skin was looking a little dull, tired and I had some minor congestion.

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A closeup on a problem area, milia, sun spots and pigment.

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The gunk taken from my face, Heidi is highlighting the sediment.

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The color of the extracted liquid

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The amount of liquid

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My face straight after the procedure. Lots of redness in the cheekbone area.

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About one hour after, you can see a few dead skin cells and white stuff left on my face.

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A closeup after treatment, still a little red but it is glowing and looks cleaner and more hydrated

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Picture about three hours later, after I washed my face in cool water and added sunscreen, Thrilled with the results. Skin looks cleaner, fresher and more hydrated. I could almost pass as 50- lol.

Have any questions please get in touch. Have you tried a HydraFacial? Have I inspired you. It is so important to take care of our skin.

Happy Weekend Friends.

Kx

 

 

 

 

 

Marriage- Eight Years. What I have learnt.

Marriage- Eight Years. What I have learnt.

thelifestylelady

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Tuesday, today is special in chez Lifestyle because Mr L and I celebrate EIGHT years of marriage. I can not believe we are at eight years which I think is a good thing since it doesn’t seem that long ago that I walked down the aisle to become a Mrs. We have packed a lot in to our eight years, an international move, six homes, a child and a dog. So never a dull moment. It is not my intention to speak of mine and Mr L’s marriage specifically or to speak in depth about him, we like to keep some privacy. I will say this. When I walked down the aisle eight years ago I knew I was marrying a good and kind man, a man of principle (sometimes bloody mindedness with an insistent need to be right.)A man confident and self-assured enough to support those around him, a man who raises women up and sees them as more than equal. A person who loves unconditionally and understands remarkably. Mr L has not disappointed. The type of personality I am, I had to be married to a man who I respected and who could be my partner in all things. A man who can accept my feisty side and encourage and support me. I am the lucky one I have found that. I have a partner in all its entirety, it is not perfect but its ours.

Today I want to share some of the observations and lessons I have found in eight years of marriage, these do not simply relate to marriage but to all partnerships,

  1. Marriage in unpredictable. Yes like life you can have an idea of what marital bliss will be like and then you are thrown a grenade and it becomes something else. I never saw us spending our lives living on another continent to our loved ones. Raising my child away from family, but it forces you to pull together and lean on each other. It tests the foundations of marriage.
  2. Your not the same person, your life experiences prior to your relationship are different . Your childhood and traditions are unalike. Navigating and respecting each others ways is part of the journey. Examples of this are should your stocking or Santa sack be at the end of your bed or by the fireplace? Does Santa wrap your gifts or not? Is Easter a time for lamb or ham?
  3. You get the marriage you think you deserve. A wise women once made that statement to me at school, at the time I thought very little of it, but whether speaking of marriage, life or friendships there is a real pearl of truth to it. If you have self respect enough to love yourself and show love to others then you deserve the same in return. Many partners will invest and reciprocate the same levels of love you show them. It is also important to remember you are the example of a healthy loving relationship to those around you, especially children and they learn how to love and give love from your example.
  4. Pick your battles, as you bed down in marital bliss you learn that you don’t have to win every battle to win the war. Either that or I am becoming so long in the tooth I care less. Now Mr L may disagree on this but I have tried in recent years to let things slide. I have made a conscious effort not to become a nag and ride his butt about everything he doesn’t do, (because I am sure there are things I don’t do, very few things but sometimes even perfect people slip up!) I am also trying to calm myself and consider is this issue really worth a disagreement and nine times out of ten it is not unless it is PMT driven.
  5. Marriage requires work, that doesn’t mean big extravagant gifts or hearts and roses (although all great ideas so Mr L if by chance your reading this don’t be put off.) You have to be that person the other requires sometimes and find common ground. It is so easy especially when you have small children to get immersed in routine and little person needs, you forget that you have needs of each other. My grandpa used to say that children flee the nest and you are left with each other so don’t forget that.
  6. Marriage has seasons, there are times when you require more from your partner or the balance changes. Life is fast pace and we all have times where things are not quite as we would want, marriage requires you to support and love your partner unconditionally. The roles could revers one day. Seasons in life and marriage are meant and you have to learn from each one.
  7. Don’t compare you marriage to other. Firstly nobody’s marriage is perfect and they are all different because we are. In the eight years I have been married I have sadly seen lots of marriages dissolve for many reasons but often I see that people compare their marriage to unrealistic expectations or society ideals. What matters is the two of you and how happy you are with each other. What others are doing or speaking about is up to them. I maintain if you were lucky enough like Mr L and I to have grown up with strong examples of marriage, it helps because you have seen the journey of marriage and the ups and downs required for true partnership.
  8. Love Languages. Something I discovered this year and I am using. You answer a series of questions and they inform you about your preferred love language. Mr L and I completed this thinking not a lot of it, we were polar opposites (no surprise.)  My main love language is “acts of service” for Mr L it is “physical touch.” So in a nutshell I feel loved and appreciated by “acts of service”  so for example if Mr L put the trash out, or I came home and the kitchen had been cleaned (your getting the idea) I would be in heaven. For Mr L he feels most loved if I give him a hug or hold his hand on the sofa ( not natural for me.) These are such simple things and I have noticed subconsciously we have been trying to appeal to each others language and although far from perfect I am quite amazed by the result. I was a skeptic but honestly humble pie I may need to eat. Would you like a post on the love languages? I encourage everyone in a relationship to take the quiz. Not only have I been grateful by the effort Mr L has made but it gives me areas at which I need to focus. 

Do you have any pearly words of wisdom or do you prescribe to that mantra the art of a good marriage is two people who don’t want to get divorced at the same time!!!

Happy Anniversary Mr L here is to another year! Love you.

Kx