I read an article about what to do when people question your fashion style and quirks. Quirks and special touches are how you create a personal style, something completely your own. Whether it is a fondness for clothing inspired by a certain era or perhaps a person, a certain detail such as ruffling or a silk flower, or whether it’s an overall feel of a wardrobe – fun, flirty, powerful or professional, the touches you put in to your outfits are the very definition of style. It truly is all about owning your fashion quirks. You need to find something that makes your style unique.

Try to characterize your style in five words or less. If you cannot do it then you may need to rethink some of your wardrobe choices. Think about the image you want to portray to the world and be sure the items in your closet match that image. If you have some quirky fashion signature, really OWN IT! Make it part of your personal style. For example Niecy Nash offers silk flowers and wears one in her hair everywhere she goes. The main thing to remember here is that your overall style should not only be current and flattering it should make YOU happy because that is what clothes and accessories do. They can empower you and bring you joy so have fun with them all.

This blog was written by CarolAnn Edie. If you would like to connect with CarolAnn please visit her on the web at http://www.charismau.com  This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or nannettebosh.com. CarolAnn we would love to see you in our new Tri-Color Pendant Necklace http://www.bangleandclutch.com/bags/bid-to-win-play-now-4.html/ Thanks for the inspiration!!!

So you’ve been called the member of the family    who doesn’t fit in, the person in your group of friends who stands apart, or maybe you are so odd that you have difficulty finding a group of friends to accept you,  at worst you are the black sheep and at best you are different.  Everyone wants to be accepted. When you are young and you don’t fit feel you fit in it is hurtful.  Being accepted or popular means you are good and being unacceptable (in our formative minds) means we are not good.  You often wind up having such a lack of confidence and self worth that setting a goal to be do or have what you want is not something you feel you have a right to do.

We’re going to break that mold here and now once and for all so you can live out your dreams!  Fitting in makes you a member of the herd and you know that herds of cows just wander around eating grass all day right? Being easily accepted by others is being allowed to munch grass. Yawn!  What if you don’t like grass?  Most often it is the ones who don’t fit in and have their own thoughts and ideas that become our innovators, inventors, leaders and entertainers to name a few.  Have you ever seen a herd of Bill Gates, Donald Trumps, Yoyo Mas, Meryl Streeps, Martin Luther Kings, Oprah Winfreys, Jim Rohns, Tchaikivskys, Mahatma Ghandis, Nelson Mandelas, John Kennedys, Mother Theresas, Celine Dions, etc?  Granted being an outsider doesn’t guarantee worldwide fame, but different really is great.  So why would you want to spend the rest of your life eating grass you don’t even like? Most entrepreneurs were the outsiders when growing up.  If you don’t fit in it’s a sure sign that you are meant to be an entrepreneur or someone amazing.  Did you know that many successful entrepreneurs often drop out of school?

So what is it that inspires you?  What makes you laugh, feel compassionate, drives you and compels you?  What makes you laugh and feel compassionate?  These are hints as to your genius.  Your goals are your big picture, the kind of picture that those in the herd cannot even conceive.  You have a desire to be separate from the masses because the masses are too involved in eating grass to raise their heads and see what you see.  You, on the other hand, have goals that are inspired and beyond eating the grass in front of you. If you are finding you don’t fit in anywhere, bravo!  Look inside not outside to define your purpose, passion & values and figure out what your soul connects with.  Discover you and what you have to offer this world. This world needs different, this world needs you. The herd produces milk but you can create and ice cream franchise.  Keep on Goaling!

Lynn More is the author of this post. If you would like to know more about Lynn or connect with her directly visit her on the web at http://www.cleargoalscoaching.com .This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks Lynn for Do Your Dare to Break the Mold and the inspiration!!

I recently posted this picture of one of my FBFs Karen Butler at age 56 in her bikini and it seemed to create quite a stir. I’m sure you can see by the photo why comments and compliments filled the post. Everyone wanted to find out how she did it and what her real secret is.  Well I talked with Karen and here is what she had to say……….“Everyone wants to look younger, feel younger, have more energy and stay strong and fit. When it comes down to it there really isn’t much you would exchange for your health……I know I wouldn’t. So why does everyone wait until something happens, they get sick then they are surprised and frantically try to fix it. Disease rates continue to escalate and we all know if we don’t do shoot for a healthy life style then the odds of being another statistic are great. Our bodies need fruit on a regular basis because phyto-nutrients prevent disease and slow down the aging process. Researchers have known this for a long time but we are not listening to the statistics as the disease rates climb. However even our soil is depleted of nutrients and our fruit toxified with chemicals. If you try and buy organic it is chemical free but if the soil nutrient is poor than the nutrients of the fruit will be also.  

There’s a much better way to not only look better and feel great but it actually works at the cellular level to help repair and heal the body and slow down the aging process. No the answer is not in a pill or another multi-vitamin. Nature intended for you to consume food in WHOLE form because all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are together in one package. They work synergistically to give your body the nutrition it requires for optimal health. . That’s exactly what MONAVIE is ….extremely intense nutrition in Whole Food Form. I believe there is no single product more powerful for anti-aging than MONAVIE.

What is MONAVIE? Its 19 wild/organic fruits from around the world, the main one being ACAI, the worlds #1 Super-Food. ACAI is only grown in the Amazon, in the richest soil on the planet. That’s a huge reason why the fruit is so effective. No other fruit is higher in Anti-oxidants than ACAI. When you consume your daily shots of MONAVIE (2oz twice a day) it’s the equivalent of getting 13 servings of fruits and vegetables, the same amount of Resveratrol (the anti-aging nutrient in red wine) as 30 glasses of red wine! You’ll get all your omegas 3, 6 and 9 and it has the same protein profile of an egg. They’ve never found another fruit like it. In addition it contains plant derived glucosamine for joint health.

Before MONAVIE I wasn’t really able to train because my joints were all shot from overuse. Since my body is getting the nutrients it needs I no longer crave or eat as much food and I naturally dropped a couple sizes. At 56 I was able to go back into training harder and stronger than I ever have. But for me, by far the most important benefit is being pain free and off all the medication that I took for about 10 years. I seriously thank God everyday for MONAVIE!! I’ve heard people say that getting healthy is hard, complicated, time consuming and expensive. I’m sorry that’s how I would describe being sick.
If you’re wondering how it taste; it is FABULOUS! Cheers!” For information on Karen Butlers Big Secrets you can email her directly. @klbutler54@yahoo.com, or visit her on the web at http://www.kbutler.mymonavie.com  This blog post has been provided by Nannette Bosh, courtesy of http://www.bangleandclutch.com . We think Karen looks amazing and would love to see her in our fashion jewelry http://wwww.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry.html/ View other photos of Karen Butler below. As always we welcome your comments. 

56 and FABULOUS: Now we know your secret………

Remember the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” It is time to remind ourselves everyday as we look in the mirror beauty is starring right back at us. As woman we tend to forget the true definition of beauty. We read magazines, watch TV, compare ourselves to others and forget the true being of who we are. It is not about a dress size, but the size of our Heart & Character. Beauty is about confidence, no matter what size you are, you can walk into anywhere, own every step, every move and love who you are! Curved Beauty is about loving your curves, embracing them and not being afraid to show them off …It’s time to Curve your outlook on who you are and to focus on the elements you love about yourself.

After working as a Makeup Artist for over 6 years, I have seen women of all shapes; sizes and looks sit in my chair. Yet, there is one thing they all have in common …everyone has at least one beautiful feature about them. Whether you are a stay at home mom, a teenager, a celebrity or a career woman, each demographic represents a form of beauty we can learn from. Also, I can guarantee we all have imperfections. Marilyn Monroe once said “Imperfection is Beauty”, a true statement just to think if everyone was “perfect” how exciting would the world be.

Unfortunately, we have been programmed to want to immediately change our flaws …nip, tuck, refine, and replace. I am all for wanting to improve and define what God has given us, but it is important not to lose a sense of who we are along the way and become obsessed with outer beauty. People tend to forget, no amount of makeup, surgery or clothing will upgrade your beauty status. If inner confidence and self love is not present, it will overpower any cosmetic alterations attempted.

As woman it is important for us to define a sense of WHO we truly are and teach generations to come that beauty is not something you buy, it is something discovered inside. If not, beauty will lose all sense of meaning. So next time when looking in the mirror, picking apart your flaws or “imperfections” , remind yourself “Imperfection is beauty” and those aspects contribute to who you are, embrace them and remember to be a beautiful, confident, you!

This blog post was written by Makeup Artist, Tiffany Hall-Scarmana. If you would like to connect with Tiffany directly visit her on the web at http://www.curvedbeauty.blogspot.com . We would like Tiffany to invite her clients to check out http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry . This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks for the female inspiration Tiffany, we like Look in the Mirror: Who Do You See Looking Back at You!!!

When people hear the word Tantra they usually think of kinky sex, the Kama Sutra, something they say on HBO or on Sex & the City. That’s if they’ve heard of it at all. Tantra means expansion through awareness, transformation through pleasure. What this means literally is that your whole being is expanded, increased through awareness of your senses, feelings and energy. This includes awareness of your breath “the basis of all forms of meditation” with the addition of your sexual energy increasing your ability to feel- specifically pleasure; different from other forms of meditation. So what is the big deal about? Why is Tantra this ancient science and set of practices resurfacing in our culture today? Well people feel little if anything and we are mostly living our lives inside our thoughts, judgments, evaluations and assessments, essential living in our heads. As far as pleasure most are lacking. When most people feel it seems like they feel bad, sick, hurt, victimized or they are complaining. In fact some feel no pleasure at all. Pleasure shows up as anticipation rather than a sensual experience, one that can be sensed and felt. Remember really wanting something like a new car? Most likely when you got it the pleasure didn’t last very long. It wasn’t the feeling you expected from acquiring the new car right?

The powerful mind can imagine something that will bring us feelings of pleasure, but it actually takes the body to feel it. For many women, feeling strongly passionate was discouraged we were often told we were too emotional. Things were said to us such as “What are you having your period?” So we learned to bury our feelings and experience life in our heads. Our bodies became useful for wearing decorative adornments (attraction) and for getting us somewhere like from meeting to meeting (movement). In essence our bodies have become something we do and not a source of inner knowledge. Not bad, just not pleasurable and not healthy. Many women have become automatons rushing to work, caring for children and family members and trying to be loving partners. When it comes to relaxing and taking a breath we cannot seem to do it. We tend to focus on the pleasure of others not our own there never seems to be time for us. It is your birthright to feel pleasure and it’s also the feminine aspect of life to feel in essence you are honoring yourself as a women.

When you start this way of breathing and sensing you will naturally feel better, happier, passionate and more alive. Okay what does this have to do with Tantra? In Tantra you will learn to breathe properly along. Kegel exercises are taught; using your muscle contractions to build a charge in your body using the vital force of sexual energy. Once we learn to feel our feelings we can then learn to release them. Tantra teaches us to transmute the sexual energy into a spiritual connection with our “higher selves”; the result is eradication of feelings of shame and guilt as well as any other trauma we may have experienced earlier on in our lives. The outcome is pleasure, permission for unabashed life at its fullest “body and mind” connected working in union.

 Why you may want to practice Tantra:

1. Feel good about yourself, more attractive, self-confident and increase your capacity for pleasure. Learn to experience joy and fulfillment as a way of life.

2. Empower your well-being, eliminate toxins, eliminate stress, accept yourself as you are and release deep painful cellular memories so you can feel safe and whole.

3. To become focused and be able to set your intentions, do the practices and watch the laws of attraction bring what you want into your life.

4. Uplift your relationships and see others for who they really are, relate to their divine nature and trust your intuition.

5. Experience the expression of your deepest emotions. Know rapture, love, passion and BEYOND! BECOME your own BELOVED!  

This blog post was written by Laurie Handlers. You can learn more great tips from Laurie by visiting her website: http://www.butterflyworkshops.com or http://www.sexandhappiness.com .This blog post is part of our guest blogger series. These posts are meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . We welcome your comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of AskNannette.com. Thanks Laurie!!!! When you’re going out on the town we would love to see you in one of our event bags, you will find them at http://www.bangleandclutch.com/bags/event-bags.html/ .

Beautiful eyebrows frame the face and enhance your eyes. A set of well-defined eyebrows give a woman that polished look. So whether you’re browsing, (pun intended), at Bangle and Clutch or out enjoying these gorgeous summer days, everyone wants to look their best. Some women have naturally sparse eyebrows others may have gone a bit overboard with plucking. If that sounds like you then you know it can be a disaster. Filling in brows is the cure for a skimpy brow and can be done quickly and easily in a few steps.

1. Brush your brows with an eye brow brush (or you can use a baby toothbrush) in an upward motion.

2. Trim any long or straggly hairs (the ones closest to your nose) with small scissors.

3. Choose a brow pencil 1-2 shades LIGHTER than your hair color and using small strokes moving in the direction of the brow, filling in the sparse spots. For an even more natural look, try a firm angled brush and a brow powder.

4. Brush brows into place this helps blend the color beautifully.

5. To keep eyebrows locked into place all day, spray a bit of hair spray on your brow and brush lightly. VIOLA, the perfect brow!

This blog post was written by makeup artist Keira Karlin and is part of our guest blogger series at  http://www.bangleandclutch.com .Provided courtesy of http://www.asknannette.com These post are meant to inspire women and do not reflect the political religious or other views of Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., Bangle and Clutch or Ask Nannette. If you would like to connect with Keira please check her out on the web Keira Karlin . Thanks Keira!!!!