Choosing A Bikini To Suit Your Body Type

For many women, the bikini is an essential part of their beachwear wardrobe. Bikinis are available in many different styles, but you should know that not every style goes with every body type. Here are some tips on choosing a bikini to suit your body shape.

1. Small Bust

If you have a small bust, you can pretty much choose any type of bikini that you want. To make your bust look fuller, you should try a padded bikini top or an under-wire bikini top. Another trick for a fuller looking bust is by wearing a ruffled bandeau top. The ruffles will disguise your bust line and create the illusion of curves. Triangle bikini tops with bold prints are the best for smaller busts. These will make your body look curvier.

2. Full Bust

If you have a fuller bust, you should wear an under-wire bikini top for extra support. You should also choose a bikini that gives you good coverage. Avoid scanty triangle or bandeau tops, because they will only make your bust look bigger. Halter tops can be a good choice as they provide good coverage and support.

3. The Pot Belly

Just because you have a flabby stomach does not mean you have to walk around the beach wearing a boring black one piece swimsuit. You can try wearing a dark colored tankini to cover your belly and make you look slimmer. Tankinis with diagonal prints can also disguise your tummy. If you want to show less of your belly, wear bikini shorts instead of bikini briefs.

4. Pear Shaped Body

Cover up your bottom part with bikini shorts or a swim skirt. Wear dark colors for a slimming effect. Avoid bikini briefs as they will only reveal the parts that you need to cover. Bikini tops with bold patterns or a lighter shade will help draw attention away from your hips and your thighs.

5. Pencil Shaped body

For a less curvy body, try wearing a bikini top with lots of detail like ruffles or prints to accentuate your figure. Under-wire or padded bikini top will help create cleavage. Wear a bikini bottom with ruffles or bows on the sides to create the illusion of curvier hips.

6. Short Legs

Bikini shorts or skirts will only make your legs look shorter. A high-cut bikini bottom will make your legs look longer. To complement the look, wear a halter top. Halter tops help make the torso look longer and accentuate the bust and shoulders.

Jewelry - Out of Sight, Out of Mind

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When I work with a client in her closet invariably the discussion turns to jewelry. Does she have some? Like it? Not like it? Wear it? What kind...fine jewelry? Costume? Bridge? You get the idea.

Finally, I ask to see it. Can I tell you how many times that turns out to be a huge ordeal! At least 75% of the time her jewelry is either in a drawer in boxes, scattered in a jewelry box or in another room (in boxes, drawers or bags)!

Then, of course, I ask if she wears it. The answer is almost always...not really.

I can tell you right now that if your jewelry is strewn somewhere or neatly (or not so neatly) tucked away in boxes two things are generally true:

* It's too much trouble to get to it to wear it.
* You probably have things you've forgotten about.

Thirdly, you might not love it enough to keep it handy so you can wear it. All of this could be remedied if you can create a way to display your jewelry. Several things will happen:

* You feel renewed excitement at the idea of wearing it.
* You will be able to find it easily - which is more likely to translate into you wearing it more, too.
* You will become acutely aware of what you no longer like or what doesn't go with anything or is out of style which makes it much easier to purge.

The question then becomes, how do you display it?

Well, as you know, I spend time in lots of closets and have come across a number of women who have devised clever ways of organizing and storing their jewelry so it's readily visible.

They are delighted to share their ideas with you:

Annie loves to take unusual containers and turn them into jewelry holders. Simply go to Bed Bath & Beyond and pick up a silverware tray and, voila, you can store your jewelry just like she does.

Amy took one shelf of in her closet to display her necklaces by attaching hooks. It was easy to see what she has and coordinate it with her clothes.

Claudyne lives in a fabulous old house that has a bit pole running through her walk-in closet. She attached plastic hooks and hangs all of her necklaces there. You can easily see what she has so getting dressed and accessorized is simple.

I also recently found this fun jewelry organizer on-line: http://www.belledangles.com/ I haven't tried it but it looks promising. If anyone tries it I would love to hear what you think.

Lastly, I have a fabulous cabinet that doubles as a full-length mirror that I keep in my bedroom filled with all my jewels! It comes in several wood finishes, and the price has dropped since I got it so now's your chance.

It doesn't matter how you store your jewelry as long as you can see it and get to it easily. Like most other things when it's out of sight it's out of mind. Let me know what works for you!

Do you avidly watch shows like "What Not to Wear" and think "if only I could have a wardrobe makeover," but you can't see how the transformation would translate for you? Then I can help. Over the past 23 years as a fashion stylist in the Boston area, I have found that many women are ignoring, hiding or are just plain unaware of their innate beauty. Believe it or not, you do not have to be rich and famous or young and thin to have the look you dream of. Yes, with a little guidance you can learn how to dress with joy and ease.

Is Wonder Woman Just Her Breasts?

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Sometimes I wonder; how hard it must be to be a beautiful woman.

No matter who you are or where you are, a beautiful woman can just stop you in your tracks. Even for a moment. That happened to me this weekend.

I went to my (Dance) Church as usual this Sunday and our door attendant was a no-show. So I sat in. I'm glad I did.

As I'm standing there doing my doorman duties, a dark-haired woman walked up with her friends. My mouth dropped open. For a split second I seriously though it was Lynda Carter, TV's Wonder Woman from the 1970's come to pay us a visit.

But it wasn't. The woman, we'll call her "R", was Lynda Carter's splitting image! Hair, face, seriously! Lynda's eyes are blue, "R's"are green. "R" is of slighter build but still shapely. Lynda as we know; is an Amazon.

After I was done with the door duties I joined them on the dance floor. She was having fun but was too inhibited. As beautiful woman often are. Too busy worrying about how she looks to really enjoy herself.

After the class was over I made her acquaintance. She told me that not only was she aware of her startling resemblance to Lynda Carter,, not only had she and Carter met once at a party, but that she had actually auditioned for the new Wonder Woman re-make. They told her her breasts weren't big enough. Really?

So they have been trying to make a live-action Wonder Woman movie for what, 10 years now? Then they made that ridiculous TV re-make which never saw the light of day. One of the main reasons neither got anywhere is because no one can forget Lynda Carter's perfection as Wonder Woman in the 1970's.

And now here's a woman who is a literal echo of Lynda Carter and they tell her her breasts aren't big enough!?

I remember reading a TV Guide review of Wonder Woman in the 1970's as it was due to be canceled for low ratings. Quote: "The only two things holding up this show are the two things holding up the costume!" UN-Quote.

So really, is Wonder Woman only her breasts? And by extension, is any woman only her breasts?

I remember when I was living in San Francisco, and as I walked down market street I saw two posters. One of an African Woman, beautiful, serene, bare-breastsed. It was an ad for an African band that had come to town. Further down I passed the porno store. A woman was in a poster in the window, white, in a white leather jumpsuit (striking a Wonder Woman pose no-less) and the jumpsuit had cut outs and her breasts were exposed. I was repulsed.

Then I had to ask myself; why these two different reactions to two different set of breasts? The first just made the woman's breasts seem natural, a part of her and a part of nature. The next, had the woman's breasts aimed at me like weapons. Highly sexualized and I can't even say they were natural.

Since then I've seen women breasts feed their babies (beautiful), and women without bras.

So no; I don't think women are just their breasts. Full disclosure; as a Gay man women's breasts are not exactly my staple food. But what I have also noticed are the differences in the way Gay men and women and straight women view Wonder Woman.

I've read article after article written by Gay's & Lesbians and Feminist on what Wonder Woman means to them. An Icon, an inspiration, a dream, a goal, a sister, a friend, and even a lover.

Straight men, by in large, no-so-much. It's all about the Ta-ta's. "Lynda Carter was my boyhood fantasy!" I've heard it a hundred times.

I think even La Carter herself would state that she's far more than just her breasts. That any woman is more than just her breasts.

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking Lynda, "R", and all of the other beautiful women in the world would like you to hear that.

What is it they all ways say? "HELLO! I'M UP HERE!"

Look Beautiful, Feel Beautiful

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A Woman's Daily Battle


Beauty has Become an Obsession

The insecurities of being a woman are many indeed. There is an unspoken and sometimes spoken expectation to be beautiful, sexy, thin, and have a perfect body. The standards are so high that no woman could possibly live up to them, but that doesn't stop us from trying.

I used to wake up and feel good about myself. I used to wake up and be happy with how I looked, happy with my body. There was a time when I didn't even obsess about it, much less think about it. Now it is in every waking thought. What should I eat? What should I wear? How should I wear my hair? What should I buy? How is my make-up? It is exhausting. And every woman knows it. I want to wake up again and throw my hair up and it look good. I want to put on my clothes and know they are flattering. I want to feel sexy and beautiful, but most of the time it is a constant battle. Every woman I ever see I look at her and start the comparisons....fashion sense, hair style, body type, personality. It's an awful thing to do but every woman does it...most of the time without even realizing it.

Your Own Worst Critic is Yourself
Women tear themselves down, judge themselves and we truly are our own worst critic. We need that "pick-me up" that compliment, we need someone to say "you are beautiful" and mean it. Because sometimes all the pressures and expectations in this world are enough to make us sit down and cry and just give up all together. A compliment for me is like a waking up to an amazing cup of coffee...it totally makes my day. I am a total sucker for a good old fashion genuine compliment.

Perfection Doesn't Equal Happiness
Because the truth is, we will never measure up because that standard is an impossible one. It is a figment of our imagination that tells us if we get there, if we have a perfect body, great hair, fashion, and sex appeal then we will finally be happy, we will finally have the marriage we want, the relationships we want, and the peace that we are all so desperately after.

Give Yourself a Break
There are days when I feel like crap. Days when my hair doesn't do what I want it to, days when my pants don't fit right, my face is breaking out, and all I want to do is put on my sweatpants, eat chocolate, and watch chick flicks. And I can honestly say, women need to have those days. We need to have those days where we just don't have to try because it is exhausting.

Getting Ready is Harder than you Think
I can't roll out of bed and look beautiful. It takes time, effort, and skill to put together an appearance that is socially acceptable. I get up in the morning and just stand in front of my closet trying to decide what I can wear that will make me look sexy, feel good, but feel as comfortable as sweatpants...I have yet to find that outfit, but that doesn't stop me from searching every single morning. I worry about things like what color will look good on me, what outfit will flatter my shape without making me look too pudgy, short, or frumpy. What outfit will transform me into Cinderella?

Feeling Guilty about Food
Then there is the pressure on what to eat? What to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal and a banana doesn't sound good when it's up against its ever so delicious rival the donut. But then I think, what is going to make me lose weight, the oatmeal or the donut? Then comes lunch, and instead of a burger and fries, which is what I really want, it's a salad and water...yummmm.... So then about twenty minutes after lunch I am starving and by the time dinner rolls around I feel hungry and crabby and then all I really want is pizza and breadsticks. But that's not the healthy choice either now is it? So I either give in and eat the pizza or I eat another tasteless substance-less meal and go to bed hungry and start all over again the next day. I ask myself what is going to make me feel better...eating the pizza or being thin? The whole woman-food relationship is incredibly unhealthy. I want to eat what I want when I want and not feel guilty about it.

I remember a couple months ago I had really been struggling with how I looked and it seemed like no matter how hard I worked at the gym I just couldn't get anywhere. My husband and I had come home from the gym, it was about 9:00pm and I was hungry. I had been feeling so down on myself about my clothes being so tight and I put a cracker in my mouth and felt so guilty. I lost it. I started bawling my eyes out because I was hungry and all I wanted to do was eat something but eating something made me feel so horrible because I was already feeling like such a fat-ass.

Now let me pause for a second and explain the actual facts. I'm not fat, nor have I ever been. I am healthy and should be happy with how I look. But it was one of those days and I was in one of those moods and nothing was helping. But that is how we as women get and I bet every single one of you can relate. You know exactly what I am talking about and how those days feel.

It's a Never Ending Battle
Those days happen, it's a reality. But being obsessed over how we look, what we eat, and if we are living up to those ridiculous expectations doesn't have to control our lives. My best days are when I decide I am not going to worry about what I eat or how I look. Usually that's a Saturday... but that's what it takes...to make a daily decision to tell yourself "today, I'm just not going to worry about it". Give yourself a break day. And the next day do it again. If you make it a conscious decision enough times, eventually it will become an unconscious decision.

Do You Want To Stop Menstruation? Think Again!

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How do you like being called a "baby bearer"???

'The Times Of India' refers to you as just that, in an article by Saadia S. Dhailey published on May 18, 2011, saying: "Too much is involved as baby-bearers are reminded of their natural role every month..."

Not only are you a baby-bearer, but this is also your 'natural role'! The article goes on to say: "There's no denying that many of us wish to get rid of the monthly trial forever. Maybe we can..."

Do you want to stop the phenomenon of rain just because it's inconvenient to be outdoors while it's wet?

We have become such a convenience-based culture, that we seek to eliminate anything slightly uncomfortable, regardless of the consequences. Lets imagine a world without rain: warm temperatures abide, the sun is shining year-round, we can enjoy the great outdoors 365 days a year, no need to stock up on warm cloths or boots, it's just another day in paradise! Or is it?

Have you noticed how the great outdoors is slowly but surely drying out? The grasses have turned yellow, as did the trees. Creeks, rivulets, rivers, and lakes slowly shrink and dry out, having no rain to replenish them. It takes time for them to evaporate to nothing, but their disappearance is inevitable. Animals start to die as their water sources vanish, and wait, what about us? Where do we get to drink from? Our reservoirs are almost empty. Well, but no more bothersome rain is falling, isn't that a good thing?!?

Devising a pill that wipes out menstruation is like creating a method for eradicating rain!

Both menstruation and rain are crucial to our life cycle. Either can be inconvenient, or enjoyed, depending on your attitude and willingness!

If you ever bundled up and took a toddler out in the rain, splashed in a paddle, or lifted your head up and tried to catch raindrops on your tongue, you know how joyful the "inconvenient" rain can be! And, yes, you must have also been terribly inconvenienced by rains on many occasions, as we all have. Is this a good enough reason to start working on methods for rain suppression?

Suppressing menstruation is as short sighted as rain suppression!

Starting with the fact that we don't know what the long term hormonal repercussions might be, suppressing menstruation is tempering with the blueprint of womanhood! Women are cyclicalbeings. We ebb and flow with the moon, we dance a monthly rhythm of expansion and contraction, we move from outward- to inward-bound modes of being, from action to dreaminess, and back again... In the same way that we can not thrive in a no-rain world, we can't thrive in a mono way of being. It is not how we are wired as women...

But what about PMS, cramps, mood swings?

Remember being miserable in the rain versus reveling in it? Rain is not there to inconvenience us. It's there for a reason, and it calls us to be joyful in it if we so choose. Likewise, PMS and most physical or emotional symptoms related to menstruation are therefor a reason. They are our body's wise way of calling our attention to the need to stop, rest, go inward, replenish... Suppressing menstruation is killing the messenger!

We can thank it instead...

We can thank our body for reminding us that we've been on the go and it's time to stop for a while. We can appreciate the opportunity for taking stock, for renewing ourselves emotionally, just as our womb renews itself physically by shedding it's inner lining monthly.

Fighting our body's message will produce symptoms, or aggravate the mild ones which we ignore. Taking time off, on the 1st day of your period, even if you can only spare a few moments in the morning before anyone else in the household gets up, will help you attune to your inner rhythm. Spend those moments (hours, or the entire day if you are able) reflecting on what you are letting go of from the ending cycle, and what you wish to welcome in the one beginning...

You may soon discover you are drawing strength and renewal from your body's rhythm, rather than wanting to do away with it.

The manufacturers of the menstrual suppression pill would want to encourage you to not bother. To have every day be the same: sunny, dry, and linear.But who would you rather listen to: pharmaceutical companies or your own body?

The Key to Survival

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What do zip-lines, whirlpools and life have in common?

As a young girl, I often went swimming with my friends. We loved to create a whirlpool. Each of us would move the water in one direction until the current was strong enough to move us. Three or four times around the pool - we were good to go. That's how I learned to float. As long as I picked up my feet and relaxed myself from head to toe, I was carried safely with the current. Not as easy as it sounds! After mouths-full of water and being sucked down a few times, I was determined to learn the key to survival. And I did. What was the key to survival? Hold that thought.

Just recently I experienced my first zip-line. The climb was a challenge in itself not because I was moving further from my feet touching ground but because I knew what I needed to do to get back down... jump with a capital 'where's the elevator!'

The attendee gave me two options: jump forward or jump backward. Jump had to be in both choices? Okay, so I chose backward, that way I wouldn't see the ground coming at me. That's when he removed one of the harnesses. "Uh-hello?" That went against the grain of my thinking - about life and death - but I swallowed my pride and gave him the benefit of a doubt. On his count of three, I stepped off. I screamed the whole way down - but SURPRISE! not the way you might expect. "This is awesome!" I yelled. What was the key to survival? Not yet. Hold on to that thought too.

The bills came all at once, the same day my dryer decided it was time to permanently quit half-way through the load. I didn't have a clothes line to hang the clothes. Even so, it was raining. All laundromats were closed. At the same time, my dog decided my daughter's new shoe tasted better than the dog-chews guaranteed dogs would love. According to who? Spills. Overbakes. Headaches. Bellyaches. Out of milk... Time out!

I headed over to the computer to find solace with some friends on Facebook. Blank screen. Why oh why didn't I run that virus scan as I was warned? I decided to just call it a day - a day I'd rather forget no less - and go to bed after spending a few moments in devotions. With words of encouragement soaking into me, I turned out the light and sank into my spot. I finally felt the peace I was seeking all day. That's when my daughter came in and told me she signed up to bring the snack for a school project the next day. But I slept great that night any way. What was the key to survival? I'll let you think on that a little...

(Just for the record - This is about survival in the simpler sense. Sometimes life comes at us really hard and we occasionally may be faced with very serious issues such as illness, injury, death... My future articles will address survival through the storms... but for now, I hope this will help shed light on getting through less serious issues of life.)

Well, finally... here they are - not just one, but three keys to survival when taking on a challenge or event or being challenged by some of life's annoying obstacles:

1. Preparation

Know what you are getting into. From family to home-care to electronics and appliances... from pets to our choices and activities: all come with guaranteed and required responsibility, maintenance and upkeep. If you aren't willing to take on responsibilities before you get involved, ask yourself if it's something you need to be involved with in the first place.

Think about the commitment of time, energy and all resources to see something through from start to finish: one hour, one week, one month or a lifetime. What time-frame will you need? What resources would help you be ready? Are you ready and willing to invest yourself?

If you are ready to take it on, don't let fear stop you before you have a chance to begin! Taking risks or venturing out to try new things doesn't mean your life, your peace or your joy is in jeopardy. Ultimately you have more control than you think. Take small steps but keep moving through your fear rather than away from it. Think about the long-term and whether you can take it on and then step out and do it!

Are there other ways to prepare? Yes! You can prepare by uploading, downloading and just connecting with valuable tools that help and encourage you. These tools also are a source of strength, growth, balance and peace from the inside-out. For me my tools are God's Word, devotions, prayer, fellowship with family and friends, reaching out to help others and rest - not a complete list, but you get the idea. What about you? What tools would you consider to help prepare you?

So, preparation is important after all! Are you prepared to handle the task, the activity or perhaps life's overload that may come at you? If you believe you are, then it's time to move forward!

2. Follow Thru

Once you are on your way, keep focusing, keep thinking positive thoughts and speaking positive words. Imagine yourself where you want to be and what you need to do to get there. Plug in those tools and the positive that will inspire, encourage and motivate your steps.

No matter how small, trivial or difficult it all seems, your response and reaction through the momentum of the experience should be rock solid, faith-filled, focused and yes, soaked with joy instead of yielding to fear, anger, frustration or sorrow. Never focus on the negative side of things or it will be harder for you to realign your thinking where it needs to be - eventually your actions will follow... one way or the other. Don't get sucked into the negative! Expect good results with positive focus

Learn to laugh as you go through experiences. No one always get it right the first time - be patient with yourself. Learning to laugh at ourselves helps to ease the tension and sometimes gives light to how ridiculous the different situations we find ourselves in!

Keep moving forward and stay the course until it is complete... press in and press on with everything you do.... Enjoy the nuggets of gold that come through it.


3. Reflection

When you finally accomplish what you've set out to do, or when you accomplish small goals, be proud of that!

Reflection helps to empower us to keep moving ahead. Here is where you reflect on knowing you can accomplish anything you set out to do if you choose to move forward in faith and trust in the tools and more importantly in the Presence of God Himself. His Word and His promises to you are the ultimate toolbox. He will not only prepare you for such a time, He will follow through with you!

So, back to my initial question "What do zip-lines, whirlpools and life have in common?"

Preparation + Follow Thru + Reflection = Victory!