Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
When Paula Begoun aka ‘The Cosmetics Cop,” came to Baltimore Thursday, Dec 4th and spoke at Barnes & Noble in Pikesville, Md., she stated, “For centuries women have wanted to look pretty, and wasting money is not pretty.”
Paula came to promote version eight of her book “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me.” I have been a fan of hers since she wrote “Blue Eyeshadow Should Be Made Illegal.” in 1986. I currently subscribe to her on-line “Beautypedia.” It costs $24.95 a year to subscribe and new products are reviewed every two weeks.
I find it saves me money because it prevents me from impulsively buying new products. Paula said her goal has always been to help women save money. She has saved me a lot of money over the years.
Before I buy a new product I go online to “Beautypedia,” to check “the Cosmetic Cops” review. Cosmetic & skin care reviews include both drugsstore, department store and other retail brands. I am still unsure about the product and it’s a drugstore cosmetic, I buy it at CVS or Rite Aid because even if it has been opened or used it can be returned or exchanged. Paula emphasizes in her reviews that expensive products are not necessarily better than less expensive products.
Paula now wears two hats. She is still “The Cosmetics Cop.” She and her staff evaluate thousands of brands of makeup, and skin care products. She gives a smiley face with a check mark for outstanding products and a frowning face for products that aren’t well formulated and do not do what they promise. She also has her own line of makeup and skin care products called “Paula’s Choice.”
I especially like her exfoliating AHA and her BHA products. I have very dry skin but in the summer time I get oily around the T zone. I break out with pimples under the skin and even have had a few blackheads. Nothing helped me until I used her 2% BHA product. It cleared up my pimples without overly drying my skin out. “Yeah, Paula’s Choice.”
If you like Internet research and want to get reviews of new products coming out, its worthwhile subscribing to Beautypedia’s online reviews or if you prefer buying a book, get her latest version of “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me,” available in paperback from Amazon for $19.77.
Popularity: 26% [?]
Tags: About Nancy Goldblatt Wardrobe Wizard, avoid impulse buying, Baltimore Beauty Blog, Baltimore Fashion Blog, Beautypedia, Learning to Love Yourself, looking good, Paula Begoun, save money, skin care & cosmetic reviews
Posted in AHA, BHA Exfoliant, Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, Frugal Fashion, Image Consultant, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Uncategorized, WardrobeWizard, beauty, buying criteria, fashion tips, feeling beautiful, get hired now, how to get the job, job hunting, shopping, skin & nail care, younger looking skin | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Have you whitened your teeth or are you thinking about whitening your teeth? Do you wonder how white your teeth should be? As we get older our teeth darken or yellow from the foods we eat and the things we drink and smoke. Whiter teeth can help us to look more youthful. However, if you overdo the teeth bleaching, your teeth may end up looking like they are false.
An easy way to determine how white your teeth should be is to look at the whites of your eyes. Do this when you aren’t tired or sick. If you bleach your teeth a whiter color than the whites of your eyes, this color will cause your teeth to become your focal point (the place people eyes go to first and keep being drawn back to). If the color of your teeth is a brighter white than the whites of your eye this will not only cause your teeth to look fake, but it may make your skin look dull or washed out next to the very bright white of your teeth. By repeating the same or simialr shade of the whites of your eyes in your teeth you can create visual harmony.
Our eyes find visual harmony relaxing and pleasing. When you look visually harmonious you will look your most attractive and you will communicate instant confidence and intelligence.
Popularity: 52% [?]
Tags: bleaching teeth, choosing flattering colors, choosing tooth color, focus point, Learning to Like Your Looks, Learning to Love Yourself, real beauty
Posted in Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, Baltimore Wardrobe Wizard, Image Consultant, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Looking younger, Ping.fm, Uncategorized, Visual harmony, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, beauty, choosing flattering colors, fashion tips, feeling beautiful, get hired now, how to get the job, instant visual credibility, job hunting, real beauty, using the right white | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 28th, 2009
About Nancy Goldblatt:
I am a professionally trained “Personal Image Consultant,” based in Baltimore, Maryland. I call myself “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore.” I specialize in working with women whose size or shape has changed or who have too many clothes and nothing to wear. I help my clients by first teaching them how to shop in their own closets. They get a wallet of their best colors and line drawings of their best styles. Most of my clients are women but I also work with men. After I work with a client they will knew what clothing to keep, and what to eliminate. They will also know what items they should get altered and how to fill in the gaps in their wardrobe. Best of all , they will get rid of the panic of ” those nothing to wear moments.”
The weekend 0f Sept 25-27th, 2009 is the 14th annual Baltimore Book Festival. This reminded me of what happened several years ago, (I believe it was 2 or 3 years ago.) when Tim Gunn, of Project Runway, was one of the featured speakers. I am a fan of Tim’s and I was looking forward to hearing him speak. At that time Tim had just gotten his own show and had written a book. He was speaking at the Baltimore Book Festival to publicize his new book.
Unfortunately, I had trouble finding parking and by the time I parked,and walked 5 or 6 blocks to the book festival, I had missed Tim’s talk. When I finally got to the area where he had spoken, I discovered there was a long line of people waiting for him to autograph the book they had just purchased.
The book was sold out, so I borrowed some one’s book and quickly looked through it. I felt disappointed because I did not see any new information that I had not seen elsewhere. I have a hunch the book may have been written quickly to capitalize on the popularity of Project Runway and Tim’s new show which had just begun.
I was disgusted with myself for not arriving earlier and my lower back was in spasm and I was looking for a place to sit down. I passed a small table with two chairs. There was a sign that said something like “Sit down, and participate in a psychic experiment.” The experiment was sponsored by students from Maryland Institute of Art. I asked for more information, but mostly I wanted a place to sit and rest.
The experiment was simple, there was a sender and a receiver. I would be the sender. There was a volunteer receiver already seated. All I had to do was sit down at the table and concentrate on an image in my mind and try to send the image to the receiver. He had a pencil and paper and would draw what he received. I decided to picture “the happy face symbol from the 1960’s.” I choose this because I was feeling the opposite of happy and I wanted a distraction from my “pity party.”
I concentrated as hard as I could to mentally picture the “happy face symbol . ” The receiver began drawing after a minute or two. I watched as he drew a line and then made it curve around. At the end of the line he drew two sheep. The MICA student asked me if that was the image I sent. I said, “No, I was picturing a happy face symbol.”
I looked at the pencil drawing again and started laughing. I was laughing because I realized the line the receiver drew that curved around was the same shape as the long line of people waiting for Tim Gunn’s autograph. I would not have called those fans of Tim, sheep, at least I would not have said it outloud. But when I saw the picture “the reciever,” had drawn, I realized that’s what I had been thinking. Those “Tim Gunn fans,” clutching their newly purchased books, standing in an extremely long line under the hot sun reminded me (at least on an unconscious level) of sheep.
As I laughed and shared why I was laughing with the MICA student and the receiver my spirits lifted as I realized what was really on my mind. I was shocked that my unconscious mind would view them in this way because I am usually very non-judgemental. I like to believe it was a combination of the hot sun, my aching back and the fact the book the people standing in line were clutching did not seem to have any new style information. I am still a fan of Tim’ s. I don’t know what he is like in person but on television at times he appears a bit formal and proper but his genuineness comes through. I am ready now to get a copy of his book and do more than just skim it.
Popularity: 36% [?]
Tags: About Nancy Goldblatt Wardrobe Wizard, Add new tag, Baltimore Book Fair, Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, Learn to Shop In Your Own Closet, Learning to Like Your Looks, Learning to Love Yourself, Maryland Institute of Art, Project Runway, Tim Gunn
Posted in Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, Baltimore Wardrobe Wizard, Image Consultant, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Mind Reading, Ping.fm, Project Runway, Tim Gun, Uncategorized, Unconscious anger, Visual harmony, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, beauty, fashion, fashion tips, instant visual credibility, style | 1 Comment »
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
In May 2009 I started using Latisse, a new product that is supposed to make eyelashes grow longer. I had some concerns when I first started using it because of the warnings that it could make eye color darker as well as darken the lid. I like my hazel green eye color and I did not want brown eyes. It’s now August and I am starting on my 2nd bottle of Latisse. I am pleased with my longer, darker lashes, and I still have hazel green eyes!
Latisse costs about $99 to$120 for a tiny bottle with applicators. I admit I did not use it everynight as directed. Some nights I was too tired to apply it to my lashes and carefully wipe off the excess with a q-tip so my lids do not darken. Because I did not use it every night, the tiny bottle lasted me 3 months. If I had used it every night, my lashes might be slightly longer and it would have lasted about 60 days.
Is Latisse worth the price and the effort? Maybe
You may be able to buy Latisse on-line for $99. Hopefully the price will come down. The way I used the Latisse, it cost me a little over $33 a month. I wanted longer lashes because my eyes are begining to disappear underneath the weight of my eyelids. Years ago I wore false eyelashes, but these days, I don’t have the eyesight, time or patience for false eyelashes. I have noticed that I seem to need to use my reading glasses more lately. I asked the Dr. if there was a connection between the Latisse and my worsening eye sight and she said she thought it was a coincidence. I want to believe that it’s a coincidence. I could not find anything online about Latisse making eyesight worse. For now, I plan to use it another few months because I like having longer, darker lashes.
Popularity: 34% [?]
Tags: beautiful eyes, eyes, hazel eyes, increasing eyelash length, Learning to Like Your Looks, looking pretty, review of Latisse, safety of Latisse
Posted in Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, Baltimore Wardrobe Wizard, Latisse, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Looking younger, Ping.fm, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, beauty, eyesight, fashion tips, longer eyelashes | No Comments »
Monday, July 13th, 2009
I just found a place where you can buy a full length mirror that is easy to install because you can hang it over a door frame. The cost, only $5. You will find the name of the place at the end of this short blog.
I have previously suggested getting a full length mirror and placing it some where you have good light. It’s best if you can back up 5 feet from it to look at yourself, so you can do the “blink test,” to determine where your focus point is. Also, a full length mirror will show if something in your outfit is not right.
In the 1970’s one of my aunt’s discovered my grandmother who was in her mid 80’s at the time, standing on a chair. My grandmother had on a pair of my grandfathers trousers. She had never worn pants and pant suits had become popular. She did not own a full length mirror and she was standing on the chair to look in the in the mirror that hung over her dresser. My grandmother who was 5 feet tall, plump and curvy was about 8 inches shorter than my grandfather. My aunt said my grandmother looked like she had clown pants on. My grandmother liked what she saw well enough to agree to get several pant suits and wear them.
You don’t have to risk your life and stand on a chair to see your whole body. Just go out and buy a full length mirror from Wal Mart for $5. The mirror has a frame that comes in several different attractive colors. I believe the colors you can choose from are black, turqoise, orange and green. The mirror is probably a special for the college crowd , so if you don’t have a full length mirror get one quick before they are gone. I have previously seen full length mirrors that hook over door frames for $19 to $39.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Tags: About Nancy Goldblatt Wardrobe Wizard, Add new tag, bargain, body image, full length mirror, Learning to Like Your Looks, understanding body shape
Posted in Frugal Fashion, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Uncategorized, Visual harmony, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, fashion tips | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
I have had seriously dry skin since I was a child, especially on my hands, feet and elbows. As a child my hands and feet were so dry they developed tiny painful cracks. The dermatologist told me I had contact dermatitis. Not only did my hands and feet hurt from the dryness and cracks, but the little cracks made my hands and feet look dirty. The more I washed, the worse the cracks got. During the cold, dry, Chicago winter’s my mother would put petroleum jelly on my hands and cover my hands with socks when I went to bed at night. This did not help me much. As I got older, I tried every over-the counter remedy for dry skin. A dermatologist gave me prescription cortisone lotion which only helped a little.
Finally, about 15 years ago I discovered a lotion that really helped. This was a prescription lotion called Lach-hydrin 12%. This lotion is now available over the counter at CVS drugs. The over the counter name is Amlactin lotion. It comes in a 7.9 oz bottle and costs about $15 dollars. It’s probably available on line if you do not have a CVS drugstore near you. Use it only on your body, especially hands, elbows, and feet, its too strong to use on your face.
This is what the label says ”Amlactin moisturizing body lotion is a special formulation of 12% lactic acid neutralized with ammonium hydroxide to provide a ph of 4.5-5.5. Lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, is a naturally occurring humectant for the skin. Amlactin moisturizing body lotion moisturizes, exfoliates and softens rough, dry skin.”
It gently exfoliates the outer layer of skin. It prevents calluses from building up on my feet and I am no longer embarrassed by the way my hands look in the winter and in the summer I can wear sandals and my feet don’t embarrass me. It works on elbows too.
I would be interested in hearing what results you have with Amlactin Lotion.
Nancy Goldblatt, is a professionally trained personal image consultant. She has a holistic approach and looks at the whole person. She specializes in working with women whose shape or size has changed and or who have lots of clothes and nothing to wear. She also works with men. If you are in Baltimore or surrounding areas including Washington, D.C. she can work with you “in person.” She offers a 30 minute telephone consult to help you determine if her services are right for you. Contact her at nrgoldblatt at gmail dot com or 410-235-5325.
Popularity: 28% [?]
Tags: Amlactin Lotion, Chicago Winters, dry hands, dry skin, elbows, exfoliant, feet, moisturizer, natural skin lubricant
Posted in AHA, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, natural skin care, skin & nail care, younger looking skin | 2 Comments »
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Colette has "Dramatic, Romantic," fashion personality
When people ask me how I became an image consultant I tell them I owe it all to my mother. My mother was a beautiful woman who never felt beautiful. She was hypercritical of herself and of me, her oldest daughter. My passion for helping clients look good and feel good about themselves comes from my own journey to look and feel good.
My mother thought her nose was too big and she hated her freckled skin. She envied all of her friends who could lay in the sun till their skin was a leathery brown. I have my father’s small nose and his olive skin, so my mother focused on what I wore and my weight. I will talk about my weight in another blog. When I was 13 my mother encouraged me to wear lipstick and heels and dress more “sophisticated.” She told me she wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be an “old maid.” My friends were envious and told me how lucky I was. I did not feel fortunate , because even at 13, I knew that heels, lipstick and dressing more ”sophisticated,” did not represent my” true self. ” IntuitivelyI knew that if I presented a false self, I would not attract a compatible boyfriend or future companion.
My mother did not understand that she and I had different fashion personalities and the clothing that was right for her was not right for me. She was interested in looking ” sophisticated and elegant,” and I was interested in feeling comfortable, “being my self,” and having low maintenance clothing and hair. I understand now that we had different “fashion personalities,” but at the time I felt angry and hurt that she did not understand me. As a result, I felt self conscious about my appearance and stayed angry at my mother for a long time. When I became an image consultant and learned my best colors and styles and found out about fashion personality, much of the early damage was healed. If you have a daughter who dresses in a way you do not approve of, try to understand that not only is there a generational difference , but her fashion personality may be different than yours and accept her instead of trying to change her.
One of the first things I do when I work with a client is give them the “fashion personality test.” This test is extremely accurate for women but not as accurate for men. Fashion personality has nothing to do with your height or weight or how long or short your hair is. I believe it is in-born, like temperament. You may be a combination of two types but one is usually predominant. Here are brief descriptions of the four fashion personality types.
Sporty Natural Fashion Personality: You want comfort and ease. You probably don’t like to iron and prefer a very easy to care for hair style. You may not like to get dressed up. Your friends think you wear the same outfit over and over because you end up wearing the same few comfortable things or have the same style in different colors that you wear over and over.
Time-less Classic Fashion Personality: You probably like classic styles. You may prefer tailored clothes. Think Ann Taylor and Ann Klein clothing. You don’t waste your money on fads and may be slow to adopt trends .
Romantic Fashion Personality: You probably like some feminine touches in your clothes like soft flowing fabric, maybe a few ruffles, scarves, perfume, maybe long hair or at least some waves or curls,as well as delicate jewelry
High Fashion- or Dramatic or Creative Fashion Personality: You like to make a statement with your clothing and jewelry. You may like trying different hair styles and colors. You may like trying the latest styles and fads. You don’t mind being the center of attention.
I believe it is important to understand and respect ones fashion personality. Even if an outfit was a flattering color and fit me, I would still feel uncomfortable if it had ruffles. That’s because ruffles feel too “girly,” (romantic ) on me. I have a “sporty-natural, dramatic fashion personality” . I am mostly sporty- natural with a little dramatic. I like wearing pieces that breathe, do not need ironing and are super comfortable. I do the dramatic part with bright colors and perhaps big earrings and or a funky lapel pin.
At a recent Wardrobe Wizard presentation one of the participants , a successful woman entepreneur, wanted to know how she could look more appropriate when she has to go to “dress up affairs.” I determined she had a “sporty-natural fashion personality.” She loves wearing pants and hates getting dressed up but she must attend certain important events where she has to look less casual. I suggested she could do this by wearing a 3 piece outfit in a silk or knit fabric. This would consist of flowing pants, a shell with a lowered neckline and a jacket. She could wear an interesting lapel pin and simple earrings. If she wanted to look more feminine she could wear a pashmina over her shoulders instead of the jacket. The outfit should be as comfortable for her as pajamas. It’s important for her to respect her fashion personality because if she were to wear more tailored, high fashion or frilly clothing she would not feel comfortable and would not be at her best..
Do you know what your fashion personality is and how it affects your choice of clothing and accessories?
Nancy Goldblatt, professionally trained personal image consultant can give you the fashion personality test. She can be reached at nr goldblatt at gmail.com
Popularity: 90% [?]
Tags: accepting yourself, Add new tag, being authentic, body image, choosing flattering colors, fashion personality, fashion style, feeling confident, Learning to Like Your Looks, looking good, mother daughter conflicts, self esteem, Trends, understanding yourself, Wardrobe, WardrobeWiz, who are you
Posted in Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Mother daughter conflict, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, beauty, closet shopping, fashion personality, fashion tips, feeling beautiful, real beauty | 6 Comments »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Years ago there was an episode of Sesame Street on television called “Pick Your Pet.” It was a version of the “Dating Game,,” The contestant was a little girl muppet and behind the curtain were 3 pets. Number one was a bird, number two was a dog and number three was a big shaggy monster muppet.
The little girl asked the bird do you like milk? The answer was no. She asked the dog will you purr? The answer was no. She then asked if number one or two would sit in her lap, and the answer was no. Time ran out and she never got to ask the monster muppet any questions.. She had to choose number one, two or three. She choose number three, the monster muppet. The audience booed. The bird came out and gave her a peck on the cheek, the dog came out and licked her face and then it was time for number three, her choice to come out from behind the curtain. The audience continued to boo. The poor monster muppet lumbered out from behind the curtain with shoulders hunched over looking at the ground as the audience continued to boo and make fun of him.
The little girl looked at the monster muppet and said “You are Bou tee ful.” The monster muppet stood up straight, lifted his head, smiled and said ” I like milk, I can purr, and I will sit in your lap.” Words can transform how we feel about ourselves
When you focus on what’s wrong , its hard to feel good about yourself. Look in the mirror and focus on what you like about your looks. Remember “You are Bou tee ful.”
Popularity: 8% [?]
Tags: Add new tag, beauty, Looking in the Mirror, real beauty, sesame street, WardrobeWiz, words can transform us
Posted in Learning to Love The Way You Look, Looking in the Mirror, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, WardrobeWizard, beauty, real beauty | 4 Comments »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
How many times have you stood in front of the mirror and asked yourself, “Does this make me look fat?” Have you asked your significant other this question too many times?
I suggest you stop torturing yourself and others by asking a different question and start to look at yourself in a new way. Ask instead ” Where does my eye go first?” This is called a focus point. This is the place people look at first and the place their eye will be drawn back to.
When I first became a personal image consultant I took a woman client shopping who was very short and about 100 pounds overweight. She put on a navy pant outfit that looked really nice on her. I commented, “: You look thin in that outfit.” She responded, “At this weight, I will never look thin, no matter what I put on.” She was right. What I should have said was, “The outfit is flattering.” The color and style of the pant suit caused me to look at her face first. I did look at her body, but the neckline and color of the outfit kept drawing me back to her face. The outfit skimmed over her bumps and bulges and as a result my eyes did not stop at her body parts but instead went back to her face.
Where do your eyes go when a woman has a very low neckline and the top of her breasts are showing? When you are talking to someone and they have a piece of spinach in their teeth, where do your eyes go? These are examples of focus points. Where do you want your focus point to be? If you want to look your most confident and competent, you will want your face and eyes to be your focus points.
Here are 4 easy steps to determine where your focus points are :
1. Stand 5 feet from a full length mirror
2. Make sure you have good lighting, either daylight or full spectrum bulbs
3. Close your eyes and quickly open them.
4. Ask yourself, “Where does my eye go first?”
If your eye goes to your face first or to your face and the color you are wearing simultaniously and your eyes sparkle and your skin looks radiant this means you are wearing a flattering color and probably a good neckline shape. Avoid clothing that is too tight, because not only will you be uncomfortable but the horizontal creases will cause the tight places to become focus points. You can change your focus points by changing how high or low your neckline is, by adding a scarf or pin and by adding earrings, changing the length of your hair and by repeating colors.
Nancy Goldblatt, “Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore, ” is a professionally trained personal image consultant. Contact her at nrgoldblatt@gmail.com www.WardrobeWiz.com/
Popularity: 32% [?]
Tags: Add new tag, Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, choosing flattering colors, color, focus point, Looking fat, Looking visually harmonious, redefining beauty, Wardrobe
Posted in Baltimore Wardrobe Wizard, Learning to Love The Way You Look, Uncategorized, Visual harmony, beauty, choosing flattering colors, fashion tips, real beauty | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
What is real beauty? Do you have to be 19 years old, tall, perfectly proportioned with perfect skin and a great head of hair to be considered beautiful.
The media would like us to believe this. The truth is that “real beauty” is what’s pleasing to the eye. Our eye automatically searches for repetition of color, line and proportion. You can check this out by looking at a painting you enjoy looking at. Why do you like looking at it?
Think of yourself as an unfinished canvas. Your clothing, makeup and hair are the frame and finishing touches for your canvas. By repeating your eye color, skin color, and shades of your naturalhair color you can look “visually harmonious.” This visual harmony translates as “real beauty.” In addition to your body colors, most people can wear 40 to 90 other shades of color.
The colors you wear should not overpower you (be brighter than your natural body colors) and they should not be duller than your natural body colors. When you stand 5 feet from a full length mirror in natural light (sunlight or full spectrum light) if you see your face and the color you are wearing at the same time and the color makes your eyes sparkle and your skin glow then its a flattering shade for you.
My teacher and mentor Joanna Nicholson has written a number of really excellent books on looking good and her books give more details about choosing flattering shades of color. Her 2 most recent books are Dressing Smart for Women and Dressing Smart for Men. These books are available at Amazon.com and as well as your local library.
Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,” is a professionally trained “Color 1, personal image consultant.” Her website is www.WardrobeWiz.com/
Popularity: 8% [?]
Tags: Add new tag, choosing flattering colors, fashion, looking good, real beauty, Smart dressing for men, Smart Dressing for women, Wardrobe
Posted in Uncategorized, Visual harmony, beauty, choosing flattering colors, fashion tips, real beauty | No Comments »
