FabSugar

Trend Alert: Bright, Bright, and More Bright

FabSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:00:22 PDT

I've always been an advocate for neon colors so it was only due time these blinding hues get the spotlight they deserve. It's time to embrace the bright, bright, and more bright. Why you might ask? They're symbolic of this season's '80s revival and make everyone pop. All you have to do is pick the color that complements your personality. I'm a hot pink gal because it means girlie yet sassy, what's yours?

Style for Style: How To Wear Brights

FabSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 05:00:33 PDT

Bright. Bold. Ballsy. These are all words to describe one who chooses to wear super saturated hues - and more power to you! I thought it would be helpful to share some tips about how to wear brights, whether you are already a BBB bright wearing babe or especially if you are on the fence and not quite ready, yet.

These are tips from Polly Allen Mellen and me. Mellen is a fashion legend of sorts, who has been a stylist and fashion editor for more than 60 years at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and she was also the creative director at Allure from 1991-1999. So yeah, she's knows a thing or two about styling. And me, well you know me!

Get it right. If you want to wear a bright, find the right hue for you and your skin tone. Know your colors! If you seek the perfect red clutch, establish which red, crimson? cherry? tomato?, looks best tucked under your arm and seek it out. Also, if you want the look of a pretty pastel, go for a glamorous classic - nothing too girly or saccharine.
No frills. Attention to fit is important when wearing brights; color doesn't hide flaws. Make sure armholes and necklines are flattering for your bod. Mellen avoids ruffles claiming that "extra details like that are unnecessary and overhwelming when you have on a sumptuous color." Hmmm, I wonder how she felt about Giambattista Valli's Fall RTW collection...
Neutral territory. A bold color looks best when it pops next to a neutral. Black is a favorite, as is white in warm weather. But think outside of the fashion box; navy is fabulously preppy with pink, ditto for khaki and orange or lettuce green. If you are going monochrome one day - all black for example - make sure to carry a handbag that pops!
Feel it. You have to be comfortable when wearing a bright; you will draw attention to yourself. Do not attempt to don a bright when you're having a bad hair day, don't feel like wearing makeup, or (my addition) when hungover - you have to look tip top to pull it off!

Source

Jonathan Saunders Wyler Maxi Dress: Love It or Hate It?

FabSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:20:22 PDT

Colorful maxi dresses are all the rage these days. Here is one, Jonathan Sanders Wyler Maxi Dress, $3,370, that is more evening. Although maxi dresses don't flatter everyone, I love the acid bright colors, the silk chiffon panel down the center and the sleek short sleeves. I'd gladly rock this at a fashion soirée. Would you?

To post your selections go to the Love It or Hate It? group. And if you want to learn how to do a blog post click here.

Trend Alert: Acid Brights

FabSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:20:22 PDT

Many a trend are inspired by street style. Hold on because brights are passe and acid brights are in full force. From the NY club kids of yore to the British invasion of Boombox, these colors scream fashion anarchy. It's time to decide: are you ready to screw being a wallflower and shout it out loud? Channel your ex-raver self (guilty!), dormant party girl, or closet glam rocker, and dance the night away in these acid brights.

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Source, Source and Source

What We're Sweet On: Radiance and Clarity, All in 10 Minutes

Jaime Richards — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:09:00 PDT

If you're one who doesn't like to fuss with a lot of products, then you'll love Murad's Intensive - C Radiance Peel ($50), from the brand's new Environmental Shield line. Use it just once or twice a week (at 10 minutes each application), and skin is left with just about every adjective you want it to be: bright, smooth, luminous, and supple.

The reasons? Glycolic acid helps to exfoliate, while vitamin C and Indian fig free help protect the complexion from free radicals. And thanks to the addition of collagen-boosting myrtle extract, skin gets a surge of rejuvenation. The peel smells amazing, too, like an orange and grapefruit stand on a warm, sunny day. Don't be frightened by the tingling sensation that occurs almost immediately after application, though. It's just the ingredients doing what they're supposed to be doing. How's that for a little clarity?

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage

The Good Men Project — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:30:42 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Mark Tyrrell offers eight relationship tools to make your marriage work.

"All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble." - Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it'll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

Teenage Dating in a Twilight-Hunger Games World

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people.

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

But when marriage doesn’t work it can feel being manacled to a maniac, marooned with a misogynist or nailed to a nag. And I don’t care what the studies say, that’s not healthy. You may hear couples say stuff like: “We are making our marriage work!” but how do we do this?

Making it work.

We pay lip service to “working on the marriage” but what is the work we need to do? Marriage vows such as “to love and to cherish” and “forsaking all others, for better or for worse” don’t really tell us how to make it work, although they give us a clue.

Fortunately a ton of research has been done on what to do and not do to make your marriage, or any intimate relationship work. Follow the guidelines here to become “good at marriage."

Tip one: Be romantic but keep it real.

We are all (force?) fed romance in movies and novels. The handsome man gets the beautiful woman. But what I wonder is what happens after our romantic couple ride off into the sunset together? What do they do exactly? Bicker? Moan at one another? Start to ignore each other?

After all that romance, our beautiful couple is bound to have massive expectations of their life together. But when rose tinted expectations clash with day to reality, watch out!

Romance is vital in any relationship. Always seeing the best in your partner helps to keep things intimate and love should be expressed. But if you have been raised on Mills and Boon Romance novels or feel-good movies, then your own romantic expectations can work against the sustainability of your long term relationship.

When day to day life fails to live up to the giddy, heady lust-filled days of the pre-settled down romance people can become angry, even blame one another: “This wasn’t what I signed up for." They find it hard to take the rough with the smooth because they never really figured there would be any rough.

Expectations not diluted with at least a dash of realism can be a royal road to relationship ruin. Your partner may be an angel, but they have feet of clay. You must learn to love those feet or at least accept them a bit!

Get the rest after the jump!

Know Your Techniques: Steaming Vegetables

Camilla Salem — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:24:01 PDT

Lately I've found myself craving the simple, unadulterated flavors of steamed vegetables. Steaming is arguably one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables, but that doesn't mean it's boring. Not only do properly steamed vegetables retain most of their nutrients, but the brightly colored vegetables are incredibly appetizing and full of flavor.

There are a few tricks to perfect steaming - and they don't necessarily involve having to own a steamer!

The Basics
Firstly, the water should be boiling before you add the vegetables to your steamer basket to ensure even temperature throughout the cooking process. Try not to crowd the steamer with too many vegetables and take care to either properly layer your steamer basket according to cooking time or just cook up several batches. Firm vegetables like potatoes and carrots take longer to steam and should be placed toward the bottom of the steamer basket, while green beans and spinach take much less time and can be added later to the top.

Timing Is Everything
The most important part of steaming vegetables is the timing. Oversteam, and you'll suffer through bland, nutrient-poor, dull vegetables. But practice makes perfect; you'll soon learn what timing works for you.

For more steaming tips, keep reading.

The Wide World of Wings: Spicy-Sweet Korean

Sara Yoo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:34:20 PST

We last took you to Mexico for a bright and tangy take on one of America's favorite game-day foods, but our next culinary adventure sends us across the Pacific to South Korea for some sweet and spicy finger-licking. If you've been lucky enough to dine at the KyoChon or BonChon chicken restaurants, then you know that Koreans love fried chicken. One of the most popular varieties is yangnyeom dak, a crisp, twice-fried wing or thigh tossed in a fiery sauce that reminds me of the classic buffalo wing with an Asian twist.

Just as buffalo wings marry a zesty tang with mouth-numbing heat, Korean wings combine the acidity of rice vinegar with the peppery punch of fermented red-pepper paste and red-pepper powder (found at many Asian grocery stores). Mix in sweet honey and fragrant sesame oil, and you have a crowd-pleasing and conversation-starting app that will make your game-day get-together a hit.

For this unique take on an American classic, just read on.

Surprisingly Versatile: 1 Trench Coat, 5 Chic Ways to Wear It

Brittney Stephens — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:01:11 PST

Trench coats: they're cool and classic and lend a polished vibe to your look - no matter what you happen to be wearing underneath. The sleek silhouette calls to mind fashion icons like Jackie O., Katharine Hepburn, or Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (who can forget her trench coat flapping in the breeze?). We've seen lots of cool spins on the timeless trench this season, from Burberry's leather sleeves and acid-bright hues to Diane von Furstenberg's cropped, nylon iterations - and the best thing about the style is that it comes in multiseasonal fabrications and colors, making it an appropriate choice for any occasion. We've taken one definitively classic Burberry London Marystow Gabardine Trench ($1,095) and styled it five different ways - for work, play, and everything in between. Click through to shop each look now.

Breakfast Ideas For Healthy Skin and Fewer Wrinkles

Prevention — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:11:00 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Reduce wrinkles and look younger with your a.m. meal
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

There's more to getting healthy, glowing skin than buying the perfect anti-aging skincare products. "You can put on all the makeup and concealer in the world, but unless you're eating a diet full of beauty foods, your skin will not look its best," says Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, the author of The Beauty Diet.

Start your morning off right by whipping up these beauty-boosting breakfasts. They're full of beauty foods that protect your skin and keep it looking young, fresh, and absolutely radiant.

Omelet Italian-Style
Tomatoes add juicy flavor to this simple omelet, but they also boost skin health. "Tomatoes are the number one skin-friendly vegetable," says Jessica Wu, MD, a Los Angeles dermatologist and the author of Feed Your Face. Studies show that eating these bright red veggies may help fight sunburn, boost collagen, and even reduce skin roughness.

Get the Full Italian-Style Omelet Recipe!

Fruit and Spice Cut Oatmeal
Besides being heart healthy, this steel-cut oats breakfast may improve your complexion. While instant oatmeals are often packed with sugar, this recipe instead relies on spices, fruit, and a touch of honey for flavor. "Sugar may contribute to wrinkles, and there's research that shows that following a diet lower in refined carbs improves adult acne," says Drayer.

Try it Yourself! Get the Fruit and Spice Oatmeal Recipe

Keep reading for more anti-aging recipes!