Todays Lady

Image by sean dreilinger via Flickr

Fall is a time of transition. Not only do you need to prepare your skin for the cold months ahead, but it's time to transform your look from light and airy to soft and classic.

Focus on a few beauty basics - skin, make-up, fashion and fragrance - and you'll have all you need for a fantastic fall.

Great skin is always in

As the weather gets cooler and drier, your skin needs extra moisture to keep it supple. Keep warm weather memories alive with a scent reminiscent of summer and try Coconut Milk Body Lotion from The Body Shop. Treat yourself to the finest ingredients

- ethically sourced community trade virgin coconut oil from Samoa - and get soft, smooth and deliciously scented skin. Pucker up Autumn lips are washed in soft color. International make-up artist Chase Aston says this fall is all about the perfect pout and recommends Colourglide Lip Color from The Body Shop. Aston shares his tips for luscious and gorgeous lips: * Use a lip liner for added definition and to help prevent feathering. * Enhance the natural color of your lips by gently gliding on lip color. For added pout power, use a lipstick/concealer brush. * Look for a shade that complements your skin tone . With 37 shades, you can easily find Colourglide Lip Color that works for you.

Ultra-modern eyes

This fall, dramatic smoldering eyes are what's fabulous.

To achieve fall's hottest eye looks, Aston gives these sizzling tips:

* Smudge together forest green, shimmering grey and lilac to create a chic, modern, smoky eye.
* To create an intense, sultry eye look, look for a palette that features a warm trio of rich brown, golden copper and shimmering sand hues.
* Try a metallic eye definer. Alone, it can be used to line and define or use it to complement your favorite eye shadow. "Choose shades that contrast your eyes to make them pop," says Aston. "Apply color to the eyelid or along the lash-line as an accent for impact."

Bundle up

Classic, "back to basics" clothing was all the rage on the fall runways. This season's must-have piece is the crisp white jacket that works with everything from jeans to a little black dress. The key accessory to sport is perfectly fitting with the chill in the air - gloves. Half gloves, fingerless gloves and long gloves are gracing the arms of starlets walking the red carpet and go with everything from rugged parkas to dainty and ladylike skirts. If you've got a special occasion to dress for, or if you're just plain feeling glam, the gold dress, inspired by the rich tones of autumn, is the choice for your holiday parties.

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When it comes to 2010 fashion trends we're facing a year of subtlety and tradition. And while many of us will be wearing classical silhouettes and subdued colours we'll all be in need of making them pop; after all, doesn't every fashioniser want to stand out from the crowd?

For women that 'stand out' look is just about to get a whole lot easier thanks to the hottest trend for shoes in 2010: thigh high boots.

Originally I tipped that this trend would enter the wardrobes of fashion forwards women in Autumn (Fall)/Winter 2009/2010, but you've all gone ahead and worn them anyway. Yes, Summer may just be about to reach the Northern Hemisphere but seasons be damned. You want your thigh-high boots, and you want them now!

It didn't seem all that long ago that boots on women fell strictly into two domains: equestrian pursuits and 'come fuck me' boots. Thankfully society's hang ups about women in knee-high boots have long since vanished, as has a penchant for overly conservative boots. And women's boots in 2010 will be anything but conservative.

Yes, over-the-knee boots are back with a vengeance but this 2009/2010 shoe trend won't stop there. In fact, the top of your boots will be going much higher: thigh-high boots are going mainstream.

Over-the-knee and thigh-high are undoubtedly the hottest shoe trend for women in the Autumn (Fall)/Winter season, but while they scream 'sex' make sure they don't do it in the wrong way. Let's not forget, that both styles of boots are also the domain of those lovely women one sees quite frequently at night ensuring that cars don't linger for too long near street corners. So to avoid the "I wonder how much she charges" glances I recommend you also avoid two main things with any pair of over-the-knee or thigh-high boots you decide to invest in: chunky heels and a high-sheen patent finish.

Materials

If patent is to be avoided (and PVC never to be considered), then what materials do I recommend? Genuine leather, of which you're safest investment choice is classic matt black or brown. If you want a more unique colour leather, your other big choices for 2009/2010 are olive greens, greys (see Rodarte and Topshop Unique) or cream/neutral tones. Suede, the other big choice for this trend, is very much the go be it in black, brown, grey, maroon, or pretty much any other colour variation. One other material you might look at incorporating into your 2010 over-the-knee boot collection is shearling or wool lining, which makes for cosy aviation-inspired looks akin to those seen at Antonio Berardi.

Styles

Classic: for a classic or elegant take on the over-the-knee boot, your best bet is to go for a slim-fitting suede pair with a round or tapered toe. Look no further than Hermes or Isabel Marant for some perfect examples of styles that will stand the test of time.

Rock: the right pair of tight black leather over-the-knee boots screams rock-chic; tough, but sexy. Check out Ohne Titel, Yigal Azrouel, Barbara Bui and Jean Paul Gaultier for some key examples.

Futurism/Cyberpunk: building upon the cyberpunk influences of recent years, some designers have thrown an element of dark futurism into the thigh-high boot mix. Particularly evident in the wound-and-bound effects of boots by Rodarte and Topshop Unique, this is a trend I expect we'll see more of in coming seasons.

Quirky: if none of the above is quite bold enough for you, and you really want to stand out this winter, there have been many other less subtle takes on this trend to hit the runway. Louis Vuitton introduced metallics and top-to-toe laces, while Hussein Chalayan's garter-topped thigh-highs are nothing short of brazen. Do be warned though; if long-term wearability is what you're after then this is probably not the road to go down.

One other thing that you should avoid: wearing thigh-high boots in place of pants, leggings or other form of leg covers as we saw on the Prada 2009/2010 catwalk.

Where To Buy: This far out from the 2009/2010 collections actually hitting stores it's hard to guess how many smaller boutiques are already stocking above-the-knee and thigh-high boots. So do what you should always do: seek out that 100% unique vintage pair.

If vintage footwear is not your thing than refer to any of the collections from the aforementioned designers to get some more inspitation.

Article written by Daniel P Dykes.

Traditionalist and futurist are two of the labels applied to Daniel, but he sees the two as being in perfect balance. With a keen eye on the future and his finger on the pulse he helps keep fashionisers everywhere ahead in the fashion stakes as Fashionising.com's lead fashion trend analyst. Believing that the late-2000s credit crisis will be ultimately good for fashion, Daniel sees a future for fashion where grounded in traditional values; where luxury fashion again comes to represent quality production as opposed to being solely label driven.

Currently based in Melbourne, Daniel is Fashionising.com's Editor in Chief and Chairman.

http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b--Thigh-high-boots-over-the-knee-boots-trend-2010-1603.html

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If you want healthier nails or are simply looking for the perfect pedicure or a manicure, here are some must-follow tips:

1. Massage Vaseline into your cuticles once a week. This helps feed the new nail and encourages nail growth. A great time to do this is right before bedtime.

2. Buff your nails! This also helps your nails to grow because it improves circulation. It also helps keep the nail bed smooth. Just don’t go overboard..! Buffing too much can weaken the nail.

3. Stick to one direction when filing your nails. Filing in a back and forth manner places stress on the structure of your nail plate and will actually cause nail breakage down the road. Always carefully file in one direction.

4. To get a few extra applications out of your favorite nail polish, try adding a tiny bit of nail polish remover to the bottle. Make sure the polish and remover are mixed well before applying. You won’t want to try this until that bottle of nail color is almost ready to throw out.

5. Instead of shaking your bottle of nail polish to even out the color, gently roll it back and forth across a table or in the palm of your hand. This prevents air bubbles from forming inside the bottle – and prevents them from ending up on your nails. You want your nail polish to go on smoothly.

6. When it comes to application, you should always apply the following: a base coat, two coats of color and a final top coat. The base coat protects your nail and helps the polish to last longer. It also prevents your nail from yellowing. Two coats ensures even coverage and the top coat adds shine and helps your manicure or pedicure to last as long as possible.

7. Finally, you should always let your nails dry for about an hour before wearing shoes. The polish may be dry to the touch after just 5 minutes or so, but make sure to only wear sandals or flip flops for the first hour to prevent marks and scuffs in your new polish.