Skinny Fat - Ideal Body Weight Will Not Make You Immune!

Your dress size just may be luring you into a false sense of security when it comes to this subject.

Skinny fat seems to be a contradictory term, after all its what’s on the inside that counts - Right? Well, being thin doesn’t mean you're healthy! And this skinny girl, is here to tell  you that just because you are close to your ideal body weight does not mean that you aren't suffering from skinny fat ... models included! 

What is skinny fat? Although not scientifically defined, here are some urban dictionary quotes to help you understand this concept:

“Skinny fat is a self induced syndrome where an individual is fairly close to their healthy weight, or even at their healthy weight, but they have little if any muscle definition. The sufferer generally doesn’t exercise regularly or is a habitual on and off again exerciser. The sufferer also generally doesn’t follow any type of healthy nutrition plan, rather they eat anything and everything they want.”

“This term is used when a person is thin, yet does not eat healthy or take care of themselves. They think they don’t need to watch the junk they eat because they are thin. They can be more unhealthy then an overweight person.”

And finally for the visual we have all seen (Yikes) too many times:

“Skinny-fat girls usually wear clothes that are TOO small for their 'not so skinny' bodies. A skinny-fat girl usually may wear a pair of low-rise jeans that are WAY too tight causing her fat to spill out of the top of her pants.”

Primarily associated with the female gender is another pesky problem of fat distribution called cellulite. According to a study by Neutrogena, 70 percent of women have cellulite. Improving your diet and exercise is a perfect way to start repairing this uneven skin appearance. If your tummy, butt and thighs are flaccid and subcutaneous fat is layered on top of those muscles, it will contribute to the hail damage you see there. Losing weight and Resistance training or Pilates is a definite must for minimizing the appearance of cellulite.

When it comes to being fit, experts say there is no short cut! (By the way, save your money because cellulite creams don’t work.) If you want to be healthy you need to incorporate weight bearing exercises into a low fat diet and go for the burn!

Halloween Tutorials - Best Makeup Videos for that Spooky-Sexy Vibe!

Halloween brings out the kid in all of us but gone are the days when a sheet with two eye holes or the face painted cat whisker/nose combo will get you much notice. The Wicked Witch of the West even needed a green face and warts to get her scare on. Here are some of my favorite makeup tutorial videos that can help inspire any girl to rock a Halloween Bash.

Costumes require a mesmerizing look to complete their effect so you'll need to decide if it's going to be a Good Witch, Bad Witch or Mistress of the Night kind of Halloween. Adding the oompf with makeup will guarantee a boost from your normal yawn worthy idea to that lasting, searing impression. Bewitch your friends and arm yourself with a little tube of Latex from Party City to re-create X-Men's blue Mystique above and become a little more creative this year for a bloody-good finish!

Me? I am going as a BEE this year ... just trying to decide if it will be a QUEEN Bee, Honey Bee or KILLER Bee. Yep, the costume stays the same - the difference will be made with the makeup!

TO stay in the know and learn a model's secrets to looking your best Every Day ... check out my new book Face This: Real advice from Real Models!

Lesson #2: Flattering Angles- Tips on How to Take Your Best, Most Gorgeous Photos Ever!

Models and photographers both know that angles are what will make your photos look Shelltacular, whoops, Spectacular! An angle can illuminate, confuse, disorientate, and can turn a boring photo into an emotionally powered shot full of drama! 

My book, Face This, will give you all the tricks to creating the right look and angle for yourself in front of anyone’s camera for perfect photos every time, but what you can do when YOU are the photographer, to make interesting pictures involving angles? Here is your monthly, get-better, photography tip!

EYE-LEVEL. The traditional way most of us take our pictures and view people is head-on, eyes straight forward, at about shoulder level. It conveys reality and represents the moment just as we remember it ... beautiful, but ordinary. Since digital photography is FREE why not change it up a bit with a little more creativity?

LOW-ANGLE.  This  photo is created by the photographer crouching down and angling the lens upward.  These photos convey superiority & power. It can have the added benefit of creating height for the subject by exaggeration. If your angle is strong enough, you can get cool photos with just bright blue sky or trees as a backdrop, eliminating an otherwise distracting background.

HIGH-ANGLE. This is when you elevate your camera over your subject. It tends to make your subject seem smaller, at times almost swallowed up by their surroundings, making them feel more approachable and less intimidating.

CLOSE-UP. This is the classic way to get your best ever photographs of children. Many times it involves laying on the ground, with no angle at all, and using a zoom or getting really close. This technique magnifies a subject and creates a very intimate image of significance with the background just a blur.

Changing your perspective or the angle that you are taking your photo can change the feeling of your photos altogether, so get up on the chair, lay on your back, down on one knee, hover overhead and get in someone’s face for a photo that will be framed and cherished for years ahead!