Bridal Nail Trends: Stand Out!

Want to be the Belle of the Ball?..... OF COURSE YOU DO!
It's YOUR wedding day after all! And you want everything to be perfect and scream for attention, you deserve it. I'm sure a lot of you don't even think about what your nails are going to look like until a week before your wedding, so I'm here to help give you some ideas for when you go get your mani pedi on the big day.

Go Big, Or Go Home!

Bling out your nails. If you don't usually go all crazy with the nail art, your wedding is the perfect excuse. Here are some crazy blinged out nails you should definitely consider.

 Of course there are so many runway trends for nails that you can also consider, such as the natural nude look or the ever-popular french manicure. But if you really want to stand out, have some fun with your nails.
Visit Kandi Apple on facebook for more nail ideas!

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Reality Retouched

Before you even open a magazine, your eye is caught by a beautiful woman with features that appear flawless. Her beauty strikes you as remarkable, and you think to yourself why can’t I look like that. You slowly begin comparing yourself to her, realizing that you, in no way, shape, or form, can be as perfect as she is. But then again, is she really as perfect as she seems?

As society has progressed, it is my view that we have lost sight of what is real. So many individuals see images, that have greatly been altered by photoshop, and believe them to be a true account of beauty. Photoshop has grown to be more than just a way to edit photographs, it is a virtual pill that provides you with the body type and features you aspire to obtain. Is it a technological diet? 

The media has drained that which is natural and has replaced it with artificial images and ideas of beauty. Young women and men suffer from self esteem issues as a result of the unnatural beauty portrayed in magazines, ad campaigns, etc. Retouching has also contributed to severe illnesses, like anorexia nervosa. These individuals have developed a severe fear of developing a distorted body image, in other words becoming fat. Their ideologies of what is “fat” derives from these faulty images presenting ideal body types, face shapes and features. Why would society want to do this to its people? One might argue that they are unaware of this, however I believe that to be complete rubbish. 

The people of society are also to blame. I say this as I strongly believe we should not let anyone define what is beautiful. Why have we allowed the media to set these standards? We need to resist that which the media feeds us, and create our own standards for beauty, I cannot stress this point enough. 

I am tired of seeing countless men and women suffer at the hands of the media. Life is beautiful, as are all of you in your natural form. You do not need to change anything about yourselves, as you have been created the way you have for a purpose. Health and happiness should be your only focus, and happiness will never come as a result of conforming to societal standards of beauty. Be you; be true to yourself. 

You may now consider this question, has retouching gone out of control? My response, most definitely yes.

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Where Candy Lives

This is an assignment we had to do for school. It was chosen to be in 60 foot window display at Humber Lakeshore next Spring! This season it's all about colour blocking and fun accessories. Our inspiration came from the board game Candy Land and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Just incase you can't see the credit text:
Photography by: Paul Chmielowiec, Art Direction: Bobby Raffin, Wardrobe styling: Allison Noel, Hair & Makeup: Vanessa Ciavoliello and Jannyl Van Der Eyken Props and set design: Stephanie Mercuri
Layout design and post production: Vanessa Ciavoliello

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Impossible Conversations

Next month, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is opening an exhibit called"Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations." I'm not an expert on Schiaparelli or Prada, but it's very interesting to see and learn about how this exhibit unfolds.

When researching the 20s a couple of years ago for a high school project, I heard of Elsa Schiaparelli. Unfortunately, when researching the 20s, there is a lot of emphasis on Chanel and not enough on Schiaparelli. As much as how I love Chanel, it's interesting to learn about Schiaparelli and what put her on the other end of the spectrum, and made her different from Chanel.

The exhibit displays the fundamental similarities between the 2 women, from they're expression of ideas, their influences, and their unconventional ideas of beauty and femininity. It's divided into seven themed galleries:

1. Waist Up/Waist Down
2. Ugly Chic
3. Hard Chic
4. Naif Chic
5. The Classical Body
6. The Exotic Body
7. The Surreal Body

The different galleries feature videos by Baz Luhrmann, of the "impossible conversations" between these women from two different eras. For more information, visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art

It's exciting to see how similar the women are in their approach to fashion as a platform to present their much more complex ideas on life. I'm very keen on learning more about Schiaparelli and Prada, and how it seems as if fashion is so much more to them than just an artistic expression and visual appeal. It saddens me to not be able to see for myself this wonderful exhibit, but the good thing is that I can still learn more about the two women and their impact in their respective fashion houses and the fashion world.

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The Little Black Jacket

I am in love with all things Chanel. Learning about Coco Chanel and the fashion house is one of those small joys I have in life. I like reading books, and the Chanel books are some of the things I want.

In the next little while, Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfield can add to the line Chanel books available with "The Little Black Jacket: CHANEL's Classic Revisited." It's a coffee table book featuring the Chanel LBJ, and how versatile it is. Pretty much everyone can wear it, no matter who you are and what your style is, the LBJ works for everyone.

The book features many different people from Georgia May Jagger, Elle Fanning, Kanye West, Yoko Ono, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Claudia Schiffer among others. I think this book only highlights the genius that is Coco Chanel in the world of fashion, and how her style is everlasting. It's a true testament to the mark of Chanel, and how designs from almost a century ago still work today. And they work for every type of person and every style. Chanel always blurred the lines. Between rich and poor, men and women---it's amazing to see it to this day.

 

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