SUCCEED WITH STYLE: Ten Tips for Updating Your Look

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Margaret Batting, Image Consultant and Personal Brand Strategist

A new year, new you? Forget about plastic surgery and crash dieting. It’s 2011. All you need is a more updated look. Following are 10 easy ways to update your look without breaking the bank.

1. Wear a lighter shade of lipstick. Dark shades can become unflattering as lips thin with age. Choose rosy reds or flesh colored shades. Avoid orange or peach which can make your teeth appear yellow. Skip the liner!

2. Whiten your teeth: dull, yellow, or stained teeth are not attractive. Bright and white are, but don’t go over board. Too white looks unnatural. A good rule of thumb is to not go whiter than the whites of your eyes.

3. Lift your eyes and shape your brows. By using an eye pencil you can enlarge your eye and reverse droopy looking lids. Well shaped brows are not only more polished looking they lift your eyes.

4. Invest in the right concealer. Covering dark circles and brown spots can make you appear at least five years younger

5. Care for your hands. Your face may look younger than your years but your hands always tell the truth. Keeping them moisturized and protected from the sun is key but manicuring your nails is even more important. Keep your nails short, and clean and painted in a neutral color. Super long or fake nails scream old lady.

6. Dress fashionably but don’t be a fashion victim. Your look needs to be current yet age-appropriate. You don’t have to rock all the trends to look fashionable. It’s about creating a look and style that works for you.

7. Don’t match head to toe. Skip the full suit and wear separates. Coordinate shoes bags and accessories. You don’t need to be matchy-matchy like your mom did years ago.

8. Mix high and low. You don’t have to break your budget to look good, but you do need some quality items in your closet at this stage of the game. It’s OK to invest in a great pair of slacks but then pair them with a top or sweater from the Gap or H&M as long as it’s well made and age-appropriate.

9. Get your skirt length right. Too short or tight is inappropriate. Too long and baggy looks dowdy. Long flowing peasant style skirts are never welcome in a serious business environment. The best skirt style is straight with the hem hitting at the knee or just above. It depends on your comfort level and frankly how good your knees still look. A pencil skirt works well if you have a great figure but make sure it’s not too tight.

10. Get rid of the chunky, squared toed shoes. Not only do they make you look old they make your legs look wider than they are. My motto is you don’t have to look frumpy to be comfy. There are many fashionable styles that are modern and comfortable. You can still wear a lower heal. Make sure it’s feminine and not too clunky.

If you email me at [email protected] I can provide more details on stores, brands, hair and make-up recommendations.

Margaret Batting is the Corporate Style expert for GoLocalProv.com. Margaret is the owner and president of Elevé Image Consulting and the only certified image consultant and personal brand strategist in Rhode Island. She travels the country as the national corporate image consultant for CareerBuilder and serves as the style advisor liaison for Dress for Success Rhode Island, which will be involved in Styleweek Providence this month. For more information, visit http://www.eleve-style.com">www.eleve-style.com.

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