You know that sage piece of career advice which says you should dress for the job you want, rather than the one you have?
Lately I’ve been trying my best to apply that philosophy to all parts of my wardrobe. Because why should work be the only time we dress the part? I’m a firm believer in the idea that when you look your best, you FEEL your best, and I’d like to apply that to ALL aspects of my life, rather than only to the things I need to “dress up” for. How? By dressing for the person I WANT to be, rather than the one I am now.
That doesn’t mean I’m particularly unhappy with who I am now, I hasten to add, but I think we probably all have a slightly better version of ourselves tucked away in our heads somewhere, don’t we? (Er, don’t we?) She’s the one who wears the clothes we only WISH we could wear: who always has a clever retort to every unkind remark she’s faced with, and who’s just that little bit more organised than we ever are. She’s us, basically – but better: and she’s the person we should be dressing for.
It’s important to note here that dressing for this imaginary self isn’t the same as dressing for an imaginary LIFE – I’ve already told you what I think of THAT. No, this other self of ours isn’t made of magic: she doesn’t take holidays we can’t afford, go to places we’d never visit, or life a lifestyle that’s too much different from ours: so that means you can’t dress her in eveningwear all the time if she (you) works on a farm, say, and you can’t buy her clothes that just aren’t suitable for her (your) lifestyle: sorry about that.
What you CAN do, however, is always keep this slightly-better version of yourself in the back of your mind when you’re going shopping, or get dressed every day. Would she wear this? Does that seem like something she’d try? Your slightly-better-self, for instance, probably wouldn’t wear something that’s falling apart, or throw on that top that doesn’t suit her, just because it’s the first thing that came to hand (If she would, of course, then your work is done: you don’t need this article…): so why should you?
Since I started applying this philosophy to my wardrobe, I’ve FINALLY upgraded my lounge/sleepwear collection (Goodbye ratty old dressing gown!) and invested in some new workout gear to replace the stretched-out leggings and over-washed sweatshirts that I always hoped no one would see me in, but kept on wearing anyway, because…. I have no idea why, actually. I’m not going to claim it’s changed my life – they’re just clothes, after all – but it does make me feel better about myself, and more excited to get dressed every morning, and there’s a lot to be said for that, don’t you think?
If you’re anything like us, Christmas was all about overindulging (cheese board every single day? Guilty) – it’s inevitable and something we shouldn’t feel too bad about, because, well, that’s just the joy of the festive season. With that being said, as January rears its ‘back to reality’ head, it’s common to feel the need to embrace a detox – whether that be a full-blown lifestyle overhaul (Veganuary anyone?) or small changes to help you look and feel your best again. Here at LiB, we’re sharing with you some of our simple and easy tips for a January detox, focusing on cleansing inside and out.
DETOX BODY
? An obvious but necessary one? Yes, you guessed it – drink more water. Six to eight glasses a day is recommended for optimum hydration levels and the flushing out of toxins. We suggest getting yourself a super cool water bottle for keeping on your desk, allowing you to monitor how much you’re drinking throughout the day. This one is great for your skin too, because what you put inside really does affect the outside.
? Cut down your caffeine and alcohol intake. Wait, hear us out. Before you drive yourself crazy with the thought, we’re definitely not saying you have to go teetotal; cutting down on stimulants slowly is a more effective way for maintaining your detox without the symptoms that come with avoiding them entirely. How about starting your day with hot water and fresh lemon? Similarly, herbal tea is a great alternative, or if you really can’t break away from your morning coffee, opt for decaf instead.
? Choose one ‘naughty’ thing to eliminate. Cutting out one specific thing is much more manageable and realistic than banning the entirety of your guilty food pleasures. We’re avoiding processed foods, starting with biscuits. This makes elevenses a struggle, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do…
? Move more. So, we’ve pledged to go to the gym more than once this year (even that would be an improvement on last year) but if that’s not within your means, simply make an effort to move more. That could be as simple as going for a walk on your lunch break, or doing 20 star jumps in the office every day (much to the amusement of your colleagues, of course).
? Getting enough sleep. Yes, that means putting down the phone in good time before hitting the hay. A bath using Lavender Epsom Salt can work wonders at detoxing both body and mind while improving the quality of your sleep. This isn’t just an old wives’ tale either, we’re talking real therapeutic benefits here, ladies – try it for yourself!
DETOX SKIN
? In the words of Blu Cantrell, we need to let it breathe. We’re not going to lie, the amount of makeup that’s sat on our face over the festive period is akin to the contents of a cement mixer; thick and heavy – but may we add, flawless? The benefits of giving your skin a break is second to none, and no makeup days will allow your skin to breathe, ensuring the efficacy of subsequent skincare steps. If you’re sat in horror at the thought of temporarily parting ways with your foundation, try a light tinted moisturiser, BB or CC cream.
✖️ Start with the inside. As we’ve previously mentioned, what goes inside really does affect the outside. For a total skin detox, ideally you should adapt your diet according to your skincare goals. Processed foods, dairy and refined sugar all contribute to the clogging of pores, therefore opting for alkaline-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as healthy fats like avocados and nuts, keep skin flawless and glowing from the inside out.
? Invest in the double cleanse. OK, we know that sometimes it’s hard enough to wash your face once, but doing it twice really ups your game. The first cleanse should always target the removal of makeup products, while the second – and most vital – allows your cleanser to reach and clean deep into the pores. Double cleansing is especially beneficial to those of us living in big cities, to first remove the pollution and daily grime, then to properly clean.
? Give skin supplements a try – no really, give them a whirl. Want to reset your biological clock while giving your skin a good seeing to? An anti-ageing marine collagen drinkable liquid supplement is just what the skin doctor ordered. This one by Absolute Collagen is one of our favourites and works from the inside out to hydrate and plump the skin for fewer lines and wrinkles. It’s the year to be the best version of you, naturally. Add it to your next box!
? Discover the wonder ingredient that is charcoal. This detoxifying ingredient works to draw out impurities from the skin, great for skin that is acting up after too many late nights and parties. Products harnessing charcoal control oil while working to tighten pores, thus improving the overall look of your skin.
Detox your beauty regime by browsing our build your own beauty box selection!
Meghan Markle had a messy bun at her second official royal visit and I love her for it.
— Katie Armour Taylor (@katiearmour) January 9, 2018
Love that Meghan Markle looks like she just chucked her hair up in a bun 2 minutes before she had to leave the palace. Relatable princess. I like it.
— Hannah (@HannahHanzie) January 9, 2018
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And while the majority of internet commentary about Meghan’s bun is positive, some people just had to rain on her royal parade. (This is the internet, after all.)
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I couldn’t sleep a wink last night, I was so perplexed about Meghan Markle’s sloppy bun.
— New Year, same me! ? (@HomeComingKhing) January 10, 2018
Unofficial critique of Meghan Markle’s style: I like the outfit, even the bulky scarf, but please tidy the hair — it’s a tad too messy https://t.co/3mw4E18g69
— WriteRoyalty (@WriteRoyalty) January 9, 2018
The untidy topknot was not becoming. Ok these two need to grow up they aren’t teens or in their 20’s anymore. Harry is early 30’s and Meghan is almost 40. She can’t keep pushing the envelope, eventually the Queen is going to step in and take her to task. We need dignity.
— Judy (@jcannon685) January 9, 2018
Damn, Judy!
Although some of the Negative Nancies (or Judies) might like to think they’re just demanding Meghan adhere to royal protocol, the only known “rule” for royal women’s hair is to keep it covered with a hat during formal events. If that’s the case, then even Kate Middleton, with her always-flawless hairstyles, is usually guilty of breaking the same rule.
And besides, she looked so chic! We’re all for a little variety and personal style when it comes to the royals — and everyone else. (Including Judy.)
I WAS going to call this post “how to wear a coat”, but I changed my mind at the last minute, because, seriously, how obvious is THAT? I mean, everyone knows how to wear a coat, don’t they? It’s not rocket science, after all: you just pick a coat you like, put it on, and bingo – you’re wearing a coat!
Well, yes, it IS that simple… but it’s also not quite THAT simple. The fact is, if you base your decision on which coat to buy purely on the premise of whether you like the look of it or not, sure, you’ll end up with a coat you love the look of – but which might not look particularly good with your outfits. I, for instance, learned the hard way that while I’m instinctively drawn to brightly coloured coats, which are just SO much more interesting than the dull neutrals we’re normally faced with in winter (as if winter wasn’t dull enough already!), the fact that I also like to wear brightly coloured clothes – or, at least, I did at the time I learned this lesson – meant that every time I left the house, I’d look like a box of crayons. Which is fine, if that’s the look you’re going for, obviously, but I WASN’T, so I should really have stuck with those neutrals, huh?
I’ve also learned through trial and error that you have to think carefully about the clothes you’re going to be wearing under your coat, before you decide to make that purchase. A lot of people think it doesn’t really matter, because your coat will cover most of your clothes anyway, but it doesn’t always work that way. In my case, the full skirts and dresses which are my preferred style of clothing, just don’t work with the straight-cut coats I always used to find myself buying: the skirts would end up bunched under the coat, and it was an uncomfortable as it was unstylish. These days I’ve learned to choose my coats to fit my clothes: and I’ve made this little graphic to share what I’ve learned. I hope it’s useful – and, of course, if you have any tips I’ve forgotten, I’d love to hear them!
LONDON — David Beckham has a new goal: to score in the burgeoning men’s grooming market with House 99, a brand he created with L’Oréal that’s due out starting in February.It is the first time the British soccer star-turned-entrepreneur is launching his own beauty label and also marks the first time in years that L’Oréal has kicked off a freestanding brand from scratch. Generally when the company adds to its portfolio, a totally new brand is either created under license or acquired.The sportsman brims with excitement about House 99, which he hopes will spawn a community of guys. He was hands-on for every stage of its development, finding the product-naming process “a real challenge.”The number 99 nods to a watershed year for him — “as a person, as a sportsman and I just became more mature because I had to [with] the birth of my first son, Brooklyn. I got married and won the treble with Manchester United,” he told a clutch of journalists during a recent press conference here. “It was such a momentous year for me personally.”“House” was picked since Beckham likes how it smacks of team spirit. “I’ve always been part of a team throughout my career, and even now, in my business world, I have a great team of people around me,” he continued.For L’Oréal, the reasons were twofold for linking up with the beauty and style icon on the 21-unit line, which includes items for beards, shaving, face, body, tattoos and hair.“We had the unique opportunity to build a strong partnership with one of the most authoritative men on the planet in terms of style,” Cyril Chapuy, deputy general manager of L’Oréal Luxe, said in an exclusive interview, citing Beckham’s 41.7 million Instagram followers, which increase by a half million people monthly. “[It’s] the unique encounter of a market which is booming today and the possibility of collaborating very closely with one of the most iconic men on the planet.”The numbers Beckham generates are, indeed, mind-boggling: One in four online searches of tutorials for men’s hairstyles refer to his look. Ditto for 60 percent of searches about Beckham.
David Beckham
Still, he seems extraordinarily modest and highly focused. “We’ve been working on this for a couple of years, so we are very proud to see it all come together,” said Beckham.It was key to keep things simple for men, he explained, with a chuckle. “We went through very carefully and decided what I personally like and also what guys like,” said Beckham. “In my world, it’s very simple: Get up, shower, moisturize and then do the same before I go to bed. But obviously, we have added products that I feel are very personal to me.”Best exemplifying this is Bold Statement, a tattoo body moisturizer with an SPF 30, created by — and for — Beckham, who has some 40 tattoos (and counting), to help preserve their original colors.
Bold Statement
Like Beckham, House 99 is about experimenting with styles — especially when it comes to hair. You name it, he’s tried it, with looks ranging from spiky to shaven, bearded, goatee, quiffed and ponytailed.“Over the last 20 years I’ve had a lot of different hairstyles — mostly good, some not so good,” he admitted.Beckham’s most regrettable? Cornrows, without a doubt.“I remember being in the South of France, and I think I might have had a glass of wine or two, and one of my friends was with me who was great at doing cornrows. I was like: ‘Yeah, do my hair, go on — it keeps getting in the way,’” he told WWD.But that style wasn’t fit for the field. “I get back to work, go to training, and head the ball for the first time, and it’s like so much pain from the cornrows being so tight,” he bemoaned.Beckham said he long cared about the coifs he sported. “Maybe that came from my mum…a hairdresser,” he said. “Even from a very young age, I always wanted my hair to look cool.”Yet what seemed cool to him didn’t always pass muster with Mother Beckham.“I remember back in the day I always wanted my hair to be spiked up, and then I saw this football player that I really liked at the time, and he had [what] was straight on top and then he had a tight curl-type perm on the back. I never had that because my mom wouldn’t let me,” Beckham said with a laugh.To help replicate Beckham’s hairstyles, House 99 includes Smooth Back shaping pomade, Change It Up texturizing clay and Going Strong styling gel.“All of our styling formulas have been tested to resist humidity and sweat,” said Priscilla Foucault, marketing director for the brand.It was a steep learning curve for Beckham in creating the line. “My expertise in this is very limited,” he said.Beckham met with L’Oréal’s team, which asked him about his tastes, and there was a visit to the company’s factory. “Texture-wise I am actually pretty good with most things,” he said. “I don’t like things that are too oily but I like textures, like a real creamy moisturizer. The toner, now it has to be something that feels fresh when you put it on, feels like it’s really doing something.“Smell is important — nothing that’s overpowering, and then the question was: Do you want it masculine? Or do you want it slightly less masculine, which is what I went for,” Beckham continued. “You don’t want someone to be able to smell you before they see you.”House 99’s streamlined packaging comes in black and white to be classic, said Beckham, adding the idea was for the range to remain fresh through time and have a strong look.
Going Big
His wife, Victoria, helped yea or nay products. She, after all, had a hand in teaching him about the world of beauty since he’d pinch her products.“Whatever she was using I knew it would be the best,” Beckham said, explaining sometimes he would purchase men’s items from brands his wife had. “But the majority of the products that I used literally came from Victoria’s side of the cabinet.”However, only over the past five years has grooming become a more integral part of Beckham’s daily routine. “Up until then, I used to use moisturizer. I used to look after myself, but not [with] specific products for specific reasons,” he said.Victoria Beckham may have planted a seed for the Softer Touch beard oil that’s part of the House 99’s lineup. That’s because when her husband began growing his beard four years ago, she told him “it needs to smell better. It needs to be softer,” he told the journalists. So David Beckham found an oil that he — and she — liked. The rest is history.Also from House 99 are a beard and hair balm, and a purifying beard scrub, which Foucault said has a deep cleansing action due to its charcoal and volcanic stone ingredients. “It removes all the dirt and pollution,” she claimed.
Seriously Groomed
The Seriously Groomed balm, meanwhile, is billed to discipline unruly beards as well as condition and control hair.In the House 99 collection, too, is a shaving cream, foam and stick; shampoos and a conditioner; body care, and face care. Some product formulas in the latter category contain spirulina and quinoa extracts to help strengthen and moisturize skin.What surprised Beckham in the creative process for House 99 was “how much I enjoyed it,” he told WWD.The project includes a digital advertising campaign, shot by Nabil Elderkin, which features numerous men — including Beckham — morphing into each other with different looks in a barber’s chair.“It’s a real community,” he said.House 99 will launch first in the U.K. on Feb. 1 exclusively at Harvey Nichols before rolling out nationwide and then to retailers in 19 other countries starting March 1.“We are going to be very selective in our strategy of physical stores,” said Chapuy, who explained that those chosen must have a strong image and give “exceptional experience, where we can provide services. The scale will be reached a lot by online.”House 99 product prices range from 22 pounds for the 125-ml. bottle of Bold Statement to 18 pounds for the 150-ml. Get Groomed purifying beard scrub and 15 pounds for the 150-ml. Tight Grip fixing spray.
Get Groomed
L’Oréal executives did not divulge sales estimates, but industry sources project that House 99 will generate retail sales of $50 million in its first year on counters worldwide.House 99 introduces a wide-ranging prestige grooming line into L’Oréal’s luxury division, which otherwise has for guys’ skin care Biotherm Homme, which Beckham fronts and ranks first in the men’s facial category globally.“The men’s grooming market is highly interesting for us because it’s growing and, second, it’s very much a market that attracts the young male target around the world,” said Chapuy.The worldwide beauty market represents around 210 billion euros, of which the men’s grooming segment makes up about 10 percent and is developing some two- to three-times faster than the 4 percent to 5 percent annually in the overall business.And the pace is ramping up for many reasons, including the mounting popularity of beards. Today in Europe, for instance, 54 percent of males are bearded, almost double the amount a decade ago, according to Chapuy.“The number of barber shops in the U.S. is now 60,000 and in Europe it’s 16,000, and they are increasing like crazy,” the executive said.The rise is due in part to young men’s boundless appetite for all things stylish. “Today four Millennial [males] out of 10 touch up their look during the day,” continued Chapuy, referring to the demographic worldwide. He also noted the explosion in the number of tattoos.So it’s no surprise that grooming today makes up the lion’s share — or 70 percent — of online beauty-related searches carried out by men.Chapuy said that while it is generally L’Oréal’s strategy to create new labels under its existing umbrella brands (think Colorista from L’Oréal Paris, for instance), House 99 lent itself well to a different model.“[Grooming] is a market which is kind of new, so it deserves a new brand. Second, we have the unique opportunity to work with David and [that] deserves creating a brand,” said Chapuy, adding that Beckham himself wanted to develop his own label.House 99 executives will keep dialoguing with and listening to consumers online to help decide what might be added to the brand.It is expected to have a strong online presence. “The number-one digital weapon that we are going to use is of course David’s social platforms and his audience,” said Chapuy. “He is very interested in sharing with fans his [grooming] tips and the products he prefers in the range.”Instagram and Snapchat will play roles, too, in creating buzz and the community of male grooming aficionados.Beckham said he likes being hands-on with all of his businesses.Beauty and grooming are essential planks of a strategy to build his own brand. He has, as well, an ongoing fragrance-related partnership with Coty Inc. that began in 2005 with the launch of his first scent, Instinct, and in 2015 Seven Global, a 50-50 joint venture between himself and partner Simon Fuller, was formed with Global Brands Group Holding Ltd. to grow a lifestyle brand.“There has to be authenticity throughout what we do because it gets very old very quickly if there’s not,” said Beckham. “And people see through that. When you’ve got customers that are loyal to you, passionate about what you do and what you are bringing into the market, you have to respect that.”
