Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung! 

Time to introduce some fresh style into your current wardrobe!
 

There could not be a better time to put together a good basic wardrobe for spring! With a Body Type membership from MSP you will have all the tools you need to look smashing this season!

When you join MissusSmartyPants today you will get:

1. Finding the Right Shorts and Capris
2. Spring Capsule Dressing
3. Anti-Aging Style Secrets
4. The Big Spring Preview
 
Here is what a MSP SYSter is saying about the latest style post: "Finding the Right Shorts and Capris".
 
DEAR LESLIE,

This is your best ever article on capris and shorts! It explains everything. Recently I finally "got it" about body proportions and dressing in 1/3's. Last year I had shortened my walking shorts about 2" which I could see made a huge difference. Now I know why: The t-top worn out is 2/3's and the shorts are 1/3. At my age and level of modesty I was surprised to see, even last year, that I liked the shorter shorts better.

 Love, Carole

 Here is what a MSP SYSter is saying about a recent style post: "Spring Capsule Dressing".

DEAR MissusSmartyPants,
A friend of mine mentioned your website to me awhile ago. About six weeks ago, I subscribed, picking up some information here and there.  This last weekend, I flew to Florida to visit my friend who is also a SYSter. 

She and I spent Saturday out shopping.  Using your principles, I have an entire new wardrobe for about $250 thanks to coupons and sales.  My husband, who infrequently comments on my clothes, today said to me, "Wow, you look unbelievably good!"  We've been married for 11 years and I'm not sure he's ever said that to me.  Talk about quite a morale booster for any woman to hear!

Your SYSter, Karen

Join MissusSmartyPants TODAY & learn the secrets to dressing well!
 

Chanel Inspired Style

Chanel Inspired Style by mspsmartypants featuring a leather flap shoulder bag

Wrangler white top
$100 - generalpants.com.au

H m jacket
£30 - hm.com

Prada open toe sandals
£520 - flannelsfashion.com

Chanel leather flap shoulder bag
luxuryexchange.com

Makeup
$19 - angelfacebotanicals.com

Minty Cool

Minty Cool by mspsmartypants featuring clutch hand bags

Vanessa Bruno Athé silk crepe dress
$470 - net-a-porter.com

Burberry Prorsum clutch hand bag
£695 - matchesfashion.com

Aqua jewelry
$28 - bloomingdales.com

Stella dot jewelry
$34 - stelladot.com

Melissa Odabash floppy hat
£16 - debenhams.com

Essie nail
$8 - macys.com

Be All You Can Be...

Be the best rate version of yourself. Is there anything better? I think not!


You are beautiful and special, so find ways to express it to those around you...

Learning How to Balance Your Body Proportions

Learning How to Balance Your Body Proportions

The scale, size and proportion of your clothes are not normally things you think about when you dress each morning. But I’d like to change your way of thinking. These three things are the important elements of dressing well.

What length of dress is best for you? 

Can you wear a maxi dress if you are petite or if you are plus-sized?

The wrong proportions can make you look heavy or not quite right. You might wear something one day, but not understand WHY you don't look right in it. On the other hand, when you DO understand how to work your body proportions and those of the clothes you are wearing...you can change yourself into a well “put-together” woman--everyday!


Understanding whether or not a new seasonal trend is for you, means you understand your own body shape (your individual body proportions) and can examine a garment's proportion to determine if the trend will work for you--or not.


Proportion is the way parts of your body relate to your body as a whole. My MissusSmartyPants system of Personal Profiles helps women everywhere achieve the right proportions and how to balance her shape by understanding how to choose the right styles that will flatter.


The object of proportion is to make your body (regardless of its shape) appear to be as close as possible to an hourglass shape. This is where certain styles of clothes either work for you (and your body shape) or they don’t.


Have you ever seen a woman that appeared poorly dressed—but you didn’t know why? Chances are she was wearing the wrong proportions for her body shape. By knowing how to highlight and minimize with the right clothing proportions, you will never have this happen to you!  EVERY woman can look stunning and stylish when they have selected the right proportions.
 

Can you wear a cropped pant and look good?

How to “put together” your proportions:


Scale and size—Wear the right size. This is about fit, not label size. Sometimes women get caught up in “vanity sizing”. This is when you get excited about the “number” on the label.  Manufacturers know this and are making clothes larger in each size. This psychological ploy often makes women buy the item! You should really get more excited about a terrific fit and remove the label! Fit is everything!


Stay on scale—Keep in mind your body size. If you are petite, your accessories and prints should be smaller. If you are a petite-plus size woman—your accessories can be larger. If you are tall and statuesque or are a larger woman, your accessories and prints should be larger and in scale to your body size.


Watch your horizontal lines—Almost every body part on your body has the potential to create a “horizontal line”. The human eye is drawn to lines or color changes. Where your clothes stop on your body creates horizontal lines. Think about it, your ankles, calves, knees, hips, waist and neckline, sleeve length—all are horizontal lines. When you wear dark blue jeans and a light pink tee-shirt, the place where the two meet is a horizontal line.


There’s more but…These are a few of the main factors that help balance your body’s proportions. There are other things to take into consideration when dressing, the length, the color (how light or dark) exposed skin, etc. Dressing well is an art form and when you discover its beauty…yours will shine through!


Love, Leslie


BIO: Leslie Gonzales AKA MissusSmartyPants--check out her website to learn how to makeover your style, http://www.missussmartypants.com/

Get Your Feet Sandal Season Ready!

Before you know it, you'll be wearing sandals again. So, how do your feet look right now? 

 If they are looking a bit dry and cracked, right now is the time to care for them before you start wearing sandals again!



The big problem with most DIY foot scrubs are they require funky ingredients and you simply don't have them or don't want to buy them. 

However, today I've got the solution to your dry foot dilemma and lack of ingredients!!! I'll bet you have these two (2) ingredients...yes, that's right, all you'll need to get your feet sandal-season ready in a jiff!



Homemade Foot Scrub



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of lotion 

Directions:


Mix the sugar & lotion together in a bowl.

Massage the sugar and lotion mixture into your feet to exfoliate (remove dry/dead skin).

Rinse with clear water and pat dry. Apply some additional lotion to your soft feet and put on a pair of socks or peds to cover treated feet.


Another tip: When my feet are feeling dry, before bed I coat my feet with almond oil then wear thin socks to bed. You could also use petroleum jelly or coconut oil to coat feet prior to bed or right after a shower.

Now you're looking good! So bring on sandal season!

Quick Tip: Don't lose the button!

HI LESLIE,


I love your weekly style advice! I’ve updated my wardrobe per your advice and I am having so much fun.


My closet is now like a boutique like you often talk about—however, some buttons are falling off of my newly purchased shirts. I guess quality isn’t what it once was. Any suggestions for lose buttons before they end up lost?


A happy style newbie, Barb


Dear Barb,

A loose button can quickly turn into a missing button. 

Dab the top of the button with a little clear nail polish to prevent it from completely falling off before you have time to stitch it back on.

Love, Leslie aka MissusSmartyPants

Doing more than just "pinning" on Pinterest!

The latest social network buzz site is called Pinterest. It's a website where you 'pin' or place interesting things onto 'boards' for yourself and to share with others. It's a way to store/share information.



You can 'pin' interesting stuff about cooking, healthy living tips, fitness, style and fashion, makeup, cool kids stuff, spiritual and religious postings, pretty gardens and well anything you can possibly think about is there.

The BIG negative about Pinterest is it can SUCK UP A HUGE AMOUNT OF YOUR TIME! What happens is you spend time 'pinning' really cool stuff and in the end, you've just spent 3 hours doing basically nothing but sitting at the computer!!!

However, Pinterest is a source of really cool information! You can learn make your own laundry detergent, sugar face scrub or how to get yellow pit stains off your white shirt...and more. 

I've made several recipes (all delicious, by the way) tried out a couple of home decorating tips and I've also made this DIY necklace...

 All you do is take a long pearl (or beaded) necklace and fold it in half...loop ribbons on each side and tie it at the back. Then, add a colorful brooch and you're all set!

This style of DIY necklace has been inspired by ones you see in stores like Talbots and Ann Taylor...

So, join Pinterest, but don't say you haven't been warned about the time sucking. The key is to have fun, don't let it take up too much of your time (set a timer then get off the computer, LOL!) then actually make some of the things!!! 

Check out my boards on Pinterest and follow me if you like (and I'll probably follow you back).

Love, Leslie