ALEXIES: March 2010

Nothing can be more fun than spending your summer in the beach. No hassles and bustles of city life and you can look fresh without any make up on. Here are things that you should remember before you grab your towel and head to the beach:

Sunblock

It’s very important for your skin to be protected when exposed to the heat of the sun. Nobody wants to get burned. The type of sunblock to use varies from person to person. It usually depends on how sensitive your skin is. Through the SPF rating, you can determine how long a sunblock would remain effective on the skin. Opt to SPF 30 and up. Choose a water-resistant sunblock when you go swimming.

Water

Before you go to the beach, you must ensure proper hydration. You'll be sweating outside because of the heat so more water comes out of the body. Keep a bottled water on your bag.

Hat

If you're planning to stay long under the sun, it's necessary to keep your head covered.

Sunglasses

It will not only protect your eyes from the rays of the sun, but will make you look even hotter.

Beach Towel
If you enjoy lounging in the beach, take a stylish beach towel for more comfort. You can spread it on the sand or use it as a bench cover.

flip flops
As much as possible, avoid going bare footed on the beach. You need to protect your feet from sharp objects and sometimes the it gets too hot to walk on the sand.

Water proof bag
Put your phone, camera, wallet, mp3, lip balm, etc. on a water proof bag. This is perfect to keep your things from getting wet.

Not everyone is born with a body like a Victoria's Secret model, nor somebody who'd always look good in what she wears. But even if this is the case, what we don't want to happen is to look fugly with what we're wearing. I'm sure we'd always want to look fabulous. One important thing to consider in choosing the right clothes to wear is your body type. Determine what exactly is the shape of your body. I know several people who would buy the clothes because they saw somebody wearing it and it looks good. But it does not always work that way.

Look at yourself in the mirror and identify your figure. If your hips, butt, & thighs are bigger than your upper body, then you are bottom-heavy or pear shaped. In most cases, women with this figure have a well-defined waistline, and have great shoulders. On the other hand, when your upper body is bigger or wider than the lower, then you have a strawberry body shape. This means that your shoulders are broader or you have big boobs. Women with this type of body usually have narrow hips and smaller butt. You have an apple shape body when you don't have a well-defined waistline. Maybe most of your body fats are deposited in your stomach. But most women with this figure have great legs. There are also women with a straight body. That means that they may lack the curves. Lastly, women with proportionate curves has the hourglass type of body. These women usually looks sexy.

However, regardless of your body type, looking good still depends on choosing the right clothes to wear. Even if you have a great body but you dress incorrectly, then you're still fugly.

If you have a bottom-heavy figure(pear shaped), then try to lessen the emphasis on the lower part of your body. Try wearing dark-colored jeans or skirts. Those with long lines would also help to get a slimming effect, and it will make your legs look longer. It must not be too tight because that will only highlight the size of your hips and legs. Using mid-cut and one type of color would also help trim down your size.

(1-4)Levi's;(5-6)Guess;(7-9)Gap

These jeans would totally look good on you. The cut minimizes the size of your hips. Don't wear tops that are short. Make sure that the length reaches your hip bone, or even longer. Wear shorts that are not tight to give an illusion of smaller thighs. For dresses, on the other hand, belts will flatter the size of your waist, and A-line dresses will trim down the size of your hips.

(1) Anthropologie; (2 & 3) Kamiseta; (4) Free People; (5 & 6) Topshop

(1-4) Free People; (5 & 6) Topshop

Celebrities who are bottom-heavy and looks hot.

For the mostly voluptuous strawberry-shaped body like Dolly Parton, or with broad shoulders like Renee Zellweger, don't hesitate to wear brighter colors at the bottom. You can easily tone down your athletic figure with appropriate clothes. Avoid high waisted and tight jeans so as not to emphasize your slender bottom. Choose jeans that would add volume on hips and legs. Shorts should not be tight as well. Tops that are plunging and V-neck are great because it'll draw people's attention on your upper body.

Jeans: Anthropologie

Shorts: Topshop

Tops: (1) Topshop; (2) Anthropologie; (3) Kamiseta; (4) Free People

Dress: (1)Topshop; (2) Anthropologie; (3 & 4)Free People
Popular strawberry shaped celebrities:

If you have an apple shaped body, you tend to look heavy on the tummy area. So, what you should wear are clothes that would camouflage that portion of the body. The great thing about being apple shaped is that you may be blessed with fabulous legs. You can use this asset to your advantage, but avoid wearing miniskirts and super short shorts because this will make you look top heavy. Wear jeans that are not too tight. Accentuate your bust area by wearing tops that are plunging but not too revealing .

(1-4)True religion;(5-11)Gap;(12)Anthropologie

(1)Anthropologie; (2-3)Gap;(4-5)Topshop

(1-2)Free People;(3)Gap;(4)Anthropologie;(5)Guess

(1-3)Topshop;(4-6)Guess

Women with a rectangle figure is usually straight from top to bottom, and lack the curves. There's really no area to minimize, but you should choose clothes that would give you curves. You'd look good in skinny jeans. Tops with ruffles and frills would help bring volume to your figure.

(1-2)Gap;(2-4)Topshop;(5)Levi's

(1-5)Banana Republic

(1-3)Banana Republic;(4-6)Topshop;(7)Bebe;(8)Miss Sixty

(1)True Religion;(2)Gap;(3)Levi's

An hourglass body is curvy, with a well-defined waistline. The bust area is proportionate with the bottom. This is usually known as the sexy figure. They can look sultry and seductive or classy and elegant, depending on what they're wearing.

Wear tops or dresses that would emphasize your waist line. A darker bottom and a light-colored top would look good on you. A V-neck top could slim down your figure.