Stockings - Sensible or Sensual?

What brand of stockings do you wear? That was a question that came out of the blue at a networking event I attended recently.

It got me thinking. Why wear stockings as a business and professional woman over 40 when the world is becoming more casual?

Here are my modern dressing tips for business women over 40 so that you can tap into the magic of stockings.

Only Women Look Great in Stockings

I see far too many business and professional women over 40 who always wear pants. Some business friends and associates I have never seen in a skirt with or without stockings. (I am writing here for the normal woman not someone who has a serious skin condition where you prefer to cover up rather than reveal your legs.)

Ok, the rest of us have legs that are not perfect! Whose are? You examine them critically and think they are too skinny, too fat, too freckly or too pale. You have some scars or splotches and blotches. So what! You are a woman not an insecure teenager. Only women look great in stockings. Men wear socks and socks are sensible not sensual. Yes, you are a serious, grown-up professional woman but who said you have to hide your legs in pants or long skirts all the time.

Celebrate being a woman at least on some of your days. Yes, even in winter.

Stockings Accentuate the Positive and Eliminate the Negative

Most women are too busy noticing and cataloguing their faults rather than noticing what is great about themselves. It is time to stop comparing ourselves unfavourably with other women.

The right stockings for you will show off your legs as a whole and minimise your perceived individual leg faults. Sheer stockings in a light tan colour or sheer black will emphasise your leg curves and make you feel good about yourself. A bit of shine or sheen will take the attention to your whole leg not the individual bits of it. These are very smart dressing skills to look strong and confident. Be womanly sensual.

Find the Best. Ignore the Rest

Age brings wisdom; so use it. Do not buy the cheap sensible stockings. Go for the better quality or the expensive brand stockings.

What brand stockings do I wear? I live in Australia and wear Wicked brand by KolotexTM. They are at the top end of the medium-price range. If you live elsewhere, look for a brand in a similar price range. Yes, I choose the Body Slimming or In Control options for a bit of tummy support. They are comfortable, have some shine to them and they minimise all my freckles, red marks etc. It is the shine that is the secret. Shine is sensual and deflects attention from everything else.

Experiment to find stockings that are the best quality, the best feel and the best look at the best price for you.

Sensible Stockings

Some business and professional women who stand on their feet all day long need to choose sensible leg relief stockings. This does not mean the thick stockings of old. Look around to combine leg relief with a touch of womanly glamour. Do it for your own morale so you feel like a smart, sassy woman.

Ignore the sensible Knee Highs. Even if you wear pants, knee highs make you feel old and staid. Choose Stay Ups instead. These go up your thighs, feel sensual and still leave your tummy in peace.

There are lovely stockings out there. Even under pants, a glimpse of good quality stockings is a great morale booster.

BONUS: Yes, you can go the fake tanned-leg look BUT stockings feel nicer. They do not stain your legs and clothes. They cover imperfections AND you can take them off when you get home.

Different Things To Do for Mother's Day

How to Give Yourself the Gift of Health on Mother's Day?

One mistake that Mothers make is to neglect their health because they spend so much time caring for their kids and other members of their family. It's a good idea to give yourself the gift of health on Mother's Day by acknowledging your needs as well. Set aside time every day for any exercise of your choice; you don't need more than 40 minutes for this. Remember to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and supplement it with a well-chosen multivitamin. You'll also be a lot healthier (and fun to be around) if you sleep at least 8 hours every night. It's also a good idea to get an overall health check-up done, with specific focus on your heart, bones, cervix and breasts.

How to Write a Mother's Day Poem

A Mother's Day poem is a great gift and it is really not too difficult to work on. Start by collecting nuggets of information about your mother and your childhood so that you have something to work on. Once you go over these points you will be able to pick out the most important ones in order to string them together into a poem. Sincerity is more important than fine sounding words, but make sure that you check the meanings of the words used. It's not necessary to make the words rhyme, but you could work on rhyming words using trial and error once you have written the rough poem. Keep the poem to 10-15 lines. You could also copy a little known poem and change words to suit you.

How Do Women Deal Or Cope With Stress And What Can They Do About It?

Women tend to be better than men at dealing with stress because they tend to not bottle it up. What most women do when they are stressed is to seek emotional release from it by crying. Instead of being a sign of weakness, this is actually a great way to let off some steam, thereby ensuring that they do not suffer from problems of the cardio-vascular system. Another thing they do is eat large amounts of food in what is known as emotional eating. The best way to deal with stress is to pay attention to one's own needs, get 8 hours of sleep, reduce ones workload and tackle one job at a time and also to delegate responsibility. It also helps to practice relaxation techniques.

How to Express Love for Yourself and Your Body

You can learn to love your body and yourself by starting with the right expectations. If you expect perfection (which does not exist except in an artificial environment) you will be disappointed. Don't focus on the parts of the body you don't like and instead think of the different things your body can do. You should also change your role models from people who are physically beautiful to those who have actually done something for others. Remind yourself constantly that you are a unique person and that there are people who love you for who you are. Focus on staying healthy and fit instead of merely sexy and thin. Exercise and a good diet will ensure that you automatically look and feel radiant with health.

Women's Emotional Clothing-Clutter

Clothing-clutter is, as I see it, created by women's emotional attachment to clothing. I don't know any woman who doesn't have unused or never-used clothing in her closet.

Maybe I know the "wrong" women or maybe this is just because clothing is such an essential part of women's feeling of femininity.

If you are a "collector" of clothes that take up a large part of the room you need for other things, it will give you unnecessary trouble when cleaning, have guests for a snack or a dinner, have a boyfriend over or simply just want to enjoy where you live. It might even give you a tough time feeling great every day when you are at home.

Like so many others I still have clothing in my closet that I have not used for years and I have difficulties getting myself to give it away. I also can find a couple of things I bought and never used. Bought on sale and can't change it or simply never got around to take it back. If I don't give it away before adding new stuff I will definitely get a clothing-clutter issue.

The big problem is, when you have too much, it seems to keep piling up, creates ongoing clothing-clutter and spoils the feeling of that well-being it originally gave when first bought.

My suggestion forward is to explore the possibilities of solving this problem by looking at the reason it is there.

Why is it so hard to get rid of clothing you don't use?

Stuff and clothing you pile up are, no matter what, memories of an event or visions of an event you had when you bought it or got it.

They are memories of special times, special people, special deep feelings and you feel you cut off something of your yourself getting rid of them. 

like: "Who is going to use it, are they the "right" people I would like to see wear this, which kind of person is it that I allow to wear my treasures, my great memories if I give it away?"

Big Question: Is it now actually taking away value from you?

Money is an issue. 

You paid a lot of money for that stuff and you just hate to see it go to somebody "not worthy of YOUR special stuff" paid by you. You feel it is like giving away money you can't do without to somebody you don't know and who may not need it.

Big Question: Did you all in all get value for your money?

The work you have put into the Stuff! 

How many times have you washed and ironed it? paid cleaning, taken good care of it, dusted it and moved it around with you. It has become a part of your life and the time you spend every day -

Big Question: But is it giving back anything positive?

The time and effort you have put into the upkeep is heavy and it is devastating for you to think about giving up something you have taken care of for so long and spent so much time on.

Big Question: So, why are you still piling up fresh stuff? Does it really serve you?

Hopefully your answers to these questions have given you some ideas on how to solve this clothing-clutter problem and also inspiration to actually do something about it even if you sell it on a yard sale, to a store, give it to charity or open a clothing store.

If you are not renting or buying more square feet every month, to take care of all your additions to your closet space and other space, you have a big problem, that is if you don't do anything.

Last Big Question: Is it really worth the money it costs you to pile up more, let the enjoyment of what you already own get spoiled because of unnecessary additions to your clutter? 

I can't imagine you are ok with that.

So do something about it before the clutter also squeezes your possibilities for a great lifestyle and makes you totally forget how much fun life can be without clothing-clutter and what follows from it.

Throw away the weight of the clothing-clutter and start living in freedom.

A Few Options for Where to Sell Your Jewelry

More often than not, jewelry is usually expensive and precious and a thorough research on where to sell your jewelry is vital as you would not like to end up with a raw deal. There are many channels for selling jewelry. A few examples are given below:

Art Galleries: there are several galleries that are organized to show jewelry and other precious items to potential buyers. These present jewel sellers a perfect opportunity to exhibit their jewelry. There jewelry get high levels exposure and thus gives them a chance for exposure. Galleries often advertise extensively and attract all types of customers. They might even be in museums and such like places which are very beneficial to jewelry sellers.

Online dealers: another great way to sell your jewelry is through the internet. Some of you are skeptical about this but trust me it is a great channel. There are some jewelry buying companies that operate online and offer a great place where to sell your jewelry. There are those companies that offer competitive prices and professional services and the major advantage is that you get a chance to compare the pros and cons of each of them and make an informed decision. As a jewelry maker, you can also decide to start up your own jewelry buying and selling website. This will give you a good opportunity to meet your customers and interact with them well.

But extreme caution should be exercised when using the internet as there are dishonest jewelry buyers and sellers out to swindle you. Only deal with online buyers who you have done enough research and confirmed that they are genuine.

Jewelry shops: another place where you can sell jewelry is through jewelry shops. Sounds obvious? It's not as simple as it sounds. While there are very many shops that buy jewelry around, most of them intend to pay you way less than the real value of your jewelry which is really unfortunate. It is important to find out as much as possible about different jewelry shops and go for the one that you feel that it offers you real value. You also need to research on the prevailing market prices for jewelry similar to yours to give a clue on what to expect.

If you have the capital, man-power and skills to start your own, the better for you as it will save you the hustle and bustles of dealing with merchants who also intend to make a kill on your jewelry. You also get an opportunity to interact one-on-one with your customers. You get to know their tastes and preferences and you can modify you jewelry design accordingly. Your customers once satisfied offer an excellent network as they also tell their friends about your shop and it is a win-win situation at the end of the day.