The Style Core | Category: Blog

A Reawakening: Learning to see myself in color

March 7, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog, Featured /by Catherine Sanchez

In the beginning my world was full of color. Fast-forward twenty-five years. Twenty-five years marked by illness, failures in my career, and losing loved ones. My world had turned gray, along with my wardrobe. I opened the door to my closet and was greeted by mourning blacks, confused charcoals, and depressed grays. On the top shelf, there was a colorful note… dark denim. I was wearing my misery. These drab colors kept me hidden in a crowd, unnoticed.

Then I met Carla. I had never even heard of image consulting, but after learning what it entailed from some friends, my curiosity brought me to her door. Carla took me through each step, highlighting how my clothing, hair, and make-up choices affected how others viewed me. She helped me to see the beauty I was hiding, and the potential my future could have, by simply wearing clothing that authentically communicated who I am.

As I started following her advice, I began to see color again, not just in my closet, but also in my life. Gone was the dark cloud of clothing, and in its place were joyful oranges, playful pinks, and refreshing turquoises. The first item I purchased after meeting with Carla was a tangerine colored cardigan. It was the remembrance of my true creativity. It was my first step in pushing away the gray. I went from hiding in a crowd to getting the attention for who I truly am, strong, artistic, and feminine. It is easier to face many different obstacles and trials now that I can look in the mirror and see myself, not just my shadow.

It has been several years since my reawakening. I have been so inspired, in turn I want to follow in Carla’s footsteps and bring image consulting to those who need to see their own true colors. When someone else affirms and reveals the beauty that exists within you, and teaches you how to reveal that beauty to other people, it is priceless. When I look in the mirror, I can see my potential, and in turn, I want to pay it forward. What a world it would be if we all could learn to see ourselves in our true colors?

The Psychology of Style

February 9, 2016/2 Comments/in Blog, Featured /by Carla Mathis

Clothes are opportunities. Fashion, getting dressed, gives us a chance to express different dimensions of ourselves. Different looks have different psychological effects. Our life is a kaleidoscope of possibilities — the possibility of meeting that important person who brings life, light, and new vistas.

What outfit do you put together when you want to express the core of who you are? Look in your closet. Are you excited about what you see hanging there? Is every piece like one of those shimmering, glistening pieces of glass in the kaleidoscope — ready to create a pattern that can support and even change your life? Or are you seeing sameness? Same color, same style, no style really?

Is your closet full of color like your vibrant personality? Or is it smooth and creamy like honey and cream over strawberries? It could be warm and rich like polished antique wood and brass.

What words would you use to describe how you feel and how you want to be perceived? These words can help you create exciting, intriguing, fun, or powerful looks. When you put words to your ‘looks’, you are playing with the Psychology of Style.

What outfit has YOU written all over it? This is often a favorite ‘stand-by’ outfit that you always get both compliments and feels most like yourself when you wear it.

What do you choose to wear when you want to stand out in the crowd? It’s that WOW outfit that turns heads for the best reasons… where you have ‘nailed’ that dramatic look and we still see and experience you not the clothes?

If you’re looking forward to a romantic encounter, what do you have in your closet that says you are a woman and vulnerable, yet strongly yourself?

There are times when you want to be quietly understated and elegant — times when it wouldn’t be appropriate to be in the spotlight. What outfits support this look, yet remain interesting and intriguing rather than dowdy, dreary, or blah?

Thinking conceptually about your wardrobe in this way is the key to using the Psychology of Style to your best advantage. It’s also fun.

What do you wear when you want to play? When its time to let out your wild side?

Like a kaleidoscope, every day the prism turns and new colors and patterns emerge. We all have so many different dimensions to our personality. Clothing is like those little colored pieces of glass. Twist your wardrobe and put new patterns together to express all the colors that are you.

What do you wear when you need to be propped up? — You haven’t had enough sleep because you’ve been working hard or partying; or you are getting over the flu; or are grieving the loss of a loved one. Wearing dull, flowing, clothes that drape can keep you in the pit of depression, while other fabrics and construction details can literally prop you up and keep you going.

Take a closer look at your closet. Try on outfits you tend to wear when you are feeling low, or excited, or afraid, or happy and healthy. When you look in the mirror check out whether it is a “you-at-your-best” outfit. Is it a dramatic or romantic outfit, or is it playful, quietly elegant, or an outfit you wear when you want to take charge? If you can’t figure out what the outfit is saying about you then it probably should not be in your closet.

If you can’t figure out what the outfit is saying about you, then it probably should not be in your closet.

The Psychology of Style is a reality we all live with everyday whether we are aware of it or not. The outfit you are wearing right now is saying something about you.

Get up and stand in front a full-length mirror if you have one nearby. This might be a little scary, but it’s important that we start to look objectively at what we are communicating about ourselves through our clothing choices. The reality is, everyone else who encounters you today is looking objectively. They might not be able to articulate what they are seeing, but, believe me, they feel it. This feeling, this sense of who a person is, is something we all do when we come in contact with each other.

Ok, are you in front of the mirror? What are your clothes saying about you? What’s the first impression? Be honest. If it is in line with how you’re feeling right now, with what you want to say about yourself, then bravo! You are using the Psychology of Style to your best advantage. If you’re not sure, or your look is saying something that isn’t in line with how you’re feeling or what needs to be communicated today, then make a few mental notes, take a full-length selfie and email them to yourself. What would you like to be expressing about yourself right now? What’s working, what isn’t?

Turn the prism of your wardrobe and imagine what you could be wearing…let the world know who you are. There’s no one like you. Help us celebrate what makes you special.

Figuring all this out on your own can be daunting and frankly, difficult…which is why we are here to support you. You can’t be an expert in everything!

Watch our free Style Masterclass and discover the 7-step path to embodying the best version of yourself.

If you are interested in training to become a style expert, or just hungry to keep learning more about the psychology of style, check out our Style Core Institute on-demand webinars and courses for training options.

The Difference

December 8, 2015/1 Comment/in Blog, Featured /by Erin Mathis

“What makes your training courses different than the others?” This is a great question, and one that I hear regularly in my interactions with those who are researching options for training for a career in Personal Styling / Image Consulting.

My first reply is “Great question! Good for you to do the homework. Every training program has different strengths and approaches. It’s important to know which one resonates the most with you.”

Next, I have to say. “Carla Mathis.”

Our courses are based upon a lifetime of experience and practice by this Industry Pioneer. Now in her 70’s, Carla is still a vital force of life, teaching courses in Los Angeles and around the world. Her presence is powerful, she is warm and a gifted teacher — but her knowledge is immense. That’s why we receive numerous requests annually to see if she can come train up experts in this field in their country.

In addition to teaching, Carla still gets tremendous pleasure from working with clients in her highly successful consultancy. From teaching hundreds at a time, to helping the one soul see him or herself with new eyes… it’s a life-giving process for her; one that she loves to impart to as many students as possible. The recipients are spell bound with the wonder of discovery, and it’s easy to lose track of time when learning from Carla.

I can’t tell you how often I hear from people in all parts of the world that Carla’s groundbreaking book, The Triumph of Individual Style is “their bible” for this field. Her book and training program will live long beyond her, but those who have the opportunity to train with her directly during her lifetime know what an extraordinarily special experience it is.

Now, more about the approach that sets us apart.

We teach both the deep science of color & style, and the heart +intuition needed to apply the science. We won’t give you simple formula’s that put you in limiting boxes. I can’t tell you how many times we hear from people who experienced a color or image consultation during which they were labeled a certain season, given a formula of colors, and have felt stuck with that ever since. We help them break out of those limiting boxes into a rainbow of freedom with new possibilities. And teach others to do the same.

So what is the Science? Every body has a certain combination of lines, shapes, colors, textures, proportion, scale, and sometimes, distinctive features. Knowing how to analyze then choose styles that flatter each body…that is the science.

But at the core of anyone’s style, must be their own personality. This is the heart of Image and Identity. We teach the process for discovering, drawing this out, and integrating it into an individual’s style. Over and over, you will be challenged to “get out of your head” and “into your heart” as you learn to use intuition and instincts which are key to discovering truth. This ability can be passed on to others you work with as well.

You will also receive basic guidance for business building, marketing and the actual process of making this a career. However, this is not the primary focus of our courses.

There is no replacing the presence of Industry pioneer, Carla Mathis and her deep knowledge of the Science and the heart of Personal Image.

That is the difference.

If this resonates with you, come join us today in a Webinar, Distance Learning course or enroll to learn from Carla in-person at one of our upcoming live courses. It would be our privilege to help facilitate your training through our institute. We look forward to meeting you.

How To Describe This Thing We Do

September 21, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog, Featured /by Eric Mathis

Calling what we do “styling” misses so much of the point. Style, whether it is strong or hodgepodge, is almost always thought to be about the surface. Tweaking and preening the details to make someone or something look “of the moment” or “better” than they really are. When it works, an essential truth about the person, place or thing is revealed. Style has resonance when it supports the identity of the one being styled. This is NOT what people think of when they think of styling.

Rather than trying to redefine or expand the definition of styling, it might be more meaningful to hear from clients who have experienced the work. This serves two purposes; it toots our horn and personalizes the description.

“My time with Carla was a transformational experience. Through a series of simple exercises, she helped me accurately identify and define my authentic self and gave me the tools to visually project my true self in the world.

I did not realize that things like color, clothing, “the stuff” in my home have such a huge impact on my behavior and how others perceive me. I never would have guessed that being intentional about what I choose to wear and surround myself with would be so empowering. It is.

With this small shift in my thinking, I have experienced profound and positive change in my daily life. Suddenly people know what to expect from me. They have a better understanding of who I am because they see it first. I am more confident, at ease with myself and a more effective communicator.”

- David, Durham, NC

You can see in David’s writing and hear in his voice the newfound clarity and confidence he is talking about. This personal confidence is more important to David than any new look. This begins to touch the essence of the work we do. Yes, its about clothes and the styles of clothes & accessories we wear, but its all in the service of revealing who we are.

“I wanted to thank you for yesterday! It was really eye opening not just for my style, but my heart! It is crazy actually, seeing on paper who I am. I recently have started rebranding my photography studio and was going to make it into this LA hip idea…But in all honesty, that is just not me! I’m a nature, and clean air and waterfalls kinda gal. It made me realize that I was trying to fit in here, but in that, somewhat loosing myself. It opened my eyes to why I shoot photography the way I do. Why when I look at people in LA who are wearing black clothing, why it makes me feel uncomfortable. Seriously, yesterday opened my eyes to so many things!!!! So thank you!!! It was a pivotal point in my life to have this done for me! I never would have seen all of this if it wasn’t for you.”

- Yvonne, Los Angeles, CA

Ok, the integration Yvonne is talking about is why we love doing what we do. She was about to make life decisions that were going to take her farther from her true self. She was rebranding her studio to look like what’s trendy and culturally hip now, at the loss of authenticity. We’ve all been in studios like this, where you can feel that the true identity, the real personality of the person doing the work is submerged. They’re doing what they think will appeal to the largest number of potential clients, rather than seeing the world the way they see it and offering this unique perspective to everybody whose interested.

Becoming integrated is a beautiful thing.

I’ll finish with a Yelp review from a recent client. She’s a graphic designer who lives in Los Angeles. She saw a local review and took a chance.

“Carla has an amazing gift. Her styling sessions/consultations are really a service to empower a person to visually express who they honestly are. The Style Core has connected different disciplines and has developed a way to create an individual style that is truly an extension of who one is.

I had the fortunate experience to give myself a full consultation. Wow! What a great experience! And what an education! The awareness!!!

To start, the office is a peaceful and lovely creative space near Sunset Blvd., in Silver Lake. Carla is very friendly and puts one at ease immediately. It’s a very safe, and oh so creative environment.

We started with a review of the online worksheet I filled out. This included submitting visual images I love, along with answering a few questions.

We went through some exercises where I picked out visuals that spoke to me. From this Carla distilled what it was about the imagery I was attracted to and how to bring those elements into my own wardrobe. And it resonated, because those were the exact elements in my 2 favorite “go to” outfits that NEVER EVER let me down.

Then we chose colors. Mind opening to see the subtle differences between tints, shades and hues of similar colors against my skin. The awareness of what works for me is huge!

And that leads to the next part of our session. Carla analyzed my coloring and the shape & proportion of my body and features. She showed me clothing styles, shapes, lengths, etc. that complimented my body shape. Clothing shapes/drape that helped visually relate my body measurements to body proportions identified in the art world as visually attractive to the human eye.

The exercises, color exploration, and body shape analysis gave me a vocabulary of why I liked somethings and permission to not like others. It gave me an elemental rock to stand on and hold fast to when tempted by magazine articles to try a fashion trend not meant for my coloring/body shape. And it stopped me from blaming my body for not looking good in something. It’s the fashion, or non-fashion that’s to blame!! Everyone’s body is perfect.

What I came away with makes me so happy. The Style Core system is like Human Centered Design, except the product is you. I whole heartedly recommend The Style Core. Their service is very empowering. It makes me so happy just thinking about my consultation and what I’ve discovered from it.”

Ann, Los Angeles, CA

There we go! The joy Ann is feeling, the empowerment, the clarity she now has about herself is what our work is all about.

Styling is about the surface, yes, AND its about what lies beneath the surface. We are integrated beings; body, soul and spirit. Seeing the connections between Who We Are on the inside and How We Look on the outside can be life-changing.

Show your story! Don’t hide it behind clothes that tell the story of some hot brand or ‘of the moment’ look. Integrate. Share who you are with us, we want to celebrate you.

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If reading this lights a fire in your soul and speaks to you, take action and experience it for yourself.

Watch our free Style Masterclass and discover the path to embody authentic personal style that magnetizes what you desire

If you are interested in training to become a style expert, or just hungry to keep learning more, check out our Style Core Institute on-demand webinars and courses for resources.

Recapturing a Childlike Wonder at How We Are Made

July 23, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog, Featured /by Eric Mathis

Girl In Front of Mirror, Norman Rockwell, The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge (detail).

My 6 year old daughter Sierra, comes to my wife and I and presents what she is wearing and how she looks. She wants more than approval, she is seeking validation; for the choices she has made, yes, and she is looking for more, she wants to know that she is ok. The external validation supports and gives shape to how she thinks about herself.

The Triumph of Individual Style is a book that speaks to us in this way. We are able to find ourselves in these pages; the works of art teach our eyes to see and believe that we are beautiful.

Feeling beautiful and being Ok
are often the same thing to a girl.

If we are brought up in a home where this kind of external affirmation is non-existent we become alienated from our own bodies, we become split, our sense of self is diminished. The Triumph of Individual Style reconnects body, soul and spirit. It speaks clearly and directly to us in the loving tones of a parent with a vision for our wholeness.

Starting with the Introduction, Carla Mathis and co-author Helen Villa Connor place before us Norman Rockwell’s, Girl In Front of Mirror. They speak of the beast of self-hatred, that troll at the foot of the bridge that leads to self-acceptance, to a lifetime of being beautiful. It accuses; “I hate your nose. Your eyes are too small. Why does your hair have to be so curly? And my God, your feet are HUGE!”. Mirrors are designed to be our friends. They are often our enemy.

Using artworks from all over the world they present feminine beauty in all her lovely forms. In chapter 2, for example, they show us how to identify our bodies natural silhouette.

Are you a RECTANGLE?

(Your shoulders are as wide as your hips/thighs, your waist is relatively the same width)

Mars and Venus United by Love, Paolo Veronese, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1910 (detail).

Are you an OVAL?

(Your shoulders are narrower or as wide as your hips/thighs, your waist is wider)

Girl in Red, Edgar Degas, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Chester

Are you a FIGURE-EIGHT?

(Your shoulders are curved and as wide as your hips/thighs, your waist is narrower)

Parvati, standing, Islamic, Sculpture, South Indian, Chola Dynasty, ca. 900, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Cora Tinken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Tinken Burnett, 1956 (detail).

Are you an HOURGLASS?

(Your shoulders are square and as wide as your hips/thighs, your waist is narrower)

Madame X (Mme Gautreau), John Singer Sargent, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Arthur H. Hearn Fund, 1916 (detail).

Are you a TRIANGLE?

(Your shoulders and waist are narrower than your hips/thighs)

Bather Arranging Her Hair, Auguste Renoir, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Chester Dale Collection (detail).

Are you an INVERTED TRIANGLE?

(Your shoulders are wider than your waist and hips/thighs)

Nude, Roger de La Fresnaye, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Chester Dale Collection (detail).

In each of these beautiful paintings the artist has celebrated these women and their bodies AS THEY ARE. There are no value judgements! We look at these paintings and marvel at their beauty. The Triumph of Individual Style teaches us to look at our body’s with the eye of an artist.

You are a work of art.

To be painted by an artist is to see yourself in a new way. To see what she or he sees; an extraordinary creature with a form unlike any other!

This book elevates self-perception to an art form. It guides us step-by-step through every feature and facet of our bodies on a journey of self discovery, a journey of self-acceptance at a level that is at once new and as old as art itself. We have forgotten how to perceive ourselves aright. We have forgotten how beautiful we are.

work_of_Art This book will help you recapture a childlike wonder at how you are made. It will change how you approach getting dressed in the morning. It will transform what for many of us has been a painful reminder of our own failings (Putting on clothes and still not looking as good as we had hoped) into an opportunity to express what is unique about us, to affirm what we now know to be true; we are beautiful and worthy of recognition.

We know how to admire paintings. Let’s learn how to admire ourselves.

In each chapter you will learn how to make the connection between an element of art and your body (In the example above, you learn how to identify the SHAPE of your body’s natural silhouette). You then learn how that art element translates into selecting clothing and accessories that are in harmony and balance with your body. You become a living work of art.

art-to-body

There has never been a book like this one that not only helps us to see ourselves as works of art, but also teaches us step-by-step how to create a beautiful and artful composition every day.

As a father, I am in awe of my daughter. As a son, I am in awe of my mother. She has created something (So beautifully expressed with co-author Helen Villa Connor) that teaches us all how to see ourselves in a new way. I use this language with my daughter all the time. It has helped me see myself in a new light as I look in the mirror every morning and throughout the day. I look at myself with affirmation now. The negative, critical thoughts have been replaced with a new language, the language of art and affirmation.

Thank you mom for a new vision. It is now up to us to open our eyes and hearts to this new way of seeing ourselves and other people. Together, let’s make the world a more beautiful place.

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Want to learn more? Watch webinars with chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of “The Triumph of Individual Style” with co-author Carla Mathis interacting with participants to demonstrate and apply the concepts.

Get the Book & webinar walkthough here

Style Lessons From The World’s First Size 22 Supermodel

July 8, 2015/1 Comment/in Blog, Featured /by Carla Mathis

Bravo, Tess! Congrats on your cover for People Magazine last month, “The World’s First Size 22 Supermodel!” You are an inspiration. Finally, all of our bodies are being celebrated in print. Tess made her dream of being a model happen. What an encouragement for women the world over…of all sizes and shapes to go after our dreams…to embrace our beauty.

So, how does Tess do it? What tips can we pick-up to make our plus size and full figured bodies work for us at play, at work and on camera?

First, Tess intuitively chooses clothes that work for her Figure-eight silhouette.

Tip 1: Discovering your Body’s Silhouette is the first step to creating looks that flatter your body from every angle.

Tess’s shoulders and hips are relatively the same width, while her waist is smaller, creating a classic figure-eight.

Let’s look at how Tess accentuates her small waist. She has a high hip with a shelf right below her waistline. She places her hands on that shelf, drawing attention to her small waist. Voila, a great pose for her and anyone with a figure-eight!

Tip 2: Tess takes advantage of her beautiful skin and balances her body’s width proportions with those deep wide necklines.

Her shoulders are proportionally wide for the width of her face. Showing all that skin focuses attention on her face and allows us to enjoy her gorgeous complexion.

Her long full hair balances her shoulders, and also balances her long torso.

Tip 3: Tess wears high heels to elongate her short legs relative to her long torso.

Her high heels draw a long line up her leg so we don’t notice that her legs are relatively short. She’s also showing skin below her ankle teasing our eye to travel quickly up from her feet to her beautiful face.

Ok, so what about the rest of us? How can we make ourselves look this good?

Let’s start with Tip 1: Discovering your Body’s Silhouette.

Are you a Rectangle?

If so, don’t even think about highlighting your waist! Instead find a garment with a deep and dramatic neckline that highlights your beautiful upper chest…. Then have the garment drop tunic length and wear slightly narrower skirt or leggings. Choose sassy shoes, and no one will notice that your waist has gone into hiding!

Are you an Oval?

You’re wider thorough the tummy and chest area but narrower through the thigh and hip. Highlight your shoulders with an interesting neckline or collar and have what you’re wearing on top slip right on by your not really there waist. Bring attention to your relatively narrow hip with a sash or scarf. Show off your curvy legs with a pencil skirt that peeks below that hip band, and va va voom— you’re looking gorgeous!

Are you a Triangle?

Your thighs are wider than your hip and shoulder. That pencil skirt is not for you, my dear. Worse, a pair of white jeans that shout, “Look down here at my behind and not at my face!”. Your deliciously sensual and curvy body is asking for a lighter color on top and a nice flared skirt (Gently flaring from your thighs) or a flared trouser. Flare is your friend. Leggings and pencil skirts—the enemy!

Are you an Inverted Triangle?

Your shoulders and chest are wider than your hips. Now, you have the body that IS asking for leggings and pencil skirts! Accentuating your slim legs and feet is dreamy. Flared skirts on you “box” out your natural V silhouette. Draw attention to the slim end of your triangle. The eye will then dance back up to your face for balance.

Remember the great Diana Vreeland’s maxim, “The eye has to travel.” She ruled the fashion world as editor of Vogue for all those years for good reason.

Alright, Tip 2: Proportion.

No matter what your size, if you dress for your height and width proportions, you will look terrific. It is all about your face. Balancing the width and length of your head and face to the rest of your body is a secret used by all the top fashion stylists and photographers.

Is your torso long or short relative to your head and face?
Are your legs long or short relative to your head, face and body?
Is your face wide or narrow relative to your shoulders and hips?

For example, this beautiful woman on the right has picked a perfect dress for her body. She has wide shoulders and upper arms relative to the width of her face.

By opening the neckline to her shoulder, our eye rests on her face and then jumps down to her curvy leg revealed by the medium length slit. Brilliant. Do we care that she has a tummy?! Do we even notice, she’s gorgeous!

Queen Latifah got it right! The lighter color draped blouse shows off her beautiful neckline as well as diminishes her tummy. The loose deeper-colored jacket slides right by her waist… We don’t care if she has one or not…. We only look at her beautiful smile and presence.

Discovering your body’s silhouette along with your width and length proportions are only two of the many features we analyze to reveal your unique VIDA Signature. Visual IDentity Analysis (VIDA) is a new way of looking at your body and your self. Seeing yourself in a new way and learning techniques to make who you are beautiful every day is what we do at The Style Core.

Tess, you inspire us! Let’s celebrate our beauty and make tomorrow the day we too become memorable, more ourselves, more at home in our own skin.

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Want more resources to help you look your best? Find options here.

Living from the Center

June 8, 2015/1 Comment/in Blog /by Eric Mathis

Living from the center of who you are always leads to the most rewarding life. Locating the center, finding what’s essential about your identity, about what makes you special is not always easy. Very few of us are raised to cherish these discoveries. We all have them growing up; those moments when we connect with something in the created world, a sound, a fragrance, a way of putting things together that resonates down to our core. We need help capturing these moments, identifying and naming them as central to our existence. There is something about them that speaks to our reason for being, our calling, our destiny.

The Style Core was created to help you gather these discoveries, reconnect with past moments of “Aha!”, learn how to identify what makes you special and never let go.

Here’s a surprising exercise to help you touch your center.

Create a Pinterest board or pull together 10 images that you absolutely love from favorite magazines. Next, describe in descriptive phrases or several short sentences why you love each place or beautiful thing.

Spoiler Alert: It’ll be more meaningful if you gather your favorites together first, before reading on

Surprise, you’ve just described yourself! That’s right. The same qualities that you love in your favorite places and things are qualities that you have as a person. Its easy to describe why we like our favorites, its harder to identify who we are, to describe our essential qualities and characteristics. We have so little practice. Identifying our favorites, we do this all the time.

Ready for another surprise? Your favorite places and things look like you. You are attracted to places and things that share the same design signatures as your body. The same line, shape, form, proportion, scale, color and texture. See VIDA Styling for a deeper explanation.

Erin’s favorites share the same inherent color palette as her hair, skin and eyes. She loves the cool blues and greens of her eyes, the sun-lit earth tones of her hair, the soft reds of her lips. Her descriptive phrases speak directly to who she is as a person.

As some one who has known Erin for a long time, I can attest to the accuracy. Even the phrase “mosaics” is so her. She is always pulling together colorful moments into a beautiful whole. This is who she is, what she does, how she lives. Erin’s Favorites Board is a reminder to her of the many ways she is special, to those of us who love her it helps us to see her more clearly.

Once you have your Favorites Board together, share it with your friends. Their affirmation will enrich your friendship and encourage you to share more of your self and your story.

Live from the center where you belong. It’s where your friends want you to be. It’s where life becomes more beautiful, more meaningful, more yours.

You can be guided through this entire process inside Your Million Dollar Look, an online style coaching program led by Erin and Carla Mathis. Start with the complimentary Free Masterclass right here. Trust me, it’s worth your time for this valuable resource.

Reflections of Self

March 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Carla Mathis

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we have it not.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882).

When you are ready to go out the door, and check the mirror for that last-moment look, you might say, “Wow, this is good.” If you can say this and mean it, you are one of a small percentage of women who likes her reflection. If, however, you give a sigh or a groan it’s important to know what prompted that sigh or groan. Is it your body? You might wonder why you were born the way you are, and would like to change things about your body. What would you change if you had a magic wand? What is your list? Whatever it’s, there are ways to dress in a way for you and your friends,and everyone you meet to say, “Wow, she’s beautiful!”

The form, shapes, proportions of your body are what make you distinctive and memorable. It’s critical to the health of your soul that you begin to honor your body and speak encouraging words about yourself. Rather than saying you have thunder thighs, or saddle bags, you might say you have a full womanly curve in your thigh that is asking for skirts that gracefully flow over the thigh and continue on out in the form of an A-line skirt or bell-bottom pants. As you begin to speak positive messages to yourself you begin to see possibility for your individual beauty and style.

It could be that you think your body is fine but you still don’t like your reflection. Trust that something is wrong with the picture in the mirror. Your clothes might be too bright or too dull. Your accessories too flashy, or you need to accessorize your outfit. Maybe you don’t know how to apply makeup, or you need a new hairdo. It could be that you simply want to make the most of how you look. The reality is: You don’t have to change your body, you probably need to change your clothing…. Or your makeup, or your hairstyle.

Diana’s story

Diana came to me having no idea how to dress her size fourteen, five foot eleven inch body. She had a large head for her short waisted, long legged body that looked even larger because of her short permed hair and old-fashioned owl-eyed glasses. She did not wear makeup, and felt hopeless in the beauty department. In her words, her mouth was too big, her eyes too tiny, her bust too small, and her hips too big. Not only that; she was too tall, and her legs were bowed! She was shy and unsure of her social skills so hid herself on the night shift of a large hospital.

After working together for the few months it took for her to believe she had a beautiful body it was as though a magic wand had been waved. She stopped perming her hair, and had grown it to shoulder length, bought new glasses, gone on a major shopping excursion, taken a trip to the tailor, and booked a session with a makeup artist who taught her ‘natural’ makeup techniques. Her self-esteem catapulted, heads of friends and strangers alike turned when she came into a room, and she had the confidence to pursue her hidden dream of becoming a graphic designer.

Choices

January 12, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Carla Mathis

What size mirror do you have at home? Do you have a full length one or a small mirror to use when putting on makeup? If you want to do what it takes to see and celebrate your beauty, get a full length mirror!

Whatever your body…. if you feel you can’t possibly be beautiful because you are too plain, too heavy, too thin, too hippy, too flat or some other “too,” know your perception is not true. You have three more choices:

You can continue to see yourself as ‘less than’. In which case you can keep reading these blogs to explore the possibility you might be wrong.
You can deny that one’s looks make a difference, in which case, keep on reading these blogs to discover that this statement is false. How one looks does make a difference, in both how others perceive you and how you feel about yourself.
Learn to showcase your features as beautifully unique.

Whether you choose one, two, or three, we will start at the beginning in the upcoming blogs to answer three fundamental questions:

What is beauty? Why is beauty important?, and… How do I begin?

How do you begin? First learn to see the beauty of your body as it’s now. Every form and shape, shadow and contour has the potential for creative expression in clothes you choose to wear. You can train your eye to see your beauty potential regardless of your size and shape. Second, learn to choose clothes and accessories that highlight your personality, Third, develop skills to use makeup and choose hairstyles that enhance your features and relate to your clothes and lifestyle. A beautiful reflection in the mirror depends on the total picture.

Virginia

Overweight by 150 pounds, Virginia had no clothes that fit her softly curved oval- silhouetted body.

She so hated her reflection that she dreaded going into a fitting room. Mirrors were her enemy. The only clothes that fit over her tummy were huge through the shoulder and hip, making her look like a shapeless lump with a tiny head on top. Once she began to see her body as an artistic shape very much like a bouquet of large peonies, she began the radical process of changing her self-hating talk and thought patterns. She started practicing self-encouragement thinking, which allowed her to the stop being a victim of available clothing. She took control of the way she looked. After buying the tent shaped clothing that fit over her tummy, she would march down to the alternations department and have the tops re-cut through the shoulders and the skirts and trousers tapered below her thigh and tummy. She changed the jewel necklines to large scoop necklines in order to frame her full rounded face. She shortened long sleeves to three-quarter length and made vents at the bottom of the side seams of her tunic-length overtops to give room for her thighs. She chose colors that repeated her blue green eyes and chocolate-rose skin. Shoes were a challenge until she found a catalog that carried an extra-wide a simple flat in a smoky taupe that related to her smoky deep brown hair. A long, soft rectangular chiffon scarf and pearl earrings that related to the whites of her delicate almond-shaped eyes finished her creative ensemble. Taking control of the possibility for beauty, resulted in self-confidence and self-acceptance. Her weight might be important for her health, but it’s not for her beauty.

Beauty, Nature, and You

January 9, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Carla Mathis

“Every soul yearns for the Beautiful”
Beauty —John O’Donohue

Nature holds the key to Beauty. How do you feel when you come across some scene in nature or a magnificent-to-you flower? Whether grand in scale, or dainty in detail, beauty brings joy and a sense of wellbeing. There’s not one definition of beauty. Look at the thousands of different types of flowers: some are big, some small; some have frilly petals, others pointed ones; some have many petals, others few, yet, we don’t say one flower is more beautiful than another because it’s different. Some are fragrant, others merely beautiful to see. We don’t try to make a rose less a rose or an orchid less an orchid.

You can look at differences in women in the same way. Some of us are large-scale with large features; others have small-scale delicate ones. Some of us are curved and others straight. As there is beauty in every flower, there is potential for beauty in every body and every face.

Start at the beginning

What distinctive body features do you feel keep you from being beautiful? What would you change if you could? Divide a paper into three columns and list what you would change.

In the first column write down what you would like to change:

– Is it your shape? (Surely, God could not have intended your hips to be so big, so small; so rounded, or so flat!)

– Your hair… (Couldn’t it be straighter, or have some curl; be thicker, thinner?)

– Your eyes… (Couldn’t they be larger, smaller, not so slanted, or less ordinary?)

– Perhaps your body is crooked or your breasts too small, too big, too high, too low, too close together, too far apart.

– What about your freckles or the acne scars, the hair on your arms, the size of your hands, the turn up or down of your nose, your tummy, your thighs?

You might be thinking that there had to have been a cosmic mistake! Surely, you would be beautiful if some things on your body-list changed! The radical truth here is that there has not been a mistake. For whatever reason, no one taught you to see the beautiful truth of your body as it’s right now. You have not learned to dress and to choose hairstyles and makeup that showcase your unique expression and posibility of beauty.

In the second column opposite each item you listed in column one, identify where your negative body attitude originated. Was it your brother, mother, father, aunt? How we think of ourselves is based on our life experience, and especially on comments of friends, relatives, and acquaintances—well meant or otherwise. An off hand comment like, “Too bad you have thighs like Aunt Velma,” gives a clear message that you are less than, and not quite good enough to beautiful. What were the comments you took into your heart? When did you start to feel dissatisfied with your body?

Perhaps it was not been safe to be beautiful, or some adult told you it was not important to be beautiful, or you compared yourself to some picture in a magazine, or a sibling or classmate teased you, (all in fun that was not fun to you). Each of us has a story to tell around this second column.

Your challenge is to replace the negative attitudes about your body with positive ones.

Column three. Leave this column blank until you discover a positive attitude replacement.

[Illustrate the following example ]

Column 1: overlarge derriere

Column 2: older brother teased me about this

Column 3: Sensuous, feminine derriere that is sassy like a Rodin beauty. I can wear clothes to show it off: Form-fitting dress with interesting detail at the back, or a swinging skirt that sways when I walk, and sassy high heels.

Somewhere along the way to complete attitude adjustment, physically get rid of your old negative ones. On a slip of paper, copy each negative attitude you listed in column one. Place the slips in a box; close the lid tightly, and put the box on a shelf you rarely use, never be opened again—we hope. You can physically do this exercise, or imagine yourself doing it. Once you put all those slips of paper in your box, you can choose to bury the box in the yard, throw it in the garbage, or burn it. Your goal is to one-by-one get rid of the first column attitudes and start living with third column positive, soul-nourishing messages about you.

Next, on another sheet of paper make a list of what you like about your body and your personality. Do you like your eyes, your smile, your ankles, your shoulders, or your waist? Remember when someone complimented you about some aspect of your personality. Are you friendly, helpful, kind? Do your eyes sparkle? Do you have a quick smile? As you start focusing on these aspects of you it will become easier to see the gift of each of the items you listed in column one of the first sheet.