Luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. has unveiled a beautiful engagement ad featuring a same-sex couple, a first in the brand’s history.

The ad shows a gay couple sitting on the stoop of a New York City apartment, and is part of the brand’s new ‘Will You?’ campaign to show the diverse love stories of seven real-life couples.

“Nowadays, the road to marriage is no longer linear, and true love can happen more than once with love stories coming in a variety of forms. The Tiffany engagement ring is the first sentence of the story that a couple will write together as they create a life that is deeply intimate and exceptional, which is the message we hope to convey through this campaign,” said Tiffany & Co. PR spokeswoman Linda Buckley to Elle.

As gay and lesbian couples become more accepted in society, it’s heartwarming to see the brand embracing the LGBTQ community with this progressive statement.

‘Instabreasts’ is a revolutionary new procedure that gives women the chance to temporarily experience the effects of breast augmentation before deciding whether to go for permanent implants. Offered by New York plastic surgeon Dr. Norman Rowe, the procedure involves injecting saline solution right into the breast.

Credit: YouTube Caption

“I don’t think there is any way currently available other than the Instabreast to give a patient an adequate representation of what a breast implant would feel inside of the body,” Dr. Rowe explained. The procedure is rather simple – he inserts a needle directly through the areola and injects about eight ounces of saline into each breast.

32-year-old Katie, who recently got Instabreasts, said: “The first second, when I saw myself in the mirror, I was in shock. This is really my body?” It was of course, but only for 24 hours, which is how long the effect of the saline solution lasts. And Katie loved the temporary effect so much that she decided to go ahead with permanent breast augmentation.

Credit: ABC News video caption

“I’m finding that about 75 percent of the patients that have the Instabreasts do go ahead and have the breast augmentation surgery,” Dr. Rowe said. “But I think the reciprocal of that is probably more important. Twenty five percent of the patients who had this decided that breast augmentation surgery was not for them.”

Instabreasts cost $2,500, and Dr. Rowe performs about six to eight procedures per week. Critics say it can cause some bruising, and because a needle is used, there is also the risk of infection. If a woman who can’t make up er mind decided to get Instabreasts several times, she risks stretching the skin and getting some nasty marks, but Rowe insists that he isn’t interested in offering this multiple times to the same patient.

“For lack of a better term, try it before you buy it,” he said. “It gets rid of that buyer’s remorse.” In the meantime, he is working on a longer lasting version of Instabreasts called ‘Vacation Breasts’, which may last up to two to three weeks!

In the age of Instagram anyone can be a blogger, but it takes something special to make a million-pound career out of pouting and posing. Laura Craik meets the personal style bloggers winning on the web.

Credit: Haute

Waltzing through Mulberry HQ in Kensington, picking out anything you fancy from the rails, sounds like a fantasy. For Ella Catliff, 23, it’s an average morning. Catliff is not a starlet being dressed for awards season; her red carpet is the pavement. Her blog, La Petite Anglaise, is at the vanguard (in Britain, at least) of that popular phenomenon known as personal style blogging. Critics might dismiss the practice as one giant ego trip, but it’s easy to be jealous of someone who makes more money in a week attending parties, hosting store launches and posting photos of herself in various outfits than most women her age do in a month. Actually, make that six months.

Catliff started her blog at the suggestion of her mother Anne, an artist and jewellery designer, who thought it would give her daughter something to do while she interned for a now-defunct label in Paris. ‘There was a lot of Googling how to do stuff,’ she says. ‘My pictures were crap. I was literally asking a stranger on the street to take a picture of me.’ She now has 23,300 Instagram followers, 10,600 Twitter followers and her blog receives 80,000 visitors a month. She won’t reveal her earnings, but says: ‘They’re definitely enough to live off, and going up.’ While most people’s cack-handed selfies will invoke a handful of thumbs-up emojis on Instagram, Catliff and her ilk have turned their photos into pounds.

Credit: Vanessa Jackman

Personal style blogging is nothing new, but it’s only now that the financial opportunities it offers are being recognised. Lured by the idea of big bucks and free clothes, thousands of blogs now exist featuring gorgeous girls in fabulous outfits. The website Fashionista recently listed its 20 Most Influential Personal Style Bloggers Right Now, crunching numbers aggregated from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest followers, as well as website traffic, brand extension and the more nebulous ‘It factor’, gained from ‘talking to industry insiders about whom advertisers are loving, and who is moving the most products via affiliate links’. The winner? Chiara Ferragni, who blogs as The Blonde Salad. According to industry bible WWD, Ferragni stood to make £5.3m in 2014.

Credit: Highsnobiety

How did dressing up in skorts, Dior trainers and a Kate Spade handbag become so lucrative? The short answer is that big brands have been experimenting with native advertising, sometimes known as ‘creative content’, forming a bridge between advertising and editorial. But while glossy fashion bibles have struggled to integrate native advertising into their existing formats, bloggers are perfectly placed to offer it organically. The best bloggers already have meaningful relationships with their readers. Their ability to storytell, and offer deeper context, has huge value for fashion brands. As it becomes harder to differentiate between one premium product and the next, the ability to create an emotional relationship, and an ongoing conversation, has become increasingly important. As Sabina Szymura, press officer for Mulberry, says: ‘Normally, customers just see the clothes in a shop, or on a website. When Ella wears Mulberry, and blogs about it, it gives them a bit of insight, as well as ideas of how they can style it on themselves.’

‘You might see a Mulberry item in the pages of a magazine,’ Catliff adds, ‘but the user journey is so much longer. By the time you get to the store, the product might not be in, or you might have forgotten about it.’

Credit: Glamour Magazine

Catliff started La Petite Anglaise in 2010, which makes her one of the first wave of fashion bloggers. A lot has changed in five years and she now finds herself with infinitely more competition than when she first started out. To stay on top, you have to keep moving: Catliff plans to start a YouTube channel soon. She is managed by Storm Vision, the digital and broadcast division of the modelling agency that represents Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss. ‘Storm is very innovative in all things digital,’ Catliff admits. She is also highly visible on the London party scene, where her well-dressed, photogenic presence (she used to be a model) ensures regular coverage in the glossies. Her working days can be up to 18 hours long. Evenings may be glamorous, but her days are spent working from her flat in Olympia, uploading content to her site. She recently advertised for an intern and was surprised to receive ‘over a hundred’ applications.

Read more at London Evening Standard.

It isn't a fashion faux pas in your Instagram feed — celebrities and women around the world are smearing their lipstick for a good cause.

Credit: Mashable

The #SmearforSmear social media campaign and hashtag, spearheaded by UK-based organization Jo's Cancer Trust, successfully raised awareness during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January. Participants posted selfies with smeared lipstick, encouraging women to get regular Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer. Then, similar to the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, they nominate friends and family to do the same.

Cervical cancer, usually linked to serious cases of the HPV virus, is the most common cancer in women under 35 in the UK (eight women are diagnosed every day). It's the third most common cancer for women worldwide.

In the U.S., more than 12,000 women are diagnosed every year, and more than 4,000 die.

As many as 8 million adult American women haven't had the necessary checkup in the past five years.

Pap tests can detect early signs of cervical cancer for early treatment, and can also find abnormal cervical cells before they turn into cancer cells, saving countless lives. Women between the ages of 21 and 65 are recommended to get tested every three years, according to new guidelines.

As of this writing, more than 1,200 images show up under the #SmearforSmear hashtag on Instagram, with more on Twitter and Facebook. Public figures, including model Georgia May Jagger and musician Rita Ora, are getting involved — and you can, too.

Cervical Cancer Campaign #smearforsmear @JoTrust I nominate @sukiwaterhouse @caradelevingne @jasminebydesign

A photo posted by Georgia May Jagger (@georgiamayjagger) on Jan 27, 2015 at 6:46am PST

Cervical cancer campaign #smear4smear I nominate @elizhilfigz @officialjdunn @elenaora #jo'scervicalcancertrust

A photo posted by Rita Ora (@ritaora) on Jan 28, 2015 at 12:07am PST

Stand up to cervical cancer with #SmearForSmear selfie. (Photography @amytroostphotography, Fashion Director @alastairmckimmstylist Make-up @Yadim1, The Beautiful Issue, No. 334, Winter 2014)

A photo posted by i-D (@id_magazine) on Jan 28, 2015 at 6:59am PST

Osons contre le cancer du col de l'utérus. #SmearforSmear #smearforsmear #CervicalCancerCampaign #todaredo #cancer #metiss #redlips #love #healthy #fitnessgirl #métisse #reunionisland #mixed #chinese #blond #picoftheday

A photo posted by @goldn_metisse on Jan 28, 2015 at 6:50am PST

Help prevent cervical cancer with @jotrust. 25th-31st of January is cervical cancer prevention week !!! 1 in 3 women aged between 25 and 29 do not take up their smear test invitation. Cervical cancer can be prevented. Get your smear and reduce your risk #smearforsmear

A photo posted by KIREN DHAMI MUA (@kiren_dhami) on Jan 25, 2015 at 9:13am PST

Our brand executive @nancy_m_g is supporting #CCPW with her #smearforsmear lipstick selfie! Have you done yours?

A photo posted by Irwin Mitchell (@irwin_mitchell) on Jan 26, 2015 at 11:27pm PST

You can follow along with the #SmearforSmear hashtag and the curated page on Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust's website. Learn more about cervical cancer and the Pap smear screening test here.

Source: Mashable

Many see these apps as new avenues to look for extramarital affairs and intercourse.

Messaging apps have always been a tool for us to communicate with one another. There was a time when we used to use the native messaging feature on phones to send text messages to one another, but that is now a thing of the past.

Some may view messaging as a utility, but fundamentally, messaging is the most important reasons for owning a smartphone. This is why we have seen messaging apps such as LINE, WeChat, Viber, Telegram, BeeTalk and more explode in popularity over the past few years.

In October last year, LINE revealed that it had 170 million monthly active users, out of over 560 million registered users. WeChat on the other hand, revealed that it had over 468.1 million active users in the third quarter of 2014.

Credit: wechat.com

With the high number of users on these messaging platforms, it’s evident that many turn to them not just as tools to connect with friends and family, but also to discover other users through built-in features on these messaging apps. Within WeChat, for instance, there’s a nifty ‘People Nearby’ tab which allows you to browse and search for similar users near you, and connect with them. This is the same for BeeTalk, where you can discover new friends in the vicinity and chat them up.

While these features are built in to encourage more user activity, as well as to boost the social aspects of the app, many see them as new avenues to look for extramarital affairs and intercourse. AsiaOne did a story on this a while back, where they spoke to WeChat user George (an alias), 39, who claimed to have used WeChat to hook up with over 20 ladies in six months.

“I begin with small speak earlier than paying a lady compliments to make her really feel particular. I lead into the subject of intercourse by asking about her intercourse life and from there, the texts develop into extra flirtatious and sexual – typically, we might find yourself sending raunchy pictures or movies to one another,” George told Asia One.

Repercussions? Definitely not for George, as his spouse has yet to discover his various hunts on the chat app. In just a few clicks, George said, he is able to sign out of the app.

WeChat shake feature connects you to someone randomly who is also using the same feature.

We Saw It With Our Own Eyes

So how true is it that creepy guys lurk around on WeChat every day, on the hunt for unsuspecting female users? To test this out for ourselves, we signed up for an account as a female on WeChat, and switched on the ‘Discover’ feature, allowing other users to contact us. For purposes of the experiment, we limited contact to texting only, and no telephone calls or meet ups (for obvious reasons).

And what we found out was astonishing: within an hour of switching on the discovery feature on WeChat, we received over 100 greeting messages from male users near us. We chatted with some of them, and over the subsequent days, most of the male users made clear their intent to ask us (the ‘female’ user) out. One was even more direct and went straight for the kill, posting sexual photos in hopes that we would reciprocate. There were also others who shared their sexual experiences with us.

The greeting messages we received within an hour.

Well that escalated quickly.

Interestingly, more than 80% of the male users whom we chatted with asked us the same question: “Are you local Chinese?”, indicating a preference for local Singaporean girls. We usually said yes, following which, they would ask about our occupations and where we lived. There were even some who confessed their love for us, despite not having prior meet-ups at all.

Most of the interactions took place at night time, as most of the male users were out earning their keep during the day. The frequency of messages and connection requests also went up at nighttime.

While this experiment on WeChat was taking place, we did the same on another chat app called BeeTalk. We observed similar behaviours.

BeeTalk Chat

We ended this social experiment in just 3 days, though we still get the occasional “Hey babe” from some persistent guys.

Now that we’ve seen how this function really works for Singapore-based girls, should guys even try, since they can now see that they’re just one in thousands of guys? It must be obvious that it’s impossible to fight for attention, even for the desperate.

As for girls, it’s important to remember that as we begin to move towards a digital lifestyle, with our digital footprints all over the Internet, we should probably be more careful when we connect with strangers online. You know what they say: better safe than sorry.

Credit: theFashionSpot

Fashion Month went across the pond last month to London, where beauty looks ruled some of the catwalks. Hairstylist Anthony Turner had models at Erdem looking like beautiful 60s screen sirens, taking hair inspiration from Hitchcock films, while makeup artist Val Garland went sequin-happy in the best way possible at Temperley London, where models had the most playful look of the week. Check out the rest of the hair and makeup highlights from the Fall 2015 runways below.

Topshop Unique

Credit: theFashionSpot

Hannah Murray for Topshop Unique noted models Stella Tennant and Jean Campbell as makeup inspiration for the healthy and fresh windswept makeup with a natural flush.

Giles

Credit: theFashionSpot

Black, witchy lips were juxtaposed with a prim and proper schoolgirl-like braid adorned with a bow.

Christopher Kane

Credit: theFashionSpot

Strong eyebrows against nude skin was the look Lucia Pieroni created for models using NARS cosmetics.

Matthew Williamson

Credit: theFashionSpot

The loose, undone curls with mega volume were giving us major boho vibes with a touch of glamour on this catwalk.

Burberry Prorsum

Credit: theFashionSpot

Using Burberry makeup, artist Wendy Rowe gave models a charcoal smoky eye with a hit of green for a modern take.

House of Holland

Credit: theFashionSpot

The bold, graphic eyeliner that covered almost the entire lids was DIY-inspired in the best way possible.

Read more at theFashionSpot.

Ladies, take note of these facets of fashion that—over time—could be damaging to our bodies and our overall well-being.

Credit: Huffington Post

We all know that fashion can be a lot of things: exciting, transformative, communicative, and most importantly: fun. That said, there are some facets of fashion that—over time—could be damaging our bodies and our overall well-being (yeah, we know: not so fun). We’re talking about the actual things that we put on our bodies, as well as mind-sets we adopt for the sake of “looking the part,” which often means you’re not actually channeling legitimate style so much as you’re regurgitating what’s “now” as dictated by hoards of other people.

To explain what fashion habits—both literal and figurative—that could be doing potential damage, we enlisted Will Torres, a health and fitness expert and owner of Willspace, a private training studio in New York City. Read on to educate yourself!

1. Teetering On High Heels

Credit: SHEFINDS

Probably one of the worst things you can do for your body alignment is wear high heels. According to Torres, walking on the ball of your feet forces your torso to lean forward, simultaneously forcing women to straighten out by leaning back. This puts an incredible amount of stress on the spine and compresses its discs over time. It’s really important to remember that injury is cumulative: It generally doesn’t happen overnight. It can take weeks, months, or years of altered movement to show up as discomfort which often presents itself as cramping in the toes and calves, and pain in the back and hips.

While there might not be many things that boost a woman’s confidence quite like a killer pair of heels, they can be a serious hazard, causing an incredible amount of pain and discomfort. Luckily, however, it seems heel heights have reached an all-time high and are starting to fall, which is good news for shoppers, as lower heels are everywhere, and really, really cute.

2. Lugging Around That “It” Bag

Credit: Kayture

The bigger the bag, the more things we find to fill the bag. Torres points out that women typically carry purses on one side, either on the shoulder or perched on their lower arm/crook of their elbow. This uneven weight distribution prompts the body to shift causing muscle imbalances and a slew of alignment issues, such as one shoulder being more developed and sitting higher than other (not a good look).

It can also create pain in the spine because the torso shifts to counterbalance the uneven weight. In addition, heavy bags can lead to neck discomfort and shoulder pain. A solution: Give your body a break and carry a small light bag a few days a week that’s free of extraneous objects: We’re partial to canvas totes, leather pouches or a paper-thin backpack so long as they’re generally un-stuffed.

3. Dieting and Striving for “Fashion Skinny”

Credit: Fashion Zoom

Even though Torres admits that Americans might eat too much as a culture, seriously restricting your food intake for the sake of looking “fashion skinny” can actually cause your metabolism to slow down and your body to store more fat.

While young adults who don’t eat regularly may see an initial decrease in body size, by the time they hit 30 years old, Torres says that their metabolism will be so slow that even looking at food the wrong way can cause weight gain. Along with a slowdown in metabolism, people who “don’t eat” wind up snacking, often taking in excessive sugar which is vile for the body and (ironically!) causes bloating and swelling.

Read more at StyleCaster.

Birth control may be a gal's best friend... but, could it also be a health threat?

Credit: SheKnows

Every once in a while, reports surface about the negative effects of birth control. The latest one involves Danish research that linked women with brain tumors.

In the study, the researchers found that women under 50 years of age with a rare brain tumor were 90 percent more likely to have used hormonal birth control. Despite the results, the lead researcher said that's no excuse to stop taking birth control. The condition is extremely rare — about five in 100,000 people develop glioma each year.

"It is important to keep this apparent increase in risk in context," Dr. David Gaist, of the Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, said in a statement. Regardless, The study raises the questions: Can you be on birth control for too long and not put your health at risk?

Dr. Draion Burch, an OB-GYN known as Dr. Drai, said women need to weigh the risks of taking birth control and compare them to the benefits.

"Ladies who took birth control for more than five years may have a higher risk of developing a brain tumor," he said, noting that the risk was higher in women who took progesterone-only birth control.

Credit: guardianlv.com

"There are risks for taking birth control," he said. "Some side effects of birth control are risk of cervical cancer, blood clots, strokes and heart attack." And according to the National Cancer Institute, while oral birth control seems to lower the risks of endometrial and ovarian cancer, it seems to boost the risk of breast, cervical and liver cancer.

Still, Dr. Jill Hechtman, the medical director of Tampa Obstetrics in Tampa, Florida, said the study should not be cause for alarm.

"Right now there are very positive attributes of the pill," she said, citing that it can prevent ovarian cancer after seven years of use, can thwart ovarian cysts, prevent acne, regulate periods, ease treatment, help treat endometriosis and more.

How long is too long for birth control?

Hechtman said there is not a specific time period when women should stop taking birth control — other than when they want to have children.

"I tell my patients who are trying to conceive that they should think ahead and be off birth control for three months prior to getting pregnant," she said. "This gives you the opportunity to get prenatal vitamins started as well as building up the lining of your uterus, the endometrium."

Credit: Women's Health Magazine

And Fox News reported on a study in Human Reproduction which reported that women who used the pill for more than five years were more likely to conceive within six months to a year compared to those who never took it.

Otherwise, women can stop taking birth control when they go into menopause, Drai said. Again, best to talk to a doctor about your personal health history and medical needs.

"You can safely take birth control for a long period of time," Hechtman confirms.

Dr. Shannon K. Laughlin-Tommaso, published a medical opinion with the Mayo Clinic about the risks of long-term birth control use. She said women who are generally healthy can use birth control up until they hit menopause.

"This applies to combination and progestin-only birth control pills for women who are nonsmokers and progestin-only birth control pills for younger women who are smokers," she said in a statement.

Interestingly enough, Laughlin-Tommaso noted that there are no health perks to taking a break from birth control. So, happy pill popping.

Source: SheKnows

Google is cracking down on adult content posted to its popular Blogger service.

Credit: globalnews.ca

The company started notifying users that they have until March 23 to delete “images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity.”

Google said it will not delete existing blogs that haven’t been purged of explicit content by March 23 but warned it will set them to “private” — meaning only the user and people with whom he/she has directly shared the blog will be able to view it.

Blogs violating the new content policy that are created after the deadline may be removed, Google cautioned.

Credit: Engadget

“We’ll still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts, or where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content,” reads a message sent to users.

Google blogs have “blogger” or “blogspot” in the URLs.

The company, which has not yet responded to Global News inquiries, has not given a reason for the changes.

Nor has Google said how many users are affected by the new policy, although the figure is believed to be in the millions.

According to its existing content policy for Blogger, Google states that adult content is allowed, “including images or videos that contain nudity or sexual activity,” and that “censoring this content is contrary to a service that bases itself on freedom of expression.”

Blogger sites with adult content are currently required to have a warning that reads: “The blog that you are about to view may contain content only suitable for adults.”

Credit: globalnews.ca

Blogger currently does not allow photos or videos that depict or encourage “rape, incest, bestiality or necrophilia” as well as any content that exploits children. It also bans inclusion of advertisements for commercial porn sites.

Blogging service WordPress allows blogs with adult content as long as they are “marked as Mature in our system” but it warns against posting “sexual materials that can be considered pornographic, such as images or video of explicit sexual acts or close-up images of genitalia.”

Popular free blogging service Tumblr currently does not prohibit photos and videos containing nudity and sexual activity.

“We have no problem with that kind of stuff. Go nuts. Show nuts. Whatever,” reads the adult content policy.

Tumblr’s parent company, Yahoo!, boasts that it hosts more than 221 million blogs.

Source: globalnews.ca

If the Fall 2015 fashion shows have taught us anything, it isn’t that toddlers should be wearing bulletproof vests or that we should be buying sheer skin-colored leotards, it is that you need to be enhancing your eyes.

Credit: The Gloss

And your regular black liner isn’t going to cut it–unless you are planning to draw your cat eye upside down. The New York and London shows have given us a wide variety of new ways to enhance our eyes from water droplet lashes to look-at-me colorful shadow. The latest cool eye makeup look is from the Marques Almeida show at London Fashion Week. Instead of your regular black mascara, models had white eyelashes.

Credit: Deux Hommes

Credit: Deux Hommes

The Marques Almeida show had a few different beauty looks including a super smokey eye, but the white mascara was a favorite. According to Dazed, the look was created by Terry Barber using MAC. If you don’t have white mascara at home, you could always use the primer of your mascara and not apply the black top coat. (You’ve probably accidentally done this before.)

Credit: Deux Hommes

The white lashes were the focal point so the rest of the face was left very natural. A luminizing BB cream and some lip balm are all you need. The messy I-got-caught-in-a-rainstorm-without-an-umbrella hair adds to the snow queen look. It is also reminiscent of Alexander Wang‘s sexy dirty goth girl hair.

Credit: Deux Hommes

What do you think? Do you want to try it or do you love black mascara so much that you refuse to wear black-brown? Colored mascaras are fun to play around with, and this is one hue that you should consider. If you don’t feel like going full-on snowy lashes, you can always try it on your bottom lash line or just the tips of your lashes.

Source: The Gloss

H&M has just launched four new collections this Spring/Summer 2015. Read on to find out which key pieces you shouldn't miss out on!

Credit: H&M Singapore

H&M Loves Coachella 2015

Credit: H&M Singapore

It’s all about a modern bohemian look for both men and women with H&M Loves Coachella, the festival’s first ever official fashion collection. The pieces bring the Coachella spirit whether you’re at the festival itself, or sharing the energy around the world.

Credit: H&M Singapore

For women, crochet and lace bring both decoration and transparency, like a short red crochet dress with flared sleeves, a cropped and fringed lace top, or wide-leg lace pants.

The kimono is the new festival essential, especially in a colourful floral print. Kimonos come cropped as if jackets, or in a longer length that can be worn as a dress itself.

Cropped tribal vests are perfect for the desert heat, especially with a short black skirt decorated with long fringing.

Coachella T-shirts are a must-have memento, as are little suede shorts or cut-off denim shorts. Welcome the festival night with maxi-dresses and flared leg pants.

Suede boots are the natural choice for the California sun, especially decorated at the ankle as if with charms. Necklaces and beaded bracelets complete the look.

Credit: H&M Singapore

For men, Coachella T’s in sun-bleached tones are perfect with ripped jeans, as are desert cactus print vests. A black and red plaid shirt looks as great tied at the waist as it is worn.

H&M Men S/S 2015 Collection

Credit: H&M Singapore

The pieces that define an urban masculine wardrobe are at the heart of H&M menswear for Spring/Summer 2015. Blousons, bikers, parkas, western jackets and blazers sit alongside tech zip-ups, heat-sealed shirts and scuba sweatshirts for a modern-day take on city dressing. The collection will be sold in around 200 stores worldwide as well as online from March.

“The urban men’s wardrobe is always evolving. For spring at H&M it’s a strong look that combines updates on modern essentials alongside sportswear-inspired pieces in innovative fabrics. The feel of the city comes across in a graphic palette from shades of blacks, greys and whites with pops of green for a contrasting statement,” says Andreas Löwenstam, H&M’s Head Menswear Designer.

H&M Modern Classis S/S 2015

Credit: H&M Singapore

Elegance and versatility are the key to a collection of city essentials for spring 2015 at H&M. It’s a range of clean lines, quality materials and feminine shapes that are set to become new womenswear classics. There’s a particular focus on fabric, with pieces in linen, suede and silk. The collection will be available at H&M Orchard Building from 12 March 2015.

At the beginning of the season, it’s crucial to set the foundations for the months to come. Each piece in this collection works as part of a city look, yet is versatile enough to wear for leisure time, at weekends, and even on holiday as the weather begins to warm. It’s the details that count, with new ideas for dressing that will bring a feminine precision to everyday style.

H&M Studio S/S 2015 Collection

Credit: H&M Singapore

Escapism, sunshine and the laid-back life of Miami and Palm Springs are the influences at H&M Studio for Spring/Summer 2015. The draped shape of pyjamas sets the stylish tone, while a dazzle of prints and sportswear influences are perfect for lounging all season long. The collection will be sold in around 200 stores worldwide and online at hm.com from March 12th.

“I love how H&M Studio for Spring/Summer 2015 is both glamorous and effortless. Pyjamas are so easy to wear and look so great, especially with heels. It‟s about fun in the sun, then partying into the night,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M‟s Head of Design, New Development.

Source: Mercury PR

Ever been embarrassed and feel your face redden? Or does the thought of wearing a wool turtleneck make you itch? The science behind why your skin reacts to something your mind generates is studied in a field called psychodermatology.

Credit: EmpowHER

Psychodermatologists are different from regular dermatologists in that they treat the skin the way a psychotherapist treats behavior. So in a way, they are “derm shrinks” or “skin shrinks”, to use the term coined by the New York Times.

Psychodermatologists attempt to delve into the more psychological reasons for a skin condition. They study effects that behavior has on different skin conditions and offer therapies such as hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation techniques or meditation to treat them.

Ted Grossbart Ph.D. is one such practitioner. He is a clinical psychologist and psychodermatology expert, and the author of the book "Skin Deep" which you can download for free at his website.

Credit: Clear Purpose Hypnosis

According to Grossbart, “As many as 60% of people who seek a doctor's help for skin and hair problems have significant life stress. Emotional issues can trigger many problems, and keep the most sophisticated medical treatments from working.”

Grossbart helped Mary O'Leary, a surgical nurse who had chronic plantar warts on her foot that was not responding to conventional treatment.

O’Leary told the NYT, "I spent months learning self-hypnosis.” She visualized her immune cells fighting off the virus and imagined healthy skin replacing the warts. "It's bizarre and amazing, but it worked."

Harvard health describes three basic areas that psychodermatologic disorders usually fall into. Some may overlap each other.

1) Psychophysiological

Credit: MorsPortal

These are conditions that have a physiological cause but can be made worse by stress or other emotional factors. Examples are acne, alopecia areata (hair loss), eczema, herpes, hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), itching, psoriasis (skin scaling and redness), rosacea (skin flushing and eruption), hives and warts.

However, it is important to have any skin problem first evaluated by a medical professional before assuming that the problem is psychological. These skin eruptions may be due to other medical problems, or a drug reaction that needs regular medical treatment.

2) Secondary psychiatric

Credit: New River Wellness Center

This is an emotional response to something that is disfiguring or causes the person to feel that they are socially stigmatized. Some examples of this type of skin condition are burns, vitiligo (loss of skin pigment) and genital herpes.

These problems can cause challenges to a person’s self-esteem and can bring on feelings of shame or humiliation. Harvard Health said that research has linked skin disorders and depression, and even suicide, in some people.

3) Primary psychiatric

Credit: Sure Life Hypnotherapy

These are conditions that cause the person to do harm to themselves because of imagined events (fear that bugs are attacking them), preoccupation with a real or imagined defect they have, or stress relief causing self-destructive behavior (chronic hair-pulling or trichotillomania).

Dermatologists can treat the skin damage that develops, but people with these conditions need psychotherapy, and sometimes psychiatric medications.

There is no guarantee that seeking the services of a psychodermatologist will help heal a difficult skin condition that has been resistant to traditional therapies.

However, there is anecdotal evidence that such treatment has helped many people besides O’Leary achieve improvement in their chronic skin condition when medications, eating a better diet, or getting more sleep alone were not enough.

Source: EmpowHER

To all the singles out there, there’s a new app called the ‘Invisible Boyfriend’ that could help you relieve social pressure from friends and nosy relatives.

Credit: Elite Daily

The genius app, which recently went from private to public beta, allows users to pay for “believable social proof” that they’re actually in a relationship. The app generates everything that would exist in a real-life relationship, like photos, text messages, and even voicemails – all fake, but realistic. “It really helps people tell a better story about a relationship they’re not in,” said Matthew Homann, who created the app along with Kyle Tabor.

He revealed that he first purchased the domains ‘invisibleboyfriend’ and ‘invisiblegirlfriend’ nine years ago, just after a divorce. He didn’t do much with them for a long time, but at a 2013 Startup Weekend in St. Louis, he decided to pitch the idea. Matthew and his team won first place, after which there was no looking back.

Although it sounds funny, Matthew and Kyle insist that their app is not a joke. “When we [started] in November of 2013, it seemed to be easy to joke about the idea of the service,” Kyle said. “[But] we really have been surprised and humbled—there are people who look at this, it’s not a joke for them. We really think people signing up are filling a meaningful void.”

They said that there could be several legit situations where the app would be very useful – right from soldiers overseas without a girlfriend back home, to people who are trying to fend off unwelcome advances.

Interestingly, people have managed to find uses for the app that even the founders never envisioned. Like this one male user who got a woman to commit to him after she came across the app’s fake messages on his phone. “She saw that he had an upcoming date with another girl—his Invisible Girlfriend,” Kyle said. “That put a fire underneath her—she needed to lock things down.”

Matthew refused to reveal the ‘secret’ behind the messages, but he did say that they weren’t robotic or auto-generated and that there was always a real person at the other end. “One of our users actually told us she’s texted her Invisible Boyfriend practicing things she might say to a young man she might meet in St. Louis that she’s interested in.”

Mashable writer Karissa Bell tested the app, which provided her with an invisible boyfriend named Clark Kent. While the name is quite cheesy, the messages she got were actually surprisingly real. “The experience wasn’t bot-like as I expected,” Karissa wrote. “He took a few minutes to respond to each message and seemed to have an answer ready for everything. The answers stopped just a little short of generic.”

The Invisible Boyfriend app is currently only available in the U.S. and Canada, but Matthew and Kyle hope to raise more funds expand to other parts of the world. The inaugural service costs $24.99 and it includes 100 texts, 10 voicemails, and one handwritten note. The founders said that they would continue to learn what users need, and come with less and more expensive packages in the future.

Now that you’ve learnt the top five reasons for big pores, how can you address the issue?

#1: Clean, clean, clean!

The first thing to do is to make sure you cleanse your face properly since a build-up of grime at the pore openings result in larger pores.

“Pore size can increase due to environmental debris. Cosmetics can also sometimes clog pores. People who are prone to large pores should choose cosmetics which are lighter in texture and ensure that they remove the products completely before sleeping,” advises Dr. Terence Tan, Director of Halley Medical Aesthetics.

#2: Eat wisely

People with oily skin and overactive sebum production are more prone to clogged pores. In addition to having a good skincare regime, Dr. Tan reveals that diet plays a role in helping us control the issue.

“There is evidence that excessive consumption of fat and carbohydrate can increase sebum production. On top of decreased sebum production, avoiding excessive fat and carbohydrate consumption has other obvious health benefits. This is the first advice we give to patients,” he explains. 

And how would doctors help people with acne problems? “For certain acne-prone individuals, we can prescribe medications like retinoids to control oil production. Retinoids like isotretonin is very good for controlling sebum production and blocked pores,” says Dr. Tan. 

#3: Exfoliate but don’t overdo it

Dr. Tan explains that exfoliation reduces the build-up of dead skin and flushes away the grime build-up over pore openings. Some treatments like retinoids also stimulate new skin production. New skin has more collagen which gives the appearance of tighter, smaller pores. However, he cautions that overexfoliation can thin the skin, causing redness and peeling. 

#4: Get help from professionals

Halley Medical Aesthetics’ pore treatments comprise a synergistic trio of therapies. They include:

- Three types of laser treatments that can be done in complementary with
- Three signature treatment facials and supported by
- Three products from the clinic’s Brilliance brand of cosmeceuticals

Trio of laser treatments

1. Carbon Laser Peel

Highlights: Reduces pore size, smoothens out skin tone, reduces fine wrinkles, zero downtime

It is Halley’s signature treatment for enlarged pores. This skin rejuvenation treatment is best for people who are bothered by their pore size. Not only does it reduce large pores, it also smoothens out uneven skin tone and reduces fine wrinkles. Although it is a laser treatment, there is zero downtime and ladies can put on their makeup after treatment and head out to their next appointment.

As the name suggests, a thin layer of carbon is applied on the face. The laser will be used to create a peeling effect to remove the carbon. This process will help to purge and minimise skin pores, exfoliate the skin, and stimulate the production of collagen and new skin cells.

2. Fractional Laser Resurfacing

Highlights: Fresh skin with smaller pores

This is another popular treatment for enlarged pores. Laser resurfacing uses a laser to send out brief pulses of high-energy light that are absorbed by the skin. After the treatment, new skin grows to replace the damaged skin that was removed during the laser treatment. This leads to fresh skin with smaller pores.

3. Collagen Rejuvenating Laser

Highlights: Collagen production, no downtime

This laser induces collagen regeneration and remodeling with no downtime. The collagen is essential for firming of the skin and pores.

Trio of doctor-created treatment facials

1. Deep Pore Cleansing: Targeted at addressing enlarged pores. This treatment facial deep cleanses the pores of oil, dirt, and grime. During treatment, our therapist will use high-end medical equipment like liquid diamond dermabrasion and serum iontophoresis to improve skin quality, clear blocked pores, and remove black heads.

2. Gently Does It Peel: Helps rejuvenate skin via a no downtime chemical peel. This painless treatment facial gently peels away dead skin to improve skin texture and reduce pore size.

3. Acne Buster: This light-based treatment facial zooms in on enlarged pores with dynamic pulsed light (DPL). It is an effective and safe light-based toning treatment for treating acne and reducing pore size.

Trio of Brilliance cosmeceuticals

1. Brilliance Acne Buster Wash An oil-free clarifying facial cleanser that reduces oil and sludge within pores in acne prone skin.

2. Brilliance Renewal Essence Gently exfoliates dead skin cells and pores, flushing them of oil build-up.

3. Brilliance Anti-Oxidant Peptide Moisturiser A light moisturiser which contains palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 and hexapeptide 3. Peptides stimulate collagen production for skin and pore firming.

Additional products that aid skin health

Other skincare products that can enhance results of the above therapies include:

1. Retinol: A vitamin A derivative that increases skin cell turnover. Fresh skin contains pores that are firmer and smaller.

2. Spectraban Sebum Control Sunscreen: Contains sebomicropore structure that absorbs oil/sebum.

Collagen in our skin starts to decrease once we reach our late twenties and to keep our skin looking youthful, I believe it is necessary to not just maintain a healthy lifestyle, but also replenish our collagen via supplements.

 



And on a happy note, I was really glad to know that our trusted brand, BRAND’S® now carries collagen supplement, BRAND’S® InnerShine® RubyCollagen Essence!

BRAND’S® InnerShine® RubyCollagen Essence comes in 2 forms: Essence in a bottle and essence in strips. I'll share more about the bottle form in this post. For those who are interested in the essence strips, I'll do another detailed introduction on it in my next post.

Unlike normal collagen, BRAND’S® laboratory selected natural ingredients and combined them with science and innovation to form RubySignature™ formula.

What is so special about RubySignature™?

Credit: JinJour, mytheresa.com, MATCHESFASHION.com

You probably wouldn’t think so, but there are a lot of celebrities that struggle with problem skin and this list of 15 Celebrities with acne may surprise you.

Credit: FitTips4Life

When it comes to celebrities, we typically think of beautiful, flawless people who never have a bad hair day and look like they spend at least 4 hours a day in the gym. When we see them floating down the red carpet in their beautiful designer gowns, looking flawless with their professionally done make up and covered in thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry, celebrities seem completely inaccessible and in a superior league of their own. But the truth is, they’re human too and just like us they have human problems, one of those being skin problems. You probably wouldn’t think so, but there are a lot of celebrities that struggle with problem skin and this list of 15 Celebrities with acne may surprise you.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Katy Perry

You’ve seen her in the Proactiv commercials and no that wasn’t just for promotional reasons, since Katy Perry was a teenager she has struggled to keep her porcelain skin acne free. Her choice of weapon to fight off the dreadful acne bacteria: Proactiv. Yes, that’s right, she’s not just a spokesperson, but an avid user of their products as well. She dedicates herself to the 3-step Proactiv program and seems to be having some great success with it.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keyes couldn’t be more beautiful if she tried, and this amazingly talented artist never ceases to amaze with her incredible vocal talent, and mad piano skills. Whenever we see her, she exudes style and grace and the last thing we are thinking about is the fact that she has skin problems, but in fact, she does. While in recent years her skin has seemed to calm down, when Alicia first came on the scene, she was known for constantly struggling with problem skin. Fortunately for her, whatever current skin regime she’s using seem to be keeping the acne at bay.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Adam Levine

This man was voted the sexist man alive in People magazine, but even he was not immune to the horrific effects of acne as a teenager. Right after Adam Lavine won the prestigious title of the world’s sexiest man, some pictures were released of him from high school with a backwards hat and a face full of acne. Fortunately for The Voice judge, he like Katy Perry, is an avid use of the Proactiv skin care line and luckily for him it seems to be working. Adam is currently looking acne free and sexier than ever.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Nya Rivera

Nya Rivera is best known for playing the sassy, quick-witted, and hilariously offensive cheerleader from the hit show Glee. On screen, Nya always appears looking beautiful and flawless, but in an interview with People magazine, Nya admitted to struggling with adult acne. Unlike some others, Nya didn’t start having problems with acne until she was in her mid-twenties. Following in steps of Adam Lavine and Katy Perry, Nya tried the Proactiv, 3-step acne solutions as well, as she got some great results. She joined the ranks as a Proactiv spokesperson and has been looking flawless and acne free ever since.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Cameron Diaz

It is a well-known fact in the celebrity buzz world that Cameron Diaz has struggled with acne since her teens years and well into her adult years. Cameron tried many different options from oral medications to topical cream and layers and layers of makeup. Cameron was open about the fact that she used to eat a ton of junk food including things such as burgers and fries, but once Cameron started cleaning up her diet and eating healthier, she starting noticing changes and improvements in her skin and hasn’t looked back since.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Rihanna

While it’s rare to see Rihanna looking anything but positively gorgeous and radiant, even she has been known to battle some acne issues. Whether it’s the constant layers of makeup being applied to her face on a daily basis, or the incredible amount of stress that comes with being a celebrity, at times, Rihanna’s glowing golden skin can sometimes fall prey to the ugliness that is acne. Ironically enough, even with the occasionally breakout, this island beauty is still absolutely stunning.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson has had her fair share of struggles throughout her very successful career. From relationships gone wrong, to shocking weight gain during her pregnancy, Jessica has been in the spotlight more than once for less than desirable situations. One of those unfortunate struggles has also her battle with acne. At one point, Jessica was prescribed Accutane by her dermatologist, but she later became a spokesperson for Proactiv and adopted the 3-step skin care regime as her new method of defense. Whether it was age or a religious Proactiv routine, Jessica’s skin seems clearer and more radiant than ever.

Credit: FitTips4Life

Emma Stone

During an interview with fashion website Refinery29, the “Easy A” star, Emma Stone shared her own personal struggles with acne. She shared how she was breaking out all the time and like so many others, tried to cover up her imperfections with layer of makeup. She, like Jessica Simpson, at one point was prescribed Accutane by her dermatologist, but after a few months of use decided to use regular drugstore products as her choice of acne defense. For now her skin appears to be looking good, but she keeps up with strict skin care routine to make sure her skin stays health and acne free.

Read more at FitTips4Life.

You only have to look at the travel blogs on HuffPost UK Lifestyle to see that solo travel is becoming more and more popular among women.

Credit: Women on Their Way

But while going out into the big wide world by yourself can be one of the most empowering things you'll ever do, the realities of solo travel as a woman are a far cry from Eat Pray Love.

Going it alone can be intimidating, and in some cases, it can be extremely dangerous.

We hear regular reports of female tourists being the victims violence, rape and even murder - but is travelling solo something we should stop doing?

Credit: Huffington Post

Crime can happen anywhere, but of course statistically it is more likely to happen in some places than others.

While the Foreign And Commonwealth Office do not have a list of the most dangerous places in the world for women to travel - their advice is constantly being updated - a YouGov Poll previously established a list of the cities with the most unsafe transport systems for women in the world.

The survey asked 6,550 women and gender experts about their perceptions of safety for women in 15 out of the 20 largest world's largest capitals.

These were found to be the worst cities (1 is the worst):

1. Bogota, Colombia
2. Mexico City
3. Lima, Peru
4. New Delhi
5. Jakarta, Indonesia
6. Buenos Aires, Argentina
7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8. Bangkok
9. Moscow
10. Manila, Philippines
11. Paris
12. Seoul, South Korea
13. London
14. Beijing
15. Tokyo
16. New York

The International Women's Travel Centre has also created a list of the 10 most unsafe countries for women to visit in the world.

Its list is for women tourists and consists of places "they are likely to consider for travel purposes", meaning that destinations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or Somalia, which fall under their “don’t even go there” list are not included.

Credit: Oprah.com

The list is as follows (1 is the worst):

1. India
2. Egypt
3. Mexico
4. Brazil
5. Honduras
6. Kenya
7. Columbia
8. Papua New Guinea
9. Saudi Arabia
10. Venezuela

Writing on the site, Marta Turnbull points out that our attitude while abroad may also change our safety risk.

"Women are at risk of harassment, sexual assault, rape, abuse and murder, even in own home country. While traveling in a foreign country, this danger can be increased because you are unlikely to understand cultural differences in communication," she says.

"Just because you are on vacation, you cannot assume you are immune from dangers. Whether traveling alone, in a group, or with a significant other, your safety and well-being is your responsibility. Knowing how to read the situation around you, and what steps to take to protect yourself gives you the freedom to travel to extraordinary places."

Read more at Huffington Post.

15-year-old New Yorker Noa Mintz is one of the youngest people in the world to own a successful start-up.

Credit: New York Post

The teen entrepreneur is the founder of ‘Nannies by Noa’, a popular baby sitting agency that she started after a number of bad personal experiences with babysitters, but because she is still in school she needed someone to handle business for her. So she just hired a CEO.

Although Mintz agency was doing well, she simply couldn’t find time to handle the ‘excruciating hours’ and ‘hundreds of emails’ along with homework. So she decided to delegate the responsibility of running the business, and her decision has paid off. The agency now serves almost 200 clients in the tri-state area, providing them with baby sitters as well as full-time nannies.

It all started three years ago, when Mintz, a sixth-grader, spent the first half of her summer vacation interning at a nonprofit. Subsequently, she spent the second half brainstorming for her nanny agency. It stemmed from the fact that Mintz, the eldest of four, always found flaws with her own babysitters. She realized that there must be a better way of pairing families with the right caregivers. “For what you’re paying, your kids should be more stimulated,” she explained. “At seven, I would tell my mom, ‘You need to get more bang for your buck.’ It would drive me insane.” So Mintz accepted a challenge from her mother to find a better babysitter for their family, and succeeded. Soon, she started helping out her mother’s friends too.

Credit: CNN Money

“I found it fun to get to know a family and their needs – and find a babysitter who matched that,” she explained. “I really had no expectations, but I figured I’d try.” She started by hiring caregivers in her own circle and then expanded to college-career websites. In order to make sure that she got the right nannies, she designed a thorough review process – a resume, a personal interview with a trained nanny, and a reference and background check.

In July of last year, Mintz hired Allison Johnson to oversee day-to-day business operations, while she attended her freshman year of high school. Johnson, 26, works out of a rented office in Midtown Manhattan. Mintz said that she had to make the decision to hire Johnson because putting in 40 hours a week while juggling school work was getting too difficult. “I’m not an A+ student,” she explained. “I have definitely struggled with school. Having this business, I realized that book smart isn’t the same as entrepreneurial smart. I’ve tried to channel the business to give me more confidence in school.”

Credit: Today Money

“While stepping down was necessary with the beginning of high school, of course it has been difficult to hand over lots of my work to someone else,” Mintz had written in an email to a college entrepreneur, seeking advice. She has also leaned on her father for a bit of advice. He runs a private equity firm, so he has been able to help with front money for legal fees. But he says he expects a full ‘return on investment’, just as any other business venture.

In the past one year, Mintz’s business has almost tripled. She initially used to charge $100 to $200 per match, because she wanted to earn the trust of her clients. “I wasn’t charging enough. Even clients would say, ‘You realize you should be charging way, way more,’” she said. But now that the business model has been revamped, the rates are on par with the industry – 15 percent of the nanny’s first year gross salary. That’s a lot of money in New York City!

Credit: Nannies by Noa

Nannies love using her service too, even the more experienced ones. “Noa interviewed me on the phone. I had no idea she was a kid,” said 37-year-old Dahlia Weinstein, a 10-year nanny veteran. “I was intimidated – she’s so well spoken.”

Mintz’s parents said they aren’t shocked by her success – she had displayed a talent for business at a much younger age, when she would organize art classes for her siblings and coordinate party planning. “I got her a subscription to Entrepreneur, but she also reads Seventeen,” said Mintz’s mother Meredith Berkman. “I wanted her to go for it, as long as she’s doing all of her schoolwork.”

Although Nannies by Noa makes a decent amount of money, Mintz isn’t taking any for herself right now. Instead, she prefers to invest everything back into the business. And that’s incredibly mature for a 15-year-old. “I feel that there are always opportunities for growth and marketing, which comes at a price,” she said. “Eventually I may take out a small salary, but not at this point.”

Mintz has experienced success at a really young age, but she says she has no plans to let it go to her head. She has ideas for other businesses that she wants to pursue after school. “First I need to finish high school, and then perhaps I’ll launch another company. We will see.”