While fashion magazines have always been the standard place to find current fashion ideas, they can often be impractical. As much as we’d love to emulate the asymmetrical blunt-cut bob hairstyles we see in fashion magazines like Cosmo and Vogue, many of us would probably get our fair share of stares if we tried- and I don’t mean that in the “wow, she looks gorgeous” kind of way (more like “wow, she looks insane” kind of way). Of course we know that fashion layouts are meant to take any look to the extreme (we don’t need to wear every trend at the same time) it can often be difficult to figure out which trends are okay to wear together, alone, or period. So who can we turn to when Cosmo assures us that its totally “in” to wear blush in blocks on our cheeks like a football player wears that black stuff on his? Well, a great (free, even!) resource is celebrities. Sure, they have more money to work with (and some of them probably get most of their fabulous frocks for free) but their basic looks can be emulated for a lot less. Some of these women employ fashion stylists for literally thousands of dollars a year, and you can benefit from their investments free of charge, just by clicking on fashion and gossip websites and looking at their pictures. That’s what this blog is about. I intend to bring you some of the best fashion ideas from Hollywood and top fashion magazines all free, and all in ways you can adapt them to suit your own lifestyle and budget.

Whether you’re a biological or trans woman, the desire to look your best is something we all have in common. This blog aims to help women of all kinds – white, black, Asian, young, old, rich, poor, trans, biological, etc.- look and feel their best.

Makeup Trends Makeup trends are one of those trends you have to be extra-careful with. As implied by the word “trend” there’s a reason they change quickly and are only seen in fashion magazines: most people look ridiculous in them. If you want to look natural and timeless, here are some common danger zones you should avoid:

• Avoid, avoid, avoid super-glossy lips: Glossy lips were huge in 2004, but it’s not 2004 anymore. Lip gloss itself is great if you’re not looking for super-dark or bold lips, but try to avoid lips that look too ‘patent’ or goopy. In contrast, a nice, liberally applied gloss with a slight shine always looks timeless and classy.

• Put down the glitter, and back slowly away: Glitter is so cute on 15 year olds, but if you’re not 15, it can make you look desperate and actually older than you really are. Its like those clearly-middle-aged women you see wearing those white tees with the word “Bebe” written across the bust in rhinestones. Scary. If you must go for sparkle, look for a subtle shimmer, and restrict it to the eyes only. One company that does this quite well is Bare Escentuals.

• Strong blush: Every few months without fail, one fashion magazine or another will pay homage to the 1980’s and run fashion spreads with models in neon colors and technicolor blush applied heavily to the apples of their cheeks (as seen here on Emmy Rossum. No matter how many magazines tell you this is ‘in’, (unless you actually live in a Dynasty rerun) they’re wrong. Cosmetic companies won’t tell you this either, but not everyone needs blush. If you apply foundation lightly enough, you can get by without it. That being said, if you are a blush fan, and you absolutely must wear it, try finding a color similar to your natural ‘blushing’ color. Do this by standing in front of a mirror (sans makeup) and pinching your cheeks. See that flush of color? That’s all you need!

• For transgender women (pre and post op) my best advice to you is to take it easy on the makeup. Trans-heroine RuPaul may have been the spokesmodel for MAC, but remember- she is a performer, and has to look (over)done all the time. Unless you too are a performer, you do not. Take cues from women you see in the workplace and out and about. Natural looking makeup (think Halle Berry) will draw attention to your best features, while overdone makeup can draw attention to you in all the wrong ways, and can in some cases make passing as female even more difficult than going makeup-free.

• If you add emphasis to one area, de-emphasize the other: A key area where this applies is eyes and lips. If you go for a bold eye, wear a nude/soft lip, as seen here or if you go for a bold lip, wear a softer eye-look, like Gwen Stefani (does.

These tips are “timeless,” e.g., they will always look good, no matter the current trend. Trends are another story entirely!