DO YOU LIKE YOUR BODY?

I always ask my clients the question, do you like your body? Whether I am doing a colour or style analysis, a personal shopping consultation or any image related consultation, I always follow up this question with these 2 questions as it will give me a good starting point to work from.

What is the feature you like most about your body?

What is the feature you dislike the most about your body?

These questions may seem shallow at first as it relates entirely to your physical make-up and appearance but the truth is that if you don't like your body you won't like yourself. This in turn has its own set of psychological issues like low self confidence, low self esteem low self worth, self criticism, and a whole range of negative thoughts and emotions which negatively impact every area of your life. Then you realize that it's not shallow after all but brings to light an underlying emotional and psychological state of being. These negative self feelings and negative self perception often translates directly to your physical outward appearance through your dress, body language and communication skills. For e.g. you may purchase clothing that are neutral in colour and doesn't attract attention to yourself because you don't feel confident on the inside so you try to hide on the outside. Many of us have experienced days like that and others feel like they live in a state of wanting to hide, but sometimes your attempt to detract attention away from yourself often causes the opposite effect as you draw attention to yourself simply because the outfit does not compliment who you are. So how can women regain their confidence, self worth and self-esteem? By evaluating these 2 questions.

What is the feature you like most about your body? 

Enhancing your best feature will attract focus to the area of your body that you like and are comfortable  with. Because you are comfortable with that area yourself you won't mind others looking at it. Secondly, by enhancing this area to flatter your overall appearance your confidence levels will increase dramatically (and so too will the the compliments increase).  

What is the feature you dislike most about your body? 

Hiding or camouflaging the area you dislike the most will put you at ease as it is not being exposed for all to see, like exposing an open wound. Having this area covered will take your focus off of it and help you feel comfortable with exposing the area you like best.

Most women are more comfortable answering the question about which part of their body they dislike most and often have a list of areas they dislike. Answering which is their best feature normally takes a while, it's almost like doing a self searching exercise. I must admit though that I was pleasantly surprised when I presented an Image workshop recently and asked the audience for a show of hands as to whether they liked their bodies. All the delegates except 2 of the approx 200 women  admitted to being perfectly happy with their bodies. That does not happen often as normally all the women in the room are unhappy with some part of their body.

Once we understand that we are all created beautiful and unique in our own way we will feel less pressurized to conform and look a certain way. We are not all meant to be models or look like models, beauty comes in all forms, shapes, sizes, colours, heights. Let's embrace who we are, embrace how we look and celebrate being one of a kind!

SPOIL YOUR MOM WITH A COLOUR OR STYLE IMAGE CONSULTATION!

The perfect gift to spoil your mom on Mother’s Day!

Spoil her with a Colour or Style Consultation valued at R1500 each and receive a free consultation for yourself

OR

Purchase any consultation at 30% off.

To purchase your gift voucher please email us at info@nickybconsulting.co.za with your requested consultation and the e-voucher will be emailed to you.

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The 6 most important areas for creating a fabulous image

Your personal image says a lot about you. It not only dictates the perception that people make about you but it also dictates how people will treat you. How you portray yourself through your physical appearance impacts every area of your life so its important to know how others see you based on your personal image. Knowing what the most important factors are that contribute to your personal appearance will help you in putting together an image that reflects you in the best possible manner. Here's the most important things to focus on when creating your image.

1. Wearing the right colours

Colour is subjective so its important to be aware of how different shades and types of colour work with your individual palette. Most people can wear most colours but the differentiating factor is the shade of the colour and how it looks on you. Wearing the wrong colour or shade will leave you looking ill, sallow, tired, withdrawn and will enhance any wrinkles, dark shadows or any unflattering areas we would normally try to camouflage. While women prefer to choose colour based on emotion we need to rather look at how the colour reflects on us before choosing a colour.

2. Wearing the right shapes for your body

Understanding you body shape is important when buying clothing. Most women tend to purchase items because it looks good on a model in a magazine or it looks good in the store on the hanger and rarely consider if it will work for their body shape. Wearing clothing that is oversized or bulging because it is too tight only adds extra weight to your shape. Well fitting clothes should skim over your body, enhance your flattering features and hide your problem areas.

3. Reflecting your personality

While it is important to keep your look updated and modern its also important that you keep your own sense of style. Updating your wardrobe to have every latest fashion item does not necessarily reflect who you are. Let the fashion trends work for you by adopting it to suit your individual personality and style. Following trends slavishly does not reflect your individual traits.

4. Makeup

Applying make-up is essentially the same as applying colour to your face. The same principles for choosing colour for your clothing applies to choosing make-up products. Your foundation, blusher, concealer, eye shadow, highlighter, mascara, eyeliner, and lip colour should compliment your individual colour palette not detract from it. A good rule of thumb is to apply make-up lightly and enhance the areas you want to focus on, you want it to reflect your natural beauty.

5. Occassion

Dressing to fit the occasion is very important. The biggest fear that people have is arriving under-dressed or over-dressed at an event and having everyone else stare at you because of your choice of attire. Personally I would rather show up over-dressed than under-dressed, it basically says that you put a bit more effort into getting ready for the event rather than less effort. If you are not sure as to which dress code is appropriate you could ask around or even google it. Your best bet is to ask your host what the dress code is for the event, that way there'll be less confusion as to what to wear.


6. Body language

This aspect is often overlooked but may very well be one of the most strongest indicators that other use for making judgements about you. Your body language is a subconscious form of communication, you may not be aware of your subtle non-verbal communication methods but they speak volumes. Confidence or a lack of confidence is one of the most visible things people see about you. How you carry yourself, walk, interact and your display of facial expressions all contribute. A smile however works wonders regardless of the situation you are in as well as being comfortable with yourself. Just these 2 aspects will portray a self-confident image, try it when you are in an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation, you'll be amazed at what it does for you.

We offer consultations to assist in all areas discussed. We now offer online consultations as well. Contact us for a consultation!

Article published by Nicky van Wyk, copyright NickyB Consulting.

Beautiful By Design

"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is Beautiful." - Unknown

Having previously written about the reason for the Colour choice of branding for the company, I thought it would be enlightening to elaborate on the company slogan which is 'Beautiful By Design'. 

When paging through a fashion magazine we are faced with a certain image which has become the criteria for what is portrayed as being a beautiful and successful woman. These are images of models with perfect proportions, long legs, skinny and beautiful, leaving other women to battle daily with their self image and inability to see themselves as beautiful. What we don't realize at that moment while paging through the magazine is that much effort, work, resources and in many instances photo techniques have been employed in order to create the specific image. The model on the other hand also goes to great lengths to keep her body in perfect shape which in some cases includes strenuous exercise regimes and extreme discipline in eating habits sometimes leading to eating disorders. Women and teenage girls are going to great extremes trying to replicate this image or standard that has been set for us and have difficulty accepting that they may not be attainable. I am all for having a healthy lifestyle, exercise and eating a well balanced diet but it becomes a concern when the desire to achieve these standards as a goal affects your life in a negative manner and in particular your sense of self worth, self acceptance and your ability to see yourself as beautiful.

Each one of us have been created unique and beautiful. When I say each one of us have been uniquely created I mean that not one of us have the same, physical features, genetic DNA or fingerprints, even identical twins have unique features that set them apart. So why do we want to look like everyone else? 

"I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect, they are much more interesting." - Marc Jacobs

I chose the slogan Beautiful By Design for two reasons:
Firstly, each one of us have already been created beautifully inside and out regardless of what we or the world may see as physical flaws. We have been designed in a specific form, shape and look by our Creator to accommodate and hold all that will be required of us in our lifetime. Our physical features as well as our internal attributes such as our unique talents, skills, and personality have been created uniquely different from everyone else. It is my hope that you see yourself as unique and beautiful.

Secondly, my job is to help you bring out your inner and outer beauty by applying my specific skill for fashion as well as learned knowledge and theory in my studies of psychology, image consulting and life coaching. It is my passion and talent to empower women to look their very best and to help them identify their unique gifts and talents enabling them to live a beautiful and fulfilling life. In other words, my job is to make you look beautiful, by design, inside and out.

Each one of us have been created beautiful, we just need to see it. How do we see ourselves as beautiful when our proportions, size, body shape, height and features are different to those we see portrayed as the criteria to be qualified as beautiful?

By accepting that we have been made beautiful just the way we are and embracing our physical body as beautiful and unique including those features that we or the world see as flaws.

I am always amazed by what one person may see as beautiful and another sees the opposite. There is beauty in everything that God created, including ourselves. Let us open our eyes to see it, embrace it and own it.

Embrace who you are and learn to love yourself unconditionally for you were created Beautiful By Design

"Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy." - Unknown

Pantone Colour of the Year 2014 - RADIANT ORCHID

Welcome to my first blog post for the year, its already been a hectic start to the year with Valentine's celebrations already here and soon we'll be celebrating Easter! For ideas on what to wear for your Valentine's date check out our facebook page, we've piled on pics of gorgeous, sexy and sophisticated outfits for all styles and age groups. And if you missed the monthly newsletter be sure to sign up on our website www.nickybconsulting.co.za to receive our next issue. The current issue focussed on the colour Red, the meaning of it, how to wear it, either to work or on a date and much more.

On contemplating what to write about for my first blog post for the year (I know its rather late but the other social media platforms desperately needed my attention), I came across some interesting information while doing my research on current trends in the industry so decided to write on this particularly nice find. The Pantone colour of the year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid, chosen for its rich purple hues, which so happens to be my colour for the NickyB brand. I was quite ecstatic to discover this and called everyone I knew to tell them this info! Now I must admit that it is a strong and bold colour but it is also feminine, mystical and luxurious, which is exactly why I chose this colour to reflect the company brand.

A lot of thought goes into choosing a colour for a company brand as there are various dimensions at play when doing so. The colours we see impacts us on various levels as well as on a psychological and emotional level. Don't be fooled, psychology is hard at work when you need to portray company values, goals and vision through the use of colour. The same goes for what you wear, think about how you feel about yourself when you wear certain colours and why you avoid certain colours at all costs. So coming back to my chosen brand colour let me explain what the meaning of the colour purple is which link directly to my company's vision, goals and purpose.

Purple is the colour of royalty, its rich hues connotes, luxury, wealth, opulence, elegance and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic, creative, expressive and artistic. It signifies living life to the fullest in joy, health and love.

This is what I envisioned when dreaming about my business. To treat each client as royalty, that they leave a consultation feeling like they are opulent, wealthy, elegant, classy and sophisticated.  Don't get me wrong, its not about being materialistically wealthy and opulent but that your experience at NickyB is one that is filled with opulence and wealth in discovering You. That every woman leaves feeling feminine, beautiful and graceful. That each experience at NickyB will be filled with rich warmth, expression and creativity. After all, these are all the ingredients needed to live a rich, fulfilled and beautiful life. This is why my mission statement is 'Beautiful by Design", to reveal your inner and outer beauty.

You can read the more about the Pantone colour of the year on www.pantone.com and its inspiration in the fashion industry. This rich colour will be in full bloom for the year ahead, from fashion to decor, expect to see it everywhere.



So here's to a beautiful year ahead, celebrating it daily with Radiant Orchid and everything it has for you!

YES IT'S FRIDAY.

The weekend is here and it's time to let our hair down and relax. For all of you who are going out lets paint the town red, and for those who are not lets just dress up for the fun of it and say its because we can. Here are a few trends to look at when going out.

Have an awesome weekend!

SPRING SENSATION.

Now that it is spring time here are 5 essentials for this spring:

1

11.)    Instead of wearing a plain black, gray and navy dress, why not try wearing a floral print sheath dress. For the office wear a knee length sheath dress but you may go a little bit shorter for a night out if you prefer.

22.)    Give your peep toe pumps a break and bring out your strappy ankle sandals. Strappy ankle sandals give your lower body a personality, make sure that your toes are well manicured and polished.

33.)    Bring out some lace detail, this is very tricky to pull off without looking tacky or like you’re in your underwear. Pick and outfit that has lace sleeves or laced back. This adds a wonderful polish feel to your outfit.

.)4.)    Striped shirts are all over the run way this season, pair strips with a solid color to focus on the statement piece which is your shirt. To create a professional yet trendy look pair it with a blazer.

55.)    Add a pop of spring with boldly-colored accessories. Whether it’s cobalt blue studs, a yellow cuff, or a pink ring, jewelry is the perfect way to showcase your bright personality without making it the center of your wardrobe. If wearing a bold statement piece keep the rest of the outfit simple to make sure the outfit looks elegant and not overly busy.

 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR IN THE WORK PLACE.

Green: Darker greens can connote power, class and strength. Brighter shades of greens tell people you're sporty, more casual and often cheerful.

PINK: Pink is not just for women anymore. Men who wear pale pink or salmon accents which tell the world they're confident, daring and independent enough to wear a color usually considered a woman’s color. Women can use it to soften a strong, dark-colored suit which makes them look more approachable. Bright, bubblegum pink or fuchsia from head to toe is just plain annoying and hurts people's eyes.

PURPLE: Dark purple says elegance, authority, class and a regal demeanor. Men can get away with a deep burgundy jacket to give a refined yet highly stylish impression. Women can appear strong, powerful and confident in a deep purple jacket, suit or blouse. A deep purple dressy T-shirt or button down in a very casual work environment says "I'm confident and efficient, yet not stuffy." 

YELLOW: Yellow tells people you're casual, playful, and not afraid to take risks. Seeing yellow can cheer people up, so you're perceived as having a sunny personality just for wearing it. But be careful with mustard, which can make people of almost all complexions look otherwise unhealthy.

 BROWN:You have to be careful with brown. It is considered the new black, but ensure your brown clothes are fitted properly or else it can make you look like a potato. When your brown clothing has the right cut it can accompany many different colors. It's a great substitute for black without the look of being in mourning.  

BLACK: Immediately says elegance, sophistication, intelligence and strength. Black can be overwhelming if you’re in black from head to toe which could make you look self absorbed.

RED:  Red is powerful and strong. It shows you're not afraid to stand out, and it gets attention, which can be used to make a bold statement. Use red when wearing as a power suit and break the red with a black camisole under the jacket. 

Corporate Branding

// Corporate Branding

What mental image comes to mind when people think of your company?

What mental image comes to mind when people think of your company’s employees? 

Is it consistent with the image of your company brand?
Imaging is the visual representation of an objects outward appearance.

Corporate imaging is the formation of a company image through the 
visual appearance and conduct of its staff. 

It is made up of a composite of psychological factors and visual appearance. 
Through specific programmes, we create your corporate image that will 
cause you to stand out and be recognised not only through your brand also through 
your staff compliment. 

The following programmes are available:
New Employee OrientationCorporate Image ConsultationsNew Company ImagingChange Management

// New Employee Orientation

As a ambassador of your company it is imperative that your image 
reflects your company’s brand And values. 
This programme assists new employees to understand and implement 
the values, philosophy, culture, etiquette, aims, brand and image 
of the company. When understanding the company image and brand the 
employee is better equipped to apply this in their image and work ethic; 
enabling them to present themselves in a professional manner  which is 
consistent with the company image. 
The consultation can be carried out individually or in a group session 
depending on your specific Requirements.

// Corporate Image Consultations

These consultations are available for all employees and will most benefit
those who interact with clients on a regular basis. They are performed 
individually in order to cater for each employee’s unique colour, 
shape, and style requirements. 
It aims to assist employees who understand the company image but finds 
it difficult to portray it in their overall appearance. 

This consultation is tailor made and covers various aspects of image, 
colour, style, and business etiquette. 
It not only increases their confidence levels but also provides an 
incredible boost in their work ethic and performance levels. 
By feeling confident in the way you look you create an overall 
positive dynamic.  
Personal shopping consultations to assist employees with an 
appropriate work wardrobe are available on request.

// New Company Imaging

New companies will be assisted through the process of discovering, 
identifying and implementing their company image consistent with 
their company brand, values and culture. As a new company creating a 
unique corporate image is essential in establishing your presence in 
your industry. By finding your unique company image through your workforce presentation 
you will be creating your stand out signature. 
Complete your branding process through this important consultation.

This will be implemented through advising on appropriate employee dress 
codes, conduct and etiquette. 

These consultations will be tailor made as per your company’s requirements.

// Change Management

When company changes are executed at a managerial or structural level 
within your company it can have a negative or a positive effect on 
your workforce, this in turn affects your corporate image in the same 
manner. 

When the process and effects of change within a company are not 
communicated in a clear, concise and timely manner it can have 
devastating effects on the morale of the employees and intern, 
productivity levels.

This presents various problems such as fear, anxiety, and loss 
of productivity amongst staff. 
By communicating these changes to employees in an open and 
informative manner an atmosphere of trust and goodwill is emphasised 
which is beneficial to all affected by the process.  
We assist companies during the change process to ensure that 
they maintain a good corporate image throughout the process. 
We  focus on easing the process of change for management 
and staff through a combination of coaching tools and psychology theory. 

Get Your BACK Up Off the Wall...

//  Today we are looking at another new trend in fashion. We are looking at how designers and clothing makers have developed new ways of making clothes unique & new. Specifically the way they are fashioning the BACKS of dresses, shirts... Whether it be an elegant evening dress or everyday wear.

// Here are a few examples of the style. Updating your wardrobe to accommodate this trend wouldn't be such a bad thing ;)  

This amazing red racer-back dress has an amazing criss-cross detail to complement the wearers arch

Pearls going across the back of this elegant evening dress is a beautiful touch to a vintage inspired dress

A big silk bow accent & chiffon covering is lovely for formal dress wear

Low cut backs are trending majorly this year. In this pretty hot pink lace dress is perfect for a summer night date

A racer-back dress in the form of a runway showstopper with beautiful pearl embroidery

A flannel material which is light and breathable with a slight cut-out. A new way to show off some skin...

A tight evening dress with lace detail with a sheer chiffon back which allows the dress to appear backless...

This play-suit has the back completely cut out but is coupled with a black lace corset. Elegant & classy all at once.

A good example of a bridesmaid dress accented with strings of pearls & a pretty Georgette bow...

A bit Amish inspired in terms of the material but the back is open & styled in a playful  way...

The epitome of glamour. Encrusted with jewels the back of this one in a million dress will get you noticed...

Open-back day-wear. Red & White Stripes sailor inspired day-wear.

Vintage Chantilly lace back with buttons going down the middle of the back adds a certain eloquent Western feel to the dress...

Bondage/ Body-con dress with 3 open bars to reveal some skin but still keep some element of mystery...

An idea for a bridesmaid dress, lace sleeves and a tasteful open back...

Alexander McQueen inspired buttons all the way down the back of this dress with Tulle lace mesh. A unique piece...

Sheer tulle with an embroidered skull gives this dress a hint of uniqueness...