Links à la Mode March 5th: The Independent Fashion Blogger Roundup

• 39thandbroadway.com - Why we love working in the fashion industry and despite all the hard work and drama, clothing the world is often its own reward!
• Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy - Checks out the new recyclable laptop from who else, Apple
• Breakfast at Saks - loving preppy looks from Liz Claiborne, Burberry, and H&M
• ericdwills.com - Check out the new “Blow” sunglasses from Dior Homme. They come in 5 colors, with each color limited to only 500 pieces worldwide.
• Fashion Daydreams - London Fashion Week Fall 2009 - Ashish show and the IFB party.
• fashion in my eyes - Shoes that makes you wanna dream!
• Fashion Pulse Daily - Is there such a thing as too many fashion reality TV shows? The newest one on Bravo might prove that the theme has gone into overkill mode.
• Fasshonaburu - Top Five Fashion Trends from NYFW
• fete a fete - Vouelle Spring 09 couture shoes from Paris!
• Independent Fashion Bloggers - Affordable Business Cards For (Somewhat Broke) Bloggers
• Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Fashion - Can the Remington Emi hairdryer create wavy hair in one easy step? Even on curly hair?
• Nico Assatly - Get in the Swing of thing!
• ShopDiary - Check out Net-a-Porter Notes Volume VII
• Shopping and Info - Shopping and Info found the most amazing crocodile embossed and python embossed Italian leather clutches.
• Solo Lisa - How to make high heels comfortable if you usually live in flats
• Star Fashion Addict - 2009 Men’s Summer Fashion
• Studio Purpura - London Fashion Week Fall 2009 Runway Sound Byte - Sultry, Passionate Designer Collections!!
• Style Bite - Handbags made out of paper? Gotta love it!
• Style Symmetry - Spotlight on The 100% Thrifted Pool!
• Style With Anna - The Right Jeans For Wider Hips
• THE COVETED - Vivienne Tam Hearts Bloggers
• the musings of ondo lady - Check out my review of the real life version of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ - ‘Running in Heels’

How To Get A Natural Face Lift

As mentioned before, I am a gym rat.  I've trained my body with a personal trainer and dabbled in many different exercise classes.  One of my favorites is yoga.  Now the yoga class I normally attend is not your usual "lay down, relax and go to sleep" yoga.  It's more hardcore/boot camp....the "I kind of want to cry right now because this is hard and also someone just farted in class" type of yoga.  Aside from that, it's one of my favorite classes.  You get a great workout and your body stays very tight yet flexible.  Which is why my ears perked up when I heard of face yoga.  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons,  in 2006 Americans spent $11.6 billion in cosmetic procedures.  But now, there is a yoga method for your face that gives you a natural face lift.  They're saying I can forget about botox in the future and all of the anti aging creams.  Face yoga is the way to go and I'm totally digging this concept.

Traditional yoga stimulates anti-aging hormones already. Which poses comprise a face yoga sequence depends on who you ask. Hagen teaches a combination of traditional yoga postures along with face-specific exercises formulated to combat wrinkles through relaxation and tension reduction, and to tone the muscles as a preventive measure. It's preventative for people who are still young and it is said that people in their 50s have stopped using botox and taken face yoga classes instead.

Leta Koontz, owner and yoga instructor at Schoolhouse Yoga in Pittsburgh, also incorporates face yoga into her classes. “We hold a lot of tension in our faces,” she says, “so if we can consciously learn to relax those muscles and to reduce the overall stress in our lives, the end result is almost the same as Botox.” Read More....

Basically, making hilarious and crazy faces while doing the downward dog.  I didn't know it at the time, but when someone in yoga class would pass gas, I would make a face (mostly a sour face).  Who knew I was practicing face yoga as well!  Check out this video to see the latest craze first hand.

The Right Jeans For Wider Hips

Alright girls, I've consulted my denim specialist from Gap and she's given me some good tips to share with everyone. If you've been blessed with a J.Lo booty and then some, or have wider hips, do not stuff them in mom jeans. Mom jeans are high waisted and never looked good on anyone. If you have a curvier shape below your waist, always go for a low rise. Otherwise, if you have wider hips and you go high rise, there will be a lot of denim that contours around your hips, drawing more attention to the area.  If you go with a low rise, the jeans start lower, cutting your hips in half. My friend also suggested trying the Long and Lean or the Curvy from Gap:

If you're the usual fan of boot cut and flare jeans, those work just as well, especially if they're a low rise. The only difference between boot cut and the long & lean or curvy is the extra room in the hips and thigh area.

As far as the wash goes, always go for a continuous dark wash or a very semi destructed wash. Otherwise, if you have bigger thighs, it will draw attention to unwanted areas. You don't want jeans that are dark with a big faded area on both thighs...or worse, right on your butt. Keep it simple.