Instant Skinny: 8 Ways to Look Thinner, like, NOW!
Sure, diet and exercise are key to making pounds disappear. But while we're waiting for the results, why not depend on the kindness of illusion? As in: "Now you see it. Now you don't!"
Personally, I'm clueless as far as fashion and beauty go, so I'm pretty chuffed to bump into former colleague Charla Krupp, whose book, How To Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner-Without Dieting, just came out and made a beeline for the bestseller list. According to Charla (and a few other style wizards), short of Photoshop, there's a lot of trickery to be had...
THE SHOES
NOT SO HOT: Chunky platforms, flats, round- and square-toed styles all make your legs look heavier, says Charla. As for high-heeled gladiators? "I think they're horrible. If you've got fat feet or cankles, having a lot of straps is not a pretty picture."
INSTANT SLIMMER: "What you want to do is keep the front of your foot free," Krupp says. "I love a nude pump. It lengthens your leg. If you wear a color that matches your skin tone, people take you in visually in one long look. (Even a black pump on white skin is fattening.) A slim pump with a pointy toe is the nonfat shoe of choice."
THE LEGS
NOT SO HOT: Pale, pasty skin.
INSTANT SLIMMER: Self-tanner is your BFF. "Just don't overdo it," says Valerie Monroe, O, the Oprah Magazine's Beauty Director. "If it's too dark, you won't look skinny; you'll look weird." Go over the thicker, rough patches of skin (ankles, knees) with a damp towel so the tanner doesn't blotch there.
THE PANTS
NOT SO HOT: "I don't think capris do anybody any favors unless you're really tall and thin-they just chop off your leg," Charla says.
INSTANT SLIMMER: The rules of pants are: 1) flat front-i.e zipper on the side or back, and 2) no pockets. "Keep the length about a quarter of an inch from the ground and wear the highest heel you can stand in," says Charla. "And you'll look your longest and leanest."
THE STOMACH
NOT SO HOT: A bloated belly.
INSTANT SLIMMER: If you're going to show ab, avoid chewing gum, drinking carbonated beverages, and eating beans, broccoli, cauliflower, fatty meals, and salty foods, say the Nutrition Twins, Lyssie Lakatos, RD, and Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, authors of The Secret to Skinny: How salt makes you fat. Drink extra water-yes, more, because it flushes out the sodium, as does potassium, which you can get in oranges and tomatoes.
THE SKIRT
NOT SO HOT: Sorry, but ditch the low-rider look unless you're built like Zac Efron. That includes Whirly skirts (those cute pouffy, layered minis with elastic tops you can slide down.) "This is not a great skirt for anybody who has wide hips," Charla declares.
INSTANT SLIMMER: "You want an A-line or pencil skirt-a skirt that's not going to cause such commotion on the bottom half of your body."
THE FACE
NOT SO HOT: The chipmunk look.
INSTANT SLIMMER: "Bronzer can bring out your bone structure and make your face look narrower," O Mag's Monroe says. "Very lightly, brush around the hairline, along the tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, maybe a touch on the chin-think of the spots where the sun would hit your face. Just do it subtly: You want to 'highlight' the contours, not 'create' them."
THE BRAIN
NOT SO HOT: Walking around feeling like a fat failure.
INSTANT SLIMMER: "We all know women who think they've got the stuff, even if they don't," says psychologist Alice Domar, PhD, coauthor of Live A Little! "Men flock to them like flies to honey." Before you go out the door, look in the mirror, look hard, and find three things you love. Just try it.
THE BATHING SUIT
NOT SO HOT: Boy shorts, baggy suits, and two pieces are on Charla's nix list.
INSTANT SLIMMER: "A one-piece halter top is super flattering for a lot of women," she says. "And you wouldn't think so, but a high-cut suit gives you a longer leaner leg." But the big news? Spanx has just come out with a line of Slimming Swimsuits. And it's not your typical matronly compression wear. These styles have a grip on fashion. Spanx even sells bikinis.
