Oh, to be Paris. Born with millions and always living in the lap of luxury. Fashion model looks and business smarts. She’s not yet 30 years old and is a household name with untold fame. But it isn’t easy being anyone – especially someone in the limelight. If you embrace it and run with it – as she has – you run the risk of hitting the wall with all that speed. Paris has hit the wall a few times and bounced back gracefully. She’s had more ups than downs, it appears. How will she fare in years to come? Sometimes the past is an indication of the future.

She set the standard for a young, filthy-rich socialite with her billion-dollar disposable income and striking good looks. An heiress to the Hilton hotel chain fortune, she is also known for her hard-to-get-along with attitude. She’s been a celebrity figure in the super chic New York social scene. Paris was born on February 17, 1981. Her parents, Rick and Kathy, are currently in control of the worldwide Hilton Hotel name, which was started by Conrad Hilton. Conrad brought a little notoriety to the family name when he married Elizabeth Taylor. Paris Hilton grew up in the super-affluent New York dwelling, the Waldorf-Astoria, and also spent time at the other family properties located in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons. Sound rough? Even though she was raised in the lap of luxury, – and here is an interesting note – she was a good student and did well in her school studies. But she shunned the university, opting for a serious education in glamour and partying. If you were born rich, what would you have done?

It wasn’t only parties as she started modeling for designers like Marc Bouwer and Catherine Malandrino and even starred in an ad campaign for Italiano label ‘Iceberg’, modeling the latest Ice jeans. She constantly made the tabloid headlines, and before long the likes of GQ, FHM and Vanity Fair magazine were clamoring for Paris to work with them. She even starred in the hit reality series ‘The Simple Life’, which co-starred fellow socialite Nicole Ritchie. The two had a rather public spat, which has led to numerous and brutal slanging matches between the two former best friends. Moving on, in another unpleasant note, Paris has also had an unusual three year restraining order successfully pinned on her.

Brian Quintana, an events manager/producer, won a court case against Hilton, which resulted in her having to stay at least 90 yards away from him for three years. The reason? Paris was found to be harassing and threatening him. It takes two to tango, as they say.

In 2007, she spent 23 days in jail for driving-related offences. Despite her troubles, though, Paris has nurtured money by endorsing jewelry, perfume and clothing lines, as well as pursuing acting and music careers with varying degrees of success. She has her own channel on the Internet video site YouTube which is reputed to be the 34th most subscribed channel on the service, with over 10,000 subscriptions and 2 million views. That doesn’t hurt her notoriety. And there seems to be a method to her madness. “Even my grandpa said to me, ‘You work harder than any of my CEO friends or anyone I know’,” she told an interviewer. Having dated Leonardo DiCaprio and boxer Oscar DeLaHoya, she was even engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis,  but cancelled instead. Probably a good move.

Back in July 2006 she declared she had taken a one-year vow of chastity. “I’m doing it just because I want to,” she told interviewers. It has even been reported that during her time in jail she told an interviewer by telephone that the sentence was a message from God to change her party loving lifestyle and become a positive role model for women. As extreme as that may sound from a party girl, it seems to be proving true.

In September of 2008, she told British magazine Heat, “I don’t want to go to clubs now. I was caught up in a lifestyle that seemed fun at the time, but ultimately left me feeling very empty.”  As of January 2009, Paris is beginning to build a reputation as a very hard working girl. She also is not too proud to admit her own flaws: her feet. “I desperately hate one thing about my body. I have size 11 feet. Yeah, it sucks, because I see all these super cute shoes in the stores: Guccis, YSLs, Manolos. And when they bring them out in my size, they look like clown shoes.”

As of May 2010, in addition to cleaning up her act she is cleaning up her diet. Despite those infamous sexy commercials in 2009, she’s given up fast food. “I’ve been really working out. I’m not eating fast food anymore,” she told UsMagazine.com. “No more McDonalds, In-N-Out done,” she added. “[I'm] getting my bikini body, so I’m about that.” She announced her split from Doug Reinhardt in April, so is single these days. “I’m just enjoying being independent and having fun and spending time with my family and having the time of my life”.

Paris, at 29 years old, is growing up. Having had her fun in her 20’s – as many of us do – she’s looking more to long term and acting more grounded. Expect some real things from this lady. If her character and stamina are significant, her talent and brains will impress us even more in the future. Stay tuned to channel Paris.

Her career began with her performing in the rock music scene of New York City’s Lower East Side in 2003. She enrolled at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and soon signed with Streamline Records. Have you heard of Akon? It was he who recognized her vocal abilities and got her signed to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Since then, her music career has skyrocketed to success. But she started early. She learned to play piano from the age of four, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14.

But we are interested in her fashion sense. That started early as well. She described her academic life in high school as “very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined” but also “a bit insecure” as she told in an interview, “I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn’t fit in, and I felt like a freak.”

Throughout 2007, she worked with performance artist ‘Lady Starlight’, who helped create her onstage fashions. The pair began playing gigs at downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall, with their live performance art piece known as “Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue.” Referred to as “The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow”, their act was a kind of tribute to 1970s variety acts. In August 2007, Gaga and Starlight were invited to play at the American Lollapalooza music festival – people loved it.

She made the cover of the annual ‘Hot 100′ issue of Rolling Stone magazine in May 2009. She was semi-nude wearing only strategically placed plastic bubbles. She was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, winning the award for “Best New Artist”, while her single “Paparazzi” won two awards for “Best Art Direction” and “Best Special Effects.”

In April, it was reported that her music videos gained over one billion viral views, becoming one of the first artists to reach this milestone. She has been influenced by glam rock artists such as David Bowie and Queen. “I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but I’ve made it my goal to revolutionize pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago.” Actress and singer Grace Jones was also  an inspiration.

Lady Gaga has stated that she is very much influenced by fashion and that it is everything to her. She considers Donatella Versace her muse. She has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally. The team creates many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos.

Her love of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was “always very well kept and beautiful.” She said that: “When I’m writing music, I’m thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It’s all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it’s everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

1. The String Bikini

One of the most popular swimwear styles on the market happens to be the one with the least amount of fabric. But what do men really think of the skimpy suit? 74 percent were fans of the triangles-and-string ensemble, while 26 percent thought it looked too revealing and left little to the imagination.

2. Standard Two-Piece

Guys’ most favored suit was the basic two-piece bikini. A bit more material — while still showcasing some serious skin — meant a whopping 91 percent approval rating among men (and several said the look most closely resembled women in bras and panties…). Only 9 percent didn’t like the cut.

3. The Monokini

Women wanting to make a statement on the beach may opt for the monokini — a one-piece suit in which the sides are completely cut out, giving the appearance of a bikini, with the top and bottom sections connected by a thin strip of material. Guys, however, prefer to opt out. Only 22 percent liked the look. The most common response of the 78 percent who hated it? “I don’t get it.”

4. The Tankini

Introduced in the late ’90s, the tankini grew in popularity because of its combination of the modesty of a one-piece with the convenience and style of a two-piece. The look got mixed reviews from the guys surveyed. 53 percent liked the look, while 47 percent didn’t. A few even compared the concept as being synonymous to men wearing T-shirts in the pool.

5. The One-Piece Swimsuit

Few women sport one-pieces despite the traditional swimwear’s resurgence on the runway — and despite the fact that the majority of men like them. In fact, 65 percent prefer the look, as opposed to only 35 percent who don’t. The only rule? Some men said they like the style as long as it’s still sexy and doesn’t look like the woman is trying out for the Olympic swim team.

6. The High-Fashion Bikini

Like many new fashion trends, women inevitably find them far more interesting than their male counterparts. Funky suits — like those with studs, grommets, and beaded detailing or others with unorthodox accessories — were the least favored swimwear of all the styles. Only 17 percent liked them, while 83 percent were mystified that the garments could even hold up in water.

A ‘pin up girl’ is called that because photos of her are often pinned up in lockers, walls and other places their admirers frequent. They started out as movie stars or models and usually women. They were usually sexy and popular with millions of lonely men that dreamed of a date with a girl so beautiful. This is the objectification of the females at its pinnacle. No harm intended though. It is more a form of worship than anything else. Men by the millions bought those posters to look at and kiss imagining they could only hold her in his arms for a moment. Does this sound like the kind of attention you would enjoy? Well, would you at least want to look like one if the classic pinup girls? They were Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, and Rita Hayworth.

Good choice! Pin up girls are more popular now than ever! And the pin up girl look is in, for sure. So, how can we help you look like a pin up girl by wearing just the right makeup?

Here’s the basics, you’ll have to refine you r own style from here. First, put vanilla colored eye shadow on your eyelids. Then, blend in a neutral colored eye shadow to tone it down a bit. This next step is vital: Use black liquid or gel eyeliner and a fine-tip liner brush. Extend this line just past the creases of your eyes, then blend a taper the taupe color you used on your creases along your lower lash lines using an angled liner brush. This will give your eyes that more dramatic look. For your eyebrows, use a matte powder shadow that is a shade or two darker than your own eyebrows. An angled liner brush makes this easiest to do. Then, you must apply false eyelashes for that classic pinup look. Big, long lashes are a must! Then use a powdery pink colored blush for your upper cheeks to highlight them in a soft glow. Finally, line your lips with a bright red lip liner and finish up with a lipstick of the same color. Bright red lips are the hallmark of a pin up girl. If you want an extra final touch, put a beauty mark on your cheek or next to your mouth. It is a final touch that brings the whole look together.

Voila! You’re a pin up girl! Now, go out and get those posters printed so you can be kissed by men you don’t even know the world over!

Alexander McQueen is said to have personally selected the pre-fall dress Cate Blanchett wore at the Robin Hood premiere at the Cannes Film Festival today.

What do you think of her look?

Here, Natalie wears a sheer dress with nothing to cover underneath, but cleverly uses bands of black and blue to make the dress more modest. Stunning, yet not expensive necklaces draw the eye and compliment the sheer look with glass and color.

Her earrings are diamond studs and her lipstick is nude.

With this one ensemble, she proves you can be daring and sexy but not go overboard and be called those other words. When putting together a sheer look that is intended to be revealing, good taste becomes the focus. Others try and sometimes fail miserably. One test to take is this: Are you comfortable to walk out the door, or do you feel silly? Confidence in what you are wearing comes when the right mix of daring and taste blend into perfect harmony.

In the outfit pictured, the look is demure with erotic undertones. She’s nailed it perfectly. We love you Natalie!

6. You Took a Break from Exercising

Maybe you got too busy with a PTA project or put in extra hours at the office, but a layoff can seriously interfere with weight-loss efforts — beyond the unspent calories. A recent study at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that joggers who temporarily cut back on distance or who stopped running altogether couldn’t simply resume what they’d been doing if they wanted to drop the pounds they’d put on during their break. They needed to add extra miles in order to get back to their pre-”vacation” weight.

7. You’ve Banished All Carbs

It’s not about food groups, it’s about calories — consume fewer than you spend and you’ll lose pounds. Does that mean you should eat a little less of everything? Probably, but tiny portions on your plate will signal “hunger” to your brain. “By the time we’re adults, we’ve eaten thousands of meals and we have a good notion of what it will take to fill us up,” says Barbara J. Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University. Eat too little at dinner, and you’ll be charging the fridge before bed. Her solution: Put more veggies and fruits on your plate. True, they have carbs, but they also have fiber and water, and they’re not high-cal. This way, you get the sensory experience of chewing and swallowing plenty of times, and your stomach gets filled without much risk of its also getting filled out.

8. You Listen to the TV, Not to Your Body

A recent study showed that Americans use external cues, like waiting till their TV show is over, to stop eating, unlike the don’t-get-fat French, who rely on internal messages, such as feeling full. We’re also susceptible to social influences. “Many of us keep eating until almost everyone at the table is finished,” says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a nutrition expert at Cornell University and the author of Mindless Eating. The damage can be serious if you’re picking at the macaroni and cheese, so if you tend to finish before your family, “keep the salad bowl or veggies in front of you,” suggests Wansink. Better yet, ask yourself if you’re really still hungry. Unless the answer is truly yes, put down your fork.

9. You’re Keeping Your Diet a Secret

Support is key to dropping pounds and keeping them off. That’s why groups like Weight Watchers and online diet communities work so well. But be careful whom you turn to: Canadian researchers recently interviewed people trying to change their diets and found that some spouses actively hindered the dieters’ efforts (by eating forbidden foods in front of them, for example). If that sounds like someone in your household, try an online buddy.

10. You’re Working Out Too Hard

You may be setting yourself up to drop out. Research has shown that the best way to stick with an exercise program is to build confidence by starting slow and learning the proper mechanics — not by throwing yourself into it. And don’t skip the cooldown. A study of 110 adults found that a happy ending makes the workout seem easier, “and in a related study we found exercisers reported they would be more likely to repeat the activity in the future,” says study leader Britton Brewer, Ph.D., of the Center for Youth Development and Research at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Perhaps most important: You may be less likely to undo all the good by rewarding yourself afterward with a high-calorie treat.

11. You’re Not Addressing Your Stress

Chronic tension alters hormones, like adrenaline, corticotropin, and cortisol, that can increase your appetite and make you store more fat. Normally, cortisol peaks in the morning, then decreases throughout the day. But a multicenter study found that women facing stresses at home often fail to show a drop in cortisol in the evening. That’s when you’re likely to turn to high-carb, high-calorie snacks for the soothing serotonin they trigger. Better, when stress is getting to you, listen to your favorite music or go outside for some “eco-therapy” (a.k.a. a walk), advises Kathleen Hall, Ph.D., founder of the Stress Institute in Atlanta. What may be most effective of all: concentrating on something you’re grateful for. “It’s physiologically impossible to be grateful and stressed at the same time because the two emotional states release different types of hormones,” says Hall.

12. You Don’t Keep Track

You may think you’re eating right, “but we’re not as consistent as we think, and our memories are selective,” says Fernstrom. The solution is to write it down. In a landmark Kaiser Permanente study of more than 2,000 dieters, keeping a food diary turned out to be the best predictor (even better than exercise habits) of whether people would lose weight. In other research, those who weighed themselves regularly after losing weight kept pounds off most successfully over the course of a year; while they regained slightly (two to four pounds), people who stepped on the scale less frequently put on an average of nine pounds. Buy a pretty journal or find an online weight-and-exercise tracker — whichever motivates you best.

1. You Assume “Healthy” Means “Low-Cal”

The label trumpets “low fat,” “zero trans fats,” or “no carbs.” But these virtuous pronouncements don’t tell you a thing about calories — which is what you need to pay attention to in order to lose weight and keep it off. “My rule of thumb is to look first at the calories per serving, then check the serving size,” says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University. You might be surprised by what the manufacturer considers a serving: For some cereals, like Grape-Nuts or certain brands of granola, it’s only a half cup (compared to a cup and a quarter for Rice Krispies, say). “Once you match the product’s serving size to what you’d actually eat, the calories might be considerably higher,” says Nestle.

2. You Discount the Little Things

Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the far end of the lot, walk down the hall to a coworker’s desk instead of e-mailing…. You’ve undoubtedly heard these tips before — and you may have thought they couldn’t make much difference. But just six 5-minute walks a day add up to about 100 calories, which translates into 10 pounds shed in a year. Keep on track by wearing a pedometer: A multicenter review of nine walking programs found that, on average, pedometer wearers walked an extra mile or so a day and lost about one pound every 10 weeks — without making a single change in their diets. (Think of what you could achieve if you stepped up your walking and cut calories.)

3. You’re Drinking Too Many Calories

No one knows why, but our bodies don’t sense calories from liquids well, says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the weight-management center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. That signal failure can add up to a lot of pounds. Data from the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study II on 51,603 women found that those who over four years increased their intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks from one or fewer a week to one or more a day added 358 daily calories and put on an average of 10 pounds. Even drinks that sound innocuous — vitamin-enriched water or fruit-flavored iced tea — may be deceptively high-cal. Read labels and calculate servings.

4. You’re Skimping — or OD’ing — on Sleep

Hopping out of bed a half hour earlier every day for a brisk morning walk is a great diet boost — unless you’re not replacing that shut-eye. Multiple studies have shown that sleeping too little increases appetite, compromises insulin sensitivity (which can lead to weight gain), and affects other hormones that control hunger. Now a new report suggests that getting too much sleep might be linked to overweight. In a study of 276 adults, Canadian researchers found that people who slept nine or 10 hours a night put on about 3 1/2 more pounds over a six-year period than those who averaged seven to eight hours. If you’re coming up short, turn off the TV and get to bed earlier. Spending too many hours in the sack? See your doctor — you could have an underlying health problem that’s causing you to oversleep.

5. You’re Caving on Cravings Too Often

Whether it’s chocolate or chips, ice cream or whipped cream, the foods we crave have one thing in common: They are calorie-dense, a Tufts University study recently confirmed. But in that study, the researchers also noted that while virtually everyone has cravings, the dieters in the group who successfully lost weight or kept it off gave in to their must-haves less often. And when they did indulge, they kept portions reasonable. “Accept that cravings are normal, and then deal with them,” advises Susan Roberts, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts. “Sometimes you can give in, and sometimes you need to brush your teeth and wait for the desire to pass.”

To be continued…

shopping

Talked about stocking up on all your major shopping, forget the racks to find your size, running to every floor to combine the look, waving down an inattentive salesperson, or lugging bags around all day. Just have someone do it for you. Don’t worry, you don’t need a celebrity paycheck; most major shops and department stores offer personal shopping at no extra cost.

The process couldn’t be easier. A private session usually starts with a conversation about your likes, sizes, needs, and budget, followed by an appointment lasting anywhere from one to four hours. And when you arrive at the store, voilà, you’ll have a stocked dressing room waiting and you’re ready to start wardrobe building. Your fashion pro will ensure everything fits (and is tailored right there) and offer advice on mixing and matching, accessorizing, and what to wear when. Not only are instant alterations key to efficient shopping, having your bags shipped or delivered home when you’ve still got a lot of shopping to do is worth the typically nominal fees.

Time-Saving Shopping Tips

• Set up an appointment with a personal shopper and try to be as specific as possible about what you expect and are looking for. Bring clips from fashion magazines of items you like or actual pieces you are looking to refresh. If that sounds too high maintenance for you, try calling ahead so a staffer can prepare a dressing room for you.
• Go solo. Husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, mothers, and children can be distractions when getting down to the business of wardrobe building.
• Have your clothes altered at the time of purchase and sent to your house or office.
• Build a relationship with an insider at your favorite store. He or she will pull pieces for you, hold hot items for you or put your name on the wait list for them, and call you when popular pieces come in. Touch base with your in-store friend regularly.
• Keep your credit card on file at trusted stores so you can avoid the wait at the register. (Some small boutiques will even offer house accounts to their big-spending and loyal customers.) That way you can get your shopping done in a flash — or even make purchases over the phone.
• Shop at off-peak hours. When the store first opens is best; everything is neat and orderly, and you’ll have a salesperson all to yourself. Avoid the lunchtime and postwork rushes.
• Take care of those who take care of you. Thank-you notes, holiday gifts, and a general appreciation for those who’ve helped you will go a long way.