Hello and welcome to the November issue of The Wardrobe Shrink Newsletter.

What's New

I have been busy in the last month working on new articles to help you with your personal image. Why not view some of the articles - e.g. 'How to have Colour Sense'. This an area I am going to be building on and you will see a lot more additions. I definitely want to write about Anne Robinson's new look!

My plans have moved and I won't be coming over to the UK till after Christmas. To make a booking; e-mail , call me on +1 415 409 1691, or click on book a consultation above.
For bookings for London, please book as soon as possible so you'll be on the shortlist for my next trip.

How to be an Eco-Friendly Fashionista

According to recent research 70% of a product that is applied to the skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 unique ingredients every day.

A recent survey Skindeep, published by EWG found that 'an astonishing one third of all products in the Cosmetics and Skincare industry contain one or more ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens'.

One of every 120 products on the market contains ingredients certified by government authorities as known or probable human carcinogens. One of every five adults are potentially exposed every day to all of the top seven carcinogenic impurities.

How is this happening? The problem is that many of the ingredients of skincare products are not tested and there is little regulation to do so. In the USA they found that only 28 out of these 7500 products reviewed were being assessed for safety, and only 9 out of 10,000 ingredients have been banned, in contrast to 450 banned in the European Union.

• coal tar - used in shampoos and hair dyes and is a known human carcinogen. Used in Neutrogena T-gel shampoo.
• alpha hydroxy acids (skin peelers) - warned by the FDA in 1992 as a burning of the skin - used today thought in 10% of all moisturisers
• phthalates (plasticizers) - are added to soften and give moisture, but scientists have found can cause damage to the female reproductive system
• nitrosamines (carcinogens) - 1 of every 100 products on the market lists on the label a known or probable human carcinogen

At least 55% of all products assessed by EWG contain 'penetration enhancers' which help ensure the product penetrated the bloodstream.

Read the rest of the article to discover environmentally safe cosmetics, skincare and other products Sarah has tested and recommends.

Best Buys

Understanding your Feminine Energy ... and using it to impact your environment

Female essence is an essential and potent energy that is necessary to achieve balance. Feminine essence is a crucial component to who you are. And it is crucial if we are to live in a planet of balance and peace.

Feminine essence is the spiritual expression of the feminine, different from the physical or mental expression of the feminine. Understanding your individual female essence is a crucial aspect to expressing yourself as a woman, and this essence is reflected differently and to varying degrees according to your Image Type.

With my Image Typology system, I use feminine ‘age’ archetypes to define and help you understand how to express your feminine essence. Are you the Maiden – the young damsel or the nature girl? The Matriarch – the earth mother or the regal queen? Or the Seer – the medicine woman or the seductress. (These are a few examples of the female archetype system I use).

All women have a combination of the different ‘age’ archetypes but there tends to be a dominant feminine ‘age’ that defines you and that you feel is a genuine reflection of how you interact and behave as a woman.

Often people ask me if they need to have an equal share of all the ‘ages’ to be balanced, but in fact to be balanced as an individual I believe you need to express your unique combination effectively. This is achieved by simply understanding your own feminine ‘age’ combination and then expressing it.

The main reason I believe this to be the case is that we all have a role to play. It is important to fulfill this role for the benefit of all female types or for the ‘tribe’ as I like to call it – i.e. the collective group of both men and women.

For example, Hilary Clinton, a strong Matriarchal ‘age’ type, would not be offering her best gifts if she were to express herself as a Maiden. Likewise, Audrey Hepburn would not have offered her best gifts if she had expressed herself as a Matriarch rather than a Maiden.

Ask Sarah

Each issue I publish my answer to a style-related question sent in since last month. This issue’s featured question from Monique is:
"I bought a skirt. It is classic, tweed-like, but a bit short. My legs are all right, I have brown suede boots, but I don't feel comfortable in it, although I like the skirt very much. I feel like everybody is watching and measuring my legs. How can I make this skirt wearable for me. I am 43 years old and slim."

Tights can be a great accessory and help you bridge the skirt and boot and bring the outfit together. Knits can evoke images of heavy unsexy woollens worn by your aunt, but these days you have many colours and mixed knit styles that you can wear to the office with a suit even as well as your tweed skirt.

Tweed is 'in' this autumn/winter but that doesn't mean you suit the tweed look. Tweed works well on people with a natural element to their character, like the youthful feminine Gwyneth Paltrow or the country noble woman like Princess Anne.

The other important factor is the length of the skirt.
Read the full answer...

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