Health and Beauty Tips from Former Miss Ethiopia

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We asked Sehin Belew for some tips and advice on fashion and beauty. Here is what she had to say:

Find A Designer

Sehin says the first thing to do in looking fabulous is to decide what your style and colors are. “Once that is determined, find a high-end designer who cuts for your body.” Next, you can refer to Sehin’s book, Fabulous for Less, to find a store near you that carries your favorite label. Sehin has listed the names, addresses and contact information of the stores throughout the country that carry more than 40 top designer labels where you can purchase your favorite label for only 10% of the retail price.

Wear Only What Comes Naturally

Sehin stresses the importance in finding a fashion style that is personal to you. “You’ve seen women dressed in designer clothes, maybe carrying an expensive handbag and walking in uncomfortable stiletto heels. As costly as their outfits were, though, they didn’t look quite right in them because essentially their clothes were wearing them instead of them wearing the clothes.” Sehin says this can be avoided by being true to your authentic self and by wearing only what comes naturally. “Your clothes should be an extension of what you feel inside.”

Know When to Buy

According to Sehin, the best time to buy clothes is in between seasons. “At the very end of each season, stores need the space for new merchandise so they are motivated to lower prices for their biggest sales.” During a year, the biggest sales occur twice – winter and summer. “The winter sale usually takes place in late December through Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day weekend. The summer sale is in the week leading to the Labor Day weekend.”

See the Value in Dressing for You

Sehin freely admits to getting all dressed up even if she is going somewhere alone and this makes her feel “quite good.” Sometimes, when people ask her, “You are all dressed up, where are you going?” She responds, “It is not where I am going, it is who I am going to be with.” Right on cue, the follow-up question is, “Who is it?” Sehin’s answer, “Me, after all, I am important and I dress accordingly.”

Dress Your Best – Always

Whether you are going to a special event, or say, the supermarket, Sehin says one should always look their best. “If you are dressing for yourself, it doesn’t matter whether you are going somewhere (special) or not.” Sehin maintains that you don’t need a special occasion to justify putting on clothes, shoes, and gorgeous jewelry. “Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Celebrate life!”

Practice Good Skin Care

According to Sehin, good skin care is not about covering or masking your problems. “Instead, it is about helping your epidermis (outermost layer of the skin) work efficiently and naturally.” Sehin says it is important to purchase products that are healthy and nourishing, and that don’t contain the artificial colors and harsh preservatives found in conventional items. About a dozen brands of holistic skin care and cosmetics are listed in her book. She warns one ingredient to avoid from your beauty products is paraben. “It is a preservative that is used virtually in every conventional beauty product. I read an article in a health magazine that researchers have found a high concentration of paraben in breast tumors. As a result, they speculated that these parabens came from products applied on the skin.”

Maintain A Healthy Diet

Sehin describes a healthy diet as one being wholesome as opposed to processed, organic as opposed to food that has been sprayed with man-made insecticides and fertilizers, naturally grown as opposed to generically modified (GMO). In addition, it also needs to be a balance diet consisting most of the nutrients your body needs. “My advice would be, when it comes to food, do not go for a bargain. Your health deserves the very best.”

To learn more about the author or to get a copy of the book, Fabulous for Less, Former Miss Ethiopia’s Smart Guide to Beauty, Health, and Fashion (Annotation Press, 2008), visit www.sehinbelew.com.