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HOUSTON’S 2015 MAYORAL ELECTION COUTURELIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE, FASHION, FINANCE, HEALTH. MAY 2015 STATE REPRESENTATIVE SYLVESTER TURNER IS HOUSTON’S NEXT MAYOR? 101 SEX WEIGHT LOSS DETOX POP CULTURE TARAJI P. HENSON PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM VIRUSES

Couture lifestyle magazine may, 2015

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HOUSTON’s 2015 MAYORAL ELECTION

COUTURELIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE, FASHION, FINANCE, HEALTH. MAY 2015

STATE REPRESENTATIVE SYLVESTER TURNER IS HOUSTON’S NEXT MAYOR?

101SEX

WEIGHT LOSS

DETOXPOP CULTURETARAJI P. HENSON

PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM

VIRUSES

ON EQUIPMENT ANDINSTALLATION.

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*Service charges and installation fees vary depending on system configuration, equipment, and services selected. To qualify for $150 mail-in cash back on ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions Enterprise View package, the minimum installation price is $599. 36-month monitoring contract required with a minimum monthly maintenance fee of $51.99 per month including Quality Service Plan. To qualify for $150 mail-in cash back on ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions Total Productivity package, the minimum installation price is $799. 36-month monitoring contract required with a minimum monthly maintenance fee of $62.99 per month including Quality Service Plan. To qualify for $100 mail-in cash back on ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions Premise Control package, the minimum installation price is $399. 36-month monitoring contract required with a minimum monthly maintenance fee of $51.99 per month including Quality Service Plan. Limit one offer per new ADT customer and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Offer expires December 31, 2014. After your installation or reactivation is complete, log on to www.MyADTRebate.com and follow the instructions to retrieve your mail-in cash back certificate. Customers who do not have access to the website can call the mail-in cash back toll free number 800.220.3417 to submit, track their rebate and ask questions. Please allow four to six weeks for receipt of check after registration. Not valid on purchases from ADT Authorized Dealers. Rebate effective four business days after contract signing and system installation is complete. ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions, which help you manage your business environment, require the installation and/or activation of an ADT alarm system with monitored burglary service and a compatible computer, cell phone or PDA with Internet and e-mail access. Cellular data providers may charge data transfer fees for accessing system on wireless devices. Standard message and data rates may apply to all text alerts. These ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions do not cover the operation or maintenance of any business equipment/systems that are connected to the ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions/Equipment. All services of ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions are not available with the various packages of ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions. All ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions may not be available in all geographic areas. You may be required to pay additional charges for equipment and services to utilize the ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions features you desire. Actual energy savings may vary based on usage and other factors. $200 charge may apply to packages that require electrician services . Limit one offer per new ADT customer and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Not valid on purchases from ADT Authorized Dealers. Prices subject to change. Prices may vary by market. Local sales, use, and service taxes may apply. System to remain property of ADT. Local permit fees may be required. Additional fees required for some services. Photos are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect the exact product/service actually provided. ©2014 ADT LLC dba ADT Security Services. All rights reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, 800.ADT.ASAP and the product/service names listed in this document are marks and/or registered marks. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. License information available at www.ADT.com or by calling 800.ADT.ASAP. CA ACO7155, 974443; PPO17232; FL EF0001121; LA F1639, F1640, F1643, F1654, F1655; MA 172C; NY 12000305615; PA 090797.

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04 ALFRED MOODY DESIGN

06 YOUR TAX REFUND AND OFFSETS TO PAY YOUR UNPAID DEBTS

08 WEAR YOUR SEXY PANTIES

10 THE CROWN VERSUS THE DOORMAT

11 COUTURE EVENTS

13 BB SEXY COUTURE COLLAGE

15 WHO IS HOUSTON’S NEXT MAYOR?

19 WHY CAN’T I LOSE WEIGHT????

20 ALA CART MODELS

27 SPRINGTIME OUCHES

30 BOUDOIR 101: THE BEST LINGERIE FOR YOUR BODY TYPE

31 TRAINER ADVICE FOR WOMENHOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND LOOK GREAT!

32 ART IMITATING LIFE OR LIFE IMITATING ART

35 COUTURE EVENTS

CONTENTS>

THE C

OUTU

RE TE

AM

Happy May to You! Spring has arrived and with it several important issues.

Houston’s Mayoral race is heating up. In this issue and in subsequent issues we will take a moment to present the mayoral candidates to you. This month’s featured candidate is Sylvester

Turner, he has a long political history that we will review. Our contributing writers will share some valuable information with you on health, wellness, relationships, and self esteem. As always the Couture Team is working on newsworthy events for your enjoyment and indulgence! Coming in April, the opening of the BB Sexy Couture Style Gallery, and in May the All White Party and Fashion show.

We will continue to share information on healthy living, lifestyle and pop culture. There are so many facets to living a couture lifestyle; of course fashion is at the forefront of that lifestyle, but finances, real estate, the arts, healthcare, relationships, cultural beliefs, travel, and professional development are essential elements that define your lifestyle.

Each month we strive to bring you something new.

Continue striving for your best and join us as we continue to grow and strive for ours.

Betty Driver

GREETINGS COUTURE LIFESTYLE READERS,

NOTE FROM EDITOR

Betty DriverEditor in Chief

Tammy ThompsonCreative DirectorPHOTOGRAPHER CONTACT INFORMATION

Gerrale Anthony: [email protected]: Gerrale Anthony Photography

RL/Roderick Lightfoot: [email protected]: Roderick Lightfoot

FBF/FotosbyBen : Facebook FotosbyBen

Bruce Bell Media: [email protected]: Bruce Bell Media

Alfred Moody DesignAlfred Moody with Double Take Fashions. has been in the fashion industry for 32 years. The Double Take Fashions store has been open since 2012 and is located at 7628 Magna St, Houston Tx 77093. We have a wide range of men’s apparel and accessories from formal wear to casual wear. As for our ladies, we have outfits for every occasion; whether you are stepping out, attending a formal event, or even casually going about your day. We believe that every one of our clients deserve a personal shopping experience so contact us today to set up your appointment.

Contact us via:Phone: 832-643-1486 Website: www.doubletakef4m.squarespace.com

Instagram: @doubletake4mwFacebook: search Double Take Fashion’s for MenEmail: [email protected]

4 | COUTURE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

joy.tracilynnjewelry.net/16912281-415-8648

Your Tax Refund and Offsets to Pay Your Unpaid Debts

1. Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The Department of Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, or BFS, runs the Treasury Offset Program.

2. Offsets to Pay Certain Debts. Past due federal tax debt may reduce your tax refund. The BFS may also use part or all of your tax refund to pay certain other debts such as:

• Past-due child and parent support.• Federal agency non-tax debts, such as a delinquent student loan.• State income tax obligations.• Certain unemployment compensation debts owed to a state.

3. Notified by Mail. The BFS will mail you a notice if it offsets any part of your refund to pay your debt. The notice will list the original refund and offset amount. It will also include the agency that received the off-set payment. It will also give their contact information.

4. How to Dispute Offset. If you wish to dispute the offset, you should contact the agency that received the offset payment. Do not contact the IRS.

5. Injured Spouse Allocation. You may be entitled to part or all of the offset if you filed a joint tax return with your spouse. This rule applies if your spouse is solely responsible for the debt. To get your part of the refund, file Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation. You can view, down-load or print tax forms on IRS.gov/forms at any time.

Health Care Law: Refund Offsets and the Individual Shared Responsibility Payment

The law prohibits the IRS from using liens or levies to collect any in-dividual shared responsibility payment. However, if you owe a shared responsibility payment, the IRS may offset that liability against any tax refund that may be due to you.

If you can’t pay your taxes in full, the IRS will work with you. But you should know that back taxes or certain past due debts can reduce your federal tax refund. The Treasury Off-set Program can use all or part of your federal refund to settle certain unpaid federal or state debts. Here are five facts to know about tax refund offsets.

Michelle M Levi, President & CEO

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WEAR YOUR Sexy Panties!We are going to get a little raw in this article so BEWARE and READ at YOUR OWN RISK!

Ladies, we all know there is a possibility that he’s going to mess around! The statistics are staggering when we look at how many men cheat on their wives, and likewise women cheat too, but why women cheat is the subject for an-other article.

Ok here’s a very real scenario: He is a public per-son, always in the limelight on social media, in real-time social settings and very public with his career. Because he is in the public he is well manicured, keeps his hair cut trimmed nicely, wears nice suits, and looks good most of the time when he is out. It is easier for a guy to look good because age is irrelevant when he is wear-ing tailored suits.

She is a semi public mother, but dresses home-ly, doesn’t color the gray that has taken over her head, and is a believer in natural hair and make-up. She better wear her sexy panties! I’m a firm believer in being comfortable in the skin that you are in and that a person should accept you for who you are. However let’s be realistic about the world we live in. A successful and powerful man attracts women like a magnet. It’s some-thing that can not be helped. What you can do is wear your sexy panties!

You may ask what do I mean by that? Married women with kids can get so caught up in the daily routines of marriage and being a mom that we forget “how” to be sexy. More than that

we often lack the energy and drive to be sexy. Be aware that if you aint pleasing him someone else will! Wearing the sexy panties (aka lingerie) is as much for you as it is for him. When you feel sexy you exude sexy and sex becomes much more enjoyable rather than a chore.

I once knew a couple that were on the brink of divorce. The husband had several complaints, but one of his biggest complaints was that she didn’t wear any sexy undergarments or lingerie at all. All of her panties were classic white “gran-ny panties”…NOT SEXY. Arouse both of your senses by wearing that sexy thong or other lin-gerie. Admire yourself in it before you leave the bathroom/or bedroom. Take a moment and see the beauty and sexiness that you have. In fact, lose all of the dated granny panties and frayed bras you have in your drawers and invest in some good quality sexy and fun undergarments. I’m not suggesting you must wear a thong every day, but certainly have some in rotation and some fun cute panties for daily wear. He wants to see you in them! If you find that you are in a rut or routine with your fashion choices take a look at some of the high fashion magazines for a bit of inspira-tion. Remember, a high profile man should have a woman that looks high profile too.

Give both of you a reason to come home. Yes, the questionable women will always be present and situations can happen even under the best of circumstances. Get those sexy panties on!

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STOP LOWERING YOUR STANDARDS TO DOORMAT STATUS TO TELL SOCIETY YOU HAVE A MAN. YES, WE ALL DESIRE A MATE, BUT PLEASE BE WISE WITH WHO YOU SELECT AS YOUR MATE.

The woman who wears her crown proudly is the woman who does not have an issue of being alone and she is a woman who under-stands a man appreciates a challenge. A man does not want a “Yes” woman simply because this is a woman who does not know how to compliment her mate. From time to time self-reflection and self-evaluation is required. I made mistakes along the journey as well. I gave my heart to the most unworthy boys I could possibly encounter. I was the woman who lost myself when I was severely hurt in my early twenties. I became a replica of the boy who took my heart and attempted to destroy my image and self-esteem.

We forget who we are we entertain the lights, camera, actions scenes we receive. Mistaken-ly, women want men to change because we forgot a man changes when he is ready. A man must make the decision to man hold the

roles that are required which are to Provide, Protect and Profess. Women desire men who can take care of home, protect his territory and confess to his errors to assist with locat-ing a solution together.

Stop allowing men to come into your space and lay the foundation that we as women cre-ate on our own because we know what it is that our heart desires. If you are a woman who was fatherless remind yourself you did not have a father in the physical but you always have the best father in the spiritual. Sometimes he speaks to us as his daughter through other women as well as dreams. The gift of discernment and woman’s intuition ties hand in hand. Just be-cause he grins at you and spark a brief conver-sation amongst you does not give permission to share your space with him. Know your value and your worth! For more information, follow her on Facebook at Tee Nikki Anderson.

Part II - By Taleka Anderson

THE CROWN VERSUS THE DOORMAT

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Couture EventsSpring Equinox Wine Pour Event for the Alpha Nu Omega Alumni Chapter of Iota Phi

Theta Fraternity, Inc. and The Texas Women’s Society for Success Kickoff event

IMAGE FROM THE FALL EQUINOX

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MODELS AT EQUINOX

EDITOR BETTY DRIVER WITH AUTHOR RASHUNDA TATE BILLINGSLY AND TEXAS WOMEN’S SOCIETY FOR

SUCCESS FOUNDER, ABENAA BAILEY

EDITOR BETTY DRIVER, WITH PASTOR

KIM BURRELL

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BB Sexy Couture Collage

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BB Sexy Couture has a new location! 4420 Cypress Creek Parkway (1960) Suite 122 on the courtyard, Houston, TX 77068. Open Mon-Tuesday by Appointment only,

Wednesday-Friday 10am-6pm, and Saturday 10am-3pm.www.bb-sexy-couture.myshopify.com

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WHO IS HOUSTON’s NEXT MAYOR?In Houston’s City Hall the political chatter is dominated by talk of the mayoral election.

Mayor Annise Parker is in her third and final two-year term. Leaving the seat open and the electoral intrigue high for the next city elec-tion cycle.

Jones and University of Hous-ton political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus strongly believes that of the presumed candi-dates, Sylvester Turner is the

frontrunner, thanks to likely support from black voters, who are a large base, and many progressives.

For 25 years, Turner has ris-en through the ranks of the state House and twice before has looked to parlay that ex-perience into the city’s top job. Turner, who for the past year has openly talked about

his plan to run a third time, made his decision public and held a press conference and his campaign kick-off on March 28th at Minute Maid Ball Park.

State Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat and a Harvard-ed-ucated lawyer who was first elected to the House in 1988 and who is vice chair of its

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appropriations committee; he ran unsuccessfully for Houston mayor in 1991 and 2003.

The Democratic Turner is the early front-runner, as much as there can be a leader at all in a field featur-ing a dozen potential candidates, nearly all of whom have elected experience.

But few have reached out to the city’s movers and shakers over the past 12 months like Turner. He first made his ambitions public last February and has won over many power players in the Democrat-ic establishment, from Sen. John Whitmire to the lobbyists and do-nors who can steer endorsements, dollars and ultimately votes.

He also has steadily raised mayoral money through his legislative ac-count for at least six months. That fundraising – occurring while other mayoral candidates were subject to a fundraising blackout period – al-lowed Turner to enter 2015 with $1 million in the bank.

Recently, the Texas Black Legislative Caucus was held in Austin, and it was the prelude to the upcoming Mayor-al campaign kick-off and race. The large number of the attendees were from Houston, and many pledged

their support and the support of their constituents for Turner.

Growing up in Houston’s Acres Homes community, Turner went from sharing one room with eight brothers and sisters to Harvard Law School, founding his own business and then becoming a champion in the Texas Legislature for Houston’s middle class families.

In the Legislature, Turner has worked to stop utility companies from un-fairly raising gas and electricity rates and to make health care more afford-able for children and families. He has also led the fight to restore billions of dollars in cuts to public schools. As a small business owner, Turner has provided good jobs, affordable health care and a secure future for his employees for 31 years.

Turner said his priorities as mayor will include a review of the city’s Department of Public Works and im-plementation of a quick-fix program for potholes; stepping up commu-nity policing efforts and improving relationships between HPD and communities of color; and address-ing economic inequality through increased support for schools and better aligning community col-lege-based workforce training with actual private sector job needs.

TURNER HAS PROVIDED

GOOD JOBS, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE AND A SECURE FUTURE FOR

HIS EMPLOYEES FOR 31 YEARS

Watch a video message from Turner and learn more about his campaign at: www.SylvesterTurner.com.

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Family Day in the park 2015. Representative Turner has an annual day of family friendly festivities free for the community

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Dr Richmond is a Chicago native and studied medicine at the University of Illinois-COM Rockford. She also received her Masters of Public Health at the University of Illinois-SPH Chicago. She and her husband Jack moved to Houston so that Dr. Richmond could pursue her Family and Community Residency at Baylor College of Medicine. She is now currently an Assistant Professor at Baylor. Her passions include women’s health and empowerment through fitness fashion and philanthropy for which she created her brand Mocha Millennium Woman! Dr Richmond also has two wonderful sons Jaxon and Jazz. Please follow her on IG at Dr. MochaMillenniumWoman or email questions to [email protected].

This is the age old question. My patients ask this question all the time. Of course initially we have to determine if there is an organ-ic medical cause of unsuccessful weightloss like a low functioning thyroid or what we in the medical field call hypothyroidism.

However if there is no medical explanation then other reasons may be:

1. A poor diet! People don’t realize even con-suming too much “healthy” will halt weight loss. Some of my patients say “I only eat one meal a day.” Actually that is counterintui-tive. To lose weight it’s better to eat small meals throughout the day. Otherwise your body thinks its starving and holds on to fat.

2. Stress! Stress causes increase in the chem-ical cortisol which in turn increases the fat in

the midsection. We have to deal with stress. Therapy, prayer, meditation and exercise are my first suggestions for dealing with stress. We can’t always change our circumstances but we can certainly change how we react.

3. Poor exercise regimens. My patients say “I walk one hour everyday but I can lose weight.” Well if that walk is a stroll, you are not getting that heart rate up enough to burn calories let alone fat. I recommend downloading a free exercise tracker like RunKeeper or MapMyRun to get a true idea of what your workout results are. Also remember some activity is better than no activity.....

There are certainly other reasons for poor weight loss. If you are having trouble with weightloss, please see your physician.

WHY CAN’T I LOSE WEIGHT????By Teriya Richmond

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Paula Dunn

CeCe [email protected]: @phirethadiva

Priya Sane Brandi Harris

A LA CARTE MODELSA La Carte Modeling and Staffing Agency features a menu of models to fit any organizations needs. Our roster of models is always expanding, which helps us to meet our clients needs. We represent talent from all ethnicities, sizes, gender, and children. Our areas of specialty promotional work, print, branding, commercial, acting or runway. All of our models are have been trained, certified and possess the utmost professionalism, with a “diamond in the rough quality”. Beauty is portrayed from the inside out, and as long as you have passion and can empower others you can be successful. A La Carte is conveniently located at 507 N Sam Houston Prkwy E Houston TX 77060

Co-founder: Donna LewisScouting and Booking Director:Shaniqua MartinBusiness Phone: 832-951-7423Facebook: A La Carte Models & Designers StaffingFacebook: Donna LewisFacebook: Shaniqua MartinInstagram: @a_la_carte_modelInstagram: @shaniqua_vs_shaniqua

Photographers: Roderick Lightfoot, Bruce Bell MediaKids photography: Gerrale Anthony Photography

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Essence Hughes Berry Victoria Gnbenjo

CeCe [email protected]: @phirethadiva

Courtney Singleterry Roxanne Smith

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Zoe McCledon Brooke Byrne

Ma`Kyah Price Taleka Anderson

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Solomon Joshua Andre Notice

Cherilee Davis

Jackson Graham

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Asahele Benford Olivia Johnson

Brittany Dougal CC Sutton

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Deon Byrnes Doris Asumu

Janeze Murray Jessica Best

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Kirk Fitshugh Leininey Mills

Noemi Obono-Esono Shaniqua Martin

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Springtime is the time for kids to get sick. Illnesses like chicken pox and strep throat seem, for some reason, to thrive during these warm and sunny months. Here are some ways to protect your child from these common springtime ailments.

SPRINGTIME OUCHES

The Sore-Throat Hurts: If your child suffered through the wintertime with a sore throat–even strep throat–you can count on springtime to cause the bacteria that caused the sore throat to rear its ugly head once again. Those bacteria lie dormant and can sneak around this time of year. So if your child is complaining of a sore throat and is feverish and nauseous, do not assume it’s just some little bug. A sore throat or strep can turn into rheumatic fever. Call your doctor and ask if a strep-throat test is recommended. If your child is diagnosed with strep, make sure they take all the prescribed antibiotics… even if the symptoms dis-appear within a day. Also, throw away your kid’s toothbrush and get a new one. Old toothbrushes harbor bacteria.

The Eating Ouches: If your child is having a pain-ful time swallowing food and eating becomes miserable, take a peek inside their mouth. If you see small blisters or sores, they might just have Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. This is caused by the chicken pox virus, and it likes to afflict kids during springtime. It causes painful blisters in the mouth, tongue and cheeks. It can also show up on the hands and the soles of the feet. This illness is most common in preschoolers, but any age child can get it. Even adults are not immune to this icky, nasty disease. Over-the-counter pain relievers will help ease the pain, and topical numbing agents

can help the sores inside the mouth. Avoid feed-ing your child acidic foods like oranges, tomatoes and lemonade. Instead, administer ice pops, ice water, juices like apple or grape, and low-fat ice creams. Don’t worry about the sores on the hands and feet; they will go away with time and usual-ly don’t cause itching. But of course, should you have any concerns, please contact your doctor.

The Sneezes: Achoo! If your child cannot seem to quit sneezing, don’t just sit there and keep the tissues coming. There is a really good chance that pollen in the air is the cause of the sniffles. Around twenty percent of all kids have allergies–hay fever, allergic rhinitis–and this time of year is prime for these sniffs. Contact your doctor and ask for ad-vice about medications. Your doctor may refer you to an allergist, who can pinpoint the problem and prescribe the right types of medication.

The Spots: Chicken pox, yuk! I remember having these when I was little, and they really itch! Con-trary to a once popular belief, you don’t HAVE to get chicken pox. They have vaccines for that nowadays, so run, run, run your child to the doctor to get the shot. Prevention is always the best medicine. But if your child contracts the “pox,” call your doctor as soon as you see a spot and get a prescription for an anti-viral drug. These drugs will lessen the duration of the chicken pox and make them itch a lot less!

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The Future of Adam and Eve

KIRK FITZHUGH AND SHANIQUA MARTIN EMBODIES

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Boudoir 101The Best Lingerie for Your Body Type

by Jae Curtis, Lifestyle Expert

Curvy (Including Hourglass)If you’re lucky enough to rock dan-gerous curves that Marilyn would be jealous of, just about any lingerie is going to look amazing. Still, you might need a little more support when it comes to your girls, whether you’re looking for all-day comfort or a one-night stunner.

Look for full-coverage bras in flirty patterns and textures; we love the idea of a lacy demi cup to make the most of your enviable cleavage. Wish-ing you had a little more coverage on the bottom? A boy short is sweet and sexy, while playing up your curvy hips.

Straight or RectangularIf you have straight hips and a Kate Moss-esque décolletage, you’re look-ing for lingerie that is girly without being too sweet. Our suggestion? Go with a deep-V silk romper that cinches at the waist for the illusion of curves. If you’re looking for something more traditional, nab a bra and panty set with ruffles, which can add a little ex-tra dimension for some major curves ahead.

Apple ShapeIf you tend to carry your weight in your midsection, a bra and panty set

might highlight the area where you’re most self-CONSCIOUS. Instead, go for a longer chemise-style number in sheer or lace fabric. It’ll provide a soft focus to your entire bod and make you feel like a million bucks while still being tantalizing.

If you really want to turn up the heat, opt for a bustier. It’ll pull in your waist and give a Lady Marmalade look.

Pear ShapeBaby got back – lucky you! Pear-shaped women should show off their assets (pun intended) by revealing a toned tummy and going for a skirt-ed bottom. It’ll give you a little extra coverage while still highlighting your moneymaker. If you’re not worried about coverage, a high-cut panty can give extra length to your legs, which can look a little shorter. Add some heels and you can add “legs for days” to your list of identifiers.

Lingerie is supposed to be fun, flirty and fearless; there’s something for ev-eryone. Don’t be intimidated by the lingerie store (and its accompanying ads). By paying respect to your body’s natural advantages, you’ll find some-thing that works to help you feel sexy in your skivvies.

Despite what the tag on that teddy says, lingerie is not a one-size-fits-all deal. The best boudoir couture is the kind that makes you feel like a total fox, so turn your blinders on when you hit the lingerie store and make a beeline for something that will flaunt your curves, minimize your problem areas and help you feel amazing. Need a primer? Check out some basics on the best lingerie for your unique body type.

BB Sexy Couture After Dark Collection has everything you need for your very own Boudoir collection, up to size 4X.

Model: CeCe Phirethdiva

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Boudoir 101The Best Lingerie for Your Body Type

1. Don’t just focus on cardio. Wom-en often feel that hours in the gym and “calorie losses” will cause weight loss. Unfortunately, many of you spend all this time only doing cardio. But the truth is cardio isn’t the best way to trim down and get a great body. The best thing you can do to decrease your dress size and look trim and slender is to be fit, and the best way to get fit is to develop lean mus-cle. One pound of lean muscle burns more calories than one pound of fat and — more importantly — muscle is more dense than fat. Ten pounds of muscle takes up less space than ten pounds of squishy fat, which means the more muscle you have, the trim-mer and leaner you’ll look. And you can seriously increase your lean mus-cle development with weight and strength training. The most import-ant thing you can do to lose weight

is to balance cardio with strength and weight training.

2. Don’t forget to stretch. One of the most valuable ways to maximize your strength training is to stretch. The importance of stretching for main-taining a healthy lifestyle cannot be emphasized enough. Stretching has a multitude of benefits: it increases joint flexibility, reduces muscle ten-sion, and can aid in healing sore and damaged muscle tissue. The most im-portant benefit of stretching is that it increases circulation (blood flow), which helps increase energy output on the muscles. Stretching before exercising will help maximize the ex-ercise by warming up muscle groups and moving the blood—just be careful to start slowly, because cold muscles are more likely to tear and become injured. Post-exercise stretch-

ing can help relax tired muscles.

3. Eat smart. Many women fail to get the right nutrition to help them lose weight, often because they’re not eat-ing enough. You can’t just slash calo-ries… you need to eat smart. Having small, balanced meals every 2 or 3 hours is the best way to fuel your body and lose weight the healthy way. Each of these meals needs to include a pro-tein, a complex carbohydrate, and a green vegetable. To compliment your nutrition, you need to make sure you’re drinking at least 100 ounces of water a day!

4. Find balance. Having a healthy balance in your life is really the key to weight-loss success. Eating small meals often, balancing weight lifting with cardio… these are the ways to get the results you want!

Women are usually worried about getting into those certain “skinny” jeans or little black dress. But most of the things women are doing to get there are wrong! The best way to see results is to get information straight from the people who know how to exercise the best: Personal Trainers! But don’t worry… we know you’re still recovering from Christ-mas, so we don’t expect you to drop a bunch of cash and hire a trainer yourself. That’s what BodyLab.com is here for! We’ve got the top four diet and exercise tips trainers want every woman to know to help them lose weight and look great.

TRAINER ADVICE FOR WOMENHOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND LOOK GREAT!

By MIKE BUTLER

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Art Imitating Life or Life Imitating Art

Why We Cant Get Enough of Fox"s hit series Empire and Taraji P. Henson..AKA Cookie

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COUTURE LIFESTYLE

MEMBERSHIPPACKAGE

Welcome to Couture Lifestyle Mag-azine! The mission of Couture Life-style Magazine is to empower the readers and participants by giving a voice to up and coming business owners who may have otherwise been overlooked. The magazine’s aim is also to strengthen the com-munity through the economic growth of those businesses. Core areas of focus are fashion, finance, travel, art, and healthcare. The magazine will be printed quarterly and online monthly.

Membership has rewards and privileges!

Cost: $99 annual cost spread over 3 paymentsHere’s what you get:•Your couture welcome package

that includes coupons/discounts to some of your favorite vendors

•Yearly subscription to Couture Life-style Magazine (all printed copies shipped to you)

•Business Member Listing on Cou-ture Lifestyle Site

•Facebook and Social Media promo-tion for your business or event

•Discounted Vendor rates for Cou-ture Lifestyle Events

•Free VIP Admission for 2 to 1 event •1 X coverage of your qualifying

event by Couture Lifestyle Magazine. Your event may be sponsored in the magazine. Certain exclusions apply.

Requirements for Couture Memberships•We are a group of collective busi-

ness owners and professionals, and as such let’s protect each other’s brands

•Demonstrate moral and ethical standards in public

•Demonstrate leadership skills•Empowering and helping others•Support group members events

when possible •When possible refer potential

clients to the group for services of-fered by yourself or other members of the group

www.couturelifestyle.com

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Couture eventsCouture Lifestyle

and BB Sexy Couture Present the All White Party and Fashion Show!

Celebrate the Grand opening of BB Sexy Couture’s new Style Gallery on May 9th from 6pm-11pm at the 4420 Cypress Creek Parkway in the Courtyard

BB Sexy Couture Style Gallery has everything you need for that stunning look or the perfect gift! We offer personalized shopping that takes the guess work out of looking great! Shop our all new celebrity inspired line-up at the all white party! Open on Wednesday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-3pm and Mondays and Tuesday by appointment only.

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