D AND J STUDIO blog at BridesClub.com

Candid Elegance

Monday, April 27, 2009
Moving Meditation

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if this activity is the axis on which the whole earth revolves. Live the moment. Only this actual moment is life.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Moving Meditation

Everyone enjoys feeling good. Bien dans sa peau, as the French say. Feel good in your skin. That comes from a flexible, aligned, body that moves with grace. Walking with an elegant, fluid stride, not staggering around noisily. All bodies are beautiful when they are healthy, and finding the sport or routine that works for you is essential. You may not love yoga, but walking can be a moving meditation. You may be busy, but park at the far end of a parking lot and enjoy the walk into a grocery store.

Two of the gift cards John Perea is offering brides when they book their wedding photography with him are Seattle’s finest ways to enjoy movement. Whether the bride chooses Dorothee of Metropolitan Palates, or ProRobics, the movement is fun and elegant. ProRobics Kari Anderson was a ballerina before opening her wonderful gyms, and like Dorothee, she is the slim, strong embodiment of many people’s ideal form. And following the DVDs at home eliminates excuses!

Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow train with a dancer whose success is based on a lean lovely look. The important thing is to move every day. You are how you move, graceful, composed, joyful, serene,

One ageless beauty I know says the most important muscle to work is the psoas. The psoas is the longest muscles in the body. It runs from behind the knee, inner thigh, to the deepest abdominals. So the psoas is the key to a svelte waistline.

So to work this, lay on your back. Hands and feet straight up in the air. Inhale, and slooooowly move the right hand and right leg away from you, pointing the toe as the leg moves away. Flex the foot, and exhale as you bring the arm and leg slowly back to the start point. Now, do the same on the other side. Work up to 15 times each side and you will see the difference in a few days. And you feel both longer and more grounded.

Call John Perea for your wedding or graduation photos at (206) 331-4172. Today. Candid. Elegance.

“Everybody’s beautiful, in their own way” Ray Stevens in the 70s

“Americans are too fat to be elegant.” Karl Lagerfeld

for more from Karl Largerfeld, or not, see fakekarl.blogspot.com
Posted by Candid Elegance at 9:17 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Acupuncture and Beauty

“Happiness is what happens when what you think, what you do, and what you say are in harmony” Gandhi

Acupuncture is a great way to restore harmony. And Seattle Acupuncturist Jessica Vargish, L. Ac., a graduate of Bastyr University, incorporates massage and sound therapy. So if you don't want needles, she uses acutonics to restore your natural balance.

"Acupuncture facials leave your skin glowing!” says Jessica Vargish, a practitioner of this 5000-year-old beauty treatment. They can tighten a sagging jaw line, calm blotchiness, cure bitchiness, by working where the tension is held. This can be in the shoulders, tightness in the jaw, or dullness around the eyes from staring into a computer. This natural beauty treatment works with both the map of the face and the body’s inherent ability to correct itself.
The needles placed in the face also work along the meridians in the body helping restore the balance necessary for natural beauty.
An acupuncture facial shows the results on both the external and internal levels – smoothing a wrinkle, and supporting the system that governs the root cause, such as stress, depleted energy, or indigestion. It’s easier to look your best when you feel your best- pretty is as pretty does!

“Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could, so somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.” – Maria and Captain Von Trapp, the Sound of Music
Posted by Candid Elegance at 11:23 AM 0 comments
Candid Elegance Photographer's Beauty Tips

Hi, I’m Elle. The photographer’s assistant at Candid Elegance, Photography by renown photographer, John Perea.

John brings a new style, Candid Elegance Wedding Photography to the Seattle – Puget Sound area. Candid Elegance is the marrying of the Elegance found in Classic Wedding Portraiture with the Candid style of Photojournalism. John Perea the owner and main photographer has learned to meld the two.

With more than 20 years experience and training John has refined the art of wedding photography. He has found ways to let you be yourself and comfortable, having fun on your day. Posing in a relaxed and natural ways to bring out the very best in you.

John’s membership in numerous professional organizations and dedication to learning keeps him abreast of the most up to date styles and in touch with the classic rules of photography.

This blog is going to be a way to make preparing for your wedding and the all important photos as much fun as the day itself. And because it is sponsored by the photographer, whose goal is the best photographs, the advice will be genuine. It’s not selling you anything, It is helping prepare you for your wedding with the best beauty tips, services, experts, and habits. It works for graduation portraits as well!

Many of the tips will be easy, so they become second nature, and not harm your budget.
With every bridal booking, John will give the bride a gift certificate for a beauty treatment, The lucky bride can chose from many things. The best in Seattle’s hair, skin, exercise, and holistic services.

Greta Garbo said “Beauty is a matter of millimeters.” Really, everything does count. One thing Greta Garbo did everyday was to drink her chlorophyll. She put her greens in a blender and drank down nutrition and a great cleanser, resulting in flawless skin!

For hair, it’s Emily Willoughby. Emily is an experienced hairdresser, who goes to Manhattan every four months to take classes at Bumble and Bumble. She is so good, they have been bringing Bumble and Bumble trainings here, in Seattle! And if you were completely enthralled by the current issue of Vogue Supermodel cover, note the hair was Bumble and Bumble!

Emily says everyone needs to begin with a good cut and conditioning for healthy, moving, shiny hair. She recommends combing a hair masque through your hair and leaving it on as long as possible, even while gardening or overnight!

And its time to rethink highlights. Brassy blondes are everywhere, but that doesn’t make them the best choice. They work best when they are subtle and a shade or two from your natural color, but not more. So it’s like your color, but better. Mother Nature had it right, so don’t stray too far from her work!

Candid Elegance, let’s start today. You can look like you, only better!

“Always judge by appearances, anything else is superficial.” Oscar Wilde
Posted by Candid Elegance at 11:05 AM 0 comments
Friday, April 24, 2009

Beauty Tips from Candid Elegance, photographer John Perea

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