So you have a cold, and you look as bad as you feel -- itchy, irritated eyes; swollen eyelids at half mast; a bright red nose; and dry, cracked lips.  But you can't stay in bed.  Commitments and responsibilities require you to get up and get going.  I'll bet we can all relate.  If this sounds like you, here are some tips on how to look like you're on top of the world instead of under the weather.  

While you're still in bed in the morning, fight back with a series of stretches to limber up and pump oxygen through your bloodstream to help get you moving.  This should leave you feeling a little more alive.

Once you're up, it's a question of bath or shower.  A bath can be wonderfully soothing, but if time is short and you must shower, make it comfortably hot and steamy to help clear your sinuses.  Let the water run over your neck and shoulders to limber you up further.  After a bath or shower, apply your favorite moisturizing lotion as a protection against the drying effects of winter weather and central heating.  While you're at it, don't forget to apply a light film of protective lotion on your face.  If your nose is red and raw from continuous blowing, apply a little petroleum jelly on the area to soothe the sore skin. 

Good eye drops will relieve irritated eyes and help red eyes look less aggravated.  Cold compresses made from tea bags steeped in ice-cold water are good for swollen eyelids and puffiness under your eyes.  The tannic acid in the tea reduces swelling and increases circulation.  For best results, place a tea bag over each eye and sit back or lie down for five or ten minutes. 

Go light on breakfast but don't skip it, even if you're not hungry. You need it for energy.  For something light, try juice and toast.  Pop some vitamin C and drink extra fluids all day long to flush your system.  Hot water with lemon juice and honey workwonders to soothe a sore throat, as does gargling with salt water or mouth wash.  Honey soothes the throat and lemon cuts the phlegm.  Drink it all day long.  Don't forget to brush your teeth -- fresh breath makes you feel fresh all over. Even if you don't feel like it, flash yourself a smile in the bathroom mirror; even a practice grin can perk up your mood. 

Ladies, if you're really feeling sick, you probably won't want to wear makeup and perhaps ought to stay home altogether. But if you absolutely must go out, makeup is next and so essential to looking and feeling the best you can. 

• If you have a spare moment, take a cloth with warm water on it to buff away the dead skin cells around your nose.
• Then moisturize your skin to reduce any flakiness.
• Avoid red, dark, or heavy foundation makeup.  It will only make you look more tired and drawn.  A tinted moisturizer is quick and easy, and attractive.
• Hide red and chafed areas around your nose and under your eyes with a creamy concealer.
• Powder very lightly, if at all.  I prefer a little power-foundation for ease and convenience.
• Avoid bright-colored eye shadows.  Turquoise or emerald green emphasize redness by complementary contrast, making red bloodshot eyes look more like a roadmap.  Instead, use muted colors such as soft gray or brown to minimize puffiness.
• If you're up to it, line the inner rims with a blue, blue-gray, or midnight blue eye pencil -- it does wonders to make the whites look whiter.
• A light coat of waterproof mascara won't smear, and will provide a nice frame for your eyes and detract from their redness
• Avoid harsh, dramatic blush and lip colors in favor of a sheer lighter peach or pink to perk you up a bit.
• Blush does wonders to create a healthy looking glow to otherwise pale skin.  Use cream or gel blush when you've got a cold. 
• Avoid lip liner on chapped lips. 
• A healing ointment or lip balm followed by lipstick or lip gloss not only adds needed color, but soothes and protects dry lips. 

Now that you're relatively ready to get dressed, it time for some fashion therapy.  It's important to think of clothes power as a way of boosting your spirit.  Now is not the time to wear your sloppiest, thrown-together outfit simply because you don't feel good.  Instead, wear a favorite, comfortable yet sharp looking outfit -- one you often get compliments on.  Avoid wearing red or green as they repeat or contrast with redness in your face.  Look for something in a soft coral or shrimp, blue or gray.  You may go through hot and cold spells throughout the day, so dress in layers to stay warm. If you feel flushed you can simply remove a layer and feel relieved.  If you have a sore throat, wrap a silk scarf around your neck attractively.  It feels great, and when you look great, chances are you'll soon begin to feel more like it, too.  That's clothes power.

Take care of yourself.  There's nothing better than hot chicken soup to soothe congestion and an aching body.  Take a thermos of soup for lunch.  It really does speed recovery.  Yes, you can cough or sneeze into your elbow, but better yet, take a nice handkerchief with you and use that to cover your nose and mouth if you cough or sneeze.  Bring an ample supply of lotion-treated tissues for blowing your nose and throw them away immediately after using.  If you can, wash your hands, with real soap and warm water, or use hand sanitizer in a pinch.  Excuse yourself from shaking hands, as hand-to-hand contact is the most common way to spread germs.  Take eye drops, always a way to soothe and make your eyes look healthier.  Gals, during the day, refresh your lipstick and spritz on some perfume.  Most of all, think positively.  Face the day with a smile and if you've followed these tips, people may not even know that you have a cold. 

If you'd like to learn more about the influence of dress and image in your life, consider reading my Clothes Power book with instructions and examples regarding people a lot like you: Wardrobe Strategy book #1, Clothes Power for $27.97.  You'll find charts that will summarize the information and simplify your learning and application.  Order through Conselle's Store or call 801-224-1207 and order directly through Kathy.  Order Clothes Power.

Photo: SheKnows | MedIndia | TheMogulMom | CookingLight

When Casual Friday rolls around each week, everyone knows it means people can get away with sloppy tees, jeans, and sneakers at the office.  Who am I kidding?  Casual dress isn't just reserved for Fridays -- dress is casual everyday, everywhere, for virtually everyone.  And with it comes the growing loss of civility in the workplace.

"Hoodies in the workplace have little to do with a need for comfort," admits one Silicon Valley tech employee.  "That's just an excuse."

"Workplace sloppiness," writes a human resource manager, "with a few days growth on unshaven faces is all about vanity.  They're too busy thinking, "I'm so brave to look this way, I'm better than you."

But there's a new trend a-comin'... things are changing.  Some nonconformist techies have decided to rise above the expected Casual Friday.  Instead they've introduced an ironic work dress trend, Formal Fridays.  For some, it breaks the monotony.  They want to free themselves from the hoodies that are standard weekday dress -- looking like everyone else.  Others simply want to do things a little differently. 

When something hip and trendy begins at a Silicon Valley tech startup, it is sure to soon be copied by others.  For a growing number of companies, from San Francisco to Boston, casual dress just won't do anymore.  Tired of having no reason to dress up, it's a good excuse to get formal one day of the week -- to celebrate Friday with some style and grace.  Baseball caps are being replaced with top hats, sweats with suits, flip-flops losing ground to Oxfords and wingtips.  Even folks at Facebook, home of the hoodies, are doing it.  To truly defy conformity on Friday, some go to extreme with Super Formal Fridays, we could have guessed.  Prom dresses, Hollywood gangster suits and bow-ties. 

Nonetheless, some dressing like they mean business are noticing the more formal attire makes them more productive.  "I feel like a banker, says the CEO of one startup, "and I want to produce."

As you may guess, I am totally behind this trend.  I wish it weren't quite so extreme and that it wasn't just relegated to Fridays, but we've got to start somewhere.  The very fact that people are dressing a little classier on Fridays has come about as a way to subvert the casual to sloppy norm, a way for young professionals to reclaim their right to look sharp and wear a suit because they want to, not because they're told to.  I am delighted to see style resurfacing in the workplace because looking good is fun and doesn't have to be as formal as people once thought.

Photo: Flickr | Flickr | TheMill

Have you thought about 2013 being an odd numbered year?  What does it mean to be odd? A little different?  As a species, people are often seen and assumed to be odd.  A little different.  What is assumed to be odd is often disliked, even feared.  As an image professional I may be seen as a little bit odd, even feared, I may even make people nervous, but I sure make people look better, feel better, and do better.  I like being a little bit odd, a little bit different than others, unique.  It makes me more interesting.  But I don't want to be the odd one out.  I want to be included for my differences, because what I have to offer may help others re-discover, revamp, and re-invent themselves.  That's my job.  Let's welcome this odd-numbered year 2013 with open arms and an open mind.  Let's see if we can do things a little bit different this year, be a little bit different and a little bit better this year.  Let's see if we can learn to appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities.  Of course 13 is considered an unlucky number in many parts of the world, but I suggest that with positive thinking towards becoming better, 2013 will bring us all the good luck possible!  

Photo:  CBSNews

Judith Rasband

Conselle Institute of Image Management

Check out our blog at http://conselleimageconsultant.wordpress.com! 

Didn't catch it the first time around? Browse through our Newsletter Archives for further learning! 

• August 2010 - Developing Personal Style
• September 2010 - Clustering Your Clothes
• October 2010 - Evaluate Your Wardrobe
• November 2010 - Clothing Wear and Care
• December 2010 - Fashion in the Fast Lane
• January 2011 - The Power of Personal Apperance
• February 2011 - Art in Everyday Dress
• March 2011 - Line in Design
• April 2011 - Shape in Design
• May 2011 - Color in Design
• June 2011 - Fabric and Texture in Design
• July 2011 - Pattern in Design
• August 2011 - Developing Your Personal Style
• September 2011 - Which Fashion Trends Work into Clusters for You?
• October 2011 - Timely Tips for a Successful Wardrobe Evaluation
• November 2011 - 7 Ways to Find What You Need In Your Closet
• December 2011 - Love Plus Logic is the Key to Great Shopping
• January 2012 - Where Have All the Nice-Looking People Gone?
• February 2012 - Judith Rasband's Fashion Rule of ONETM
• March 2012 - Discover Which Fashion Lines Work for You
• April 2012 - How to Keep Your Shape in Shape
• May 2012 - Color: Don't Believe Everything You Read
• June 2012 - The Denim Dissent
• July 2012 - What Matters With Pattern
• August 2012 - Tricky Trends for Fall 2012
• September 2012 - Strategy for Shopping With A Plan
• October 2012 - Is Your Wardrobe Killing You?
• November 2012 - Clothing for Your 72-Hour Emergency Kit
• December 2012 - Shopping Results in Real Time