Saturday, October 10, 2009

Week 1 WINNERS, Love Your Life Challenge


I have thoroughly enjoyed the 1st week of the Love Your Life Challenge and know that it's just going to get better. So I am looking forward to continuing to hear all about you and your progress.
So keep the comments coming I LOVE THEM!

This Weeks WINNERS are-

K.Line- My Mini Organiser from the amazing Mum e Assistant, I love this organiser!

Graciebell-Health & Well Being Journal, this is such a cool journal.

Flutterbye & Chantal- You are the new proud owners SPROUT the Life You Love

Jodi- You have won the most delightful Stationary Set and Voucher to my favourite card maker ever Pep+Coddle She will now personalise them for you!

SassiSam- You are going to relax with the best Day Spa in Sydney! Oceana Day Spa, girl you're in for a treat....

PLEASE EMAIL ME braqueen@gmail.com YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS SO I CAN SEND YOUR PRIZES PUT TOO YOU.

We have more amazing prizes to giveaway next week so keep your comments coming!!!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Day 5- Love Your Life Challenge


The easiest and quickest way you can feel good and is an instant confidence booster is to wear nice lingerie.

I always encourage women to wear nice lingerie everyday (even if you're doing housework or wearing trackie's I don't care!) It’s such a simple thing you can do that makes a huge difference to how you feel.
Life is too short and you don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring so DO NOT save it for special occasions! Why not feel that way everyday.

The trick is to buy bras that are sexy AND supportive. Remember sexy can be as simple or as adventurous as you feel comfortable with. As long as you have matching bottoms that's all that really matters.

So you guessed it today it is your mission to pull out that sexy set or if you don’t have one you have to buy one. Don’t know what to look for? Here I’ll give you some hints….

Pregnant or Feeding? You can still buy nice nursing bras. I highly recommend HOT MILK. They have pretty nursing bras so you still get to feel good. YAY!

Do you have small boobs and like to look bigger? BNT make sexy water and cream bras.

Big Boobs and you’re thinking “I can’t find a bra to fit let alone a nice one” Check out my Bra Reviews D to G Cups and see what bras I recommend that are super sexy and super supportive.

Like comfort and support, no padding and no frou frou. Go for plan and sleek.

Not sure what shape suits you ask me braqueen@gmail.com or you may want to read this.

Chop chop! You have bras to hunt down….. Try it and tell me you don’t feel any better, you will I promise x

This weeks WINNERS will be in tomorrows post.
Well done to everyone as well, your feedback has been amazing as has your progress!

Day 4- Love Your Life Challenge, Body Shapes

Guest Post- Australia's Leading Image Consultant Imogen Lamport creator of Bespoke Image


How to Dress Your Body Shape


Body shapes are the outline, or silhouette of the body. One easy way of working out your body shape is to take a photo of yourself in tight fitting clothing (say t-shirt and leggings or fitted jeans), and then put it into a photo program and fill in your features with a colour so that all you can see is the silhouette.

Once you can see this you can see the width of various parts of your body. The most important considerations are – the visual width of shoulders, waist and hips. If your shoulders and hips are a similar width, your body shape is what we call in the trade ‘balanced’ and will be an I, X, H or 8 shape. If your shoulders are noticeably wider than your hips then you are a V shape. If your shoulders are noticeably smaller than your hips you are an A shape. If your waist is wider than your hips and/or shoulders then you are an O shape.

What does this tell you? Body shapes tell you where to put the detail or interest on a garment. What to highlight and what to camouflage. Let’s assume that we want to create the appearance of an X shape (as most women in western cultures tend to want this – the shape of balanced hips and shoulders with a defined waistline). So when looking at each of the shapes, we decide where to draw attention, and where to distract the eye from resting, and use the concepts of line and design to do this.

For example, if you are an X shape (one measurement that can help you figure this out if your hips and shoulders are even) is that your waist is 10”+ smaller than your hip or shoulder measurement. If your waist is 9” or less different from hips/shoulders you will be either and I or H shape.

X shapes have a defined waist and can draw attention to this with belting. They look best in garments that are shaped through the waist – anything baggy or boxy won’t flatter their ultra feminine figure.


I shapes are super slim, they often describe their figure as ‘boyish’ and often feel less feminine. Most models are an I shape, and your body makes a great coathanger for lots of different clothing styles and you can play with all sorts of silhouettes.

8 shapes have a ‘shelf’ like hip and look best in straight skirts rather than A-line. As you have a small waist show this great feature off. Avoid pocket flaps on jeans and trousers if you don’t want to add more booty.


H shapes have a less than defined waist, so need clothes that skim past the waist (not belted at the waist, or tucked) so as not to draw attention to the lack of waist, instead create shaping by using detail above the bust or below the knee.


A shapes (often known as pear shape) need detail and interest from the waist up, and to keep the lower half of the body free of detail and in a darker colour than the top half, so the hips appear smaller and more balanced with the shoulders. A shapes can benefit from putting horizontal details up near their shoulders , things like boat necklines, cap sleeves, epaulettes, pockets on the bust (unless you’re busty).


V shapes have wider shoulders and often appear quite athletic. Look for halter necks, narrow V necks or scoop necks. Jeans with pocket details on the hips or distressing details will add some curve. Patterned skirts that have some flare also balance your wide shoulders.


O shapes need clothes that skim past their waist. Look for detail above the bust to draw attention to your face. Avoid belts or tucking which are not flattering for your waist.


As you can see from this, body shapes are one element in what goes into what suits you best. There are lots of other elements, such as body variations (large or small bust, long or short neck , booty butt or flat butt etc.), that you may want to think about, along with body proportions, which tell you the most flattering lengths of garments.

The more you know about each of your glorious and unique features, the easier it is to choose clothes that flatter your shape.

#For more specific information about body shapes or to follow Imogen's fabulous, informative blog your can do so at www.insideoutstyleblog.com

What body shape are you?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Day 3- Of the Love Your Life Challenge

What I would like you to do now is every time someone-
* Upsets you,
* Annoys you, or
* Makes you angry

Write down exactly what it is that made you angry not the person but their action. Continue doing this through the Challenge, keep writing it down because we will re visit this later during the Challenge.

Now we are taking control have you made a cautious decision to think positive? If you are struggling to keep the anxiety at bay there are some tips in this post that will help!

Monday, October 5, 2009

My Spring Day and Style Scene

If you would like to catch more of Bra Queen you can find me at

My Spring Day- Online Personal Trainers and inspiring you to achieve a balanced lifestyle.

Style Scene- The ultimate women's resource centre, it's really cool.

Day 2- Love Your Life Challenge, Domestic Violence


Guest Post- My Story on Domestic Violence

I had to break the cycle and stop the war because I'd had enough
When I was a teenager I watched my Mum get physically abused. It was usually on weekends and alcohol was always the instigator. He was unbelievably quiet when he was sober but when he had a few drinks in him he become very violent.
He would head butt my mum, throw her against cars, throw her up against walls you name it.
My brother and I would watch so scared and I was older so I would always stop it somehow.
I hated the next day the awkwardness that we all felt. I couldn’t look him in the eye and I just had to put up with it and pretend it didn’t happen. No one knew this was going on in my house not even my closest friends.

Although I couldn’t understand why my Mum kept putting up with it, I was old enough to know and I understood that she needed someone.

He then started to become violent with my brother and I, but I am not going to go into that.
When I finished school I left home and moved quite far away. I was really scared to leave because I didn’t know what would happen to my brother and my Mum because in so many ways I was the strong one and I always stopped it.
Eventually they split up I don’t know why but I am glad they did.

As I was working hard and saving money so I could put myself through College. When I was 18 years old I meet a guy that for some reason caught my eye. I just remember telling my friend “I think I like him” and she said “BUT HE HAS TATTOOS” I said “I know but look at his smile!”
We eventually got together and lived together. I knew he drank a lot but that was kind of the town we lived in as well. But I soon found out that he was quite violent not with me but with other people when he was drinking. Always getting into fights but it was always the other guys fault.
Then on my 19th Birthday we were out celebrating and my mum was up so I was filming a band for her and he walked past me and elbowed me in the arm. When I looked he said I was flirting with a guy and when I looked at the guy he was about 80 years old!

Then one night I we were suppose to go out together but he come home so drunk that he couldn’t. When I said I was still going out he said “No! you are not” and I said “What’s good for the goose is good for the gender” WELL!

He came flying at me and he beat me to an absolute pulp to !
I ran out and I was walking and hiding when every car drove past. I saw him driving the streets looking for me. A friend come and picked me up and instantly I was playing it down.
The next day he come to me and was ever so remorseful, crying saying I was the best thing that ever happened to him and he would NEVER do it again and he didn’t know what came over him.
He did do it again and continued to do it again. BUT
He had a good side and boy that good side was the best! Funny, charming, creative and ambitious and I just thought that if I could help him through it we’d would be OK.

The worst time was when I tried to break up with him and he told me he would commit suicide (he didn’t say it that nicely) if I did. When I pleaded with him he got really angry, I was sitting outside and he raced over to me grabbed me by the throat and picked me up (still holding me by the throat) and I was literally just dangling as he was holding me. (I just realised that I STILL say holding, he was STRANGLING me) Luckily my house mate come home and when she seen what was happening she stopped him and she told me to go inside and she ever so calmly said “I think you better go” and he did.
She came into the bathroom where I was curled up into a ball struggling to breathe because he’s been strangling me for a while. She put her arm around me and said nothing just held me.

To you a say THANK YOU!

But I STILL went back! Because why? I told you he was charming he knew what to say and when to say it and I thought I had no where or no one to turn too.
Until one night it happened again and he left, then I left. I left no note, nothing! I never cried I just left and moved on.

You here people say “I would just leave, I wouldn’t put up with that” You don’t know what you are going to do until you are in that situation.
Now I know this-
I was just a girl who thought she was an adult and although I knew it was wrong it was the only love I had known for a really long time. I was scared and I thought I had no where to turn. I didn’t know any different, I had no where to go and no one to turn too. But you know what? I did and you do and anywhere is better then there.

I left and promised myself that I would NEVER let that happen again. When I looked in the mirror there was new determination, new self confidence and new self respect. I would do it on my own!
And I did, and then someone walked into my life that loves me and adores me because I gave myself permission to be loved the way everyone is supposed to be loved.

Domestic Violence Facts:
50% of women in their CURRENT relationship have been abused by her partner at least once.
Only 12% of them call the police, the others admit living in fear (I never did, but I should have because later in his life he REALLY hurt someone they nearly died. He needed help)
20.8% of all homicides involve intimate partners. This represents approximately 76 homicide incidents within Australia each year.

Everyone has a trigger, a point that they get too where enough is enough. It may not be physical abuse it may be verbal or sexual. But you can only do something when you are ready and you have the strength. But there is always an out and only you can make it happen.
If you don’t feel comfortable getting “help” read You Can Heal You Life by the amazing Louise Hay and go from there.

Domestic Violence Resource Site
Domestic Violence Prevention Centre

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Love Your Life Challenge

My interview on The Love Your Life Challenge

Jade Craven
I spoke to Renee about the AMAZING love your life challenge she is doing next month. I am SO honoured to be part of it. Recorded on April 24, 2009

Watch @braqueen