Does your house make you look beautiful?

Creating an environment that optimizes attractiveness (yours and your guests) is a worthy consideration. When people feel good about how they look, they're more confident and relaxed.

"It's like when you're in a dark restaurant and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror behind the bar," said fashion [1] designer Laura McGrew, of Tomboy Design Studio in Kansas City, Mo. "You think, 'Wow! My makeup [2] looks great tonight.' But in dressing rooms in department stores, you look in the mirror and you want to throw up."

Putting yourself and your friends in a better light is easier than it sounds. It has nothing to do with what colors look good on you. Clothing styles and colors that work [3] are highly individualized. But flattering interior design choices are near-universal.

Everybody, regardless of complexion, size or shape, looks better when:

• Expression lines and wrinkles are minimized.
• Skin looks hydrated and glowing.
• Bodies are at ease, not tense.

There are simple and inexpensive things you can do to make those things happen in your home. The keys are soft lighting, comfortable temperature and humidity levels, warm colors and soothing atmospherics such as music or flowers.

Diffusing light, or spreading it around, minimizes wrinkles by eliminating the shadows that make them visible.

"The first thing you do is turn off the single [4] overhead light," said
Rebecca Robertson, the senior home editor of Blueprint magazine. She
recommends using lots of small lights at waist height with 40- or
60-watt bulbs to create a flattering, enveloping glow.

In the daytime, natural light needs to be diffused as well,
especially when it shines directly into a room. Ms. Robertson likes to
use inexpensive muslin. "Muslin allows a lot of light to get in --
tons. It's almost like using a lens filter during a TV interview."

Ms. Robertson suggests lighting the bath with candles for
parties: "You're not in there to pick your zits. You're in there to
feel like you look great."

A healthy glow in guests' faces is a good thing; flushed, moist
skin due to overheating is not. To keep guests looking and feeling
fresh, check the temperature regularly during parties and lower the
thermostat as necessary.

For walls, warm paint colors and whites with warm undertones
are more flattering than cool-family colors. Again, it's about the cast
(healthy or sickly) the reflected glow throws on your skin, not whether
a color matches your complexion.

Unattractive tension in facial muscles [5] also can be relieved by
soothing instrumental music and simple flower arrangements, says
Richard DeLozier, co-owner of Naturally Spa in Kansas City, Mo. People
look attractive when they are relaxed and happy, so anything you can do
to put a smile on guests' faces is the biggest beauty [6] enhancer of all.
"Somebody can walk into a room who cosmetically looks great, but that
pales compared to the person who radiates a sense of well-being."

Source: Augusta Chronicle. Powered by Yellowbrix.