Models Look

Looking like a model doesn't always mean that you have to be between the sizes of 00-14. Being a model means being comfortable with yourself, loving the way you look, and being happy. Models have a confident mystique about them. Even the most conventionally beautiful models carry themselves with an aura that exudes style, grace, and health. Here's how to get in touch with your own inner model and who knows, maybe even get discovered!

Get fit. Being healthy is a million times more important than being thin. Check with your doctor for your proper weight range and work to get and stay within it. Exercise, eat properly, and drink plenty of water. You are what you eat, so learn to like it in order to achieve the weight you want and be as healthy as you can be. As long as you're in your healthy range, you'll look fabulous. And if you're already happy with your body, then you can still look like a model. You don't have to be thin to look like a model. You don't have to lose weight to look great. Don't want to change? Then you can still look fab.

Mind your style, top to bottom! There are two things that can make or break your look: your hair and your shoes.

• Look through hair magazines and talk with your hairstylist about what would look good with your face structure. Always keep your hair clean and styled, and make sure you go back to the salon every 2-3 months as your hair grows. Make sure the shade of your hair is vibrant; there's nothing worse than dull hair. If you don't want to color your hair, use a shine serum to add a healthy shine.
• Wear clean, nice shoes. Models wear sneakers, too, and they wear them with style. Just make sure your shoes aren't worn out, and that you can walk comfortably in them (a grimace accompanied by a limp from the pain of wearing a torturous pair of shoes is unbecoming). See the Tips section for more advice about shoes.

Be fashionable. This one is a given, but a lot of people don't realize how wrong they are in the clothes they wear. Learn about your body type, height, skin tone and preferences. Discover yourself, and fashion will come to you. Rid yourself of any insecurities, because you can look bad in a Gucci & Manolo shoes if your shoulders are slouching and you have a scared look on your face. You don't have to wear designer clothes, especially if you can't afford them. Just look through fashion magazines, pick your favorites and then find look-a-likes. Remember: Clothes don't make you, they complement you.

• Tyra Banks - Healthy, natural, and stylin'Smile, and do it like you mean it. Models can be happy even though they might look bored or fierce on the runway. They make tons of cash, have lots of beautiful friends, attend the hottest parties, and let's not forget that their job is to walk around in really expensive clothes. So generally, they appear to have good lives. Who cares that you're broke, know no celebrities, and your job involves flipping burgers? Just make sure you're the happiest burger flipper in your joint! Smile, be merry and people will notice that. It will help you meet people and be talked about. But to smile genuinely, you have to be genuinely happy with yourself. Some models are unhappy, some have eating disorders and use unhealthy ways to lose weight. Just because they do that, doesn't mean you have to. Don't hide behind your smile all the time. If you are unhappy about something, express your opinion - the key to being a good model is emotiveness (the ability to convey emotions).

Be your own makeup artist. Makeup is amazing, and any fashionista knows that. You can transform into so many different looks if you have the necessary tools and skills. Look through fashion magazines and practice the looks you see on yourself and your friends. Then invent your own looks and perfect them. Being able to apply makeup like a pro is a must for looking like a model. It requires practice, practice, and then some more practice.

Make sure every part of your body is as flawless as you can make it. We all have this idea that models are perfect human beings with perfect super powers, but they're just normal men and women like you and me. Of course, they have been refined, polished, re-invented, and perfected. You can be all of these as well, with proper maintenance! Hygiene is extremely important.

• Don't bite your nails and always keep them polished. This doesn't mean always have nail polish on just make sure to buff them and maintain them.
• Keep your feet in impeccable conditions at all times (you never know when you will have to take your shoes off and dance on the tables!).
• Soft elbows and knees are just as important as matching shoes and belt.
• To get softer skin, try to exfoliate your skin at least twice a week with something simple like white sugar and aloe Vera mixed.
• Keep those pearly whites pearly white! Use whitening strips if you need to, and stay far away from cigarettes and coffee, which will turn them yellow. Always use enamel safe teeth whitening or else your teeth could chip off or become see through and very unhealthy.

Be seen. What does it matter to look gorgeous if the only one that sees it is your family, and your teddy bears? Go out dancing with your friends, or dining, or whatever it is you like to do. Have fun and live it out.

Educate yourself in culture. Stay on top of the arts, film, music, fashion, news and all things hip. Learn key phrases in various languages from countries with an active fashion scene. Travel the world, or watch the Travel Channel. Professional models learn to feel at home in any part of the world, and so must you--or at least you can pretend!

Watch your posture. How you carry yourself affects how people perceive you more than you think! Perk up that chin, throw those shoulders back, and glide through the air as if you just signed a ten million dollar contract. At home, practice carrying books on your head. Move like a dancer. Keep your head back, chin up, and shoulders down and back. Remember that every moment is a potential pose! However, you shouldn't become obsessed.

Be nice. Models carry themselves with a smile that tells everyone they're friendly.

Looking like a model doesn't mean you have to cake yourself with makeup. They don't so you shouldn't either. Moisturize every morning. Curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. Use bronzer if it suits you, but don't be afraid to embrace your natural skin colour. Foundation should be light. Eyeshadow is nice also but don't over do it. Eyeliner and mascara are better in brown or similar natural colors. (Check out some young, natural models. They don't cake on their makeup, they're super natural and beautiful!) Makeup should be about enhancing your beauty, not covering it up.

Be confident. You'll never get anywhere if you don't believe in yourself