It's amazing what a little balance in our lives will do. It's critical to find it, wherever that may be. Think about it. Without balance, how is it possible to find, let alone express, your style? How can you be you when you are surrounded by stress? You can't.

Creating balance in our lives may come from various sources. It may be physical balance ... in the form of exercise, whether that be running, yoga, pilates, cycling or weight training. It may be mental balance ... in the form of meditation, reading, or spiritual learning. It may even be a combination of them all. Whatever the capacity, it brings emotional balance. For me, I cannot live without yoga (hot yoga). It provides both physical and mental balance in my life. It allows me to just be, without the frenzy of stress and chaos. Complete balance. I am comfortable in my own skin (stretch marks, cellulite and all).

In the world of fashion, being emotionally balanced means you are open to discovering you and all of your beauty. You are ready to own your style. You are an inspiration to others. It's such a positive place to be. And I am so fortunate to be involved in this kind of work with women and men.

2009 is bound to bring new adventures. Perhaps some challenges, too. Overall, I hope it gives us plenty of reasons to celebrate. As a personal stylist, every style session with a client is a celebration for me. Being a part of your epiphanies and/or transformations is an amazing experience. And it happens because you are open and ready to explore the many facets of you. As I tell my clients, the end goal is to get you to a point where you look forward to getting dressed every morning ... that it's not a chore or something you do unconsciously. If you take pride in who you are and learn how to express your style (your own style, not mine), you will have a whole new outlook on life. It's quite powerful. Honestly, there is nothing more rewarding for me than to work with you.

One of my favorite services that I offer is outfit coordination. If you have the time, it's best to pair this service with a closet purge. The experience is awe-inspiring. Having a fresh pair of eyes looking into your closet gives new meaning to your wardrobe. Things that you never would have imagined putting together all of a sudden make perfect sense! With the current state of the economy, we are forced to utilize what we have ... and utilize it better. I cannot think of money better spent than on you and your existing wardrobe, utilizing it to its fullest potential versus shopping for items without direction. Inevitably, there may be a few gaps in your wardrobe. However, they can be prioritized and ironed out in due time. I expect to see a lot of this in 2009, and retailers will tell you the same. However, you can still keep a watchful eye on your budget without depriving yourself. Two or three hours with a personal stylist for outfit coordination is equivalent to buying a few articles of clothing. The true benefit is learning how to dress your body, based on your shape and your coloring. And then when it's time to shop, the experience will never be the same. No more bad shopping decisions and wasteful purchases!

Happy New Year to the new you! And to my clients, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your stylish lives! You are all so beautiful. It's an absolute pleasure to work with you.

I have to admit - even as much as I enjoy wearing my winter jackets and coats - I am really eager for Spring. And days like today bring it all home for me. First, I wore my new off-white mini trench with 3/4 inch sleeves. It's a jacket ... what's not to love! Second, I tested a fantastic new sunscreen (oddly enough, the ingredients weren't disclosed but I am so hoping zinc lives in there somewhere because I am digging the texture). Third, I packed up my winter coats and dresses and put them in their corner of the closet while my glorious, colorful dresses made their grand entrance. And fourth, I ran ... and ran ... and ran. No, my new running shorts don't look any better on me, unfortunately. But my running has improved and it actually feels better to run than to walk. I think possibly I got 1/2 of that runner's high everyone talks about.

I have a lot of work to do this week. After posting my product reviews tomorrow, I will be updating my fashion files to reflect SS08, including my Top 10 - which I am thrilled about! I also have some fantastic interviews in the cue (3 and counting) that will bring a lot of excitement to our community. As of last night, [my] style files received a design face lift. So, too, has it evolved into a partner company and business, Closet of Style. A complete labor of love built around helping others unleash their personal style, I am happy to announce that the Closet of Style website will be up and running within two months. My greatest pleasure comes in helping others, and what better way than to help women (and men) express themselves through style in the form of fashion, beauty and skin care!

If you haven't done so already, it's time to purge your closets, my friends. Bring in the new season with excitement and embrace the opportunity to express yourself with the fabulous colors of Spring!

It dawned on me the other day that I am a bit unique when it comes to inspiration for dressing day-to-day. Everyone has their "thing" that motivates them to wear a certain outfit. One might think I was a shoe-in for ... well ... shoes. As much as I love shoes and my belief that they complete the look of any outfit, I start with my eyes. Is that strange? Every morning, I take great pride in making up my eyes - picking out the right eyeliner with the right eye shadow and applying the right mascara. My rule of thumb is that you should never match your eye shadow to your clothing, so immediately I look for complementary color options in my closet. Essentially, I design my outfit around make-up. And I never thought of it that way before. But honestly, taking into consideration how I get dressed in the morning and how I coordinate my outfit for the day, it's all around the make-up.

Just the other day, I took my Shu Uemura MA (make-up artist) at Neiman's up on her offer to give me a make-over with the new spring colors. I never disclose my business and what I do, because I don't want my MA to over think her approach. Two thumbs up that she remembered the last episode with the facial - and what not to put on my skin. Another two thumbs up for plucking and shaping my eyebrows and not charging me (of course, I made up for it with my purchase). And a high five for applying the most amazing false eyelashes on me! They are so cool! I really enjoyed my time with my Shu girl and love my new products. See, it's all about the make-up.

My sister is an accessory girl - her outfit is always designed around the accessories she wants to wear for the day. Her style of dressing is classic ... of course to showcase her accessories. And while I am hoping to tie in my two new Hermes scarves and plan my day around one of these, I still can't imagine not thinking about what color to do my eyes while wearing one of my new scarves. Everyone has their own motivation for dressing each morning. And I want to hear about yours.

So, what's your inspiration?