KEEPING going with the New Year vibe still, today I’m sharing some secrets.

Woop, woop!

Of the practical kind. The stuff that has worked for me over the years. The little changes I’ve made or things I do on a regular basis which work a treat!

And which will, I promise you, help to make you and your life, a little lovelier this year. (Or perhaps a lot!)

I’m very happy to share these little golden nuggets of wisdom with you all. But. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could grow this list too and share some more?!

If you’ve got the time, I’d love it if you’d leave one of your own nuggets in the comments below (or more if you fancy!) so we can all make our lives even lovelier, together.

Are you ready? Ok, here we go…

1. Use a good ol’ fashioned flannel with your favourite cleanser, to cleanse your face. But …make sure you use a clean one every day! It’s a little luxury anyone can afford, honest. Just hotfoot it down to Wilkos where you can pick a week’s worth of them up for just a couple of quid. It will really help improve your skin and trust me, it’s the quickest, easiest way to remove makeup and a day’s grime in seconds.
2. Arrange the items in your wardrobe into outfits. Forget the colour coding. Forget putting all items together (such as tops, skirts etc) and just do this. It will save you time and money and will boost your style mojo. I do this for me and Elsie all the time and it works a treat.
3. Start the day with hot water with a big squeeze of lemon in it. (Because it’s really very good for you and all that jazz.)
4. Got your ears pierced? Then don’t leave the house without a pair of earrings in. It’s a new style rule I’ve added to my life over the past few weeks after realising how bloomin’ awful holes in ear lobes actually look! Go all out with chandelier earrings if you fancy or just keep it simple with a pair of studs.
5. If you’ve had little sleep and look and feel like s**t, do two things. One, make yourself a decent cuppa and for the love of god, sit down for five minutes and enjoy it. And two, slick on some red lipstick. You’ll look and feel a million times better in minutes.
6. Arrange your beloved library  (ok, mine is more like a few shelves but oh how I dream!) of books by the colour of their spine. It makes your bookshelves look so pretty. 
7. Treat yourself to fresh flowers at least once a week. You can pick up a bunch of daffs or a simple bunch of roses for just a few quid, yet the return for your home and your happiness is priceless.
8. Read every day. Even on your busiest days. Just 15 minutes will do the trick. Your brain, creativity and imagination will love you for it.
9. Only ever use a detangle brush on little people’s hair. (And to avoid the morning search or potential meltdowns, buy a couple at a a time.)
10. Eat avocado! I ‘discovered’ this little green gem of a food last year and it has transformed my meals! Mash it, slice it, add to it or eat on it’s own. It’s bloody delicious.
11. Make room in your diary. For YOU. (Like seriously, block some time out and do something with it or just do nothing at all.)
12. When your kid can’t get stickers of a sticker sheet, peel off the sheet (the bit that surrounds the stickers) and they’ll be good to go!
13. Write stuff down. Anywhere. On paper. On an email. On a calendar. Your brain will not remember that amazing idea or keep track of everything you need to do, trust me. I’ve lost over a hundred amazing blog ideas because of my tired brain. So get it down!
14. Only watch TV that you love. Simple really. (Now that we have Netflix.)
15. Turn off your phone at 8 /9pm. It’ll feel weird at first true, but life will seem much calmer and you’ll sleep better.
16. And don’t turn it on, until you’ve got up, had some breakfast and have eased into the day. Social media and the world, can and will, wait for an hour or so. Rule it. Don’t let it rule you.
17. Only respond to emails twice a day. (Unless you’re waiting for something really, really important.) Try early in the morning and at the end of the day. When you lose yourself in emails, you lose your own agenda for the day. So get strict. Emails waste so much time.
18. Buy a radio and have it on in the background. It’s relaxing and comforting, particularly if you work at home like me.
19. Be thankful. Even when you feel you’ve got diddley squat to be thankful for. It does help.
20. Keep falling asleep with your make up on? Then take it off when you get home, early in the evening (with that flannel!) Simple.
21. When it comes to shopping, buy less but only buy the stuff you really fall in love with. Even if you have to stretch your finances a little. If you love it, you’ll never regret it.
22. Always look after your eyebrows. Groom them, pluck them, shape them and give them a helping hand with a little makeup. They are the frames for your face people!
23. Stop saving stuff for ‘best’. Just STOP. Use all of it. Every day. As and when you see fit. You are worth it! And Life is too god damn short not to use the best glasses. 
24. If you can’t sleep at night (and it’s not because your little person is waking you up), use an eye mask. They’re glamorous, rather diva like and more importantly, they work! Even my husband is a fan and borrows mine occasionally. Plus they’re great for getting in a day nap too. (Remember those days?!)
25. Finally, whenever you’re in an uncomfortable situation like a job interview, running into your ex or delivering a presentation, just remember two things – breaaaaaathe and smile. Breathe and smile and know that you will survive and that it will all soon be over.

———–

So there’s my list! But what are YOU going to add to it?! ;-) Answers on a comment…

With love,

Kate