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20 Ways To Brighten Your Gloomy Monsoon Day

Though it is not raining as much as I would have liked it too, the monsoon is well upon us here in Mumbai. The rainy season is breathtakingly beautiful but it can often be gloomy, resulting in dull moods and bleak days. Ladies, do not fear! The next time you are feeling blue or simply not as happy as you would like to be, this list will help you brighten up your day.

01. Light some candles! Nothing can turn your mood around like a fresh scent. This monsoon, I am constantly lighting my favourite peppermint candle.

02. Treat yourself to a bubble bath with your favourite bath bomb and finish the ritual off with your favourite body butter.

03. Wear something sparkly for an instant boost of happiness. I always reach for glittery pink sunglasses to add some quirky fun on dull rainy days.

04. Spray on your favourite summer perfume for an instant mood makeover!

05. Make the most of the weather and dance in the rain.

06. Start planning your holiday for the next summer.

07. Wear your favourite floral-printed garment, which will make you feel like you have wrapped yourself in spring. I love brightening up gloomy days by sporting my favourite spring and summer pieces.

08. If the rain is really heavy and you are stuck indoors, redecorate your room! Even if the change is as small as adding a new photo frame to your wall, it will make your room feel like a whole new space.

09. Forget boring black umbrellas and invest in a cute one that will infuse a little bit of fun into your monsoon wardrobe. My current one is covered with adorable unicorns.

10. Wear yellow. I don’t know about you ladies, but for me, I instantly think of the summer when I’m wearing this bright, happy colour.

11. Invest in a pair of quirky gumboots that match perfectly with your own sense of style. Monsoon fashion does not and certainly should not be boring!

12. Get hands-on and start working on that DIY project you have been meaning to work on for the last year. Making something is a great way to lighten up your mood.

13. Another one for those who are unable to leave their house due to the heavy rain – download a season or two of your favourite television show and have a marathon, complete with popcorn and fizzy drinks. You do not even have to change out of your pyjamas for this one!

14. Bake some brownies and indulge your sweet tooth.

15. Buy some flowers for your dining table to brighten up your living space – you score bonus points if the flowers are yellow!

16. Go for a high-power run in the rain. The energizing endorphins that your body will produce, coupled with the cool raindrops, will leave you feel refreshed.

17. Call your favourite girlfriend over and give yourselves an at-home pedicure with a bright, cheerful colour like hot pink.

18. Log onto YouTube, put on your favourite music video and teach yourself the choreography. You go, girl!

19. Create a very special cup of hot chocolate and make it as delicious as you can by adding exotic fruits, crunchy nuts, whipped cream and whatever else you can think of!

20. Dress up in some small way before you head out of the house, even if it is only a swipe of red lipstick. I guarantee that it will instantly up your mood!

30 Things To Do Before The End Of Summer

Ladies, summer is finally upon us! As most of you know, I am a total summer baby and I love to make the most of the warmer months with “seize the day” as my mantra for the season. Whether you are looking forward to tanning on the beach or just spending some quality time with family and friends, here are thirty things that you simply must do before summer bids us adieu!

01. Throw on your sneakers, gather your favourite girlfriends and head over the closest theme park for some wild, wild fun. No summer is complete without a roller coaster ride!

02. Buy yourself a pair of fantastic sunglasses to shade your eyes from the heat. I have been living in my white-rimmed Ray-Ban glasses all summer long. What’s your style?

03. The best part about the summer is that the nights are absolutely pleasant so why not indulge in some stargazing with your loved on? It makes for a perfect date night, too!

04. Have a pool party, complete with margaritas and flower garlands!

05. Every season needs a scent and summer is no exception. This summer, snap up a delicious scent and make it your signature. Love by Chloe is my perfume of choice, if you must know.

06. Have a picnic at your local park, complete with a bottle of wine, a scrumptious selection of cheese and some fruit. How lovely!

07. On lazy mornings, lie in your bed with the windows open and bask in the glorious sunlight.

08. Buy yourself a new bikini – because you deserve it and because it isn’t summer without some stylish swimwear!

09. Go for bike rides and explore your city like you never have before. In fact, take your camera along and have a blast pretending to be a tourist in your own neighbourhood.

10. Eat lots of berries! Not only do they taste absolutely amazing in the summertime; they are absolutely loaded with antioxidants, which work wonders for your skin.

11. Treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure with a wonderfully bright nail paint to boot.

12. Make a summer playlist and listen to it as much as you can. “This ain’t nothing but a summer jam…”

13. Roadtrip! Enough said.

14. Try your hand at juicing and experiment with crazy recipes until you find your favourite. You do not even need a fancy juicer – a simple blender works just fine!

15. Look through the photographs from the last summer and reminisce.

16. Buy yourself some bronzer, because every girl needs a beautiful summer glow!

17. Make some time for meditation. Trust me ladies; this habit will change your life! There is no need to join classes – just play some soothing music and breathe deeply.

18. Learn more about the flowers that bloom in your locale during the summertime and see how many you can spot whilst you are out and about.

19. Head over to the beach and have a sandcastle-making competition with your friends or better yet, with strangers!

20. Buy a Polaroid camera and take it everywhere you go. At the end of the summer, create a collage of photographs on your wall.

21. Wear a flower crown wherever you go.

22. Make new friends. Many of us rarely go out with the intention to meet new people but this summer, you must change that! Go out with the intention to meet someone new and do not come home until you do so.

23. Experiment with one DIY project. This could be something as small as making your own lip balm with Vaseline and eye shadow, or something as large as sewing your own sundress. Let the creative juices flow, girls!

24. Allow your inner child to break free and have a water gun fight with your friends.

25. Watch the sunrise.

26. Watch the sunset.

27. Create a scrapbook with all of the mementos and photographs of the summer. Stick everything from ticket stubs to flyers to those embarrassing selfies that you would never show anyone.

28. Stuff your face with an ice cream sundae. Yummy!

29. Buy yourself a cute clutch bag to carry during the day. I firmly believe that if you only use clutches at night, you are doing it wrong. For the daytime, pick one in a bright colour like aqua or a fun animal print for some extra pizazz!

30. Live, laugh and love, every single day.

Five Tips for Flawless Skin

Every lady dreams of having flawless skin – think Lucy Liu, who looks as beautiful at 46 as she did in her heyday, or Nicole Kidman who knows that protecting her fair skin from the sun can go a long way. In contrast to what many believe, flawless skin is not always hereditary. Your personal skincare routine, dietary habits and overall lifestyle have a huge impact on your skin. Give your skin the TLC it needs and watch it evolve from dull to delightful. After all, great skin is always in.

Drink at least two liters of water everyday without fail. Whilst water has many health benefits, it works especially well to rid your skin of impurities, prevent wrinkles as you grow older and instil a healthy glow. To supplement your intake of this magic potion, embellish your diet with water-rich fruits like strawberries, grapefruit, watermelon, peaches and cantaloupe.
Prolonged exposure to the harmful rays of the sun can do a whole lot of damage to your delicate skin. As far as possible, try to avoid basking in the sunlight for long periods of time. Ensure that you never step out of the house without applying sunscreen to your face, neck and lips, even in the winter. Your skin will thank you in the years to come.
When you come home after a tiring day of work or a long night of partying, the only thing you want to do is grab some shuteye. As tempting as it may be to hit the pillows straight away, you must take out five minutes to remove your makeup before you go to bed. By ridding your skin of the impurities and chemicals that are present in makeup, the ritual of removing makeup will reduce the chance of breakouts and let your skin breathe. Start now.
Take it easy! Stress is one of the biggest culprits of blemished skin. To achieve a flawless façade, you have to bid adieu to the sources of stress in your life. If you are unsure about where to start, try your hand at early morning yoga or indulge in a leisurely bubble bath with your favorite bath salts. Alongside your mission to reduce anxiety, you must also make it a point to get enough sleep – we recommend 7 to 8 hours every night. Beauty sleep is essential!
Pay attention to your skincare routine. Cleanse your face with a gentle foaming wash every morning and then tone it before you begin to apply your makeup. Remember, there is no such thing as too much hydration when it comes to looking after your skin! Pat on some moisturizer in the morning before you apply your makeup and again at night after you have removed it. Ensure that you choose a product based on your skin type – get in touch with an expert before purchasing. Many skincare fanatics invest in a hydrating mist to keep their skin feeling supple all day long. Finally, remember to exfoliate twice a week to rid your face of dead skin and you are good to go!

Our Guide to Your Capsule Holiday Wardrobe

When it comes to packing for that summer holiday you’ve been looking forward to all year, the tendency is always to overpack. We’ve all done it – rifled through our wardrobes and packing anything and everything that we might possibly need if that one slim circumstance just happens to materialise. Ninety-nine percent of the time, though, you’ll see that you only wear half of what you’ve packed, making that half an hour you spent jumping up and down on you suitcase completely futile.

Just imagine going on holiday with a joyfully light suitcase, feeling a sense of clarity and calm at the minimalism you’ve brought with you. If this thought sends you into panic about what you should and shouldn’t take with you on holiday this year, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve designed the perfect guide to your capsule holiday suitcase, meaning you can only take what you really need.

Bikini
Bikini comes top, of course. With any luck, you’ll pretty much be living in this, so be sure not to forget it. How many bikinis you should pack pretty much depends on how long you’re staying. If you’re only away for a week, just a couple of bikinis will be fine. If you’re holidaying for longer, you may want to think about taking an extra one or two.

Swimsuit
For those days that you just don’t quite feel like baring all (or most) to the world, it might be worth packing a swimsuit.

Sandals
When it comes to footwear, sandals or flip-flops are pretty much what you’re likely to wear most of the time, so make sure you have a comfortable pair that can slip on and off easily.

Wedges
It’s always a great idea to take a pair of wedges along for those nice dinners and drinks you’ll be having all holiday long. Sandals but fancy.

Trainers
On the off-chance that you might be doing a bit of walking, it’s worth having a pair of more practical shoes with you. Just remember to take a couple of pairs of socks, too!

Cover-up
Now, this can be pretty much anything that you throw on when you get out of the pool, sea, hot tub, what have you. It might be a pretty little sundress, or a sarong, kimono or maxi dress. Whatever it is, you only need one!

Trousers
For that in-between shaving day, make sure you have a pair of light-weight trousers with you. You’ll miss not having them if you plan on showing off those fabulous pins all week long.

Shorts
Shorts are great for just slipping on and off with a swimsuit or bikini top. You’ll also want them for days out.

Tops
Now. If you’re on holiday for a week, you do not need more than three tops. Most of the time you’ll just be swanning around like the star you are in a bikini with your cover-up, so don’t overpack.

Dress
You are allowed to take one nice dress with you for evening meals. Any more than one will go to waste. Even if you go out more than once, no one will care that you’re wearing the same dress. You’re on holiday, after all!

Kimono
For those chilly evenings, you’ll want something lightweight that you can carry in your handbag and whip out if you need it. Kimonos not only look great, but are a fabulous way of covering up when you need just another little layer.

Hat
Everyone loves a hat, so make sure you take one. You’ll keep your face cool and out of the sun, and you’ll feel like a fabulous hat-wearing lady. Win win!

Five Summer Salads for Salad Haters

So summer’s here, meaning we’re all begrudgingly obliged to ditch the stodgy carbs for those leafy greens. If you’re a self-professed salad hater, don’t despair. There are plenty of salads out there that are not only super healthy, but also super delicious, super gorgeous and super easy! Here are just five of those amazing recipes. We’d love to know what you think!

Tabbouleh
Serves: 4-6

Bulgur – 1 cup
Red onion – 1 cup
Scallions – 5
Chives – 1 small bunch
Cucumber – 1
Cherry tomatoes – 2 cups
Parsley – 1 bunch
Mint – 1/4 cup
Olive oil – 1/4 cup
Lemon juice – 3
Salt and pepper

Cover the bulgur with cold water and let stand for an hour. Drain and set aside.
Dice the onion and cucumber and mince the scallions, chives, parsley and mint. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
Season the bulgur and stir through the chopped vegetables. Toss in olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste.

Shrimp Avocado Salad

Serves: 6

Shrimp – 2 pounds boiled or steamed and peeled and deveined
Avocados – 2
Red onion – 2 tablespoons diced
Olive oil – 1/4 cup
Red wine vinegar – 1/4 cup
Garlic powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Parsley – 1 teaspoon chopped
Dijon mustard – 1 teaspoon
Salt and pepper

Mix the shrimp, sliced avocado and onion.
Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, parsley, Dijon mustard and seasoning well.
Dress the shrimp and avocado and serve.

Greek Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta
Serves: 1

Cucumber – 1/2 seedless
Green pepper – 1/4 chopped
Grape tomatoes – 1/3 cup halved
Kalamata olives – 5 pitted
Red onion – 1 tablespoon sliced
Lemon juice – 1/2
Feta – 1 ounce, sliced
Olive oil – 1/2 tablespoon
Oregano – 1/2 teaspoon minced
Salt and pepper

Dice the cucumber and mix with pepper, tomatoes, olives and red onion.
Squeeze the lemon over the salad and drizzle olive oil. Toss with oregano and salt and pepper.
Top with feta cheese, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.

Honey Lime Rainbow Fruit Salad

Strawberries – 1 pound diced
Pineapple – 1 pound diced
Blueberries – 12 ounces
Red grapes – 12 ounces halved
Kiwi – four peeled and diced
Banana – 2 peeled and diced
Mandarin oranges in juice – 1 15 ounce can drained and halved
Honey – 1/4 cup
Lime zest – 2 limes
Lime juice – 1 tablespoon

Mix together the fruit.
Whisk the honey, lime zest and lime juice.
Toss the fruit with the honey and lime and serve.

Raw Pad Thai Salad
Serves: 2

Zucchini – 1 julienned
Carrots – 2 julienned
Red pepper – 1 sliced
Red cabbage – 1 cup sliced
Edamame – 3/4 cup
Green onions – 3 sliced
Hemp seeds – 1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds – 1 teaspoon
Garlic – 1 clove
Almond butter – 1/4 cup
Lime juice – 2 tablespoons
Tamari – 2 tablespoons
Water – 2 tablespoons
Maple syrup – 2 1/2 tablespoons
Toasted sesame oil – 1/2 tablespoon
Ginger – 1 teaspoon grated

Toss together the zucchini, carrots, pepper and cabbage.
Blast the garlic, almond butter, lime juice, tamari, water, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil and ginger in a food processor.
Top the salad with the edamame, green onion, hemp seeds and sesame seeds.
Dress and serve.

Ten Essentials for Your Midsummer Party

As we are all aware, summer is well and truly underway. And what does that mean? Why, party time, of course! If you’re planning a dazzling summer party but feel a little lost when it comes to inspiration, then look no further. Work that summer, and try an enchanting midsummer themed party. If you’re simply drawn by the idea but aren’t sure where to start then you’re in luck, because we’ve compiled a list of the ten essentials any magical midsummer party needs.

Lanterns
Lanterns come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing’s for sure – you need lanterns if you’re planning a midsummer party. Make your own really easily using tea light candles and some old jam jars.

Bunting
Go super British and chuck bunting everywhere! Again, you can make your own really simply, and the best thing about this particular decoration is that it can be used time and time again. You could even make it a permanent fixture in your bedroom for a bit of everyday festivity.

Outside-In
Perhaps the defining feature of a midsummer party is bringing the outside in, or the inside out. Think an entire dining room set up in the garden, or luscious greenery and fresh flowers on every surface inside. It is this element that can make a midsummer party truly magical, so really go to town.

Fairy Lights
It’s all in the name, really, but fairy lights are a real must. If plug-in ones are tricky and can’t reach your garden, there are plenty of battery-operated and even solar-power fairy lights that work wonders outside, adorned to your favourite tree.

Flowers
It kind of goes without saying, but flowers will really take your party up to that next level. If you can’t afford dozens of fresh flower arrangements, try using dead flowers for a slightly surreal feel, or even get crafty and make your own out of tissue paper. Basically, the brighter, the better.

Cocktails
Really go to town with the most beautiful cocktails you can find. In terms of flavour, think floral, fresh and summery. Anything with rose, anything with elderflower.

Crowns
To make you and your guests feel at one with the magical surroundings, wear crowns! You can either make your own out of flexible branches from the garden, or you could even make it a part of the dress code that everyone wears some kind of fanciful headgear.

Soft Furnishings
For when the party dwindles and the night air gets a little chilly, make sure you have plenty of blankets, cushions and throws around. Not only is this practical, it’ll look gorgeous and give a wonderfully chic festival vibe, too.

Rugs and Carpets
Much like the sift furnishings, having rugs outside in the garden will create a real warmth as the night goes on. What’s more, you’ll be bringing that inside out as well.

Fresh Food
Last on the list is fresh food. Forget the usual sausage rolls and crisps, for a midsummer party you want fresh fruit and good quality meat, salads and pretty much anything home-made. It’ll just be the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Best Living Room Designs For Your Home

Multitude of chic Victorian and baroque inspired elements will radiate grace in your living room. At the same time, the vast range of friendly and warm colors is an important element as well and inseparable part of any vintage living room. Décor that decides the quality of your living room is extremely important in this design approach and must be closely matched with the spirit of the room that you are trying to set. From floors that rarely steer from the heavy wood to the richly decorated walls, vintage design is a truly unique direction that can give your living room a warm and exotic taste.

Eclectic

If you enjoy the clear cut look of the modern approach but you require a bit more warmth in your living room, eclectic is probably the best choice for you. While the word eclectic may sound contrary to the context of direction, once you start diving into this particular approach you will be amazed as to just how much guidelines it comes with. In its essence, most eclectic-based looks of living rooms try to mix together functionality, limited range of warmth and elements of modern approach to an extent. All this generally means that you have to maintain certain level of neutral colors awhile at the same time enriching the space with friendly elements like wood floors, common furniture and few radiantly colored elements like colorful floor rugs for example.

While there are plenty of different directions that you may take, the most important thing is that you enjoy the final outcome. Your living room space is an important part of your home and as such the most important audience is you. Stick to the ideas that you enjoy and design ideas that make you happy.

Contributed by Diana Smith

Choosing the Perfect Spring-Summer Perfume

With Spring rapidly approaching, now is as good a time as any to treat yourself to a brand new fragrance. Every girl loves having that signature scent that reminds everyone of her, but if you’re thinking about branching out this season, there are a few things you may want to consider before shopping for your new Spring/Summer perfume to ensure that you get the right scent, not only for the season, but for you personally.

Price

We hate to be the voice of reason (really, we do) but perfume can be pretty pricey. It’s absolutely worth having a budget in mind before you hit the shops, or else you may find yourself falling desperately in love with a scent that you simply cannot afford. Good perfumes range from about Rs 2500 – Rs 9000 (£30-£100), so there’s plenty of room to find something top-notch that fits within your budget.

Base notes

Now for the good stuff. The Spring/Summer season is all about floral and citrus tones, but these are generally used as top notes, so you need to think about the base notes that you think suit you best. Woody and oriental notes are the most common groups of base notes used in perfumery, and what you go for is all down to personal preference. If you prefer lighter fragrances, the woody notes are for you, whereas if you’re after something a little darker, more intense and sultry, explore those oriental scents.

Top notes

Once you’ve got your base notes sorted, you can move onto those truly Springtime fresh and floral notes. Again, floral notes suit a certain type of person whereas the fresh, citrusy scent suits another. Floral notes are, of course, typically feminine, so if you’re a girly girl, go for these. If you fancy something a little less sickly, however, go for those fresh notes. Here, you can choose between ultra-fresh green notes, aquatic notes or sharp citrus notes.

Where do you live?

This may seem like an odd thing to consider, but where you live should actually have a real baring on how strong a fragrance you opt for. If you live in a city and spend a good amount of your time with lots of people, for example on public transport or in a busy office, you don’t want to go for a fragrance that is too invasive. Here, woody notes paired with fresh notes work particularly well. If you live in a more rural area, however, or don’t have a busy commute every day, you can be far freer with the fragrance you pick.

So there you have it. Ask yourself how much you want to spend, think about the base notes and top notes that best suit you, and remember to consider how invasive or strong and lingering a fragrance will fit with your lifestyle. Happy shopping! We hope it’s love at first smell.

Image from : Shutterstock

Combining Traditional and Modern Furniture

Nowadays, traditional furniture styles are coming back to life, stronger than ever, but the modern ones look amazing, as well. Therefore, deciding which type to incorporate in your living space is really hard and many people are trying to mix these two styles. That is very tricky for if you fail to create a proper balance between them, you will surely end up with disappointing results and a huge waste of time and money. However, if you manage to do it right, it will look better than any of these styles alone, since their distinctiveness is enhanced when old and new styles are showcased together. Read on and you will many ideas that shall lead you to succeed in your little creative adventure and be more adept at decorating your home interiors.

Getting Started

First of all, you must know that getting involved in something such as redesigning a room requires a lot of inspiration, not to mention effort and resources. Be sure you are in the right frame of mind, with your imagination all prepared to be heavily exercised. After all you are the one who will be spending most time in that room, so the most important thing is to decorate it in keeping with your own sensibilities.

When you start thinking about combining traditional and modern styles, you will realize that the possibilities are simply endless and even if you lack inspiration, just checking out the available options will give you so many brilliant ideas. The essential thing is to be completely spontaneous and make a choice instinctively – the first thing that catches your eye is almost always the right one. Planning to furnish your home for a long time in advance can lead to creating a chaotic environment, since having too many options and solutions often counter-productive to your purposes. Finding more than one products you like will make it very hard to decide and having constantly second-guessing your choice can only give you an unwanted headache. Also, always tend to be cautious and not buy more stuff than you actually need because creating a harmonious, sophisticated living space and not a mess is what your objective is.

Traditional or Modern?

You should decide right at the beginning which style is going to be dominating in the room you are about to furnish. If you try to make them even, you will be missing the point – it is not about putting many disparate items in the same room, all of which crave for attention. Instead, one dominant style should be brought to the foreground by subtle highlights from the other. Achieving this should not be a tough, since they are totally different and, naturally, you will pick the one that appeals to you more. When you have chosen the style that is going to be prominent in your living space, you will need to carefully think through how the other style should be adapted to it.

There is another unavoidable dilemma when it comes to mixing styles and it is the one about colors and items. If you want to create a peaceful and calming place, they ought to be in harmony; warm colors with matching furniture pieces. However if you fancy an exciting environment, go for the various strong colors and different kind of chairs, tables, etc.

Traditional

Should you go for traditional looks with modern accents, it will be amazing to find an interesting object that will define a focal point in the room. An interesting fireplace or an old-school center-table could work wonders. Buying a suitable rug can also significantly improve the appearance of any environment. To add to that, a big wardrobe with a huge mirror can phenomenally fit into this kind of styling. Modern things in a vintage looking room ought to be small, but striking. For example, you can use contemporary lighting solutions or curved chairs that will look futuristic albeit in an understated manner.

Modern

We all know how a modern living room looks like and what can be found in it, so let us focus on the traditional elements that can look really good within the modern room. For instance, a carved desk is a classy addition to a modern space. The same goes for glass topped coffee tables, old wagon wheels, big mirrors with even bigger vintage frames or some rustic themed wallpapers/decals. Do not forget that rustic furniture can be redone to get a truly modern look. Reupholstering chairs in some trendy colors or painting drawers and adding shiny metal handles to them can totally change their appearance. However, do not go overboard with the vintage accents for it may create an overwhelmingly dramatic look.

Combining traditional and modern furniture styles is an extremely interesting thing to do and the joy you feel when the work is done is simply indescribable. But make sure that you follow the advice and find out much more about this vast domain before embarking on your mission – you do not want it to turn into a nightmare!

Contributed by Diana Smith

A Guide to your Wardrobe Spring Clean

It’s that time of year again, ladies. Time to come out hibernation, throw those windows wide open, and have a good old clear out ready for a fresh new start this spring. As your tearfully put your onesie away with your winter clothes, do not despair.

Everyone knows that out with the old, in with the new is a fantastic excuse to hit the shops, so here is a guide to help you make space for all of those fabulous new items you know you deserve. Unsure of exactly what to throw out, donate or give away? We have compiled a simple and decisive list of five criteria for clothes that have to go, for when you can’t quite make up your mind.

What doesn’t fit you

We all do it. We all have clothes one, two or even three sizes too small for us lurking at the back of our wardrobes. We’re all just waiting for the day that we magically shrink back down to the size 10 we were when we were 16. The truth is, though, life is too short to hold onto things that only serve as a constant reminder of something we are not, or something we have not achieved. Chuck them, and focus on looking great in clothes that fit!

What you’ve never worn or doesn’t match anything

Anyone else have a couple of cool, quirky items in their wardrobe that they bought on a whim, and have never found the opportunity to debut them? Yep! Get rid of them. If you haven’t found a reason to wear them yet, you never will.

What needs repairing

If you’re anything like us, you have a pile of clothes that need new buttons, holes stitching up or hems re-sewn, just waiting for that moment that you think ‘I think I might do some sewing!’. This moment does not exist. Just throw out the clothes.

Anything you haven’t touched in year

If you haven’t worn a particular item in the last year or so, you’re not going to wear it again. Therefore, it’s definitely not worth keeping. Just cull anything you don’t regularly wear. Trust us, you won’t miss it.

Ugly underwear

Whoever said that it wasn’t a good underwear day every day? Let’s be honest, wearing nice underwear makes you feel sexy, even if you know that nobody’s going to see it. Just get rid of the period pants. They only make you feel slobbish and un-feminine.

So there you have it, a list of five definitive criteria for whittling down your wardrobe during this year’s spring clean. Be sure to start afresh, with not an item of clothing you don’t like in sight. You can thank us later.

Last weekend was when I got on with my own Spring Wardrobe Cleanup. Hope you all get to it soon.
Do share your thoughts on how your spring cleanup went.

Cotton Cushion Covers for your Garden Furniture

Having sofa beds or wooden chairs alone may not be enough to spruce up your garden which you have so carefully got manicured. Accessorizing your garden furniture is essential, which is where cushion covers come in.

Throw them around for a casual, laidback look which is sure to put you at ease. But before you do that, you need to extra careful about the material you choose for your cushion covers. Since they would be outside all the time, you need something that is resistant to the weather elements. With regards to that, there is no better choice than cotton cushion covers.

Cotton cushion covers come with more advantages than one

To start with, cotton is a very lightweight fabric which is soft to touch. Since in all probability you would be lounging about in your garden, you need something that is not too harsh to cuddle. Cotton gives you that feel.

And since it is a lightweight fabric, it dries out pretty quickly too. Thus, if you cotton cushion covers get drenched in a surprise evening shower, you can be sure they would dry out by the time you are back from office the next day. Add to it the fact that it is an easily washable fabric, and you know taking the dirt off them is going to be easy task.

It is environment friendly too

Compared to other fabrics out there, cotton is an environment friendly fabric. Since you would be keeping your cushion covers amidst trees and plants,, there is every reason you should complement hat nature has bestowed upon us.

Available in a range of colors and patterns

Cotton cushion covers are available in every possible pattern and color imaginable. If you have kids in your house, or if you want to give your garden a more playful look, go for cotton cushion covers in pink or ones in interesting shapes.

For giving your garden a more sophisticated appeal without making it dull, choose cushion covers in bright colors such as green and yellow. And if you have contemporary styling in your house, it is best to go for cushion covers without frills. Contemporary design is all about clean lines, and that’s what you want to have for your garden as well.