Now, when you think about it, most of us girls have a wardrobe packed full of random items from years past that we hold onto in the vain hope that they may come into fashion again. True, there are many people that wear these things anyway, and kudos to them for having the courage! If I could get away with the bleached denim jeans, white cowboy boots a glitter tube top and crimped hair extensions, my god I would wear them with pride! Due to the fact that I am slightly more reserved than that I wanted to inform you of the staple items I believe should be in every wardrobe. These items should be invested in and cherished. Every girl needs a pair of really good fitting dark blue jeans and a pair of smart black trousers. Take note of your shape also; if you are pear shaped or curvy, a slight flare is advised, if you have legs up to your face, go for the skinnies. T-shirts in white, black and navy is also important, just make sure you buy ones that suit your figure, with v neck for those with big busts and with cap sleeves if you have great arms. Basically play to your strengths! Buy two dresses, one plain shift dress in a bright colour that suits you and a classic sexy LBD. You also need a cardigan in every colour! Cardigans are my very favourite items of clothing by far and can be worn with everything! If you can’t get one in every colour, go for black, grey, pink, red, blue and either yellow, purple or green depending on your preference and colouring. With these items, and  some excellent accessories, there’s not a day in the future when you will have nothing to wear!

As we grow up we experiment with make-up, usually our mothers, and we paint ourselves up like a doll, lipstick on teeth, eyeshadow on our cheeks etc! Once you get to your teenage years it’s all about trying to put as much on as you can to look older, however this usually ends up as shaky liquid eyeliner, blusher that’s pinker than a dragon fruit and mascara that makes you look like there’s spiders attached to your face. And don’t even get me started on the foundation. There are so many kids nowadays with thick orange foundation on their faces. If only they had some tips for effective make-up. Well now they do!

1-    Make sure you match the foundation to your skin colour. Go to your local boots or cosmetic store and try the tester samples on the back of your hand. If you can see it, it’s the wrong colour. Many people seem to think if you buy some foundation that’s darker than your skin it’ll make you look better. Wrong. It’s all about foundation that covers your blemishes and evens out skin tone. You can use blusher and bronzing powder to highlight certain areas to make yourself look healthy. And use a large powder brush to add this; you don’t want the stripes that so commonly occur when using small powder brushes!

2-    Use eyelash curlers, squeeze at the roots, in the middle and at the ends of your lashes to give a natural curve.

3-    Get an eyelash/eyebrow comb and brush your eyelashes after your mascara dries. This will separate those spiders’ legs and give a more wide open eye.

4-    Use kohl eyeliner to give a softer edge and only ever use liquid eyeliner after LOTS of practice. Any mistakes are very obvious with liquid eyeliner.

5-    Last rule – big eyes OR big lips. Always make sure that your eyes are natural if you wear bright lipstick, on the other hand if you’ve gone to town on your eyes with various liners, powders and lashings of mascara, always just slick on some Vaseline or clear lip balm and you’re good to go.

It’s something we all wonder about from time to time and shrug off, but it’s worth taking stock and wondering, how do your friends really see you? I know I can be selfish and stubborn, but it’s taken me a good few years to accept this, recognise when i’m being like that and to find a way to change my behaviour. The best thing to do to get a realistic perception of yourself is to write a questionnaire and give it to at least 10 of your family and friends, ask them to write on it with their HONEST opinions of you and to put it into an envelope anonymously. Use questions such as “what is the thing about me that most annoys you?” and “what do I prioritise too much that you think I shouldn’t”. You should also include positive questions to give a good, all round view of yourself, such as “what is the best aspect of my personality” and “what is your fondest memory of me?” By including positive and negative questions you will know which areas you need to work on and in which areas people really value you. This will help you to put a more positive and pleasant you out there for the world to see and help you work on the negative aspects to improve the lives of those around you.

As we all know, work is one of the worst places when you are on a diet or even trying to be healthy. Basically because of the availability of fizzy drinks, chocolate bars, crisps, cookies, and whatever goodies that the ‘lady who bakes’ offers round on a Tuesday! Think about it- every office has a lady who bakes and offers round her lovely fairy cakes or brownies. She is the devil in disguise! The best way to avoid the butty van, vending machine and the temptation of another chocolate crispy cake is to stock your drawer at work with healthy snacks on which you can munch when the temptation becomes too much. I have been trialling this at work over the past months and it is very successful. Basically you will need dried fruit (apricots, raisins, etc), mixed nuts, rice cakes and low fat chocolate mousse for when you need that chocolate fix! If you are one of these people who need their bag of crisps at 11:00am then why not but a multi pack of lower fat/calorie crisps such as quavers or French fries. Did you know that one bag of walkers sensations has 194 calories and 10 grams of fat? Quavers and French fries have half of these at about 90 calories per bag. Basically eating two packets of quavers is as bad as one packet of sensations. By stocking up you will save money rather than buying things separately, especially if you go to one of the cheaper supermarkets, and you will also improve your health and save calories on the ‘bad foods’ by eating things that will benefit you instead. One last tip, instead of fizzy drinks, buy the small cartons of fruit juice and have them on your desk. This will help towards your five a day.

Ok, I know i’ve written about car boot sales recently, but I think this is going to be a regular posting. The most amazing week I have ever had at a car boot sale was the week before last, and last week was not bad too! It is incredible the things that people throw away. I got a necklace, a video player for £10, a yoga DVD, four tops, a glass bottle to go with my collection of weird and wonderful bottles and a pair of vintage heels for a quid the week before last! And last week I got a leather jacket for £1.50, two brooches which have drawn the attention of my most fashionable friend, and a chunky gold necklace which is my new favourite piece of jewellery. Take this as my biggest tip and get up at half 7 on a Sunday. Yes, you will probably have to cut short your Saturday night, but to be honest you’ll save money and your hangover won’t be as bad. I know it is not easy but if you think about it you get a whole day at the weekend rather than getting up at noon and slumping on the sofa. You’ll feel better, you’ll get a bargain and your weekend will feel longer. Total win!