10 Ways To Sparkle More in 2013

Happy New Year my lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful start to the year? (I kicked mine off as I mean to go on: with loved ones, fireworks, pink champagne and a lot of sparkles).

If there is one time of year that enables us to completely shift our perspective on things, it’s the prospect of a clean slate a new year brings. In 2013, I resolve to view the world through rose-tinted glasses; to find joy in small pleasures and to be a better version of myself. Here are a few of my favourite ways to fastrack to a sparklier year:

1. Don’t save your favourite things for ‘a special occasion’. Life is the special occasion! Treat every day like a party and wear a tangle of your treasures necklaces, a cluster of your grandmother’s brooches, or your favourite party dresses each day.

2. Be kind to your body. Get enough sleep and sunshine, eat well, drink gallons of water and move about. You’ll not only be overflowing with energy, but look gorgeous and radiant too.

3. Practise random acts of kindness. Tell a stranger in the street how great they look, leave a little note with a tip at your local cafe saying how much you adore their cake, volunteer for a worthy local cause. It doesn’t really matter what it is, but doing lovely, selfless things often will make you smile on the inside.

4. Always buy yourself a bunch of flowers. They needn’t be expensive (in spring, I love nothing more than $2 bunches of daffodils and white narcissi on my windowsill), but they will add a loveliness to your home which belies their cost.

5. Reinvigorate your look. If you’re in wardrobe rut, make an effort to do your hair and put on your cutest heels for no particular reason at all. You’ll spend the day feeling that little bit lovelier.

6. Don’t let grey skies get you down. Treat it as an excuse to wear a poppy pink lipstick, an adorable umbrella and perhaps a shot of pastel or fuschia in your outfit (the same optimistic rules apply to bad days).

7. Don’t get stuck in a rut; tweak your everyday routines to make them special rituals. Can’t function without your morning tea or coffee? Have it in your prettiest china instead so it feels like you’re having a tea party every single morning!

8. One day every week (without fail), go on a date with someone you love. It doesn’t need to be grand or over the top. Why not go someone fabulous with your best friend on pay day every single month for a single cocktail? Or get dressed up and go and see a musical you’ve been wanting to see for ages all by yourself? Or a bike ride at sunset with your loved one? Whatever it is, make time for special moments with the people you love.

9. Literally add some sparkle to your home. Buy yourself some (affordable) art that makes you smile. Treasure-hunt some beautiful vintage pink cocktail glasses. String some fairy lights around your doorways, or DIY it and make a garland of glittery bunting to string up across your wall.

10. If you’re feeling uninspired, broaden your horizons. Make plans to take a trip to a city you’ve always wanted to explore, visit a new museum in your area, or go to your favourite bookstore for something wonderful to read this week. Instant inspiration!

Lulu Guinness lips clutch (c/o), Jimmy Choo heels, vintage 1950s pink champagne glasses (found on ebay), ASOS earrings, vintage crystal brooches, Jennifer Loiselle ‘oui’ brooch, pink glass candle votives from Catbird.

What are your goals and plans for the year ahead? Wishing you all a wonderful 2013!

Love, Miss B xx

(This is an edited version of an article I wrote for the Glitter Guide last New Year. See the original post here.)

Riding on Pashleys with Flowers

Whichever way I look at it, this has been a hectic few weeks (sincere apologies for the slowdown on this blog as a result). Even though I had zero wiggle room in my (already exploding) schedule, I decided there was a definite need for a little detour. So on Friday night, I called up my best friend for a mini-girl date (an hour was all we could both manage), hopped on my Pashley and cycled over to her side of town*. I had slipped on my new Mulberry heels and bag (it’s almost impossible to frown when you have bows on your toes and a blush pink handbag), put on a new favourite dress that Wheels & Dollbaby so kindly sent me (I always love sartorial displays of affection for Australia and this dress, in that shape I love to much, is simply perfect for twirls and bicycle rides and picnics under trees), and added this Moschino heart print silk scarf (that’s usually a watch) that my trans-atlantic soul sister sent me for extra smile points.

Such an outfit seemed to call for flower-buying and making silly jokes over coffee and cycle rides with my Brigette Bardot in my ears. And just like that, I was immeasurably less stressed and my spirits had lifted.

Proof that we can’t avoid hectic moments, but that there is always time for evening bicycle rides with friends and flowers and shoes that make us smile and dresses that make us want to twirl. Wearing: Wheels & Dollbaby dress, Mulberry Lily bag, Mulberry bow heels, Asos metallic belt, Michael Kors watch, Moschino scarf (worn on wrist), Mimco necklace.

So tell me, what do you do when you need emergency smiles in a hectic week?

Love, Miss B x

* I love that everywhere in Cambridge is accessible via a five minute bike ride.

Thank you Sarah for the smiles and photos!

April Showers

I don’t know what it’s like in your corner of the world, but here in England the sun does not want to put his hat on. Instead, the weather is choosing to be grey and drizzly each day and the pavements are embellished with glistening puddles. While I wait for spring to make it’s sunny return (spring, if you’re reading, I’d love that to be soon if you could possibly manage it), these are my favourite ways to find cheer when skies are grey:

Lulu Guinness birdcage umbrella, scarlet Hunter wellingtons, Benefit PosieTint, Burberry trench coat.

What are your favourite ways to cheer up rainy days?

Love, Miss B xx