February – the month of LOVE!

Valentine’s Day – let’s not make it ALL about couples

You could be forgiven for thinking that it is only couples who matter at this time of year. So many companies currently have special offers and promotions to spend money on your special person. And my email inbox is full of straplines like “It’s not too late to find the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.”

And of course, Valentine’s has traditionally been the day to send cards anonymously to your crush, in the hope that they would guess who it is from! Nowadays, there are cards aimed at everyone – I even spotted one for ‘Dad’ in the supermarket the other day.

But there are so many people who are alone or lonely. What about them? If they are not part of coupledom, why should they be left out?

So I have decided that my focus this month is on loving yourself – after all, if you haven’t discovered how to love yourself, how easy will you find it to love someone else? And that means no-one at all need be left out this Valentine’s Day. We can all treat ourselves, regardless of how much, or how little, money we may have.

So, let’s look at what you might want to invest in…

Loving and taking care of yourself can take many forms

Just giving yourself some time out – to take a bath, go for a walk, switching off social media to get lost inside a good book, hunkering down in front of the television to watch a favourite programme or series – is enough to care for yourself. It doesn’t take money to enjoy fresh air, give an animal a stroke, or give and receive a hug.

 But if you do want to spend money and treat yourself, there are countless options ranging from pampering sessions to full spa days. You can splurge on immersive experiences such as hot air ballooning, driving a car round a formula 1 racetrack, or take a trip out to the cinema, theatre, restaurant …

I could go on; the list is endless, and only limited by your imagination and budget. When you take care of yourself, you are also working on your self esteem - that you are worth the trouble. You are generating a virtuous circle of self care, self esteem, self love and self confidence.

Dressing well is self love, too

Well, you knew I would come round to this aspect as I’m in the business of helping people to transform and to feel fabulous in their clothes!

But it is true – what we wear affects how we feel. If we wear something in a gorgeous fabric, we enjoy touching it, and the feel of it on our skin. If we catch sight of ourselves in the mirror wearing something we love, we automatically smile and it lifts our spirits. If we receive a compliment about the way we look, our colour choices, how we have put an outfit together, we feel chuffed.

So, yes, dressing well is good for our psyche.

Loving yourself is something for every day, not just Valentine’s Day

Instead of focusing only on buying for a special person (if you have one in your life) why not think of yourself as the special person, and buy something for YOU? It doesn’t have to be a full outfit of clothes, you could buy an accessory such as a lipstick, a piece of jewellery, a shoe clip, or a gorgeous pair of glasses. Each item will add to your ensemble and make you look amazing.

You will find that, if you care for yourself, and then others will also pay attention to you. Makeup is the finishing touch to any woman’s outfit and will also immediately make you look and feel better. All you need is a little skill in application and you have put on your best face!

Once you know how to put an outfit together for your own best look, then you have the tools to feel good about yourself, daily, for life!

Share a Valentine’s makeover together

Returning to Valentine’s Day itself it might be worth speaking to your beloved so that they can buy you the item(s) that you need. Could you go on a shopping trip together? Or come to see me for a joint style session and share some Valentine’s love and learning – regardless of the time of year? It will result in learning how to compliment each other as well as how to buy clothing for each other successfully. (Guaranteed to build up a relationship and prevent each other from falling into boring clothing ruts!)

My top Valentine’s Day tip

Wear a smile, …. And your best red lipstick!

#lookgoodfeelgreat