La Girly Attitude

Bonjour mes chères!

I hope you've all been having a fabulous January. Mine has been a little stressful, but I've been dealing with it, as we all must.

On a more cheerful note, I have a good topic to talk to you about today, one that comes from a behavior pattern that I noticed about myself.

La fille philosophie

You all know the gestures and habits characteristic to us ladies. The trick is turning them into a style.

A ribbon in the hair (but not a bright shade of pink, I beg of you!) can nicely set off any outfit.

The color pink (as long as it isn't too fluorescent) can perk up your spirits in the morning and during the rest of the day.

Otherwise, there are the old girl power classic music pieces - Aretha Franklin, Janice Joplin, Marilyn Monroe, etcetera. Again, a fabulous spirit booster.
With an iPod full of songs like this goes a couple of satisfyingly indulgent magazines - Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Elle. They're not exactly the haute-chic bible (otherwise said, Vogue) but they're more than capable of feeding a woman's glossy and compulsive desires.

Why not take it all the way and have a cocktail evening with some girlfriends. Caramel liqueur, anything involving whipped cream, and apple or cranberry martinis should make up part of the menu. The presence of champagne is mandatory.
In fact, why not just make these for yourself during an evening at home? They taste even better when you're lying among scented bubbles in your bathtub with a couple of even more scented candles. Spend as much time as you can pampering yourself, and I guarantee that your confidence will be incredibly improved by the time you're done.

While on the theme of toilette, smother yourself in body lotion before going to sleep and using potent, perfume-scented shower gel. This makes your skin feel smooth and pampered. Even buy some of that discreetly sparkling powder that comes in a box with the giant puff. (Let's admit it - we've all always wanted to have one of those.) If you add some particularly exquisite lingerie, you'll go through the day feeling light and sexy. (There is a possibility that it will effect your behavior.)

As for dessert, let your sweet-tooth choose for you. Anything with chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream (aphrodisiacs selfishly kept for yourself).
Softer and chewy meringues are amazing, too. (Just whip two egg-whites until stiff, then add 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar and maybe a couple of drops of lemon juice or vanilla extract. Take a tablespoon and drop two-inch-diameter blobs of the stuff onto an aluminum sheet. Bake for about an hour at 210 degrees.) These actually don't have too many calories, so they are to be eaten without moderation, preferably in the company of rosé champagne and little caramels.

Finally, a movie or two can be thrown in for good measure one night, either on your own or with some friends. Ty for our old favorites: in the cabaret theme, we have Liza Minelli's Cabaret, Moulin Rouge! with Nicole Kidman and of course Marilyn's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Otherwise, allow yourself a romantic comedy or tragedy - any of those guilty pleasure things that we love so much. After that, you can have a good night's sleep with a silky or fluffy pillow.

Trust me, this attitude is almost as effective as retail therapy. Perhaps not the most classy of vocations, but fun for about a week or so.

Enjoy, everyone!

Now that it's 2010

Bonjour, mes amies.

I hope you all had a fabulous New Year's like I did.
And I'm sure that you, like me, between all of the kissing and hugging that went on around midnight, began to think of your resolutions.

Resolutions normally include things like doing better at work, quitting smoking, or losing weight. The most important thing to remember when setting goals for yourself is not to be unreasonable. If you know that you're incapable of pushing yourself more than you already do, then just don't try.
Also, once you make a resolution, stick to it, instead of doing what we all do time and time again and letting the idea be postponed until it gradually fades to the back of your mind.

As far as work is concerned, the first thing to do is to show that you're eager to progress and/or enthusiastic about what you're doing. Superiors always appreciate this, sometimes even more than the actual results. (Though you should definitely be prepared to commit a larger amount of time to your work if you're lagging behind in any way.)

On the subject of weight, we all know that the holidays leave their mark not only in presents and left-over glitter, but in the extra bits around a woman's waist and thighs. How are you supposed to flaunt the sexy new clothes you got for Christmas with the dinner showing itself more than the cut?
I'll tell you how: discipline. I know we hate to hear this, but January is the time to be ruthless. Say goodbye to the easy diet habits that we entertain in the spring, gradually leading up to bikini season. Holiday weight needs to be gotten rid of as quickly as possible, lest it linger until Valentine's Day and further. It's time for rigorous after-work exercise, minimal eating, and the adoption of diet plans such as David Kirsch's "Ultimate New York Diet". This may seem severe for us, but (obviously depending on the person) the holiday pounds are more than little fluxtuations of our weight level. It's time for war! (Loving your body all the while, of course - if it complains, remind it that you still love it and that you're doing what you're doing for it's own good.)

Otherwise, January is a time to refresh your morale and habits, and generally take a new outlook on life.

Enjoy your January everyone! It holds promise for each and every one of you.