When you wake up in the morning, and begin to get dressed, how much of an effort do you make? When picking out an outfit, for what purpose is that? Me, I dress for myself and for my family.

I have to admit, physical appearance does say a lot about a person, it shouldn’t but sadly nowadays it speaks more than the words that come out of a persons mouth.

This topic came to me when, last Thursday I was asked by a friend to accompany her to pick out an outfit for this occasion she had, so we met at the mall. Then and there I realized just what shopping and dressing up does to me. It’s more of a medication and remedy than anything else, the hype I get from that chi-ching I hear cures more than you would imagine. Now I might come across to many of you a little shallow or materialistic but truth be told this is the case for most if not all females.

Its not something I’m proud of I have to admit, I wish it could be any other way but I know its not. Where we women are different is the quality of shopping. You have those high maintenance ladies and those simple meaningful ones.

I believe there is a time for everything; time to splurge and time to be more reasonable, because it’s not what or who you’re wearing its how you wear it. I usually prefer items that do not show their brand, be it mango or Prada, I like the focus to go on my entire outfit as a whole rather than people starring at my heels or handbag, but then again that’s just me and that’s what makes me “ME”.

Well that’s me; let me know more about you and what your shopping habits are, I’d love to know.

Are you with or against make-up? Do you wear it on a daily basis, or do you leave it for those special occasions? I myself wear it everyday; during the day I opt to go for that fresh looking glow, while at night I may add some emphasis on the eyes and a more solid colour on the lips.

Wearing make-up doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re covering some flaws it’s just a matter of emphasising what you’ve got. And you wont believe the boost it adds to your self esteem and confidence.

Today, I thought I would share some tips of mine on what my daily essentials for a fresh looking face are:

1- Foundation; be it cream, press powder, or tinted cream this should be applied immediately after applying your daily face cream. Most of these now come with sun protection.

2- Colour for the eyes; again this could be either powder-like or cream-like. If you decide to go with 1 colour, then this should be applied entirely across the eyelid and preferably light colors. Should you choose 2 or maximum 3 then choose the darkest and apply it nearest to your lashes and then the lighter ones towards the eyebrows. Remember a little shimmer or light shadow should be placed under the curve of the eyebrow for emphasis.

3- Eye liner; if you’re going for a casual daily look, I prefer going with pencil eye liners (kohl) as they give a more subtle look for the day. Coloured eye lids with nothing to define the eye I would have to call a no no, simply because it draws the attention away from them. A nicely defined eye should be considered when the lids are coloured.

4- Mascara; this is a must! If you won’t apply the above the least you could apply is the mascara. The magic it does to your lashes is undeniable! Ladies don’t leave your houses without your long lashes!

5- Blush; also for a daily look a little blush on the apple of your cheeks is always appealing to the eye. For the summer opt for a more sun kissed colour, whereas for the winter, pinkish shades are the way to go.

Top this up with a nice shade of lip gloss and a pretty smile and there you have it, you’re done for the day.

**Remember to look after your face, by making sure it is clean, and always moist. A daily routine of morning and night cleansing and moisturising is more than enough to get the job done.

I’m no beauty specialist, but I’m with looking nice and feeling good every day. How do you wear make-up?