I actually thought about calling off my #GlamorousJuly plans.
So many terrible things seem to be happening in the world now, and it just seemed a bit frivolous to be planning a whole month dedicated to bringing a bit of glamour into the world.
Then I decided that maybe that was exactly what I, and maybe a lot of other people, needed right now. Like I said in my Glamour Manifesto, Glamour isn’t just about cocktails, champagne and fur coats. The very definition of Glamour is a quality that makes things seem exciting or appealing. Being Glamorous means making yourself, and other people, feel good.
So, #GlamorousJuly is going ahead as planned. I’ve set myself daily challenges all through July to help me look good, feel good, and do some good in the world. They’re all relatively simple things, none of them should cost lots of money, or take lots of time. Hopefully they’ll make me think about how I treat others, how I treat myself, and the ruts and habits that I drift into over time that take a little bit of that sparkle out of life.
I will be Instagramming my efforts using the hashtag #GlamorousJuly (and sharing on Twitter and Facebook).
If you want to play along I’m going to send out weekly email reminders on a Monday of that weeks challenges, so sign up to the newsletter. You’ll get a weekly round up of that weeks posts on a Friday, and a #GlamorousJuly reminder on a Monday.
I’ve put together a graphic of quick prompts for each day. Scroll down below for more details on each one and make sure you check out days 1-3, before the first reminder goes out!
1st July –Ā Ok, as it’s the first day today we’ll start easy. I’m going to be nice to myself and I’ll be focusing on the things I like about myself and picking out myĀ favourite feature.
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2nd July –Ā As we focus on the body, so we should focus on the mind as well.Ā While you are out and about today, make the time toĀ look up.Ā It’s amazing how many things you miss when you’re always focused at ground level. The canopies of trees, how lovely the old buildings are above the plate glass at street level. Take a photo of something you never noticed before.
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3rd July –Ā Glamour is all about making other people feel good too. So todayĀ pay a compliment to a stranger.Ā Tell them you like their shoes, or their hair, whatever, just make sure it’s a genuine compliment to someone you don’t know.
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4th July –Ā Discover a new wardrobe in your old wardobe. I bet you’ve got something in there youĀ haven’t worn for at least a year.Ā Dig it out, wear it. If you hate it then it shouldn’t be in your wardrobe, but you might discover a new favourite.
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5th July –Ā Take 15-30 minutes out of your life today to focus on your wellbeing, and do some gentle Yoga. I like the videos on YouTube from DoYogaWithMe. Yoga with Adrienne is another good channel to try.
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6th July –Ā How often do you tell people how amazing they are? Today you shouldĀ tell someone they inspire you.Ā It might be someone at work, or someone in your friendship group, or it might be someone you follow online. Send them a tweet, a message or an email, or tell them in person that they inspire you and how great they are. Whoever they are they probably don’t hear it as often as you think.
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7th July – Lets be frivolous for a bit.Ā Do something different with your hair.Ā Wear it up when you normally wear it down, put your parting in a different place or wear a fancy hair band. If you’re feeling dramatic, dye it a different colour or get it cut into a whole new style. It’s only hair, it grows back, I promise! I know because I once turned mine tabby by trying to use a packet of bleach over red hair dye!
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8th July –Ā This one is going to be a real challenge for me. Today I am going toĀ be positiveĀ all day. Every time I catch myself complaining, or saying something negative I am going to put 10p in a pot and give it to Charity. I wonder how much money I’ll have at the end of the day?
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9th July –Ā Today is the day toĀ donate something.Ā And not just all those 10p’s from yesterday either. It can be donating your time to a local charity, or try timebank for things you can do from home, like knitting for the big knit or writing to death row prisoners. It could be setting up a regular direct debit to a charity, donating food to a foodbank, or good quality clothes to a charity shop.
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10th July –Ā Time to be frivolous again. Today I’m going to wear a hat. I have several hats, and apart from berets I rarely wear them. Today is definitely a day for a hat.
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11th July –Ā Time toĀ read a new book.Ā I have a huge pile of books in my house that I never get around to reading as I often go back and read the same old reassuring books over and over again. Today I’m going to pick one up and start reading it.
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12th July –Ā Small business rely on word of mouth and positive feedback to keep their business going, but we’re more likely to write a review if we have a negative experience than a positive one.Ā Write a reviewĀ of a local business that you’ve had a good experience of, either on their Facebook page, on your own blog, or on a service like TripAdvisor.
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13th July –Ā Have yourself a massiveĀ Bubble Bath.Ā Like really huge. Buy some bubble bath and put like half the bottle in till it’s just a huge mound of bubbles, then wallow in it for ages with a glass of wine or a cup of tea and maybe a few candles.
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14th July –Ā Do you have china that you save for best? Do you actually ever use it? Maybe only at Christmas? Eat your dinner or lunch off the good china today. Or maybe get out that vintage tea set and make yourself a pot of tea and biscuits in the afternoon.
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15th JulyĀ – It’s amazing the difference a simple smile can make. Today aim toĀ smile at 5 strangers.Ā Not just a coy grin, a big beaming smile. Glamorous people spread happiness.
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16th July –Ā Get out the glitter! Don’t save those sequins for evening wear.Ā Wear something sparklyĀ today, in daylight. Whether it’s a full on sequin skirt, or just a touch of glitter in a collar or a hairband.
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17th July –Ā Try being a little bit more adventurous andĀ do something new.Ā Go along to a class or discussion group that you’ve been meaning to go to. Try a new sport, like tennis, or go to a new exercise class. Go to the supermarket and buy something you’ve never tried before, whether it’s caviar, an exotic fruit or ostrich steaks. Go to your local amateur dramatics theatre and watch whatever play happens to be on.
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18th July –Ā Make the world a nicer place to be in, if you see rubbish, pick it up and put it in a bin. This might not make a beautiful instagram photo, but it makes a more beautiful world.
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19th July –Ā Try aĀ different coloured lipstick.Ā If you normally wear muted colours, wear a bright red, or vice versa. If you don’t normally wear lipstick at all, wear some, and try and chose a noticeable colour. If you can’t face bright red, try a dusky pink. If you happen to have the sort of streamlined make-up bag that only contains lipsticks that you wear all the time, then head off to Boots or Superdrug and hit one of their super cheap counters, you can normally buy a new lipstick for a couple of pounds. Don’t worry about whether it suits you, you never know, it might grow on you once you’ve worn it all day!
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20th JulyĀ –Ā Plant something.Ā There’s a sense of achievement in making something grow, and it makes the world a bit prettier. If you don’t have a garden then a window box or pot will do. It could be wild flowers that will make a mass of colour, or strawberries that you can garnish your champagne with next Summer.
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21st July –Ā Start aĀ Dream Jar.Ā You just need a large jar, you can pretty it up with ribbons and things if you like, and a small pad of paper. Write down your dreams for the next year and put them in the jar. You can add more as they occur to you. I’d also use it to write down good things that happen to you that you weren’t expecting or hadn’t planned for. Next year you can open the jar and see how many of your dreams have come true, and read back over all the good things that happened that year. Put any unfulfilled dreams back in the jar (if you still want them!) and start again for a new year.
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22nd July –Ā Because glamour isn’t all about spending hours making yourself look gorgeous. Go out wearingĀ no-make up.Ā This might not be a huge thing for you, lots of people don’t wear make-up all the time, I do, sometimes I go for a run with no make up, but generally only in big sunglasses! You don’t have to spend all day like it. Just a trip to the corner shop, be brave, take a no make-up selfie. Just hope it doesn’t cause the controversy that the last lot did.
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23rd July –Ā Simple, give someone a hug.Try and make it someone you don’t necessarily hug all the time, but make sure theyĀ wantĀ a hug before you give them one.
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24th July –Ā Give something good to the world andĀ leave a bookĀ for someone else. Take a look at BookCrossing and you can even register your book and maybe track it’s journey if you’re lucky.
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25th July –Ā Get inventive andĀ make a facemask.Ā I used to do this all the time when I was a teenager, but for some reason I stopped in favour of buying them in packets. I plan to try and post some recipes, but in case I don’t Marie Claire has 4 here!
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26th July –Ā Are you going somewhere today? Get thereĀ by aĀ different route.Ā Leave a few minutes earlier and walk or drive a different way than you would normally to work or take the roundabout way to the shops. You might see something new and exciting, I’m often amazed how places change when you haven’t visited them for a while.
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27th July –Ā I’ve been looking forward to this one. You deserve a rest,Ā take a little break.Ā Take yourself out for a glass of wine after work, or a mid-afternoon coffee (or wine if you want!). Don’t take a paper, and don’t spend the whole time on your phone. Just sit and watch the world go by for at least 20 minutes.
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28th July –Ā Whatever you wear today,Ā be bold.Ā Wear your brightest clothes. If you normally wear bright things, be even brighter. Clash some colours and prints. Be as stupid as possible, if it makes you laugh when you look in the mirror then brilliant. Make people smile. Don’t let yourself be embarrassed, your brightness might cheer people up, that’s a good thing!
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29th July –Ā Make aĀ favourite dinner for your partner or a family member as a surprise. Or invite a friend over and make something special for them. You should probably serve it on that nice china too.
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30th July –Ā We’re being really nice to other people in this last week.Ā Give someone a gift.Ā Not for any reason, just because you can. It doesn’t have to be big and expensive, you don’t even have to buy it, it could just be something in your house that you think they would find useful or are in need of. You can even do it anonymously if you like. Leave it on their car, desk or doorstep.
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31st July –Ā LAST DAY! Do you feel any more glamorous yet? I hope so! To finish off Glamorous July we’re going to go crazy and dance. Stick on some music while no one is looking and go nuts. You’ll feel stupid at first, then it will be fun. Probably.
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It would be amazing to have some of you play along with me in #GlamorousJuly. This is a bit of a new thing for me so it’s nice to have company!
Sign up for those weekly reminders every monday and follow me on Instagram to see how I’m getting on! You can join in every day if you like, or just on days that appeal to you, just use the hashtag #glamorousjuly and I’ll take a peek! If other people are playing along, I may share some favourites throughout the month as well!
