January

This month is about comfort. Did you know that a Welsh scientist has calculated the saddest day of the year occurs in January? With this in mind, you need to consider strategies for nurturing yourself and tending to your post Christmas blues. Cashmere, cable knit sweaters and cosy socks are vital for our January wardrobe.

Now is a great time to buy jeans in the sale. Why not branch out into another colour at a knock down price? Black and dark blue jeans are perfect for a winter wardrobe. White jeans are a great staple for Spring. Lighter blue jeans are a must for Spring/Summer. Just remember, if you are buying white jeans, the colour white will double the size of your legs and bum so you need to feel confident about your bottom half.

Your brain and your body may be telling you to prepare your spring wardrobe and detox your body, but alas these thoughts are three months too early!

Part of the reason for your body wanting a fresh start is because your brain is bored. It has had enough of neutral winter basics and is craving sun and bright colours. Beware as this is the time of year when you may make the most ridiculous buys in a desperate for some visual stimulation. Last January, I hit the shops and bought the most dreadful FCUK top known to mankind. It was a bright jungle print that I was intended to tame with a massive belt. Unbelievable! It wasn't until late February/early March that I realised how hideous it was. Guard against the tricks of your frustrated brain and get your release of colour by buying jewellery to liven up an outfit or buy a retro, cheap, colourful mood bag to satisfy your desperate craving for colour and banish those dark winter moods.

Whilst battling the post- Christmas seasonal low, a bunch of flowers is a lovely treat for yourself. It may satisfy your creative and colour starved brain and help to avoid those seasonal sale bloopers.

February

Now is the time to sweep up all those fabulous 'knocked down and knocked down again' bargains! The January sale frenzy is over and you can enjoy taking time over the final throes of sale shopping. I get a real buzz when I spy the 80% sale rack at my favourite store.

Aim high and go for labels that you can't normally afford. Oh the joy of wearing an exquisite piece by a designer whose price tags are normally too large for your wallet! A great purchase in February will release all those happy hormones to keep sad and morose winter thoughts at bay!

This month should also be about saving your pennies and doing your research. Invest in two or three high end fashion magazines. Take a look at Grazia and Look as well as some of the catalogue collections to help you get a feel for the season. Pull out some of the cat walk looks that you love and have a preliminary search on the internet. Take a trip into town to have a coffee and a browse.

February is also the perfect time for a wardrobe audit. It gives you time to re-work the clothes that are in your wardrobe for Spring/Summer. You can also sift out the Autumn / Winter clothes that didn't work or are simply too shabby to take into the next year.

February is the perfect time for running a clothes swap party that for an added 'feel good' factor can fund raise for charity. A perfect way to wile away an evening and walk away with some brilliant new clothes for free!

Whatever you do, don't buy any Spring/Summer clothes in February. It's very early days and collections are only coming out in dribs and drabs. Unless you have fallen in love with an item of clothing, we advise you to wait one or two weeks so that you can scan the high street for the best buy to suit your wallet and your style.

Like January, little self help treats are a must to see you through February chills. We suggest indulging in a treatment or two! We recommend having a facial and sloughing off all those winter dead skin cells in preparation for the beginning of the new season. If you cannot afford a facial why not go for a free face mapping at any Dermalogica salon. You will get to lie in a relaxing, ambient room and have a consultation on your skin type. More often than not, you will be given some substantial samples to try over the next few weeks!

March

March is an incredibly difficult month to dress for. You can find yourself fluctuating between feeling too cold or too hot. This can all depend on which side of the street you are on and if you are in the sun or in the shade. You need to pay close attention to the weather reports this month and dress accordingly. You will need a sturdy umbrella to negotiate the infamous, blustery March winds and rain.

Footwear becomes particularly interesting in this month and people often feel lost because boots can feel too sweaty and warm and yet summer shoes are definitely not the answer just yet!   This is the month in which ballet shoes and pumps come into their own for casual wear. You really don't need to pay full price for pumps; these can definitely be a No Knickers spring and autumn option. There are loads of lovely cheap pumps out there which, to be honest, will do just the job at a fifth of the price.  I picked up some fabulous River Island pumps for £10 and have already worn them every day for the last two weeks.  Choose the colour of your pumps carefully.  A generic rule would be that the less you pay for a pair of pumps the more muted the tone of the shoe should be.   I chose pale grey from River Island because the white were a bit garish and the navy were a bit tacky and highlighted the cheap rubber toe caps and soles. Don't whatever you do buy fake converse made by Next or any other high street retailer.  These can only ever be a sad statement of you what's left in your wallet by the end of the month!  If you really want a white round logo on your ankle, save up for the real thing.  Avoid fakes at all cost!  Pumps can be worn with the usual casual look or smarten up on top with a vintage jacket and long white shirt or batwing large and lived in jumper.

Ballet shoes are everywhere in this month and so they should be.  They are so versatile and are an absolute must for every wardrobe.  I have huge gargantuan ankles but my ballet shoes are indispensable with a pair of jeans.  I confess that due to my oversized 'cankles', I wouldn't let them be worn with a skirt or a dress.  I am sure there are many of you out there have perfect pins to sport these ballet beauties.

Tights are another must in the early spring months.  Until mid April we recommend that you stay in 40 denier tights with dresses and skirts.  10 denier stocking legs in spring look a bit premature and are quite difficult to wear anyway.  If you are caught in a storm, the 40 deniers are robust enough to cope and won't overheat you too much if the sun comes out.  M+S has developed body sensor tights that are supposed to respond to the temperature of your legs.  They seem to work for some people, whereas others find little difference.

A trouser suit comes into its own in March and April.  It is extremely flexible and provides lots of opportunity for layering.  On colder mornings long sleeved shirts and short sleeved jumpers under the suit can provide adequate warmth and in the afternoon the short sleeved jumper and jacket may suffice.

Camisoles under shirts and knitted tank tops are also brilliant for layering in spring and work well with a trouser suit.  Don't spend a fortune on tank tops.  Primark tank tops are fabulous and come in some great spring colours and are absolutely up to the job of dressing to impress.  We think that this is the best wardrobe staple that Primark provides.  Carrying an ample sized bag in the spring /summer months is very important to carry the clothes that are stripped off throughout the day.

April

Although this month brings some milder days and with that the temptation to bare our pale legs; we must remind ourselves to 'never shed a clout 'til May is out.'

March and April are particularly difficult months because they are permanently unpredictable. You can dress for work in the morning when it is sunny and warm but by lunch can look like a shivery and drowned rodent. The opposite also applies!

Umbrellas need to be on hand at all times in these months.  Mid range, compact and boring umbrellas are fine for the spring task of keeping you dry.  This is another case of less is more.  A black classic umbrella is fabulous and will cost less than a patterned number from Boots.  We particularly like the black C'est Chic umbrella that will give you a frilly feminine touch without losing its serious edge.  If you do want to add a touch of fun to your rain wear, go for a child like, see through PVC retro option.  There are some people who invest in Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely umbrellas which are fine if you have fallen in love with a particular pattern; but what it adds to your overall sense of chic is negligible. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and the Kidston and Kiely fans sometimes go over the top.

This is a wonderful month to release your white jeans to the world. They are a perfect way to feel that you are responding to warmer days whilst still being able to get away with a toasty, warm jumper. The White Company have some really good value and quality white cord jeans. The only downside is that they only come in one length. As they are forever expanding their clothing collections, let's hope that they bring our varying lengths.

At this time of year, leggings are a must for those people who are confident about their legs. Dark grey or black leggings look great under a long slouchy cardigan and graphic t-shirt or a long hipsty top. Leggings are great because they wear well with flip flops, boots or pumps. If you haven't tried them yet why not give them a whirl this month?  Fifteen pounds for an extra outfit isn't bad and will give you a totally different look.  You might as well try them out before they die out.  They probably only have a few seasons left before unpopularity hits and we all grimace at the thought that we ever wore them!  Best value leggings can be found at Top Shop and M&S but Miu Miu and Wolford are our Fur Coat favourite.  Zara leggings are fine on fabric but can be less flexible on sizing for those of us who have more than an ounce of body fat on our blessed buttocks.

Early Spring is also a time to discard your heavy jackets and break out your short military jackets and macs. Shorter cotton drill jackets or tweed wool jackets are also so versatile for this time of year.  A t-shirt, cotton sweater and your Spring coat will see you through the Spring.

May

Expenditure in Spring is minimal in comparison to Autumn- Winter.  FCaNK's main investment item for Spring/Summer is a pair of amazing Fur Coat sunglasses.  Now is the season to purchase those glasses that will stand the test of time and add an extra oomph of style to your wardrobe.  Price limits for each person will be drastically different.  For some, a pair of £30 glasses is a hike from the free glasses they normally get in the magazine giveaways.  Whatever your price range, feel proud of what you can afford and get maximum style advantage by using some of our little tips. See Sunglasses.

May is the time for some frivolous fun. This is the month to buy cheap and cheerful No Knickers items! Plastic bangles, wooden necklaces and jewellery statements are all throwing themselves at your feet to liven up the outfits from yester year and not cost you an arm and a leg.  Try not to be too conventional with your accessories.  Make some complimentary choices for necklaces rather than seeking to match with an outfit. Think about three complimentary colours rather than just two.  For example, a brown and cream dress would justify a purple jewellery statement rather than the obvious wooden or cream pendant.

It is really important to refresh old white t-shirts, blouses and camisoles.  I have had lace tops and blouses that I have loved but if they are yellowing and starting to look fusty, it's time to depart from the old and scour for new floating fancies.  A really good place to start is Zara.  They are particularly good at lace, cotton, romantic, gypsy looking tops and will be a great starting point to find a couple of new summer lovelies that are bright and dreamy.

June

The wedding season has arrived!  Weddings can create a great deal of pressure for those of us who weren't born stylists as it is extremely easy to get wedding outfits badly wrong.  Try not to get too hung up on buying a wedding 'outfit'.  Rather, try to develop a romantic style, perfect for the occasion.

Try mixing something old and something new. Collecting romantically styled jewellery from vintage and charity shops will always add a unique touch to your look.  Avoid Monsoon accessories during this season because everyone is looking for a cheap bit of jewellery to match the outfit and you can spot the Monsoon wedding chintz a mile away.  A great alternative to the Monsoon classic is Noa Noa.  This label offers some affordable, fake vintage accessories that offer something a little different.  The only downside of Noa Noa is that their colour ways are quite limited.  Vintage Jewellery is a new vintage site which offers one off, unique jewellery.   Charie Smith Jewellery  produces statment one off jewellery pieces.  Charlie takes commissions and it is amazing value for money.   Also look at Johnny Loves Rosie for some hyper romantic inspiration.

A wedding accessory we favour is a fresh corsage that can either be worn around your wrist or on your outfit.  This gives you flexibility in price, colour and design and a good florist will advise you if you bring in your garment and shoes.  We always suggest that you choose a complimentary colour rather than trying to match.  Pret at Portobello design some pretty material corsages that are well worth a look and are good value.

If you are an under confident wedding shopper we suggest that you avoid separates.  Unless people really know what they are doing, separates can look very casual and make you feel like a quirky teenager at their first wedding.  Dresses are very simple and require only a pair of shoes to finish off the look.  Coast are good at wedding outfits but unfortunately very common at weddings and can be a little chintzy.  Our pick of the season for a wedding is a dress by Nicole Farhi. This dress works out to be about £30 more than a Coast dress but has much greater wearability and oozes style.  It can be worked up for a wedding and down for a barbecue but is a beautiful laid back garment that rises to any occasion.

Ready to wear shopping isn't the only option for a wedding. A bespoke dress will not cost you a lot more than a Coast, Monsoon or Boden dress and should be greatly loved for many years to come.  Visit a sew and mend dry cleaners for a recommended dress maker.  The dress maker will recommend fabric shops but Soho is a great place to start if you are near London.  Reworking a vintage dress with a dress maker is also fun and costs less.  Seeing the potential in a vintage dress can require some imagination but if you love the fabric we always recommend that you buy the garment and it can often be reworked to your requirements.

Plus, it's time for your first pedicure and wax of the season!  Don't worry when you try on your sandals of the season and expose your pasty legs from under your comfort zone jeans.  All the girls across the UK are feeling the same way about their legs during this month and it takes a little while to get used to presenting your legs in public again after they have been kept under wraps for so long!

Don't worry about paying a fortune for a San Tropez tan because it is possible to do it on the cheap and still look great.  There are some great fake tan products out there both for the body and the face. Our Fur Coat personal favourites for the face are Bobbi Brown's and Dermalogica's tinted moisturiser.  

If you are using San Tropez regularly on your face it can sometimes build up quite yellow undertones and also can create a black head problem and so will require using a regular exfoliation that is appropriate for your skin.

It might be worth paying for a special all over tan for a wedding but if you want a low key natural look that just takes the lily white tones out of your legs then we have an answer. So many ladies I know rave about Johnson&Johnson's holiday skin.  It is extremely cheap and will just give you a bit of confidence to wear your legs out on a nice day.  We recommend that it is applied after using a body exfoliator and applied with a disposable glove because there is nothing more cheapening to your look than the bright orange palms on your hands!  Be really careful around the underneath of arms and round elbows etc. because this is where streaking can be really obvious.  Personally, I love San Tropez, and the St Tropez everyday moisturiser for £13, is really good value for an excellent, natural looking tan.

July

The great thing about the Summer is that it is so much cheaper than Autumn/Winter.  July and August are months to set aside some money and begin saving for the investment winter knits, jeans and boots. You do not need to spend a lot of money on investment sandals and flip flops because there are plenty of cheap end stylish strappy numbers out there on the high street.  Remember though, manmade uppers, though cheap, will cost you on smell.  The strappier the sandal, the better the fragrance if you are opting for a manmade option!

Red Herring often do some great sandals that are also quite comfy for a season.  Unless you desperately fall in love with an expensive sandal we suggest that you steer clear of expensive labels.  A classic, expensive everyday sandal is relatively pointless unless you have a particular event you are shopping for. You can afford to be up to the minute trendy and frivolous in your Summer shoe wear because they are often designed to last only a season.

I spend more money on a wedge because these are a substantial article and can make quite a statement. Watch out for the materials used for the wedge and avoid plastic unless it mixes with a dramatic 80's look; but even then… tread carefully! The key to a good looking wedge is that the materials used are complimentary. It is really important that the material at the top of the wedge doesn't laugh at the bottom otherwise it can cheapen the overall look. New Look, Top Shop and Cara shoes have been known to produce some lovely cork, natural wedges and Next have some better designs this season. Kew are also great at the wedge but I would suggest that Boden are often the master!

August

August is all about mini breaks, holidays (for the parents amongst us), music festivals, parties, BBQ's on the common or in the country, hiking in our beautiful outdoor spaces, beaches….aahh if the weather is right!

Although so many families are off on their holidays at this time, there are many of us who are avoiding lying out on a beach with four year olds and are choosing to stay at work throughout the peak of summer. Although life in August drops down a pace, it is hard to be part of a professional setting and get away with wearing flip flops. A sandal with a heel will be enough to retain a relatively professional image without feeling too beachy and casual. If you are going to wear your toes out at work then it is crucial to maintain well looked after feet and have regular professional pedicures.

We recommend Vietnamese nail salons for excellent value foot sloughs! These are often relatively cheap and effectively brutal on hard skin. Try to go to a nail salon that has a good reputation otherwise you could be visiting one that is just a front for money laundering…but this is quite rare! We are big advocates for Mavala pedicures and manicures. We find that they are the hardest wearing and kindest to your nails. If you can get hold of the Mavala bottle of varnish for touch ups, then all the better! At 'Bare' beauty salon in SW11 they will give you the rest of the bottle of OPI and a nail care kit for the price of a full pedicure. The 'Bare' pack enables you to keep the pedicure going for at least a month….truly Fur Coat! If you are nowhere near SW11 then never fear! There are many little chemists that stock Mavala nail varnish for about £3.75 a bottle or buy it online at http://www.mavala.co.uk/nailsColour.html.

Take your bottle of mavala along to any recommended treatment rooms and ask your local beautician to apply it!  buy your Mavala nail varnish and top gloss from a cute little chemist and ask your local beautician to apply.www.BeautyExpert.co.uk/OPI

Although Jessica products are widely used amongst beauticians we have found them to peel easily and are very poor value for money. We recommend that you take your little bottle of Mavala nail varnish and top gloss to your favourite treatment rooms and ask the beautician to apply! An excellent day wear Fur Coat colour is classic chocolate brown; absolutely stunning and a compliment to those natural fibre wedges!!

Work clothes can often become staid and boring. Often people resort to the generic black trousers with a relaxed top but this is often not as imaginative as work clothes could be. Shirt dresses are fabulous for August if you steer clear of the safari tones and wear navy, black or cream. The Michael Stars jersey dresses are great for the summer months and can be found in autumn sales and picked up for £45 from Whistles. Although this might sound like a lot of money for a jersey dress, the cut will be classic and will be both comfortable and relaxed whilst looking professional enough for a work setting. The white company also do some great jersey dresses in some neutral tones.

You will need to be decked out in your Havannas and flat thong sandals for your festivals and BBQ's. Cute dresses are a must for this time. Bullfrogs has some fabulous dresses at No Knickers prices at this time of year and we are loving Pretaportobello for their casual vintage barbecue dresses. These dresses are all designed for ladies with little knees and great legs so watch out if you are like me and have neither.

With my awful legs, the jersey dress continues to get my vote because it is flexible and flattering. It can be worn for work and then can take me on to an evening barbecue without exposing an inch of cellulite…how flattering!

September

This is often referred to as the Indian summer month. It is still warm and light enough to enjoy entertaining outside in the evening as nights can often be balmy. Cardigans and ballet pumps take front row again this month.

Fashion week is just around the corner with all the latest fashions for the season ahead so if you want to be ahead of the game, buy a Vogue, Tatler or an Elle magazine to give you some inspiration. Being ahead of the fashion game will also help you to spot accessories and garments that are going to reflect the season ahead and be longer term investments that can be trans-seasonal.

In the summer months we mentioned that it is worth saving for boots and woollies. Now is the time to use all that cash for your key investment items. Unless you are shopping in Zara or a similar shop with fast turnover, we would recommend that you window shop in September to see what is coming into the shops and save the buying spree until October when the shelves are full and the variety is far greater.

Buying a jacket in September is a good purchase and will fend off the chill. Jackets are extremely versatile and are really suited to the vintage, retro look. The jacket you choose will depend on the shape of your body. Make sure you have a look through a Gok Wan book or the Trinny and Susannah bible before you purchase. Blazer jackets are particularly in Vogue at the moment and are a classic style that can be worn well with a romantic long white shirt. This look needs careful consideration because can easily look like a rehash of 80's Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. If you are buying a blazer, vintage blazers can be particularly lovely especially with a silk patterned inner lining.

Vintage shops are great places to buy jackets but the first places that I would head to would be Top Shop, Zara and Limited Edition M+S who offer better tailoring for this sort of garment than some of the other high street stores. If you want a Leather jacket, you are never too old for Camden market (London) Afflecks Palace (Manchester) or Piece Hall (Halifax). Remember with Leather jackets, the more beaten up the better, squeaky clean leather can just look cheap, plastic and nasty!

October

October may often begin relatively balmy but will swing, by the end of the month, to feeling very autumnal and chillsome.

This is the month when magazines make us believe we should be wearing tartan and Arran jumpers and living on the Isle of Skye. If this were possible we might, but many of us have jobs and other commitments which may not fit into the highland escapist dream. No matter where you live in the UK, this is the month for woollens and boots and if you can; slip in a handbag! If you have budgeted using the FCNK outline then you should have a few pennies hoarded up since winter to spend on some investment woollens and boots. Take a peek at our knitwear and boots section before hitting the high street with your pennies.

Probably the best formula for a Fur Coat No Knickers effect is to really believe in what you are doing. If you want to dress as if in a highland period drama, then do it, but do it by mixing high street, with vintage, with a brooch you have borrowed from your gran. Whatever you do, don't fall head first into off the peg high street fashion that can look garish and brash. If you are falling for the highland dream please bear in mind that Arran jumpers are often far too hot for city or suburban life and tartan can be itchy and annoying. A cable knit cardigan or jumper can do wonders for those of us with little boobage and a tweed or a muted tartan skirt can give a little nod to the autumnal season but isn't too brazen.

Tights come into their own in October. Fur Coat tights can be well worth the money for providing warmth, comfort and snug legs. Wolford tights are particularly soft and cosy and last well. For interesting, heathery colours for autumn, Tabio have a good selection. If you are wearing anything above the knee, then it is worth spending more money on tights. For a dress or skirt above or below the knee then you might as well shop within a lower budget. Avoid tights with too much sheen because these can alter the shape of your leg making them look more like sweaty sausages. Fishnets are particularly effective on all leg shapes. Finer fishnets look better on chunkier legs. Personally I am never brave enough to wear fishnets over my hockey thighs so stick ruthlessly to 60 denier woollen tights in dark colours!

November

November is all about keeping the colour in your life! The cold has really started to set in. Luckily, Guy Fawkes Night always provides a welcome relief to the impending winter.

November is also all about preparing for December. Think party dresses at the ready, sparkly cardies and bolero jackets. It is helpful at the beginning of this month to take yet another look at your wardrobe. Work out where the gaps are in your wardrobe and begin to write your Christmas present list. Although, you might be putting in requests for particular clothes (often boots and bags), it is worth bearing in mind that it is in December that you need the touches of gorgeousness the most and planning for your "going out" wardrobe is crucial for this time of year!

If you have kept your diary from last year, use it to remind yourself of some of the events you might be going to in December that will require a little bit of dressing up! Once you have some ideas about how your diary might look for December, take some time to throw together some outfit suggestions.

Start with a dress and try loads of different jewellery and shoes and see what you can throw together! Quite often, events like school plays and drinks at a friend will require something a bit special but won't need a whole new outfit. I like to make sure I have a number of staple dresses in my wardrobe that can be revamped with a pair of bold shoes and a brilliant piece of statement jewellery. Have a good look at your wardrobe and your accessories and work out the gaps that need filling before the party season starts. There will probably be one or two pieces that you need to purchase that will transform your style for the party season. Make a list of the pre- Christmas items that you need to buy and those that you want to buy and focus your shopping trips around these.

Great planning in November will help to reduce the stress of not knowing what to wear and the expenditure when you plump for something out of desperation that is only worn for one night, never to be seen again! Although planning in this way might sound a bit dull it will actually help to steer you towards dressing up more creatively rather than relying on the obligatory shiny top that everyone pulls out at Christmas.

You will notice that shiny tops are everywhere in November and December and they can create a seasonal glimmer for any outfit but should not be relied upon because they can end up looking relatively cheap and sometimes even nasty! If you are choosing a shiny top, watch out for colour ways. The more muted the colour of your shiny top, often the more expensive it will look. Kew, Zara and Mango often do some good looking but good value shiny ranges. Ted Baker is in the upper price range with some lovely printed silk tops.

Once you have taken a good look at your wardrobe and have outlined some of the gaps that need filling it's time to go searching. Use our high street guide and jewellery suggestions to help you find the perfect accessories for your outfits! Remember once you have found your perfect accessories and garments put them away until December when everyone gets that urge to wear something new and slightly sparkly!

December

December is the highlight of the FCNK calendar and all our hard work on our wardrobe will pay off this month. I absolutely, terrifically adore December. I love its richness and sense of frivolity. This month is the most romantic of all months with lots of excuses to dress up. If you haven't already, at the beginning of December, take a good, hard look at your diary and plan your wardrobe carefully for each celebratory event. This will help you fill gaps in your wardrobe. Your December wardrobe requires really great party outfits, lovely woollen knits and clothing that will feel snug and stylish on the obligatory Christmas and New Year walks!

The urge for something new really hits me in December. This desire will often be satisfied if I organise a free makeover at SpaceNK or at a giant department store. A makeover gives you the chance to spy out a new make up look for yourself that you can probably copy with your own make up stash at home! Try to organise a make over on the same night as a party so that you feel a little bit special! Whatever you do, never buy anything on the day of the makeover. Always go away, have a look at your own stuff and then go back to buy if you really can't do without it! 99% of women choosing a new lipstick will choose one that is no more than two tones away from their usual colour lipstick. This explains why our make up bags are often full of lipsticks that are very, very similar! Consider carefully what you buy. It may not be the lipstick that you actually need it may be a better applicator or a lip liner that makes the difference so it is always worth asking the right questions. Usually, a make over artist will write down the list of products that she has used so don't feel the need to rush into a purchase but take your time to save you money! Don't fix what isn't broken particularly with basics like foundation and powders because you don't want to look back at your Christmas photos looking ghost like or like an orange. If you have a base tone that works, stick with it and don't change it for the world!

Towards the end of December, I take on a personal battle with the retailers to see how long I can hold out without buying before their pre -Christmas sale. If you can, stay in London or visit London on the 20th - 23rd of December. You can pick up some fantastic pre- January sale offers. If I am really feeling brave about last minute Christmas presents, I will hold out until that final week. There is nothing to beat that smug, heart warming feeling that you have bought someone a dream present for half the price!

It is worth remembering that the most romantic part of December is often not Christmas day itself but the days running up to it. Christmas day can sometimes feel a bit exhausting and leaves you feeling slightly bedraggled, especially if you are the one providing the catering!! If you are the host, my advice would be to keep the day as simple as you can. We expand on this in our FCNK Christmas section. If you are a guest to the Christmas party, come armed with a bottle of champagne no matter how small, that you can the cook can share in the kitchen. This will help the day seem much more relaxed and stress free!

Throughout December, keep your beauty regime going and drink loads of water. We all tend to give up at Christmas and pay for it at New Year. Last year I gave up on my masques and was less interested in my cleansing and toning regime. Lo and behold I got acne and was covered in spot cover seeing in the New Year…how depressing! If you are prone to break outs, it may be worth organising a facial a couple of days before the New Year bash.

Pop the champagne along with liver cleansing pills and have your Berocca when you wake up, when you go out and before you go to sleep and you will be able to walk into the new year feeling fresh as a daisy and ready to begin another year of living stylishly with less!