Now is most definitely the season of the mini-break. So many of us are off on trips away to launch ourselves into spring. So if you’re planning to get away from it all, here are some tips for stress-free packing.

1.The best approach is to write down what you are going to be doing each day of your trip. Then coordinate outfits including underwear, socks, belts, footwear for each activity, each day.

2. Pick no more than three colours of clothing and stay with those, that way you can mix and match. Try to take something you wear at least twice. Dark colours and patterns show less dirt and wrinkles.

3. Spread out everything you’ll need for the trip on a bed, then carefully put back at least half of the clothes you’ve assembled. Yes, do it, because less is usually enough and you’ll only wear a fraction of what you take.

4. When packing your case, first, pack any belts along the circumference of the suitcase. Fill shoes or boots with socks and underwear. Any other small items can go along the bottom of the case. Place shoes in plastic bags (so polish or dirt doesn’t rub off on your clothes). Keep any toiletries in plastic bags too to prevent any leakages.

5. Trousers, skirts & jeans go in next. If you pack more than one you can place them in the bottom of the case, waistband to waistband in the centre of the case with the legs hanging outside. Add tissue or dry cleaner’s plastic bags (make sure there is no writing on the bags that could come off on your clothes) on top and fold the legs over. Using tissue between or plastic bags around clothes allow them to slide instead of crush. Bin liners work just as well.

6. Then pack shirts with a “long fold” so that the front horizontal fold is below the belt line. You can pack some socks or underwear in the neck to keep it in shape.

7. Roll up tightly any items such as sweaters or t-shirts and again position these along the circumference of your bag or case.

8. Take along plenty of accessories such as scarves and jewellery to ring the changes to your outfits. These will take up the least space in your bag and give you the greatest variety of looks.

Fabulous At 40!

Kylie Minogue is 40 this year and yet she seems to stay youthful without dressing like a teenager. So what’s her secret? It’s also about dressing to suit your personality and your lifestyle. Kylie takes a regular look at her image and refreshes it by continuously injecting interesting new touches to update her look.

So if Kylie can do it, so can you! Here are my top tips on how to stay looking youthful at any age:

Review your hairstyle and colour at least once a year – our skin tone and face shape changes as we get older. You only have to look at the newly reformed Spice Girls to see just how different their face shapes look now to when they first shot to fame. Get some advice from your hairdresser about what style and colours will suit you best. Try changing the parting of your hair or adding a fringe to give you a fresher look without making radical changes.

Add one new trend to your wardrobe each season – whether it be the current season’s colour trend or a new piece of diamond jewelery, add one thing each new season to update your overall look. You can have some real fun with this, experimenting and discovering what suits you best without being a slave to fashion.

Find out what colours make you look sensational – life is too short to look anything less than gorgeous and the colours we wear can have the biggest impact on making us look radiantly beautiful. Visit an image consultant for your own personal colour consultation

If it feels wrong then it probably is – if you don’t feel confident enough to wear a certain garment, skirt length or neckline, then it’s not right for you. If you feel good wearing something then you’ll radiate that confidence to others.

Reaching a significant age is a milestone to be celebrated because in this day and age we still, quite literally, have our whole lives ahead of us.

If you set out to make the very best of yourself, then you’re highly likely to succeed in looking and feeling your very best….and you’re so worth it!