How to make your home, your sanctuary

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allergies, Barbie, bask, bathroom, bright colours, bubbles, calm, clean, colours, cool, curtains, cuter, diffusers, DIY, dust, elements, essential oils, fems, fix, flowers, front door, green, greenery outside, grey, happy, haven, herbs, home, hyacinth, items, kitchen, lavender, life, mats, mind, minimalist look, mirrors, natural fragrances, nature, need, paint, pale, person, photos, plant, potted plants, power, recycle, Relax, reminder, room, samples, Scandi, scented candles, serene, shades, space, splash, Sponge Bob, spring, stresses, stripes, stuff, summer, sweet scents, system, toys, vases, vibrancy, wall, wallpaper, want, warm earth-based pigments, wash, window box

When you close your front door, you want to make sure your home is a sanctuary that helps you to relax and get away from the stresses of the day.

We have had a look at some changes you can make, to bring a little calm to your life.

Clear away the clutter
Clutter not only attracts dust, which can irritate allergies, but it plays on your mind as it is a constant reminder of what you need to do, fix or finish. Piles of ‘stuff’ won’t help create calm, so have a declutter. Whether you go room by room, or person by person, find a system that works for you and either find a home for items, give them away or recycle them, but don’t hold onto what you don’t need, or want, anymore.

What colours work for you?
Don’t underestimate the power of colour in your home as this can help create a haven. Maybe you love cool, calm Scandi grey tones, warm earth-based pigments are the preference for some people while others love to bask in bright colours that make them feel happy. Get some samples from your local DIY shop and add stripes of colour to one wall, and you will see how different shades could work in your home and give it a whole new feel.

Bring the outside, inside
There is nothing quite like a little greenery in your home to make it feel serene. Bringing the elements into your home puts you in touch with nature and adds a little more colour and vibrancy. Whether you have potted plants and ferns, herbs growing in the kitchen, or flowers in vases, having them in your home can help change the feeling of that space. If you are short on outside areas, why not plant up a window box with lavender and hyacinth which will offer sweet scents during spring and summer as well as a splash of colour.

Think about the walls
Do you go for paint or wallpaper? Are you big on mirrors? Paintings and photographs – do you have lots of them hidden away? Work out whether you want a minimalist look, or is it a busier background you are going for? Think about what makes you happy and create a canvas you love.

What’s that smell?
Scents can really help shift our mood – just think about how you feel when you walk into a spa. Adding natural fragrances with flowers, herbs, and essential oils are a great way to bring a sense of serenity to your home and make it feel like a sanctuary. Try using naturally scented candles, but keep an eye on them, and diffusers are a fantastic way to ensure your home smells lovely and welcoming.

Think about your bathroom
Far from being a place to simply wash and go, your bathroom really can be a place where you can relax and leave the world behind. Go for pale walls and tiles and accessorise with pretty pots and curtains, as well as matching towels. Have a box for children’s toys and mats, so that when you want to relax in the bath, Barbie and SpongeBob don’t spoil the moment. Candles add a soft, glow and playing music can really set the tone and don’t forget to add bubbles.

Play around with some ideas and we think you will find something that is perfect just for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Super charge your summer wardrobe

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80s, Adidas, ankle cowboy boots, arm candy, autumn, big, bright bolds, cats-eye sunglasses, catwalk, chunky, coloured, cool vibe, cropped fitted trousers, cut, dad trainers, denim jacket, dog tooth trousers, dots, Down-to-earth, dress, dresses, Edward Enninfu, Fun florals, gorgeous, grab, granny style cardies, head to toe, High Street, inexpensive, jumpsuits, kudos, length, lightweight trench, luxe track pants, morning after, moulded sports shoes, night before, Nike, patterns, pencil skirts, pink, polka dot, Princess Di, prints, rain or shine, raincoat, shades, shops, sliders, small, Stella MacCartney, stripes, sun, thermals, tops, UK, Vicky B, waist-cinching A-line style, wardrobe, weather, wrap skirt, yellow

The weather is still a little unpredictable on UK shores at the best of time, but it only takes the sun coming out for a couple of hours for us to start putting the thermals away and consider our summer staples.

We have had a look at what’s hot this summer so you can look totally gorgeous come rain or shine.

Go dotty
From the catwalk to the High Street, dots are big (and small) for the summer. Princess Di’s polka dot obsession can be seen on everything from jumpsuits and tops to dresses and pumps and if you have a thing for the ‘80s, they will serve you well.

Bag it up
Forget structured totes, sunny times call for a whole new kind of arm candy. Down-to-earth, inexpensive fabric cross body bags, raffia baskets and string shoppers are slightly retro but come with a cool vibe that will last right thought to the autumn.

Shades
This summer is all about cats-eye sunglasses, and we love them. They are smaller than the Vicky B super-sized sunnies of summers past, but are face-flattering and still big enough to hide the fun of the night before, the morning after.

Cover up
Put the puffa away and when the showers show up, reach in your bag for a lightweight trench or shake things up by going for a bright pink or yellow raincoat for extra kudos. If you want something a little different, the shops are fully of granny style cardies in a range of shades and textures that you can grab as you go.

Go faster
If you haven’t noticed stripes in the shops, where have you been? Go faster blasts, can be seen on everything from dog-tooth trousers to luxe track pants and designer hoodies. Don’t covert the look from head to toe, that would be total totally OTT, but go for one piece and match with bright bolds and you will be leader of the pack.

Dress it up
Summer isn’t summer without at least one new dress in your wardrobe. Fun florals, patterns and prints are all out there, just work out which cut and length is right for you, team with sliders and a denim jacket, and you have a look that even Edward Enninful would approve of.

It’s all about the dad trainers
You might not believe us, but Adidas, Nike and Stella MacCartney are all over the dad trainer this summer. Think chunky, coloured, moulded sports shoes and you have the perfect summer style to match with cropped fitted trousers and floaty pastel dresses.

It’s a wrap
Last but by no means least, we need to talk about the wrap skirt. This versatile staple has made a come-back from 1992 and we like it. Put the pencil skirts away, and swap them for a maxi-wrap in soft jersey, or a waist-cinching A-line style, match with a sharp white tee and you have a celebrity look in seconds.

With a pair of ankle cowboy boots, a dab of peach blush and plenty of sunblock on standby, you are ready to go forth and stand out in the fashion stakes this summer.

Team Pure Beauty