I really love reading articles by  Liz Jones, the Daily Mail’s Fashion Addict. She is not afraid to show us her vulnerable and perfectionist streaks and that makes her top notch in my estimation. Yesterday’s article was so true for many women. She was talking about how love and fashion go hand in hand for a woman but not necessarily for a man. You know what I mean I’m sure. Think about a first date. You obsess about what to wear, get yourself polished and primped and hurtle down to the gym to lose some unwanted inches and, just to be on the safe side, stick to eating celery as your main meal of choice. A man, on the other hand, just breezes in without a care. Liz was talking about how many of her choices meant that she didn’t let herself go enough to have a good time. Her obsession with looking good, wearing expensive labels and trying to remain youthful were at the expense of getting tiddly, having a good laugh, staying up late and perhaps getting a stain on her immaculate outfits.  I knew a girl once upon a time that wouldn’t ever let her boyfriend see her without makeup. She’d go to bed wearing it, creep out once he was asleep to remove it then get up at 5am to reapply so she would be ‘perfect’ when he awoke. Sounds ridiculous, but this is what our culture can do to us if we’re not careful. I’m hoping that by 50, we know that a life  accepting our wrinkles and laughter lines is so much happier and fulfilled than ‘perfection personified’. Who’s perfect anyway? We all have different ideas on what it looks like and it’s so hard to maintain. My advice? Crack a smile and get on with living a joyful and authentic life, whatever you, and it, looks like. Have a happy Tuesday.