Your Look

• The classic little black dress. Knee length, with straps or sleeves will ensure appropriateness in most situations.
• Flirty sundress. A colourful garden party dress for when the little black dress is not right.
• Cardigan. A cute way to keep warm with pants, skirt, or a dress.
• Feel good jeans. A pair of jeans that never fail to make you feel confident.
• Nude bra and panties. Underwear should never be visible under clothing.
• Strapless bra. Let’s face it; straps are tacky.
• Seamless panties. For wearing under fitted clothing.
• Pantyhose or tights. For when you need a little more class or warmth. At least two pairs, one in black and one in nude.

• Lipstick. A good everyday shade.
• Mascara. Forget to wear it one day and everyone will ask, “Do you usually wear glasses?” True story.
• Hair straightener. Use it for a complete look or to fix problems areas.
• Frizz control hair product. Too keep your hair tame all day.
• Shaping product. Good for stubborn hair that doesn’t like to stay in place.
• Hair elastics. A simple way to change your hairstyle.
• Bobby pins. When products can’t get the job done.

• Pearl necklace. Classic and Timeless.
• Diamond stud earrings. Real or fake, as long as they sparkle.

• Body lotion. To stay soft and comfortable during the winter months.
• Sun block. To keep your skin healthy during the summer and for the rest of your life.
• Face cream. For everyday use, for your specific needs.
• Nail care kit. File, clippers, nail brush, polish remover, etc.
• Bathroom scale. Use once a week or once every other week to make sure you stay inside a healthy weight range.

• Black Pumps. A great pair of shoes that you can wear with anything.
• Flats. In a classic colour that will match almost everything.
• Two pairs of boots. Something that looks good but is still easy to walk through the snow in, and something for when the weather is more extreme.
• Exercise shoes. Something you can run, walk and play sports in.
• Two Coats. One for everyday and one that can be worn with a dress.
• Matching hat, scarf and mittens or gloves. Should at least be on the same colour pallet.

• Full-length mirror. The easiest way to tell if your outfit looks good or not.
• A personal style. The most important part of your look.

Your Kitchen

• Roasting pan. Difficult to cook a holiday turkey without one.
• Large pot, with lid. Big enough to cook spaghetti without breaking it.
• Medium non-stick frying pan. You can’t make bacon and eggs without one.
• Square baking dish. Can be used for anything from lasagna to brownies.
• Baking sheets. Cookie sheets work for more than just cookies.
• Baking pans. Cake, muffin and loaf pans.
• Mixing bowls. Metal, glass, vintage coloured plastic, which ever you prefer.

• Basic knife set. 8 or 10 inch chef, paring and bread knives.
• Wooden spoon. One of the most diverse tools in your kitchen.
• Rubber spatula. For those times when a wooden spoon isn’t good enough.
• Measuring cups. Both dry and wet are quite useful.

• Kitchen scale. For portion control and those metric recipes.
• Kettle. Faster and easier for coffee and tea than a pot on the stove.
• Parchment paper. Makes for much easier cleaning of baking pans and sheets.
• A few good cookbooks. Either one encompassing book, like “Joy of Cooking” or a few specific books, one for desserts and one for main courses, for example.
• Everything you need to make cakes or cookies. Shortening, sugar, brown sugar, flour, butter, eggs, milk, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and icing sugar.
• Recycling bin. It is no argument, recycling has become a necessary part of life.

Your Home

• Set of matching dishes and utensils. A six-piece set would be the bare minimum.
• Wine glasses. Even if you use them for fancy water glasses, they just give a glamorous feel.
• Dining table centrepiece. Fresh flowers, a bowl of fruit or something more lasting. Never a potted plant, as they are too messy.
• A table-setting guide. Because all of those rules can be hard to remember.
• Cake plate. Practical and pretty.
• Ramekins. Very handy, you can use them for both baking and serving.

• Teapot. Serving tea from a teapot has a more friendly and relaxed feel to it.
• Matching teacups. When offered the option of taking their tea in either a coffee mug or a teacup, my friends always excitedly request the teacup.
• Tea. Something you can offer a guest that keeps easy and don’t spoil.
• Guest towels. People don’t like drying their hands on the same towels you use to dry off after a shower.

• Candles. Not only for décor, but nicer than flashlights during a power outage.
• A houseplant. Your home should have at least one. If you don’t have any gardening skills, make sure your plant is easy to keep alive, to give the appearance that you do possess these skills.
• Screwdriver set. If something breaks, you should be able to fix it yourself.

Your Friends

• Any occasion wrapping paper. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, there’s nothing classy about a gift wrapped in newspaper.
• Wrapping ribbons. A nice touch for gifts, but you’ll find many other uses for it as well.
• Stationary. As well as stamps and envelops. When a congratulations note or a thank you card needs to be written, it’s easier to go to a drawer than go to a store.
• A good pen. To use on the stationary.
• A journal. It’s important to get your feelings out and document your life.
• An etiquette guide. Every so often we come across social situations that require certain etiquette to be observed, but we don’t always know exactly what that proper etiquette is. This is when having a book on etiquette sitting on your bookshelf comes to the rescue.
• Your own condoms and/or birth control. It’s your body; take control.
• An education. Whether you aspire to be a doctor or a homemaker, to be successful you need to have a proper education.
• A role model. Find someone who encompasses everything you hope to be some day, and learn from them.