The beginning of a new year is the ideal time to re-assess everything you have going on financially. We all spend to much in December, blow our diets, get completely side tracked. Now that we are in January it's time to get back on track, set new goals and get the money equation working again.

Here is a post from CareerGirlDaily that is well worth checking in on throughout the year ahead.

8 Money Questions To Ask Yourself Regularly

By McKenzie Allyshia for CareerGirlDaily.com

Money affects almost every single aspect of our lives. With money being so essential, you would think that we would spend more time trying to save it. However, we often find ourselves dedicating more time finding ways to spend it.

Knowing and understanding your budget is crucial to being and feeling financially stable. Which is an amazing feeling! Finding ways to increase your income and decrease your debt will allow you to feel that financial freedom. Answering the following questions can also help you prepare for large expenses such as buying a house or a new car.

1. What is my monthly budget?

If you don’t currently live by a monthly budget, you should. A good way to figure out what you should be spending each day is to use an app like Daily Budget, you can input regular income and expenses, saving goals and daily spends like coffee and it’ll tell you how much you have to live on. It’s great to stick to a budget.

2. How much debt do I have and how can I decrease the amount?

From student loans to credit card bills, put a number on your debt and try to factor in a way to repay it bit by bit. Forgetting about debts or putting them off until later can be dangerous, as some debts only grow the longer you leave them.

3. What is my credit score and how can I improve it? 

There are lots of ways to check your credit score online, make sure you’re using a reputable website and don’t be afraid to get a couple of opinions. Your credit score is important, a good credit score gets you good insurance, interest rates, mortgage and renting deals and is important when applying for a credit card. So there’s always time to look into it.

4. Do I have at least three month’s worth of expenses in my savings account? 

For most of us, the answer is no. Now is the time to collect that buffer, if something happens, an unexpected expense pops up or you need cash quickly, this will save you getting a loan. Don’t worry, though, you can easily save with the 50-20-30 rule.

5. What are some poor money habits I can get rid of? 

We all have them, spending as soon as we get our paycheck, buying things we’ve only just seen as opposed to something we’ve wanted for a long time. Treating yourself is only natural, we all like a treat from time to time, but there are always areas of improvement. If you’ve found your account running on empty more often than not, perhaps you need to keep a closer eye on your account every week.

6. What do I want to save for in the coming year? 

Plan a savings goal, a pair of Chloe boots, a trip, but plan to save a little more than is needed. Whether it’s something sensible like your own place or something spontaneous like a summer holiday, be careful and be frugal.

7. How can I increase my income? 

Ok, so this might be a tough one. Is it time to ask for a raise? Do you have to work extra hard on your own business to make more money? Or is it time for a career change? If you want to increase your income, this could be the time to have the conversation with your manager.

8. Where do I want to be in one year’s time? 

By December 2017 you’ll be in a position to evaluate your finances all over again, so what questions do you want to be asking yourself then? What do you want to have in your account, do you want to be the queen of savings? Do you want to have finally paid off your debts? New Year’s Resolutions are important, but don’t forget to set a money goal, too!

Answering these questions should ignite your critical thinking and get you on the right track to financial stability. Are these the only questions you should ask yourself? Absolutely not! However, it is a great start.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

I'm always being asked about my favorite things. 
I was given some amazing products in the lead up to Christmas, and I bought some really great items, and some of it got lost in the holiday madness and didn't make it to the blog, but today I want to show you an assortment of my absolute favorite beauty items of the moment.

I have been hearing so much about Sunday Riley products for a while now. My winter Rachel Zoe Box Of Style had a full size jar of Sunday Riley's uber celebrated Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream.

This is the cream that everyone is raving about and I can totally see why! This is a next generation super hydrating cream that holds water and nutrients to the skin, plumping it up and making it look youthful, all the while brightening it and getting rid of that dull, lifeless winter complexion. It is really, really fabulous.
(Tidal is going to be an amazing product to travel with this year too.)
I seriously want to try out the Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil which I hear is just amazing. It's going to be the next new skin care product that I buy.

You can find Sunday Riley products online at Space NK.

From my Bloomingdale's Beauty Box, which was a birthday gift from Bloomingdale's, I fell in love with the new Tory Burch fragrance, Love Relentlessly.



I have worn it every day for the past month and just adore it. It is pure romance.

Bloomingdale's also gave me my new favorite mascara too. 
It's from Clarins and is called Supra Volume Mascara.

In it's tube it is quite unassuming, and I really thought it would just be a "nice mascara", but this one is an absolute powerhouse lash builder! It makes my lashes huge, but not gunky. They stay defined, separated, long and thick all day long. I am convinced that Supra Volume Mascara is the french girl's secret weapon. 
I was sent so many mascaras last year, most of which I never wrote about as I only talk about the products I love. This one is the real deal.

I am always looking for concealers that I can love. Most either don't hold all day (my days are looooong! I'm constantly leaving home at 8 am and not getting back til 11 pm) or they are too heavy, which just makes you look old and tired, or they don't color correct out the dark shadows well enough.

I am obsessed with Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I bought mine at Nordstrom before Thanksgiving and have worn it every day since. My shade is Honey, but they have tons of them, all calibrated with different undertones to color correct out your under eye demons. (10 I think?) They also have a fantastic color selection, so you can be the palest girl or the darkest goddess and they still have you covered.
They don't crease, have a luminous finish that bounces light off, making your eye look refreshed, last all day long, and frankly are the best concealers I have used in years. Love.

From Stila I have been enjoying Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush. 

The colors are fresh and pretty and the product is buildable. 
I love really glowing, gorgeous complexions so often I find that powder blushes can either look heavy on the skin or deaden the glow. This one breathes life into the skin and gives it a gorgeous radiance.

Lastly, my new favorite lip product is Sephora's Lip Stain.
They have a creamy texture but a matte finish, the colors are fabulous, and they only cost $14!!

image via Modern Maires Blog

Every time I walk past a Sephora I go in and buy another one. They are gorgeous!

Most people think you need to have a high income in order to do fantastic things (like travel), own property, have options in life.

I've known many high earners who fritter everything away, and many lower income peeps who own lots of properties and every year do great things.

I believe the key is to have concrete goals and have them written down, and then to be very clever with your money. It is essential to know how much money you have coming in, exactly what your debt burden is, and to have a very specific budget that you stick to fastidiously.
For me the budget is easy to stick to when I have a concrete goal that I am working towards. Without that carrot on a stick I tend to fall off the budget or at least get side tracked.

Today I am reworking all of the above. The goals for the year ahead, the debt burden and the budget. One of the easier ways to format your money plan for 2017 is to use the 50-20-30 rule.
I found a fantastic post about it on CareerGirlDaily.com
I'm re-posting it here today.

Happy New Year!

How To Manage Your Money With The 50-20-30 Rule

by Hannah Lutterbach

image via CareerGirlDaily.com

With the 50/20/30 method you will be able to budget your money. Whether you’re in college, have a full time job or have just started to earn money: the great thing about this rule is that it applies to every budget and helps you gain control of your money.

50 – “Your needs”

First and foremost about 50% of your paycheck goes to the essential things you need in your life. Your “needs” are things like your rent, your car, your public transport card, utilities and groceries. These are payments that don’t vary much and things you know you have to pay every single month, whether you want to or not.

 

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Target

  

NORDSTROM.com

20 – “Your savings”

This one sounds hard but 20% of your income each month should go directly into savings. The money you save will be beneficial for your retirement contributions or to pay off debts you might have like college or car loans. Put the money in a different bank account, so you don’t even think about spending it on anything else.

30 – “Your wants”

Now for the fun part! 30% of your monthly payment can be used for the things you love to do and the things you “want” in your life. As long as you’ve taken care of the first two steps, this one is completely up to you. You can spend it on your hobbies, eating out, shopping or your monthly Netflix subscription. It can be tempting to spend more than 30% on your “wants” but try to honest and strict with yourself and don’t even start to cheat.

5 Ways To Detox For The New Year

I absolutely love the Christmas season.
Each year I plan to eat uber healthily, on some form of paleo plan just to avoid the post Christmas cheese hangover and bloat misery, but each year I face those last few days of December feeling hellacious and sprinting towards a New Year detox.
There's no point in starting before New Year's Eve because I'm not going to miss out on champagne and canapes, and with me as of that very first cheat, the proverbial goose is cooked. (so I can't blow the diet in the first couple of days).

If you too are feeling the excesses of the holiday season and want to detox, here are a variety of ways to clean the system and get refreshed for the year ahead.

Exercise
Whether you hit the gym, hit the mat or hit the pavement running, exercise is one of the greatest ways to get your body back into the swing of things and get it detoxifying itself.

Water

I'm sure the worst month of the year for wine stores is January! Take a month off from all alcohol and sugar consumption and give yourself 31 days straight of serious water intake.
Drink it hot with lemon in the mornings, drink it with apple cider vinegar, drink it by itself, just find a way to imbibe as much as possible to flush your system out.

Dandelion Tea

Dandelion tea is known to detox your over-stressed liver, improve your skin and apparently has stomach and digestion benefits.
It actually tastes pretty good too.
I drink it throughout the year when I remember. I buy the Yogi brand at the supermarket, or I order it online at Amazon. When I order it this is the one I get: Dandelion Root Tea - Raw Organic Vitamin Rich Digestive - 1 Pack (20 Bags 2 Grams Each) 

Juicing
I like to have a few juice days before launching into the January diet. It breaks up going cold turkey zero sugar. It also is a little hellish to do, so after 3 or 4 days of it you are soooo excited to get off of it and get into your diet.

Last year I was all inspired by watching food documentaries on Netflix and decided to make my own juices. 

I have a Juiceman JM400 Juiceman Jr. 2-Speed Electric Juicer similar to this one. (Mine is a few years old now).
I absolutely love juicing and make juices throughout the year, but when it came down to living off juices for a few days I got bored with it and stopped doing it.

This year I have ordered Jus by Julie's 5 Day Juice Til Dinner Detox System.

Jus By Julie is a New York based juice company that makes amazing juices and overnights them to you to all 48 continental states and Canada. They have specific cleanses, booster shots, probiotics - all kinds of great stuff. They have a 40% discount going at the moment with free shipping too, so it's quite affordable. There is also a 3 Day Juice Til Dinner if you're not up for 5 days. It's on special right now for $99 with free shipping.

Get 3 Free Protein Juses and Free Shipping when you get the 3 Day JUS Cleanse with coupon code  NEWYEAR99 at JUSbyJulie.com! Valid through 1/9 at 11:59 PM EST - Shop now!

Don't Forget Your Scalp

Part of detoxing is clearing your skin. Body exfoliating, body brushing, detox baths are all things we are well versed in, and generally we have everything we need on hand for them.

Most of us forget to detox the scalp though.

You can use apple cider vinegar to clear flaky scalp or dandruff, but my favorite thing is Nioxin's Scalp Renew Dermabrasion.

I normally do it at the beginning of each season, but during the winter when we are wearing hats and beanies and going in and out of hot and freezing cold air your scalp will absolutely LOVE you if you give it an extra detoxing dermabrasion treatment.

I buy Nioxin hair Dermabrasion Treatment 75 ml / 2.5 oz ANTI-AGING TREATMENT on Amazon. It's not expensive and the results are fabulous. Hair immediately gets bouncy and full and shiny after doing a treatment, which is probably what keeps me coming back for more.

How To Care For Cashmere Sweaters

I live in a pretty warm place, and don't really have many occasions to wear cashmere. Basically it's only cool enough to wear sweaters here in January and February, so any cashmere I do buy really only sees daylight (or soiree light) when I travel. 

Cashmere is expensive, so it can be devastating when you pull out that signature piece to find it has been an all-you-can-eat buffet for moths, or that it has pilled where the arms meet the torso, or when your fluffy cashmere comes back from the cleaners looking like a lack-luster polyester blend.

This article came to my inbox via Vogue.com
If you are a cashmere lover, you may find it helpful too!

Love Your Cashmere Sweaters? Here’s How to Care for Them, From Vogue.com’s Resident Expert

Written by Lynn Yaeger for Vogue.com

image by Arno Frugie for Vogue

Because I am very, very old, I have owned far more sweaters than you have. In the ’90s they were vintage, in the aughts their labels gradually improved, and today a lot of them are what I would modestly describe as extremely nice.

After all these years of tending to knits; of watching age wither them; and witnessing their sad, often premature demises, I have learned a few things about their care and handling. In fact, you might say, I’m a bit of a jailhouse expert on the subject.

So, in the spirit of the season, I have decided to share a number of my hard-learned secrets, carefully culled from decades of disasters.

Moths, the Enemy
First off, let’s deal with the worst-case scenario: the hell wrought by the revolting, insidious moth. These vile creatures appear to be endemic in Manhattan—a friend swears she laid a wet sweater out one night to dry and woke up the next morning to find a tiny hole. To add insult to injury, they invariably feast on your more expensive items, preferring a nibble at a Chanel cashmere buffet to chowing down on a Big Lebowski thrift shop number. To stem this encroachment, it is useful to employ the birth control metaphor. Forget cedar chests and closets, the moth-repellent equivalent of the unreliable rhythm method. What you need is an ultra-strong condom in the form of an impenetrable zip-top plastic bag. Then, after you seal the sweater in the bag, put it in a drawer that closes tightly. (Yes, purchase a separate chest of drawers if you must! You will thank me when your sweaters are hole-free.)

In the event that the damage is already done, you can also call upon the re-weaver. These skilled craftspeople will work miracles—but the cost isn’t exactly cheap. Still, if it really is worth $100 to make your turtleneck whole again, so to speak, it’s nice to know these geniuses exist.

Pills and Fuzz
Sometimes the problem isn’t holes but pills. These annoying bumps can show up after a single wearing of a new sweater. (Research reveals that more and more, cheap fibers are employed in sweater construction, unlike the better filaments used years ago, which is why your 1950s cardigan, now almost 70 years old, remains pill-free and that thing you bought last month is dying.) For this blight, you can try a battery-powered “fabric shaver,” which buzzes the fuzz off and is fairly helpful (your cardigan will look much better, but not like new). But remember not to use this contraption on lace or other delicate materials! (You don’t want to know how I know this.) You can also get one of those roller things with the sticky tape, which is better than nothing—though far more useful for picking up pet hair than for de-pilling. Also, the dry cleaner can sometimes de-pill, so be sure to specifically ask about this. Speaking of which—though most sweaters return happy from a trip to the cleaners, there are some knits that should never darken that door.

Washing Vs. Dry-Cleaning
Once I had a gray crewneck Calvin Klein cashmere sweater that I loved more than life itself. So imagine my despair, my horror, when my beloved pullover came back from the dry-cleaner as stiff as shoe-box cardboard. Vowing that this sort of tragedy would never befall me again, I asked around, and it turns out that cashmere experts—yes, such people exist!—recommend washing over cleaning.

This is easy enough if you have your own washing machine—put that baby in a mesh bag, set the dial for the gentle cycle, and cross your fingers. But if you, like me and millions of other deprived New Yorkers, are without the luxury of a home machine, then just go ahead and soak your cashmere in the bathroom sink—cool water, not too many suds! Tenderly squeeze it in a towel to get the water out, lay it flat, gently coax it back into shape, and pray that no moths are in search of a midnight feast.

What To Do If You Get Sick While Traveling

It's a nightmare.
You've finally made it - you've traveled across the world or across the country to the vacation you have been saving up for, and out of nowhere you get sick.

It happened to me years ago, thankfully in Australia where medical care is amazing and affordable, and where I speak the language.
3 days into a dream vacation with my family in beautiful Noosa, I came down crazy sick. Frighteningly sick. The am-I-going-to-die kind of sick.
The kind of sick that can nearly bankrupt you in America kind of sick.

On the super long flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane I contracted an incredibly vicious and aggressive upper respiratory infection. 
At first I attributed it to jet lag or a slight cold that days lying on Aussie beaches, under the perfect Aussie sun, breathing pure Aussie air would heal. But no such luck. I woke up on day 3 thinking that short of an ambulance arriving in about 2 minutes I would be dead. (Dramatic, I know, but terrifying too)

Luckily I was in Australia, got immediate help and it cost next to nothing. In America the same illness would have been financially
devastating.
I always, always, always travel with travel insurance that has a strong medical policy, (and in fact I make all my Glam Italia Tour travelers buy travel insurance before leaving), and now I always get a super immune vitamin IV prior to international trips to boost my immune system and make it fight off infections that I may come in contact with. I've never been sick traveling since. But I always know anything could happen.

I also got very sick while spending a month in Egypt many years ago, and again just a few years back in Mexico while on a workout video shoot. Lying on the floor of a Mexican airport, too sick to sit up and not knowing how you will survive a flight home is no fun.
If you travel frequently it's bound to get you at some point.

Smarter Travel did a great article on what to do should you get sick while traveling. Check it out below. (all text and images in the following article are via SmarterTravel.com)

What to Do When You Get Sick While Traveling

by Shannon McMahon

The worst thing that can happen on a long-awaited adventure isn’t missing a flight or losing your luggage—it’s getting sick. Flights can be rebooked and personal items replaced, but your wellbeing can’t. Even if you’ve attended your pre-travel clinic appointments and packed all the preventative sanitizers and medications in the world, the flu or infectious diseases can still make you miss a lot of your vacation.

The good news is there’s plenty you can do to make that misfortune less disruptive, especially if you have travel insurance and a game plan. Here are some tips—including the advice of a travel-clinic doctor—to keep in mind for those times you become sick while traveling, especially abroad.

Know Your Travel-Insurance Policy

The moment that symptoms of an illness set in is the moment you'll either be relieved you purchased medical travel insurance or promising yourself you'll never skip it again. Having a travel insurance policy that includes medical coverage is especially important if you're traveling abroad where your health insurance may not cover you. You can get an insurance policy in just a few minutes and for as little as a few dollars a day—it could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Out-of-pocket medical care isn't cheap.

Worry less about the unexpected. Get a Free 10-Day Look with Allianz Travel Insurance, the world leader in travel insurance. Make sure you're covered!

Once you have travel insurance, know its terms. Some policies cover extensive medical-related costs like body casts and flights home, while others might only cover emergency-room care. Know what your options are so you can assess what's necessary and what will cost you.

Don’t ‘Wait and See’ on Flu Symptoms

Traveling during flu season makes you more prone to debilitating sickness in already germy areas like planes, but many infectious diseases (Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya) also start out with flu symptoms like fever and nausea. It's important to get to a doctor for a diagnosis as early as you can if you have debilitating symptoms—waiting to see if you'll feel better could mean missing the window for treatment, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

"If it really is the flu, medication can be given early in the course of illness to reduce duration of symptoms," Dr. Natasha Hochberg, co-director of Boston Medical Center's Travel Clinic, told me. "Many other illnesses such as malaria and dengue can manifest with fever and aches too; these often require medical attention, so I would urge travelers with these symptoms to seek medical care."

Find the Right Clinic

Finding a doctor abroad doesn't have to be a shot in the dark. Dr. Hochberg recommends the International Society of Travel Medicine's website, which is home to a Global Travel Clinic Directory that lists clinics by country based on the type of care they provide, the languages their doctors speak, and where they're located.  Travelers without Internet access can also call the destination's U.S. embassy for that information—so don't forget to save the necessary Department of State phone numbers in your phone before you travel.

Listen to Your Body

Once you've been diagnosed, it's important to heed the doctor's advice and to listen to your body. You might be tempted to try to keep up with your travel plans, especially if you made arrangements for exciting new experiences—but your immune system is down and recuperating is important. Avoid potentially risky food situations like street food, and get plenty of sleep and fluids. "Hydration and rest are helpful," Dr. Hochberg says. Getting enough of both might help you recuperate in time to finish out your trip in good spirits.

Let Your Doctor Know

It's important to keep your primary doctor back at home in the loop. There's no need to be calling him or her with updates, but sending an email or calling once you've returned to let them know is important. They'll want to know your condition in case of any lasting effects or complications related to other conditions or medications you might have.

"Importantly, anyone returning home ill should reach out to a travel care provider or their primary care doctor as quickly as possible," Dr. Hochberg says.

Do you follow The Zoe Report?
I get it in my inbox every day. 
And I'm obsessed with the Rachel Zoe Box Of Style, in fact while I am sitting here writing this I am wearing the new lipstick that came in my winter Box of Style, and the chic birch candle that came with it is sitting on my desk smelling all Christmas-sy and reflecting perfect golden light up onto my face, although there is no one here to be wowed by it!

I adore the French girl beauty aesthetic. Frenchies are so effortlessly chic and have far too much panache to ever get on board with any of the manic makeup trends on Instagram, so they never look like cariacatures of themselves - they just look gorgeous!

The following article is from The Zoe Report

7 Beauty Mistakes French Women Never Make

by Stephanie Montes

On the topic of French women, we know we’re not the only ones who wonder how they look so damn flawless, all the time. What we learned is, it’s less about what they do, and more about all the things they don’t do—they are known for being effortless, after all. Ahead 7 things Parisians never do to look c’est magnifique always.

Feeling French?

Don't: Get Lipstick On Your Teeth

French women live in red lipstick, but somehow never get it on their teeth (the ultimate makeup faux pas). The secret? Once you apply it, place your index finger in between your lips, then pucker to blot off excess.

• Lips & Boys, Tom Ford Beauty $36

Don't: Wear The Wrong Foundation Shade

Our favorite Parisians never seem to have that unsightly line of foundation across the jaw that shows just how different their makeup is from the color of their neck. Instead of piling on a thick layer of product, they prefer a dewy, natural-looking complexion. Swap your high-coverage foundation (especially if it doesn't perfectly match your skin tone) for something a bit more sheer. That'll ensure that it blends better and looks impossibly fresh.

• Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer, Chantecaille $72

Don't: Overpluck Your Eyebrows

The easiest way to look more French is to lay off the tweezers for a while. While their brows are usually grown out, that je ne sais quoi is all in the grooming, so make sure to comb strays into place with a spooley brush.

• Essential Eye Tool, Urban Decay $15

Don't: Go Overboard With The Contouring

You'll never catch a French women with a nose contoured to perfection and cheekbones that shine like the sun. They know just how to work with what they've got and highlight their assets in a natural-looking way. Instead of layering multiple highlighters to get a shine, use a face oil on the high points of your face to look like you were born with perfect features.

• Radiant Drops Golden Face Oil, Oribe $105

Don't: Go To Sleep With Makeup On

If you're wondering how our Parisian pals can get away with stepping out in barely any makeup at all, it's because they take really good care of their skin. Think about that the next time you curl into bed with your makeup on.

• The Cleansing Foam, La Mer $85

Don't: Fry Your Hair

Instead of heat styling your hair to death (literally, it kills your hair), embrace your natural texture. Apply hair oil to settle the frizz and your natural curl, wave or straight hair will look trés chic always.

• Luxury Hair Oil, Rodin $70

Don't: Wear A Chipped Mani

Have you ever seen a French girl with chipped nails? Neither have we. Don't take shortcuts when giving yourself a mani. Apply a base coat before your color and a top coat to seal—it'll ensure that your polish stays put and looks shiny longer.

• Hard Rock Top and Base Coat, Deborah Lippmann $20

Check out The Rachel Zoe Jewelry Sale here