Notes on:

  • Fashion: Developing a personal style, curating a wardrobe, and exploring fashion trends.
  • Grooming: Hair care, skincare, makeup, and personal hygiene routines.
  • Self-presentation: Body language, posture, and non-verbal communication.
  • Personal branding: Creating a consistent and authentic personal brand across online and offline platforms.

Quantified Self

  • Outfits worn per week
  • Items purchased (clothing, accessories, grooming products)
  • Money spent on fashion and grooming
  • Skincare routine consistency (days followed)
  • Haircare products used
  • Gym clothes vs. casual clothes ratio
  • Outfit changes per day
  • Laundry cycles completed
  • Dry cleaning visits
  • Tailoring or alterations done
  • Perfume/cologne bottles owned
  • Shoes owned vs. shoes worn
  • Capsules or coordinated outfits created
  • Seasonal wardrobe updates completed
  • Thrifted or second-hand items purchased
  • Impulse fashion purchases tracked
  • Clothing returns made
  • Donation boxes filled

Fashion

Developing a Personal Style

  • Identifying colour palettes that suit your skin tone
  • Understanding body types and what flatters them
  • Building a capsule wardrobe
  • Mixing high and low street pieces
  • Learning when to follow trends and when to ignore them

Wardrobe Essentials

The Basics

  • Well-fitting white t-shirts
  • Dark denim jeans
  • Black or navy chinos
  • A fitted blazer
  • A quality leather jacket
  • White sneakers
  • Black boots
  • A neutral knit sweater

Seasonal Additions

  • Lightweight coat for spring
  • Waterproof jacket for rain
  • Wool overcoat for winter
  • Linen shirts for summer

Shopping Smart

  • Buying less, buying better
  • Knowing your measurements before shopping online
  • Checking fabric composition (natural fibres tend to last longer)
  • Looking for sales and end-of-season clearances
  • Investing in tailoring — a £20 alteration can transform a £50 garment

Caring for Your Clothes

  • Washing less frequently (jeans, knitwear)
  • Using garment bags for storage
  • Learning basic sewing — button replacement, hemming
  • Proper shoe care (polishing, waterproofing)
  • Rotating shoes to extend their life

Grooming

Skincare

The Basics

  • Cleanser — morning and night
  • Moisturiser — suited to your skin type
  • Sunscreen — every day, even when it’s cloudy
  • Exfoliator — once or twice a week

Going Further

  • Serums (vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid)
  • Eye cream
  • Face mask (clay, hydrating, exfoliating)
  • Lip balm
  • Hand cream

Skin Types and What Works

  • Oily skin: gel-based cleansers, oil-free moisturisers
  • Dry skin: cream cleansers, richer moisturisers, facial oils
  • Combination skin: balancing products, targeted treatment
  • Sensitive skin: fragrance-free, minimal ingredient lists

Haircare

  • Finding a barber or stylist you trust
  • Understanding your hair type (straight, wavy, curly, coily)
  • Washing frequency — most people wash too often
  • Conditioner is not optional
  • Scalp health matters — dry scalp means itchy scalp
  • Trimming regularly even if you’re growing it out
  • Product selection — pomade, clay, cream, sea salt spray

Personal Hygiene

  • Daily shower or bath
  • Deodorant — clinical strength if needed
  • Nail care — trimmed, clean, under control
  • Nose and ear hair trimming
  • Oral hygiene — flossing, tongue scraping, mouthwash
  • Foot care — exfoliation, moisturising, proper socks

Makeup (for Those Who Wear It)

  • Skincare first — makeup sits better on healthy skin
  • Less is more for everyday
  • Setting spray extends wear
  • Removing makeup properly before bed

Self-Presentation

Posture

  • Shoulders back, chin level
  • Standing with weight evenly distributed
  • Sitting without slouching — core engaged
  • The wall test: heels, calves, shoulders, head against a wall

Body Language

  • Eye contact — confident but not staring
  • Open gestures — avoid crossing arms defensively
  • Handshakes — firm, brief, dry
  • Mirroring — subtly matching the other person’s energy
  • Personal space — respecting boundaries

Voice and Speech

  • Speaking clearly and at a moderate pace
  • Avoiding vocal fry and uptalk
  • Pausing instead of filling silence with “um”
  • Matching your tone to the situation

Dressing for the Occasion

  • Knowing the dress code before you arrive
  • When in doubt, slightly overdressed beats underdressed
  • Fit matters more than brand
  • Clean, intact shoes go a long way

Personal Branding

Online Presence

  • LinkedIn — professional, updated, with a proper photo
  • Social media — what would you want a potential employer to find?
  • Consistent name and photo across platforms
  • A personal website or portfolio if relevant

Offline Presence

  • How you introduce yourself
  • Your email signature
  • Business cards (yes, still)
  • Consistency between what you say and how you present yourself

The Throughline

Your personal brand isn’t something you manufacture — it’s the consistent thread between who you are and how you show up. It emerges from repeated actions, not a single curated moment.

Self-Care Rituals

Daily

  • Morning routine that doesn’t involve your phone first
  • Evening wind-down — no screens an hour before bed
  • A proper meal, not just fuel
  • A moment of stillness — five minutes counts

Weekly

  • A proper shower or bath, not just a quick rinse
  • Changing bed sheets
  • Tidying your living space
  • Doing something that isn’t productive

Monthly

  • Deep clean of your wardrobe — what haven’t you worn?
  • Reassessing grooming products — is anything sitting unused?
  • A proper haircut or touch-up
  • Checking your mirror for things you’ve been ignoring

Seasonal

  • Wardrobe rotation — out of season, into storage
  • Updating your CV and LinkedIn
  • Decluttering your digital life
  • Reassessing what you own versus what you need