25 wAyS tO SpriNg CLEAN yOur LifE

al
i
ec
p
s
life
25 WAYS
TO SPRING
CLEAN
YOUR LIFE
Clear out your mind, body,
smartphone—and, of course,
CLOSET—for a fresh
start to a new SEASON.
2. Tidy your
online image Ever wonder how you are
viewed in the online world? Maybe it’s time to clean up your connections and project a prettier online presence. Klout.com uses your
Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts to analyze how much “klout”
you possess online. About.me and Storyvite.com let you build splash
pages and slide shows that showcase your blog posts, Flickr pics
and any other bits of content you want to show off.
3. Step away from the app
There are more than half a million apps in the Apple app
store alone. With so many choices, perhaps it’s time to take
a break and go retro: Pick up a paper map, invest in a luxe
day planner or—gasp!—try playing the boxed version of
Monopoly that’s gathering dust in the back of your closet.
4.EMBRACE
FLOWER
POWER
Leather organizer,
Piquadro Modus
Collection ($285,
at Canada’s first
Piquadro store, 1286
Bay Street, Toronto, or
piquadrocanada.ca)
A recent Harvard study found that
people who look at a small bouquet of flowers first thing in the
morning spend the day in a more
positive mood. While we don’t
have a study to prove it, we’re
betting a petal-print dress from
Erdem’s spring/summer 2012 collection might also do the trick.
6. Brighten up
122 E LLE CA NA DA
122
Jean Paul Gaultier
This Darling Bucket Bag
from Canadian brand Me
& You will take you back
to a simpler time: The
design is based on the
canvas buckets used to
carry water in the 1920s
($28, meandyou.ca).
Erdem
5. Bag it
If you bought into the all-black
ensembles of Emporio Armani
or Ralph Lauren last fall, you’re
delightfully halfway to one of
spring’s most timeless trends. Just
add a punch of white and you’ll
be right in line with the ebonyand-ivory spring collections of
Jean Paul Gaultier, Gareth Pugh
and Lanvin. h
TEXT, AMANDA CHEN, SARAH KEATS, KRISTIE NICOL & CHRISTINA REYNOLDS; imaxtree (erdem & jean paul gaultier runways)
Brush up
on tech
1. #declutter Is your tweet feed taking over your life? It’s no surprise:
More than 140 million tweets—and counting—are sent every day, according to Twitter.
Filter your conversations with the following apps: DeClutter removes all tweets based on
your “blacklist” of keywords. TweetCaster and Echofon let you “mute” tweets without
having to unfollow someone—so you won’t risk losing friends from the #followback
trend. If you just can’t cut back, TweetDeck organizes your tweets and bundles them with
your other social-networking addictions, such as Facebook and FourSquare.
EL L EC ANADA.COM
5/8/12 10:00:07 AM
life
creative
ways to
get rid
of stuff
10. Spot-clean your
s k i n The oscillating motion of
Clarisonic’s PLUS Sonic Skin Cleansing
System lets you gently buff away the last
traces of makeup—and it comes with a second body brush to target everything from
your décolleté to your knees ($259, at
Sephora and Holt Renfrew).
7. The velvetrope wardrobE
Having a hard time cleaning out your
closet? Think of it as an exclusive club
where you’re the bouncer. Give that hardto-part-with cardigan with the missing
button a stern once-over and you’ll know
it will never make the cut.
11. Stash it away Conquer clutter with this sleek Ligne Roset
“Lines” sideboard by Peter Maly ($4,672, at dwellmodern.ca).
8. The postbreakup release
Get rid of that old shoebox full of your ex’s
stuff by selling it off on exboyfriendjewelry.
com. (There’s much more than just
jewellery on offer.)
13. Sweep
away debt
9. The cosmetics
shelf clear-out
•
12. Dress simply
With its clean silhouette, the
shirtdress is one of spring’s easiest
looks. Cinch the waist of this
khaki Joe Fresh dress with a
statement belt and you’ll be
good to go ($59, joefresh.com).
•
•
Erin Templeton’s Canadianmade recycled-leather TGIF
bags are lined in a variety
of bright colours, such as
turquoise and blue ($125,
erintempleton.com).
14. PURGE YOUR PURSE
Recent studies have found that your purse is one of the germiest
things you own. Tidy your tote by carrying less (no more gum
wrappers and loose change!), and select one that’s brightly coloured
inside and out—this way you’ll see what’s collecting down at the
bottom, plus you’ll be accessorizing with spring’s trendiest hues. h
124 E LLE CA NA DA
124
norbert mayer (makeup)
Can’t part with that once-used lipstick you
got eons ago in a gift-with-purchase? Then
think about this: Once cosmetics are opened,
bacteria can begin to grow on all surfaces
and eventually cause breakouts and irritation.
Dr. David Schlessinger, a board-certified
oculoplastic surgeon and ophthalmologist,
advises chucking your opened makeup after
the following expiry dates. Powders and
shadows: two years. Cream shadows: 12
to 18 months. Foundations, lipsticks and lipliners: one year. Mascaras and eye­liners:
three months. Quick tip: To extend the life of
opened makeup through the next season,
store it in the fridge.
Here’s some advice from Bruce
Sellery, the financial expert for
Million Dollar Neighbourhood on
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
and the author of Moolala:
Clear out your credit cards: Yep,
take them out of your wallet, even
if it’s only for a month. Going cash
only will help reintroduce the
“pain” of spending, which will help
you control it. Simplify your savings: Who has money “left over” at
the end of the year for savings?
Instead of struggling, set up an automatic monthly bank transfer to
your RRSP. Get started with $200 a
month. Get rid of your emotional
baggage about money: We’ve all
got it. Add yours to the Goodwill
pile by talking to three friends
about what is and isn’t working
with your finances. Then make
yourself at least one promise
about what you’ll do differently.
EL L EC ANADA.COM
5/8/12 10:00:08 AM
life
The Bliss
tank and the
Blissology jacket
($62 and $168,
exclusively at the
Lululemon Lab
in Vancouver,
lululemon.com)
15. WEAR WITH
EASE This tank top with
asymmetrical detail and jacket
with two sets of pockets (one for
hands, one for storage) are a refreshing alternative to the tired old
T-shirt and terry-cloth robe you
wear around the house all too
frequently. They are part of a
10-piece Blissology yoga line that
Eoin and Insiya Finn collaborated
on with Lululemon Athletica lab
designer Maneli Nourbakhsh,
whose credentials include design
work at Alexander McQueen.
give these
minimalist
workout
tips a whirl
17. GO SHOELESS
The barefoot-running movement
has been gaining momentum
since Christopher McDougall’s
book, Born to Run, became a
bestseller in 2009. His story
about Mexico’s Tarahumara
Indians and the lost art of barefoot running has been making
people question whether supportive runners might be doing
more harm than good. One recent study from The British
Journal of Sports Medicine reported that all 105 female runners enrolled in a 13-week
half-marathon training program
who wore motion-control running shoes were injured at some
point. To give barefoot running a
try, pick up a pair of foot gloves
and join a club, like Vancouver’s
Barefoot Runners Society
(barefootrunners.org).
16. MEDITATE
ON IT Vancouver-based yogi
and “blissologist” Eoin Finn believes that we need to clear our
minds to discover the deep sense of
joy that lies within. His Blissology
Project (blissology.com) is a way
to get life on an “upward spiral”
through yoga, meditation and activities like listing three things
we are grateful
for each day.
The Blissology
Project: Yoga,
Meditation &
Lifestyle With
Eoin Finn ($50,
at amazon.com)
126 E LLE CA NA DA
126
Health Touch
Plus Heart Rate
and Walk Sensor
watch, Timex
($95, timex.ca)
Vibram FiveFingers
Spyridon LS foot
gloves for women
($130, vibramfive
fingers.com)
18. SET ASIDE
30 MINUTES
You don’t need fancy trainers
and club cards to stay healthy.
According to a study from
Northwestern University,
people who spend 30 minutes
a day jogging, biking, swimming or taking part in other
vigorous activities are more
than twice as likely to maintain a stable body mass index
over 20 years.
19. take it
all off Yes, certain
types of yoga pants can make
our butts look great, but
sometimes we can lose focus
on the exercise when it becomes a spandex fashion
show. While we weren’t all
that impressed with Kim
Kardashian’s famous foray
into hot naked yoga on
Kourtney & Kim Take New
York, we might be willing to
try it in a more controlled setting, like Dee Dussault’s yoga
classes at Follow Your Bliss
studio in Toronto (follow
yourblisstoronto.ca).
20. be conscientious To lead a long life,
you need to be conscientious, say psychology professors Howard
Friedman and Leslie Martin, authors of The Longevity Project. Using
data from one of the world’s most extensive studies on lifespans,
they determined that people who are prudent, persistent and well
organized live the longest. h
EL L EC ANADA.COM
5/8/12 10:00:09 AM
life
21. Divvy up the chores
The sharing of household chores ranks third on a list of what makes a relationship work—
after faithfulness and good sex—concludes a survey by the Pew
Research Center in Washington, DC. So, how to divide the dusting
and mopping without splitting up the marriage? A study out of
Arizona State University recommends creating a schedule for specific
chores and then swapping lists (for a week or a month) to better
appreciate how much effort it takes to complete your partner’s list.
22. inhale a
snack Curb your cravings with
an inhalable hit of chocolate, coffee
or green tea. Le Whif’s cylinder device
lets you breathe tiny airborne morsels
into your mouth—you get all the flavour without the calories (Le Whif
Breathables come in a variety of flavours,
from $2.30, at labstoreparis.com).
23. DECLUTTER
YOUR
WALLET Is a
big stack of plastic
loyalty and membership cards making
your wallet bulge?
Replace them with
the CardStar app,
which lets you
manage and store
digital bar codes on
your smartphone.
24. TAKE A DEEP
BREATH We’re rarely advised to up
our salt intake, but this might be one exception.
The Salt Therapy Breathing Centre (salttherapy.
ca), based in London, Ont., follows the Eastern
European tradition of using salt for respiratory relief and skin cleansing. Just enter the
treatment room—made from 34 tonnes of salt
crystals—lie back in a recliner and breathe in.
25. get away
Book a stay at famed hotelier Ian Schrager’s
new Chicago Public Hotel. The concept is affordable but stylish service
that avoids “superfluous” extras that guests won’t use. Plus, the oversized
but uncluttered guest rooms, decorated with a “no colour” colour palette,
could be a catalyst for your very own home makeunder (rooms from $135,
publichotels.com). n
128 E L L E C A NADA
128
EL L EC ANADA.COM
5/8/12 10:00:09 AM
129
5/8/12 10:00:09 AM