One of the secrets to glamour I’ve discovered over the years, is how things make you feel on the inside.  If you feel special then you feel better, and when you feel better you look good. Even when you are bed ridden, sick, makeup free and all those things that usually make you feel like a lump.

Glamour when your ill is not about perfect hair and makeup, but rather about a few choice accessories that lift your spirits and make you feel special. When you’re sick it is not the time to get out the old boyfriend t-shirt ( actually there should never be a time for this unless as the odd amorous gesture), but rather it is the time to find the prettiest nightgown, bed jackets with ruffles, sock with bows, all those super girly things.

In the movie Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell (if you haven’t seen this you may just be banned from reading my blog!), you may recall a scene where, hung over, Mame rises to dress and is wrapped in the most fabulous marabou feather dressing gown. Pure, unadulterated glamour irregardless of the litre of gin consumed the night before.  Yes, it is Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a few tips and make them our own.

Pillows: These should be large, soft and preferably down filled for ease of moulding to shape (if you’re not allergic). They should have satin covers, pure cotton and trimmed with lace, frills or other beautiful motives that make you feel like Marie Antoinette.

Bedside: Every patient needs a tea tray to hold a beautiful china cup, any medication, a little bell for assistance (if you’re lucky), a good book and your phone so you can call someone for sympathy every now and then. A lovely travel candle will help to sent the room and take your mind away from the awful cloying feeling that illness can give you too.

Flowers & Blankets: Simple, beautiful and comforting. It isn’t about being big on money but big on style. Ask a friend to snip some steams from the garden, even  bare branches can make a gorgeous arrangement in mid winter. And a good old fashioned ‘nana rug’ comes with childhood promises of feeling looked after. It might just be psychosomatic, but it works!

Hair: Nothing fancy, this is a case of just run a brush through it and tie it up with a beautiful scarf. You can go the whole head cover deal or just headband style and tied in a big bow at the top. If your hair isn’t bringing any fancy, you have to bring it yourself. The scarf will keep it back out of all that chicken soup as well!

Wardrobe: If your bed bound then wardrobe options aren’t going to be high on your list, but you do want to be warm and comfortable.  Choose cottons, silks and cashmere’s; fabrics that are a soft and comforting; but also find yourself a beautiful bed jacket.  Shorter than a regular gown, you can pop this over your shoulders for reading, breakfast in bed or receiving visitors in true Leading Lady style.

Face: This is not the time for full makeup. In fact it is time for none at all.  The perfect excuse to let it rest and recuperate with the whole of your body. Make sure you have a good moisturiser on hand to sooth chapped skin, a good facial spritz like rosewater or the like can be used throughout the day to give you a quick pick me up. You can take this time to do some proper at home facials with decent relaxing time (rather than trying to cook dinner with a face mask on!) and just kick back in your enforced rest.

Living with glamour isn’t about putting un-due pressure on yourself. But it is about looking for the special in the everyday and through finding that key, making yourself feel just a little more special when you use it.