Bonjour, Bella!

Happy New Year! Aren’t you glad and simply relieved that a new year has begun? We know we are. 2008 was fabulous, but it was definitely taxing and with all that hoopla that happened, we’re profusely grateful to be given a breather and start afresh in 2009.

Still, we know that some of you may feel a little letdown now that the festivities—and super looong break—are over and real life has kicked off. And as with every new year, the expectations are greater; thus the build-up of anxiety. Well, give yourself a break! In Day Off, we tell you how to manage your worries and ease your apprehension about the new year. Remember, as former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

To prep you for this year as well, we searched beauty trends and came up with a smashing list of makeup and beauty styles for 2009. You’ll be surprised—and we bet delighted—to find out that natural is the way to go (bye bye, falsies!) and being eco-friendly in all aspects of life is on the upswing. Now that’s true-blue (or is it true-green?) Belle de Jour Bella for you!

As with all beginnings, now is the perfect time to get rid of negative energy and channel positive waves, so we scrounged around for simple feng shui tips to spruce up your work space. In Runway Report, we focused on the enormous and seemingly impossible chore of—gasp—clearing out your closet. So as not to let this intimidate you, we broke it down into a few easy steps to get you on the road to (closet) freedom.

Good luck and make 2009 your year, ladies!

Your Soul Sister

Congratulations to the following winners of the BDJ Blog Contest: Share the Gift of Belle! Iris Rebao-Pulga - view Rowena Wendy Lei - view Joyce Cababan - view Monet Bauto - view Erika Que - view All winners get 2 copies of the Belle de Jour 2009 Power Planner. One for them and one for the special person they want to share the gift of Belle to. =) Two Mikaela Cards will be given to all those who joined the blog contest. Details on where to claim the prizes will be sent via email.