Live healthier. Find balance. Read more. And so on, and so forth. Trade New Year’s resolutions for 2024’s goals, or as Gretchen Rubin mentions in her podcast ‘Happier with Gretchen Rubin’, call it “aims”, because “even if you don’t get all the way there, you can move in the right direction”.
With that in mind, our New Year’s hotlist takes the pressure off and suggests we just go for it. This is what we’re loving in our augural 2024 Citizen Femme hotlist.
ENJOY THIS The HVN
The start of the year is, inevitably, a great time of year to think about wellness. We’re not talking about cutting out sugar or running more, we’re talking about conscious wellbeing. One of the capital’s hottest new spots for all things health and wellness, in an exquisite design led space, moments from the buzz of Knightsbridge has opened up. A sanctuary dedicated to ‘Conscious Wellbeing’, The HVN (pronounced haven) not only sounds heavenly but once inside its doors you are cocooned in warmth, wellness, care and luxury. The ethos is that each one of us can take control of our bodies, how they feel, look, react and behave – all we need is a little encouragement from experts. From the latest in laser technology to the soothing healing of ayurvedic knowledge via the newest understanding of gut health and rejuvenation techniques, The HVN is literally a one-stop shop for all you need to maintain your wellbeing. Nutritionists, aestheticians, osteopaths, acupuncturists plus a plethora of experts are available following an initial consultation with a medical practitioner. Plus you’ll find an urban take on Forest Bathing, an abundance of live biophilia, art by Martha Freud and the ancient Japanese concept of Shinrin Yoku. The HVN may be just seconds from all that’s exciting in Knightsbridge but it’s an introduction to another world entirely.
PRACTISE THIS DAILY The Priorities Method
Priorities and lifecoach coach Lily Silverton, and author of The Priorities Method talks about shifting your priorities for the New Year instead of resolutions, and enjoying the process a little bit more. Change your thoughts in order to better support your mind. She says, “New Year’s resolutions fail: it’s because they don’t chime with the work behind the goal that gets you to that place. Identify more with the process, and you’ll discover you will enjoy each day. And it may take you a little bit longer to reach that goal or aim, but you’re much more likely to stick to it.” Start this month by investing in The Priorities Method Journal, giving you the tools to find clarity, motivation and joy in this busy and demanding world. Through daily steps and big picture thinking that will help you transform your life, you can discover the power of prioritising and learn to use it to connect with your individual focus, creativity, imagination and drive. Define your own version of success and build a life you love.
GIVE BACK Toiletries Amnesty
It’s time for a conscious New Year clear out. As we shop sustainably, adding to our beauty cabinets and our wardrobes more consciously, removing items should also be a consideration. Wastage in the beauty industry has so far been connected to packaging, but in fact, unused products is an even bigger problem. Think about how many unopened beauty products you have lying around, the hotel toiletries you’ve accumulated, the gift sets you may not have completed used. Even if they’re opened (a sniff of a perfume, or a dab of a cream), your unwanted or excess moisturisers, shampoos etc, might be an appreciated donation to someone living in hygiene poverty. Toiletries Amnesty is a social, ethical and environmental organisation that makes access to hygiene essentials easy for those in need, while stopping masses of surplus products from going to waste. Donations are supported in over 600 locations, including women’s refuges, refugee centres, mental health centres and hospices. So, don’t wait until spring for your clean. Start the year with a positive impact by taking a look through your beauty cabinet and donate your unwanted beauty and toiletries products.
DO THIS WITH FRIENDS Fortnum’s Food & Drink Studio - New Year No Rules
The minds behind Fortnum & Mason’s Food and Drink Studio are throwing out the rule book. Playing host to experts across the world of food and hospitality, 2024’s No Rules, New Year aims to push back against a complex and often draining wellness culture by focusing instead on what makes people feel good. Guests will be taken on a journey of indulgence as well as self care through masterclasses, supper clubs, and informative talks. From learning how to make Pho and how to write about food, to a groundbreaking talk about the future of mass meat production, which will see Ivy Farm’s Dr Russ Tucker discuss his journey that led him to specialise in cultivated meat, like Petit Beef Bar’s 3D printed steak. This is one to fill your weekend afternoon or an activity to book with your friends. Make weekends more interesting this year.
WATCH THIS My Neighbour Tortoro
The global stage premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s renowned 1988 animated feature film My Neighbour Totoro made history by breaking the Barbican’s box office record for the most tickets sold in a single day last year. The production went on to earn widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences, winning six Olivier Awards. Somewhere between a coming-of-age story and a fable, told in its stage form through huge, elaborate sets that shift from village to forest to school, small and huge-scale puppetry, and a small orchestra performing a new arrangement of the original score, the story follows kid sisters Satsuki and Mei, whose father moves with them to a small village to be nearer the hospital where their mother’s ill. Left often to look after themselves, the children are drawn more and more into the forest that borders their village — peopled with magical creatures, and protected by an ancient being, Totoro. A mesmerisingly stunning production staged by the RSC with music by Joe Hisaishi, composer of the original film soundtrack. If adding more culture to your 2024 aims is on your list, catch this magical fantasy world of childhood and imagination this month.
We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
Any Questions or Tips to add?