Mollie's Feel-Good Feed: Self care, soulful songs and your new Netflix obsession

Happy Feel-Good Friday!

Welcome to Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed, a place where each week Mollie King shares her round-up of the things bringing her joy in these strange and uncertain times. Check back each week for uplifting music, self care tips and, hopefully, a smile being put on your face.

Ok, big news – actually, it’s huge! Hair salons across England and Northern Ireland have finally officially opened, and plans for Scotland and Wales are in place too. With this news echoing across the UK, it feels like this week - for many of us - our moods have been slightly lifted as we can start considering what look we’re trying to channel this summer!

With lots of people striving to emerge from lockdown refreshed and ready to go after months of wearing joggers, maybe these next few weeks will give us that final push we might need. I for one am starting to look online for those fresh summer outfits that I thought only a few weeks ago may never see the light of day!

That said, I’m still spending every evening at home and always looking for those little wins across the week to finish off my day with a smile on my face, or start my day with my best foot forward…preferably in some fab footwear!

Singles

You might have noticed by now I’m a massive fan of big pop songs with harmonies that make you want to dance and sing at the top of your voice in the shower. However, I also have a love for more soulful laid-back tracks which sound perfect accompanied by a Sunday morning coffee or an early morning stroll. Singer song-writer Jones is my new go-to. She simply oozes class and quality and has even found herself a fan in Sam Smith. Her latest single Giving It Up is sensual and feel good at the same time, so I would really recommend adding it to your Spotify playlist immediately!

If you’re looking for a song to give you that extra kick during your last kilometre when running (or even something to blast out to make loading the dishwasher more enjoyable) Majestic’s Bodywork is going to spur you on that extra bit. With a similar feel to Endor’s Pump It Up, it will have you moving somewhere between a foot tap and a full TikTok dance routine!

Albums

This summer we have been graced with the fourth studio album from British pop superstar Jessie Ware. I've been a fan of hers right from the start in 2012 after hearing Wildest Moments. I loved how different it felt from everything I was hearing on the radio at that time and how atmospheric it sounded.

Eight years later she has gifted us with What's Your Pleasure and I think it's safe to say our answer to that is this very album! This triumph of a masterpiece transports us back to the disco era and will get even the most reluctant among us onto the dance floor.

With lyrics like 'Last night we danced and I thought you were saving my life', how can we not feel like Jessie is exactly that friend we all want on a night out?

TV shows

If you're on the edge of your seat waiting for the next episode of Queer Eye, I can recommend the perfect addition to your life. From the very same creators, let me introduce you to Say I Do.

This new Netflix series watches couples get married with the help of 3 experts who style the participants, cater for the big day and help them turn their wedding Pinterest board into reality. The catch? The proposal is a complete surprise to one of the partners, and the time limit from proposal to walking down the aisle is just 24 hours! If you want feel-good with some happy tears, look no further!

Self care

With hair salons being back open I know it's been a bit of a scramble trying to get in the chair for either a cut or colour!

It's safe to say my roots were well and truly in need of a touch up even though I was trying to convince myself that an overgrown root was exactly the look I was going for! I did get lucky and managed to get them done this week.

Having not been able to go to the hairdressers for so long and seeing how much healthier it looks with the products they use, it's definitely made me feel like I want to take more care of my hair now going forward. I picked up Kerastase's Nutritive 8H Magic Night serum; it's filled with vitamins and can be left on overnight without needing to wash it off in the morning. It's still early days but from what I've seen so far it's something I'd like to add to my routine as a little treat!

Thanks so much for reading this week’s Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed – check back on Marie Claire every Friday for more of my feel-good recommendations. Whatever you're doing this week - be it a trip to the pub, a long-awaited meet up with friends, or just easing yourself gently back into our new normal life, stay safe, take care and enjoy!