I often get emails and messages asking me things along the lines of

"Ally, how did you get so cute?"

"How can I become cuter?""

"How did you get the confidence to be so cute?"

"I could never be cute like you"

And while I appreciate that you all think I'm super cute, I want to let you all know that being cute is actually really easy! Anyone can be cute! Being cute is not just about buying the cutest things or being the most attractive and trendy, being cute is something that comes from within. But to start you off, here is a list of 100 things that might help you feel a little cuter!

1. Have a dedicated wake up and bedtime routine. A central part of being cute is feeling good. The better you feel, the cuter you feel, the cuter you feel, the better you feel. It's a cycle! A dedicated wake up and sleep time will make you feel more energized. No matter what your routine consists of, you should do your best to wash your face and brush your teeth.
2. DIY decorate things you already own. Whoever said "diamonds are a girl's best friend" was dead wrong. A hot glue gun is. You can decorate so many items with a hot glue gun and rhinestones, lace, ribbons, bows, cabochons and more! Stickers are also a great non permanent option to decorate things.
3. Use cute cups and plates. You can find a lot of adorable teacups, plates, dishes and mugs at thrift stores. Cute tableware is a very easy way to dress up any meal or snack. They also make great room decor.
4. Spend time in nature. From gardening to hiking to just visiting your local park. Being in nature is good for the body and soul. It will also give you a good excuse to take aesthetic photos, especially if you go somewhere with blooming flowers. Search for public or semi-public gardens and parks in your area to visit.
5. Use sweet smelling perfumes. Nothing says cute like smelling good. For a cheaper option, I highly recommend any of Juicy Couture, Flower Knows, Ariana Grande or Britney Spears' perfumes. Hello Kitty body sprays are also a great option. If you have a bit more cash, try out the Miss Dior has a lovely array of sweet scents.
6. Sew lace and ribbon bows onto your clothes. You can spice up any old blouse or skirt with a bit of lace or a ribbon. Try looking for lace in the craft section of thrift stores or in bundles on Facebook marketplace.
7. Plushies! Whether you have a dedicated collection or just a few on your bed, plushies are a great way to make your bedroom cuter. They're also fun to cuddle.
8. Watch cute YouTubers. I already have a page listing some of my favourite cute YouTubers, you can check them out here.
9. Use kawaii stationery. Stationary by East Asian brands such as Sanrio and San-X is a great way to liven up your desk. You can find a lot of cute stationary on Aliexpress and Blippo. You can also find a lot of cute printable stationary online that you can print at home.
10. Send letters to your friends. Sending letters is a great excuse to use your kawaii stationery! If you want to try sending a letter to me, I have a page about it right here.
11. Eat lots of fruit. Fruits are like nature's candy! Try out different fruits while they're in season. You can go to farmers markets or your local green grocer or asian supermarket to try many seasonal fruits.
12. Wear pastel coloured clothes. Pastels are always popular, no matter the time of year. Soft, pretty colours will look cute on anyone! Try out a light coloured cardigan or some light blue wash denim jeans.
13. When things wear out, replace them with cuter versions. Don't just replace perfectly working things with a cuter version, wait until it's time to get a new one. Then search for the cutest one possible! Being wasteful and giving into fast fashion is not kawaii.
14. Put stickers on your photos. I recommend Line Camera as an easy to use app with lots of cute stickers to add to your photos. Another option is to edit stickers onto your photos on your PC using your preferred image editing app.
15. Drink tea.Tea is a very cute and versatile beverage. There are so many kinds of tea for you to explore as well. Why not purchase a sample pack of different teas and test them all?
16. Use a nicely scented body wash and moisturizer. While the soap and moisturizer you use on your face and in delicate areas should be mild and only ever lightly scented, you can try all sorts of yummy soaps and creams for the rest of your body. I recommend scents such as vanilla, fruits such as strawberry or lychee, and French rose. Avoid scents such as lavender and English rose as they will smell granny-ish.
17. Wear a bow in your hair. There are so many varieties of hair bows to choose from! You could wear one at the back of your head, on the top, on the sides, atop ponytails or pigtails. The choices are endless. Bows in neutral colours such as black, white and brown are also appropriate to wear to school and work.
18. Collect cute knick-knacks. Knick-knacks and trinkets are a fast and easy way to make a room cuter. You can usually find porcelain figures for very cheap at thrift stores. I'm a big fan of Precious Moments and Hello Kitty figurines.
19. Watch cute anime. There's so much cute and fluffy anime out there. I recommend Mewkledreamy and Cardcaptor Sakura. but there are many cute anime out there. Be sure to check content warnings before you watch a series to make sure you will be comfortable watching it.
20. Use a cute phone case. You could either purchase an already cute phone case, or customize a case with rhinestones, stickers or even decoden whip! A phone charm is like the cherry on top.
21. Visit farmers and craft markets. You can find all sorts of cute, locally handmade goodies at markets. To find these events, look for your area's local community Facebook pages, newsletters or message boards.
22. Lace your shoes with coloured shoe laces or ribbons. You can also try threading beads onto your shoe laces for added effect. Try researching cute ways to lace and tie your laces.
23. Start a journal or scrapbook. You can keep all sorts of cute things in a journal or scrapbook. You could paste in all of the cute bits of paper and packaging you've hoarded, as well as stickers! You can also use your journal to plan out your week and record important information.
24. Wear a cute hat or use a parasol in summer. Sun damage to your skin is no joke. Alongside wearing sunscreen in summer, try wearing a cutely decorated hat during summer to protect yourself. If you want to try using a parasol, be sure to get a UV resistant one.
25. Use a novelty wallet or coin purse. There are many cute pouches and wallets out there by brands such as Sanrio and Loungefly that can cuten up your everyday shopping experience.
26. Make an ita bag of your favourite character. If you've got cash to burn, why not make a cute ita bag to celebrate your favourite fictional character on the go? This way you can be cute and nerdy at the same time.
27. Listen to cute music. J-pop and k-pop are very popular with people who are interested in cute music. Find music that makes you feel cute! There are many cute music playlists on YouTube and Spotify.
28. Decorate your room with a cute cross stitch. Cross stitch is, in my opinion, the cutest form of embroidery because the images look like pixel art! You could find a cute one at a thrift store, or even better, make your own! Cross stitch is very easy and you can find a lot of adorable patterns online.
29. Decorate your Tumblr blog or website with FTU sozai graphics. This might seem obvious to some, but decorating your online space with sozai graphics is a great way to feel cuter. I have a collection of sozai websites on my credits page.
30. Read classic children's literature. Children's classics, especially girl's classics, can transport you to fantastical worlds of long lace dresses, cottages in the woods and baked apple pies. My personal favourite girl's classics are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the writings of Beatrix Potter.
31. Try out new ways of tying up and braiding your hair. You can find many super cute hair tutorials on YouTube that don't require you to cut your hair at all! Simple twin tails and brains can be very effective in making a cute outfit even cuter.
32. Use sweet scented candles and diffusers. Having a sweet scented room can lift your mood and make your room a more enjoyable place to hang out in. As well as candles and diffusers also being very cute accessories for your desk or shelf.
33. Customize your cell phone. Depending on your operating system, there are various ways of changing your cell phone's wallpapers and app icons. You can purchase icon packs on Etsy by your favorite artists or download free icon packs from your phone's app prodiver.
34. Invest in some cute jewelry. Cute and dainty silver and even gold jewelry is a great investment as if you take good care of it, it can last you your whole life. Silver jewelry will be your best value for money choice. Gold plated silver is very pretty, but keep in mind the gold will eventually wear off. Opt for lab grown gemstones instead of naturally grown ones as they are significantly cheaper, have a lower carbon footprint and don't involve slave labour.
35. Keep your room clean and tidy. No matter how much cute stuff you have in your room, it won't mean anything if it isn't tidy and orderly. Remember to change your sheets and vacuum weekly as well as take any dirty dishes out of your room after use.
36. Collect dolls, figurines or toys. Dolls, figures and toys have always been very popular in cute and kawaii communities. When you look to purchase these kinds of items, be sure to only get ones you really love. If you are buying an anime figure, research the character before you buy the figure to make sure you would feel comfortable owning it.
37. Play cute videogames. . No matter the console you have, there are bound to be cute games on it! A lot of Nintendo games such as Kirby and Animal Crossing are great for feeling cute.
38. Smile more. Not only is smiling cute, it also makes you feel happier due to the release of dopamine and serotonin it causes.
39. Wrap gifts in a cute way. When giving a gift to your friends, try wrapping it in cute paper or putting it in a pretty bag tied with a ribbon. Daiso is a really good place to get cute gifting supplies.
40. Curate Pinterest boards of your dream cute aesthetic. Every cute aesthetic enthusiast has a pinterest to curate their dream aesthetic. No matter what kind of cute you're going for, you can for sure find it on Pinterest.
41. Draw or commission cute art of you or your oc! What a better way to feel cute than to see yourself as a cute anime character? Or to look at cute art of you oc? You can even print it off and put it on your wall!
42. Tie ribbon bows to the belt loops of your jeans. This is the easiest and most adorable way to spice up a pair of jeans. I stole this idea from Sabrina Liliane and it's so darn good. You can use satin or lace ribbons!
43. Learn to knit or crochet. What is cuter than a cute chunky wool jumper or a crochet beanie? Crochet specifically can be used to make all sorts of adorable garments. Many of which you can find patterns for on Pinterest and YouTube.
44. Try making your own baked goods or sweets. Making sweet things can be so fun and rewarding! Not to mention how cute vintage baking and cookery books can look on your bookshelf. From something as simple as making valentines chocolates, to as complex as baking a brioche! If what you make doesn't turn out adorable, at least it will be delicious.
45. Wear cute makeup. Makeup is a great way to feel cute! There are all sorts of tutorials online for soft, cute or kawaii makeup. Douyin and Dolly makeup are two very popular cute styles. A really easy way to start experimenting with cute makeup is to try a pink glossy or glittery lipgloss!
46. Have a bath every now and then. While showering is effective and economical, nothing beats a good soak in a bath. A bath is a great way to unwind and relax your muscles. It's also good to soften the skin for exfoliation. Adding bath salts and bath oils to your soak, or even a fancy bath bomb will elevate your bath to the next level.
47. Watch cartoons! The Powerpuff Girls, My Little Pony, Care Bears, Disney movies and more! Cartoons are a great way to feel cuter, as well as to watch to wind down and relax. You can now find a lot of adorable cartoons on YouTube.
48. Use kaomoji. Kaomoji are Japanese emoji made using various different symbols. They're totally adorable! I recommend kaomoji.ru and kaomojikuma for finding cute ones to use.
49. Decorate your nails with nail art stickers. Next time you paint your nails, don’t just paint them, spice them up with some nail art stickers. It's the easiest way to get amazing kawaii nail art. You can even apply them to unpainted nails. Nail art stickers can be found at most dollar stores or on Aliexpress.
50. Be kind to yourself and have fun. Don't beat yourself up over not being your ultimate ideal of cute straight away. Internal cuteness is something eternal, but external cuteness can take time. That's ok though. We all start from somewhere. The most important thing is to have fun in your pursuit of cuteness.