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For those moments out of your control, both experts recommend having a game plan to redirect your energy, ideally into something that soothes and distracts you. “Physical activities like exercising or cleaning can burn off the adrenaline that fuels your anger,” says Alicia Hodge, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Washington, DC, and adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Creative outlets like drawing, crafting or writing can also be “a constructive way to process your emotions.”

The key, Dr. Hodge says, is to find a hobby that requires you to use your mind and body. By the time you’re done, you’ll hopefully have interrupted the resentment spiral instead of staying stuck in it.

3. Write a closure letter (but don’t send it)

One of the best ways to get all-consuming anger, disappointment and bitterness out of your head, according to both experts, is by transferring them onto paper. “Writing your true thoughts and feelings, as if you were speaking to the person, can surprisingly bring clarity,” Dr. Hodge says. It’s your chance to express everything you’ve been holding in—without the stress of an actual, IRL confrontation. (Which is why it’s not a smart idea to send the letter unless you’re prepared for drama.)

Some helpful prompts to jump-start your jotting process: What am I truly upset about? What do I wish happened instead? If I could talk to this person one last time, what do I want them to know? Articulating the issue not only helps release pent-up emotions, but ideally, it should also give you some closure to decide whether holding onto a grudge is actually serving you.

4. Or, depending on your situation, have an honest conversation

This isn’t always possible or ideal, but it’s an option worth considering with people you want to maintain (or rekindle) a relationship with—like a family member you believe has good intentions or an ex-friend you outgrew but still care about.

Sometimes, people aren’t aware of the impact their actions had on you, Bayramyan points out, which is why, in some cases, letting them know can provide “closure” to end your grudge. For example, try expressing your thoughts with “I” statements: “To be honest, I was hurt when you didn’t invite me to that trip.” They might offer an explanation, an apology or at least an acknowledgement of your pain.

Shadow work journalling is an invitation to turn inward—to trace the contours of your past, unearth long-held beliefs and sit with the emotions you’ve spent years tucking away. It’s not about indulging in nostalgia or setting rigid self-improvement goals, rather, it’s a practice of honest self-exploration. What experiences have shaped your identity? Which memories still linger in the background, subtly influencing your choices? What narratives about yourself are you ready to rewrite? By engaging with your shadow self—the parts of yourself that you deem unlovable—you create space for a deeper connection with who you are beneath the conditioning of the world around you.

Below, we have compiled 105 thoughtful shadow work prompts, separated into seven sections, designed to help you untangle limiting beliefs, navigate emotions and understand yourself on a more profound level. You can complete them slowly over a week, tackling fifteen questions a day over seven days. Whether you’re just beginning this journey or looking to deepen your practice, these questions will encourage you to confront, reflect on and ultimately reclaim every part of yourself.

Day 1: Understanding your shadow self

1. Which moments from my past bring me the most happiness?
2. How do I typically respond to conflict, and is my approach constructive or harmful?
3. What past mistake or experience do I need to release and stop holding against myself?
4. What does personal freedom mean to me, and what circumstances make me feel restricted
5. What types of situations provoke the strongest emotional reactions in me, and why?
6. How do others perceive me, and is their perception aligned with who I really am?
7. Whose opinions have the greatest impact on my choices?
8. What is a significant difficulty I experienced in childhood, and how does it continue to shape me?
9. What qualities or behaviours in others do I criticise the most, and what does that reveal about me?
10. What core beliefs do I hold about myself, and where did they originate?
11. If I could alter one thing about myself, what would it be and why?
12. Which connections in my life have contributed the most to my personal growth?
13. In what moments do I feel the most seen and appreciated?
14. Which memories fill me with regret or embarrassment?
15. What fears hold me back the most, and how do they shape my decisions?

Day 2: Exploring childhood and family conditioning

1. What is my earliest memory of feeling less-than?
2. How did my parents or caregivers show love? How did that shape my idea of love?
3. What messages did I receive about success growing up?
4. What childhood experiences still influence my self-esteem today?
5. What emotions were considered acceptable in my household? Which were discouraged?
6. How did my family handle difficult conversations?
7. What was my role in my family? (e.g., the responsible one, the troublemaker, the peacemaker)
8. Did I feel emotionally safe as a child? Why or why not?
9. Were my needs met as a child? If not, how does that affect me now?
10. What limiting beliefs did I inherit from my family?
11. What behaviours do I have that remind me of my parents or caregivers?
12. How did my family express or suppress emotions?
13. In what ways do I seek approval, and from whom?
14. What childhood wound still needs healing?
15. If I could tell my younger self one thing, what would it be?

Day 3: Unpacking limiting beliefs

1. What is one belief I have about myself that is holding me back?
2. What is my biggest fear about failure?
3. What internalised messages make me feel small, and where did they originate?
4. How do I define success? Who influenced this definition?
5. Do I believe I am deserving of happiness? Why or why not?
6. How do I react to compliments? What does this reveal about me?
7. What do I judge most harshly in others? Is it something I fear in myself?
8. When have I self-sabotaged? What was I afraid of?
9. What do I believe about money and financial success? Where did this belief come from?
10. Do I think I am only as good as my achievements? Why?
11. What is one thing I always tell myself I can’t do?
12. Where do I play small in my life? Why?
13. How do I talk to myself when I make a mistake?
14. What would happen if I let go of my biggest limiting belief?
15. What do I gain by holding on to negative self-beliefs?

Day 4: Navigating relationships and emotional attachments

1. What kind of people do I attract into my life? What patterns do I see?
2. Have I ever stayed in a relationship that wasn’t good for me? Why?
3. When have I sacrificed my needs to please someone else?
4. Do I struggle with setting boundaries? Why?
5. Whom do I feel I need to prove myself to?
6. How do I respond when someone hurts me?
7. What relationships feel draining to me? Why do I keep them?
8. How do I show up in my friendships? What kind of friend am I?
9. Do I seek validation from others? In what ways?
10. What is my biggest fear when it comes to relationships?
11. Do I expect others to fill a void within me? How would I define my void?
12. Have I ever felt unworthy of love? Where did that belief start?
13. How do I react to social rejection?
14. What part of myself do I hide in relationships?
15. How do I know when a relationship is truly supportive and healthy?

Day 5: Confronting shadow emotions (guilt, shame, anger, jealousy, fear)

1. What emotion do I try to avoid feeling the most? Why?
2. What is my relationship with guilt? Do I carry unnecessary guilt?
3. What situations bring out my anger the most?
4. How do I deal with my anger? Is it constructive or destructive?
5. When have I felt jealous of someone? What did I actually want at that moment?
6. Have I ever suppressed my true feelings to keep the peace? Why?
7. What fear controls me the most?
8. What is one regret I have that I can’t seem to let go of?
9. What negative emotions feel the most familiar to me? Do I subconsciously cling to them?
10. When do I feel powerless? What belief fuels that feeling?
11. How do I react when someone sets a boundary with me?
12. How do I respond when I feel ignored or unimportant?
13. Have I ever taken out my emotions on someone else? What was happening within me at the time?
14. What makes me feel unsafe? When do I feel most at peace?
15. If my emotions could speak, what would they be trying to tell me?

Day 6: Rewriting your narrative

1. What is a story I’ve been telling myself about who I am? Is it true?
2. If I had never been told who I should be, who would I choose to become?
3. What patterns keep repeating in my life? What lesson might they be teaching me?
4. What is one area where I can shift from a victim mindset to an empowered perspective?
5. What words or labels have I internalised about myself? Do they still serve me?
6. What is something I’ve been afraid to admit to myself?
7. What do I truly want from life, without fear or outside opinions?
8. How would my life change if I stopped caring about what others think?
9. How can I be more compassionate to myself?
10. What parts of myself am I eager to embrace?
11. How do I celebrate my achievements? Do I allow myself to?
12. What small dream have I been putting off? Why?
13. If I fully believed in myself, what’s the first thing I would do?
14. How do I define happiness?
15. What are three affirmations I can say to support my growth?

Day 7: Future self and stepping into power

1. What does my most empowered, authentic self look and feel like?
2. If I fully trusted myself, what bold decision would I make today?
3. What qualities do I admire in others that I can cultivate in myself?
4. How does fear hold me back from stepping into my full potential?
5. What small habits can I start today to align with the future I desire?
6. What does success look like for me beyond external validation?
7. If I could speak to my future self, what advice would they give me?
8. What version of myself am I ready to leave behind?
9. How can I reclaim my personal power in situations where I feel small?
10. What mindset shift will help me step into the life I truly want?
11. What fears would I need to release to fully embody my highest potential?
12. How can I become the person I needed when I was younger?
13. Where in my life am I waiting for permission instead of taking action?
14. If I were already living as my future self, what daily habits would I have?
15. What limiting beliefs do I need to rewrite in order to step into my power?

Seamlessly straddling between casual and ornate pieces, Janhvi Kapoor’s wardrobe always reflects the multifaceted nature of her personal and professional life. When stepping out for red carpet events, you can pinpoint her affinity for form-fitted dresses and gowns that spotlight her svelte figure. All eyes were on the actor a few days ago when she donned an orange Gaurav Gupta gown for an awards night in Mumbai.

The custom creation showcases a body-hugging silhouette, and open back and stands out for its fiery tangerine shade. The sweetheart neckline piece, with corseted lines, took over 400 hours of meticulous work. It is edged with the couturier’s Cosmic Inferno embroidery and further accentuated with over 35,000 crystals, mimicking the movement and intensity of fire.

“Janhvi embodies the essence of this creation—bold, and ever-evolving. The gown’s intricate embroidery and sculpted form capture the duality of fire, its raw power and hypnotic fluidity. Every detail, from the crystal placement to the architectural lines, is crafted to celebrate strength and transformation,” shared Gupta, elaborating on the look.

A fail-proof, quick makeup routine is essential, whether you’re rolling out of bed for your commute to work or need to get ready in a flash for unexpected plans. “Cutting down on the number of products you use is key to achieving a faster look,” pro makeup artist Anastasia Vavina tells Vogue, explaining that it’s the kind of regimen where you can fit all your products into a small makeup pouch and toss it in your bag for on-the-go convenience.

Professional makeup artist El DeBratto agrees: multipurpose beauty products are key to efficient makeup. “As a pro MUA with early days, I often don’t have much time in the morning before a shoot, so I try to make my makeup routine as streamlined as possible. I’m a huge proponent of finding products you can ‘break the rules’ with and apply to multiple areas of the face, which helps with the overall look of makeup cohesion,” they tell Vogue. When seeking out these essentials, consider the three C’s: complexion (for a glowy, even-tone base), curled lashes (for open eyes), and a flush of colour from a cream blush that can double as eyeshadow, or even a “just kissed” lip flush.

DeBratto also reminds us not to skimp on skincare the night before doing a quick makeup look, adding that a good nightly regimen will only improve hydration making makeup application a smoother process overall the next morning.

Step one: start with a skincare hybrid

“When I only have about 5-10 minutes of time, I focus on evening out my complexion before anything with a serum/skincare-like foundation,” DeBratto says. “Nowadays, many foundations and skin tints have skincare like properties in them so you can save on time and just go straight into your complexion coverage when you’re in a pinch.” For instantly glowing results, Saie and Valentino offer illuminating skincare-makeup hybrids that leave a luminous finish while adding a major dose of hydration thanks to plant-derived glycerin and hyaluronic acid in the formula, respectively. For more coverage, BareMinerals 2-in-1 tinted gel cream offers sun protection in the form of SPF 30. Meanwhile, Westman Atelier’s skin tint evens out the complexion with a formula powered by skin-loving ingredients such as ginseng and pomegranate extract, sunflower and almond oil, and a ginger root complex.

Glowy Super Gel Illuminator

Saie via Amazon

₹ 2,700.00

V-Lighter Face Base Primer and Highlighter

Valentino Beauty

₹ 5,800.00

Complexion Rescue

Bare Minerals

₹ 3,900.00

Vital Skincare Complexion Drops

Westman Atelier

₹ 6,800.00

Step two: follow up with spot coverage

“Often times, I skip foundation all together when in a rush and work with only concealers. Focus your concealer application on spot coverage of blemishes and the areas of the face prone to discolouration, such as under eyes and around the nose,” Vavina says. “You can also cheat and grab a darker shade of concealer as a dupe for contour, working sculpting cheekbones or your nose to bring back dimension.” For liquid concealer options, Victoria Beckham Beauty and Ilia provide clean beauty options with hydrating ingredients like squalane and peptides. Creamier in texture, Merit’s complexion stick isn’t just great for spot coverage—it can also double as a foundation stick. Meanwhile, Jillian Dempsey’s mini concealer stick was made specifically to address acne, redness, and sun spots with matte coverage.

$68

VICTORIA BECKHAM BEAUTY

The Minimalist complexion stick

Merit Beauty

₹ 3,800.00

True Skin Serum Concealer

Step three: add colour with multi-purpose products

When curating a 5-minute makeup routine, Vavina encourages you to take a “one-and-done” approach by applying the same colour cosmetics to the cheeks and eyes (or sometimes, even lips) for a natural flush. “If you plan to do a low-effort eye makeup, you don’t necessarily need eyeshadow—use the same blush or bronzer stick single-colour cream shadow across your eyelids.” Valentino’s Liquirosso acts as a two-in-one lip cheek and blush. Meanwhile, in the world of convenient cosmetic sticks, Merit, Stila, and Ilia all offer multi-use and easily portable creamy flushes of colour—just swipe and tap to blend.

Liquirosso 2 in 1 Lip & Blush Soft Matte

Valentino Beauty

₹ 4,000.00

Blush & Bronze Hydro-Blur Cheek Duo

Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer

Merit Beauty

₹ 3,000.00

Step four: lash time

It’s amazing what the squeeze of a lash curler and a few coats of mascara can do for opening up and defining the eyes. “Curling your lashes will make you look instantly more awake,” says DeBratto. “I like to curl my lashes to the gods, squeezing the curler from the base of the lashes to the tip to ensure that I get an even bend throughout the lash. Then I’ll opt for my favorite tubing mascara to hold it all together.” A clean beauty tubing mascara favourite comes from Merit. Alternatively, volumising mascaras like Dior’s Diorshow Overcurl mascara boast smudge-resistant properties with extra lift—plus, it’s a go-to choice of celebrity makeup artist Aaron Paul, who previously told Vogue it’s his favourite mascara for mature skin. Meanwhile, L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara is a drugstore holy grail in the kits of celebrity makeup artists Gita Bass and Glenn Brownell.

Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara

Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara

Merit via Sephora

₹ 2,600.00

Step five: lip treatments

Who doesn’t have a lip balm (or two) floating around in their bag? The pros agree when opting for protective lip treatments, tinted options can add a bit of oomph to your beauty look. Eadem, Augustinus Bader (hello, Sofia Coppola collab!), and Rhode all ofter tinted lip balm options for camera-ready colour that never skimps on nourishing your pout. A pencil, like Tower28’s Multi-liner, can be similarly versatile— Vavina suggests using it on your lips, your eyes, or even as a precision nose contour.

Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm

x Sofia Coppola The Tinted Balm

Step six: set it and forget it

Setting sprays and powders are essentials for keeping unwanted shine at bay—pressed powders in particular are the OG portable beauty staple that allow for easy touchups throughout the day. Hourglass Cosmetics’s setting powders are a viral favourite on social media. A popular translucent formula, Fenty Beauty’s Invisimatte is universally flattering on all skin tones (and a staple in DeBratto’s makeup kit) and perfect for blotting out excess oil. Anastasia Beverly Hills bestselling setting spray boasts up to 24 hours of hold. Meanwhile, Tatcha’s dewy mist takes a skin-care approach to hydrating and refreshing your complexion with hyaluronic acid, red algae, Japanese camellia oil and biomimetic squalane.

Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder

Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder

Fenty Beauty

₹ 3,700.00

Impeccable Blurring Matte Setting Spray

Meet the experts

• Anastasia Vavina is a professional makeup artist and hairstylist based in New York. In addition to working closely with major model agencies, Vavina’s work has been featured in Numero Netherlands, Elle, and more.
• El DeBratto is a non-binary New York-based editorial makeup artist whose clients include Coco Rocha, Flower Beauty, Kristin Ess, and Glamour Magazine.
• Gita Bass is a celebrity makeup artist whose celebrity clientele includes Olivia Wilde, Julianne Moore, and Elizabeth Olsen.
• Glenn Brownell is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Delilah Belle Hamlin, Awkwafina, and Tommy Dorfman.
• Aaron Paul is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Jennifer Tilly, Lilly Singh, and Meghann Fahy.

This story first appeared on Vogue.com

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The neutral tone of a white skirt makes it versatile enough to complement a wide range of high-heel styles. Consider grid shoes with a kitten heel, Oxfords with a vertigo platform, or Mary Janes with a triangular toe—these are attractive options that align with the spring summer 2025 fashion trends.

All of these designs have stood out on and off the runways and serve as foundations for creating everyday outfits. Whether attending an important event or enjoying a casual day out, white skirts remain a staple as soon as the heat wave arrives. If you’re lacking inspiration, these style ideas will help you make a statement in the city.

Grid shoes with kitten heel and white midi skirt

Jacquemus Spring-Summer 2025.

As seen at Jacquemus, the kitten-heel grid sneakers are a chic alternative. Luxury brands such as Chloé, Kenzo, and Tommy Hilfiger have also included this shoe style in their runway shows. The design can be paired in a monochromatic scheme, as demonstrated by combining them with a voluminous midi skirt that enhances the silhouette, an oversized bomber jacket, opera gloves, and a clutch, all in striking optical white.

Two-tone pumps with platform heels and tweed skirt

Chanel Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear.

This season, one of the best choices for modern and sophisticated footwear is the Chanel platform-heeled Oxfords. They provide a perfect balance of height and glamour. The brand styled these shoes with a chic tweed suit, which includes a midi skirt and a matching jacket.

Classic heeled pumps and white board skirt

Tod’s Spring-Summer 2025.

Vogue Runway.

Ask her fans, and they’ll affirm that Madhuri Dixit Nene pretty much cultivated the ‘sari for any occasion’ enigma, and for years, without a stylist in tow. Whether she’s embracing her Maharashtrian heritage with a Paithani weave, breezing through summer in a floral chiffon or flaunting her agelessness in a slinky concept sari, she’s known for making every look her own with her indelible style. Now, the actor plays with her style of draping in her emerald green look.

A day before Holi, Dixit Nene opted for a silk organza sari by Jayanti Reddy. With a scalloped border, it was accentuated with intricate zardozi work with floral and jaali motifs. The craft extended to her sweetheart neckline blouse too. Instead of wearing the look as it is, Dixit Nene enhanced it by draping another dupatta on the right side. The silk organza dupatta’s jade colour and embellished scalloped border added contrast and flounce to the look. A polki and emerald necklace with matching chaandbali earrings tied her ensemble together. A pair of silver wedges from Fizzy Goblet was her choice of footwear.

So treatment focuses instead on getting comfortable with a constant lack of certainty, typically through a therapeutic practice called exposure and response prevention (ERP). It involves exposing yourself to a particular obsession while also resisting the urge to engage in the related compulsion, says Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC, a Kansas-based licensed therapist who offers virtual therapy in multiple states for anxiety disorders and OCD. “So if you worry that not saying ‘I love you’ to your spouse will cause you to get into a car accident, we’ll practise having you drive without having said it,” she says.

You’ll initially feel much more anxious than if you were to just do the compulsion—in Bailey’s words, as if you’re taking “the biggest risk in the world.” One of the obsessions she’s worked with her therapist to challenge is that she’ll feed her dog using the “wrong” bowl and cause him to get sick or die (though nothing suggests an issue with the container). Rather than repeatedly swapping vessels, ERP requires her to just feed her dog anyway. Though the fear that something might happen to him still percolates in her brain, it isn’t as “hot” anymore, she says, after going through with feeding him many times.

Bullen has often done ERP with folks who believe that if they put an object down in the “wrong” way, something horrible will occur. The exposure involves having them plop it down in whatever way they deem incorrect and resist any urge to go back and move it. While they’re facing the uncertainty of the moment, Bullen is careful not to reassure them that everything will be okay—because it won’t serve them. Although she might be able to tell them with 99% certainty that something bad won’t happen as a result of how they move an object, their brain will still say, “But what if I’m that 1% chance?” she says. Instead, she uses “maybe, maybe not” statements to normalise doubt: “Maybe you move that pen and it has an impact, and maybe it doesn’t, but let’s learn to sit in that unknown,” she says.

Over time, ERP can help you acclimate to what’s often a deeply distressing reality for folks with OCD: Something tragic, terrific, or terrifying could unfold at any given moment, and no number of compulsions can ensure a positive outcome, however magical they may seem. “What happens is something called habituation,” Bullen says, which is kinda like what unfolds when you jump into a cold body of water. “Your body is shocked and telling you to get out, but if you stay in for long enough, you’ll habituate. The environment doesn’t change, the situation doesn’t change; your body and mind just adjust to it,” she explains.

Spiritual practices and beliefs can be a slippery slope for folks with magical thinking OCD

The tricky thing about the obsessions in magical thinking OCD is that they can sound like plenty of culturally accepted superstitions and spiritual practices. Consider ye old wood-knocking, or something like carrying a certain crystal, pulling a tarot card, or saying a prayer—all of them similarly purport to have an impact on your future that’s unexplained by logic or science. The difference is in how much significance and truth you assign to these practices. Plenty of people might see them as tools to support them on occasion, taking them with a grain of salt. But for folks with OCD, any of the above can become compulsions, meaning they feel totally mandatory and invoke distress and anxiety, Petrik-Gardner says.

As the summer heat in India intensifies (because, you know, global warming), surviving the sun starts to feel like an Olympic sport. The air is thick, sweat is relentless, and the idea of looking human, let alone decent, starts to feel like a mirage in the desert. But here’s the thing: your wardrobe doesn’t have to be the enemy. It can be your best ally (aside from your antiperspirant, of course).

Think fabrics that let you breathe—soft cottons, airy linens, silks that flow, not cling. Here are 35 homegrown brands offering a collection of linen and cotton dresses that won’t have you fantasising about a cold shower the moment you step outside. From linen button-ups to cotton co-ord kurta sets, organic cotton Ajrakh printed tees, or just an easy, breezy white dress—we’ve got you covered. After all, no one should have to choose between looking good and surviving the heat.

No Nasties

Offering 100% organic vegan clothes, No Nasties brand ethos revolves around sustainable linen and cotton. From flowing dresses to relaxed shirts, every piece speaks eco-friendly elegance.

Cord