Editor's note: Mari Rodríguez Ichaso has been a contributor to Vanidades magazine for more than two decades. She is a specialist in fashion, travel, gastronomy, art and architecture. Film producer. Celebrity friend. CNN Style Columnist in Spanish.
(CNN Spanish) -- In the midst of this roller coaster of emotions in which the news, uncertainty and loneliness embark us, we must seek refuge in things that make us feel good, that we enjoy.
Are you spending the day in pajamas or dressed in the first thing you find, while in your closet your new clothes are dying of laughter, lonely and useless? Are you bored, worried, listless and dressing up and putting on makeup doesn't seem to interest you at all?
Then join the club! Many of us —although healthy, just like our families— feel trapped by this "law of least effort" in which our physical appearance is not a priority.
But you have to make a quick change. The time has come to leave that attitude behind! Shake yourself off! Get rid of that laziness that takes you nowhere! And get to work...
Open your closet, your makeup drawer, your perfumes and accessories, and decide that in the midst of this stage of forced withdrawal, you are going to be you again!
I promise you. You will see how your self-esteem will turn 180 degrees. Anxiety will improve and you will feel much more optimistic.
You will see how to take a long bath with perfumed oil, put on moisturizing cream, dress comfortably (but always very cute), wear earrings, those sports shoes that you love, fix your hair and put on makeup will help you a lot.
Seeing yourself groomed and taking care of yourself will be a wonderful psychological "boost", and the rest of the day will be much more productive.
Take a selfie when you're ready and you'll see the difference from who you were just a day before! The transformation will be positive and when the confinement is over you will have avoided becoming the shadow of the flirtatious woman of months ago.
How to behave like the 1%: 1. Spend time with impressive people 2. Detach emotions from business 3. Be efficient w… https://t.co/n4uf6K3add
— The Giver 💰 Fri Oct 16 14:19:28 +0000 2020
An anecdote that always inspires me
Carolina Herrera, fashion designer.
Once, my friend, the designer Carolina Herrera, told me something that has stuck with me forever: “Mari, what is it about having 'walking clothes' and 'going out clothes'? I find that custom to be terrible. There is no reason to have old and ugly clothes to go to the supermarket, to walk around the neighborhood, to go to the pharmacy or to make a purchase. You have to look your best always... At all times!... It's very good for our self-esteem..."
That had a great impact on me, because Carolina always looks so well cared for, even though she is walking through Central Park. A few months ago I saw her doing her daily walk near her house in New York and she was wearing a set of beige cotton pants, a white blouse and natural colored flat ballerinas. Her clothes were plain, but she looked so good – and nothing about her said "walking clothes!" Her image was ideal, just as it should be.
And those simple clothes, cute, clean, dusted, well ironed, with well sewn buttons (a "must" to look neat), is vital to lift our spirits and be happy with our image. And this is so important in times of uncertainty like the ones we live in!
Get into a routine and you'll feel 100% better!
Since I understood the positive of this reality, I have made a daily routine and I really enjoy when I take care of my skin after the shower with the moisturizing gel that, sometimes to do it faster, I did not use. This is very important!
I religiously use my creams (always remembering that all the creams in the world are emollient and perfectly hydrating), and very especially one for my hands to counteract the dryness caused by so many washes.
Don't forget the skin and neck moisturizer. Then do your makeup carefully, without overdoing it, combing your clean hair, which you've sprayed with a "spritz" of perfume (a luxurious and sexy gesture!) to try to look as natural as possible.
A box hair dye can replace your trip to the hairdresser, just like a friend who gets "highlights" or "highlights" (and they look great) using some product to lighten her facial hair. Getting a manicure and pedicure at home can be quite an adventure. It's not as hard as it looks.
After following your routine… the difference will greet you from the mirror and your spirits will rise with optimism. You must be able to say: This woman is me! No excuses!
Fashion in times of confinement
It is very interesting how many articles can be found on the Internet about the ideal clothing for... staying at home! Check your favorite websites, those of cheap brands like ZARA, H&M, Gap, COS, Old Navy, Mango, Woman's Within among many others, and you will see how they suggest sportswear, comfortable but with a more fashionable twist.
Perhaps it is time to check your closet and give away the clothes that you have never really liked and save year after year. And also to fine-tune the ones you do like. You will see how good you feel.
My recommendation is to wear cotton pants and tops, in soft colors and textures that are very pleasant to feel on the skin. Just like comfortable shoes, but cute. And in the evenings, at dinner time, why not wear a "kaftan" or loose dress of the kind that abound in fashion chronicles on the Internet and that you probably already have in your closet?
And it's not just about clothes...
As part of this new inspirational routine, the atmosphere in which you live also counts.
The daily life that accompanies you at home... I don't know if you share these experiences, but I remember that in my house there was a large drawer full of beautiful embroidered linen bedding sets that had been part of my mother's wedding trousseau, who he kept them like a treasure but he never used them. The same thing happened with that precious crockery, those crystal glasses and cutlery inherited from grandmother, which were kept "for special occasions".
Well, don't you think it's time to enjoy these beautiful things? Yes it is! And your home will never look more beautiful, more welcoming, more "yours", than enjoying those special objects.
The confinement due to this pandemic can inspire us to make changes in our lives and spend time discovering new aspects that we did not know. And you will be surprised to realize that you can live enjoying new pleasures, and that they will be a sweet and very human reward to weigh the sadness of the times we are witnessing.
