Boudoir elements and shifting tides
“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love,” claims Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. We can’t help it. No sense in denying it. We love what we love and we give them that much power to affect us, to transform us. It is with the same love that we mold our circumstances, accordingly.
Take a look around and tell me what you see. These are refections of every little decision we’ve made, from the sort of person we are, who we labor to become, to the lifestyle we’ve chosen for ourselves. A person’s quarters - closets, work space, dressing tables, and shelves are accounted - communicate temperament, proclivity and interests.
If we are to analyze the elements in our boudoir, we can ascertain the weight we put in certain things. For instance, finding yourself regularly putting away stacks of boxes and shopping bags, throwing away partially used makeup, yet, professing you have nothing to wear or a seemingly consequential quandary warrants a new tube of lipstick. The public expect it, you declare. Self-esteem needs it, you argue. We can presume that emergency funds are consigned to oblivion. The fat wallet is on a very effective diet.
Yield to the shifting tides but stay true to your convictions. Listen to Evelyn Waugh’s words, “Change is the only evidence of life.” Life isn’t boxed in, labelled and shelved. We face a constant stream of pliable events. Much ado about trends and how society commands that a specific definition of what beauty or fashion is, should be cast aside. If you deplore typecasting then labels are of no consequence. The place where you left your sagacity and instinct is gathering dust. You know yourself better than anyone else. We know that you’ve heard that said somewhere, sometime ago.
Cut the hair that caused your ego more harm than good. Revert to a less convoluted makeup. Make room in your wardrobe by trimming them down to essentials and embodying a more cogent style core. Embrace the beauty in austerity. It’s all about the quality of the appearance and when you start with quality — a great makeup foundation, well-cut denim or that favorite pair of shoes — keep it simple.
C.S. Lewis may not be a style or makeup guru but keep an open mind and heed his counsel, “All that is not eternal is eternally out of date.” Apposite to the current discourse and need for economy, it is sensible and elementary.
Strive to find that certain something which will fuel your life for the long haul.
Consciously live out your life and pursue your dreams with conviction and grace. Relish in the journey of self-discovery and self-expression. As you are on that quest for the things that will bring you happiness, the fullness which experience will bring produces an undeniable inner glow. There’s joy in the journey towards a full life.
“The key is also being true to your unique outward self (in addition to your inward emotional self), developing your own style, a look and manner that feels comfortable and right to you and that you are happy to present to the world.” — Mireille Guiliano
Tides shifted and I have been presented a transient opportunity to share my thoughts to a willing spectator. I open the doors to my boudoir; engaging you to explore the diverse particulars as we inspect things in varying angles. I’m looking forward to you sharing your own thoughts. You can also find me writing more about fashion and beauty at Style Manila or engaging in real-time virtual conversations on Twitter, @angelisophia. Let’s get the conversation off the ground, shall we?
