A clothing store closed during the coronavirus pandemic in Mooloolaba, Australia, on March 31, 2020. (Credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images)
Editor's Note:
Mari Rodríguez Ichaso has been a contributor to Vanidades magazine for more than two decades.
Specialist in fashion, travel, gastronomy, art and architecture.
Film producer.
Celebrity friend.
Style columnist for CNN en Español.
(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 your 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 and putting on makeup doesn't seem to interest you at all?
Then join the club!
There are many of us who - although healthy, 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.
Now is the time to leave that attitude behind!
Shake it off!
Away with that laziness that gets you nowhere!
And get down to work ...
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Open your closet, your makeup drawer, your perfumes and accessories, and decide that in the middle of this stage of forced withdrawal, you are going to be you again!
I promise you.
You will see how your self-love will take a 180 degree turn.
The anxiety will improve and you will feel much more optimistic.
You will see how to take a long bath with scented oil, put on moisturizing cream, dress comfortable (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 are ready and you will see the difference from what 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.
An anecdote that always inspires me
Carolina Herrera, fashion designer
.
Once, my friend, the designer Carolina Herrera, told me something that stuck with me forever: “Mari, what is this about having 'walking clothes' and 'going out clothes'?
I find that custom terrible.
There is no reason to have ugly old clothes to go to the supermarket, to walk around the neighborhood, to go to the pharmacy or to make a purchase.
You always have to look your best ... At all times! ... It's very good for our self-esteem ... "
That shocked me a lot, because Carolina always looks so well-groomed, even when she's walking through Central Park.
A few months ago, I saw her doing her daily walk near her home in New York, wearing a beige cotton set of pants, a white blouse, and flat, natural-colored "ballerinas."
Her clothes were plain, but she looked so good - and nothing about them said "walking clothes!"
His 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 as important in times of uncertainty as we live in!
Get into a routine and you will feel 100% better!
Since I understood the positive of this reality, I have made a daily routine and I really enjoy when after the shower I take care of my skin with the moisturizing gel that, sometimes to make it faster, I did not use.
This is very important!
I use my creams religiously (always remembering that all the creams in the world are emollient and hydrate perfectly), and especially one of the hands to counteract the dryness from 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 have sprayed with a "spritz" of perfume (a luxurious and sexy gesture!) To try to look as natural as possible.
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A box hair dye can replace your trip to the salon, just like a friend who makes "highlights" or "highlights" (and they look great) using a product to lighten facial hair.
Getting home manicures and pedicures can be a great 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 soar with optimism.
You should be able to say: This woman is me!
No excuses!
Fashion in times of confinement
It is very interesting how many articles are found on the Internet about the ideal clothes to… stay at home!
Check your favorite websites, those of cheap brands such as 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 wardrobe and give away the clothes that you have never really liked and keep year after year.
And also to fine-tune the ones that 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.
Same as comfortable shoes, but cute.
And in the evenings, at dinner time, why not wear a "caftan" or loose dress from the ones that abound in the 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 you live in 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 thread bedding that had been part of my mother's wedding "trousseau". He kept them as a treasure but which he never used.
The same thing happened with that precious china, those crystal glasses and cutlery inherited from the grandmother, which were kept "for special occasions."
Well, don't you think it's time to enjoy these beautiful things?
If it is!
And your home will never look more beautiful, more welcoming, more "yours" than enjoying those special objects.
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 that we are witnessing.
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