“Self Care” by any other name…
Estee Lauder skincare and makeup is what I use personally
Is “self care” an overused marketing ploy? Or a much needed call to action for women?!
These days, you hear it all the time…”self care.” Even prior to The Pandemic, you heard this term bandied about by publications such as Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, you name it. Not to mention all the soc meds!
So is this a real thing? Or a marketing ploy? I’m not actually here to answer that question globally, just to share my own experiences.
As I shared in my 1st installment, I grew up a bit of an ugly duckling. Long hair frizzed out because I didn’t know how to treat / condition / style properly. No makeup whatsoever, throughout college (brag alert: I went to the prestigious College of William and Mary) and beyond. I distinctly remember working as a waitress at Second Street Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA and learning from my floor manager how to apply eyeshadow in different areas of the eyelids a la Maybelline. I was fascinated!
Fast forward a few years, and a co-worker made a memorable comment: “ you have beautiful eyes, but I’m not sure you know how to accentuate them.”
It took me several more years to begin to experiment at Sephora, figuring out which skincare and color products worked best for me. Drunk Elephant, Cle de Peau Beaute, Shiseido, Marc Jacobs’ “Youthquake”….I tried it all! I learned a few techniques from my trusted advisors at Estee Lauder and even Il Makiage (a brand I’d discovered through Instagram). They taught me different techniques for my eyes (bye, bye Maybelline!) and other tips and tricks.
So, am I a sucker for buying into all these high-end skincare and cosmetic brands? Perhaps….yet I’m convinced that I can tell the difference in quality, by the staying power of the eyeshadow, or the improvement in my skin’s texture. The key is finding something middle of the road that doesn’t break your budget (!) but is effective and to your personal taste.
I’m inspired by the beauty philosophies of les grandes dames, Estee Lauder and Coco Chanel:
“I didn’t get here by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it” - Estee Lauder
“confidence breeds beauty” - Estee Lauder
“Beauty is an attitude. There’s no secret.” - Estee Lauder
“Fashion changes, but style endures” - Coco Chanel
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” - Coco Chanel
“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.” - Coco Chanel
