The Smart Beauty Edit

When I was just starting out in corporate life and received my first bonus, I made a beeline for the nearest Louis Vuitton store and bought myself a wallet and a cardholder. I don’t remember really needing either, but I wanted to treat myself to a piece of luxury. The purpose of the purchase not really figuring into the equation.

Vogue was my bible and I was forever lusting after the newest it-bag or designer shoe, the right pair of $300 jeans and anything else I was told would make my look complete. Without realising it, I took it to mean that it would make me feel complete.

Then came the era of the influencers, and the desire to emulate became even stronger. It wasn’t until much later that I found out this desire has a name: mimetic desire. This is based on the theory that we do not want something for its intrinsic value, but because we see that someone else does. And this is what drives competition and social comparison, which is fundamental to the marketing of luxury (or any other consumer) products.

Putting a name to this behaviour tends to neutralise it. Once you see the game, the subtle manipulation, it becomes impossible to unsee it. For me, it was liberating. I no longer buy into the belief that every slickly packaged and marketed product works miracles, that every new iteration of a designer bag will change my life or that a pair of designer jeans fits will fit me better than a pair of Levi’s.

I have become a discerning shopper. This doesn’t mean I don’t desire things. Just that I now first question why and let it sit with me for a while. Do I really need this? Will it improve my life in any significant way, or will it just leave a big dent in my bank account? Does it really make me happy or am I just filling a need that deserves a different kind of attention?

Just like a craving, the intensity often passes if you give it a little bit of space.

These days, I buy more critically. I prefer skin care that actually performs for me, and clothes that I actually wear and that fit my lifestyle. I no longer buy products because of the packaging or because an ad campaign made it seem like something I couldn’t live without. I decide what I want. And in that, there’s a kind of freedom.

That shift has changed not only how I buy, but how I care for myself.

My skincare routine, in particular, has become far simpler and more intentional. If you’re curious, I’ve shared the evening ritual that made the biggest difference for me here.