Mornings With Ella, A Simple Makeup Routine, And Cup of Coffee
I have been waking up before the sun lights up a new day. I apply skincare to prep my face and add a little mascara to awaken my eyes. I pack my breakfast. I was driving to work with my coffee travel mug jiggling gently in the cup holder, and Ella Fitzgerald sang throughout the routine journey.
By the time I get to the office parking lot, I sip my coffee and listen to Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra as I mentally run through my to-do list for the day. This past week, I learned quite a bit about art and culture.
What I Created and Discovered
I tried my hand at painting and wrote, wrote, wrote. The writing went well, but my painting did not. While I started to cover the canvas with a burgundy backdrop, the image, in the end, turned into an abstract. Let’s pretend I had some symbolic intention to it.
Discovering new music has been a real treat. Ella Fitzgerald quickly became one of my favorites, along with Etta James, Marvin Gaye, and a tune or two by Louis Armstrong. I added these musicians to my playlist after I fell in love with 1950s fashion. I admire the style of dressing back then, but never thoroughly looked into it.
After watching How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and other films strictly starring the comedic Marilyn Monroe, I racked up a few pieces designed to fit the 1950s silhouettes. With capris, properly fitted tops, and high-waisted trousers, I noted all my favorite ’50s things and incorporated them into my wardrobe.
Other than fashion, I had fun exploring new realms of art. Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is a masterpiece and a fascinating depiction of the consequences of war. I found it when I pulled out my dad’s old college book, Arts & Ideas by William Fleming, and read a little about the Guernica. I swiped the book from our home library. It would have been stored in the box for months, never to see the light of day. I decided to keep it along with The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich.
I peeped a bit more into the world of art this week than ever before. Even though I merely skimmed through the rest of the art books, I still enjoyed browsing the pages featuring Neoclassical, Renaissance art, and my personal favorite, Art Deco, or, as it is formally called, Art Décoratifs. I encourage anyone to read about an art piece or two. It is fascinating to discover the various types of art globally and how they have evolved throughout the centuries.
A Nightly Wind Down Routine
Around eight o’clock every evening, I wash the day off my face and generously apply my nighttime products—toner, serum, and my current favorite Egyptian Magic for lip balm. Ella Fitzgerald’s tunes play in the background as I pat Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse on my neck and the tips of my hair, and I’m ready for a good night’s rest.
How has your week been?