Majexs03 - Aprilph

How I got my life together.

Getting your life together, and I mean really getting it together, should be a priority of yours. You can’t miss out on your life by staying in a pattern of losing it all, pulling it together as quickly and as carelessly as you can, and then losing it all again because you weren’t ready enough or devoted the first time. I made a choice to pull my life together when I was 18, and I’ve stayed improving myself ever since; I bettered my mental health, fixed my body, changed my mindset, found an aesthetic and style that worked for me and that I loved, and have done my part to keep steadily improving my life and my mindset. If you are devoted to yourself and your life, you will do well and find that the path towards your future will become much clearer as time goes on.

Exercising.

You need to be exercising, bettering your body, and taking the time to nourish yourself and your health. This means eating whole meals and taking the time to cook and prepare them, considering removing heavily processed foods and alcohol from your day-to-day diet, and taking the time to do at home or in gym workouts. I do Move with Nicole videos in the morning, finish up with a quick yoga session, go to the gym in the evenings, and make sure that my body is being fueled by real foods and being properly hydrated throughout the day. You will live in the same body for the rest of your life; you need to make sure that you’re caring for it and nourishing it in ways that will let it support you for the rest of your life. You won’t regret a health journey, and you should actively be on one. 

Socializing.

Isolation will kill you, and if you already have anxiety, it will worsen it. You should be meeting people, getting to know them, leaving your comfort zone, and trying new things. Your late teens and early twenties are all about taking the time to know people, making and losing friends, and figuring out the sorts of people you want to have in your life forever. You have to socialize, go to social events, join clubs and different activities, and get out of the house. I’m a person who believes in spending time around and loving other people, and that has saved my life. If you aren’t sure how to socialize, don’t have friends, or aren’t sure of what you like, now’s the time to learn how. You don’t become good at meeting people in one day; it takes time and failure, but the more you do to leave your comfort zone, the easier it will become as time moves along.

Studying.

I believe that life is meant for learning. It’s important to always be learning, to always be bettering yourself, and to always be keeping your mind busy. While I strongly believe that every woman should have a university education and a degree, I understand that it’s not always feasible. If it’s not possible for you to get a degree, you have to learn a trade, a skill, a language, or find something to occupy your mind so that it’s not idle. It’s important to always be doing something, and it’s important that you’re pursuing a passion; life isn’t much if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, so you have to find them and do more with them. Education can come from work experience; it can come from pursuing projects, cultivating wisdom, and spending your time nourishing your mind and reading books. Life is a learning experience, and you should be in constant pursuit of educational excellence. 

Seeing More.

Life is about seeing more and seeing things you’ve never experienced. If you’ve always wanted to watch a tennis match, step into the ocean, or see the sights in a new city, now’s the time to start making plans to do those things. We all deserve to see and experience beautiful things, so it’s important that we find the time to do so. If I hadn’t made the time to find beauty in the mundane, I wouldn’t have made it far. You don’t have to spend money pursuing beauty; I find the most beauty I’ve seen in my life is found on short walks and time spent around my city. You should spend your time both looking for beauty and becoming beautiful too.

Doing More.

Doing more is next. I’ve spent my life trying new things, failing, succeeding, having a good time, and learning about what I enjoy. You should be doing more; your twenties are for moving away, visiting new cities, trying new foods, working jobs you hate and finding jobs you love, going to new restaurants and getting into new relationships, and doing more with yourself. All of the greatest women I’ve ever known have told me that they spent next to no time resting in their twenties because they had so much life to live. I’d encourage you to do things without holding yourself back, and if you don’t know what to do with yourself, find things to do. You can't waste your youth being idle; now is the time to get out of your room, see the world and what it has to offer, and do more with yourself and your gifts.

Richarlotte x

favorite books on herbal beauty?

Clever angel: beauty of knowledge🦢

🍓We live in the world, where pretty face is one of the most influential thing when trying to impress others. Although when it comes to building deeper relationships the one thing that truly matters is knowledge.

Sometimes we might catch ourselves feeling ignorant or insecure about our surroundings when others try to know us better🪷 That’s why I think everybody should increase theirs horizons!

“Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse.”🪼

🍓How to do it tho? In this post I will share with you some useful tips to actually increase your potential and to become the smartest person in the room🪷

1.Expand Your Reading Horizons🪷

Create a reading challenge list that includes:

• A biography of someone you admire

• A book about a country or culture you're curious about

• A piece of classic literature

• A modern science or technology book

• A self-improvement or psychology book

2.Leverage Online Learning🪼

Each month, pick a new skill or topic you want to explore. For instance:

• Sign up for a beginner's course in a language you've always wanted to learn, like Spanish or Japanese.

• Explore a creative writing workshop to enhance your expressive abilities.

• Dive into a web development course to understand the basics of coding.

3. Prioritize Physical Wellness🪷

Incorporate brain-boosting foods into your diet, such as:

• Snacking on walnuts or blueberries during your study or reading time.

• Adding fatty fish like salmon to your meals twice a week.

• Drinking matcha instead of coffee for a gentler caffeine boost and antioxidant benefits.

4. Make Journaling a Habit🪼

Besides daily reflections, include:

• Weekly goals and achievements

• Interesting facts or knowledge you learned that week

• Quotes from books or articles that inspired you

• Personal insights or ideas sparked by your new learnings

5. Embrace Mindfulness Practices🪷

To integrate mindfulness into your routine, try:

• Kicking off your mornings with a brief, 10-minute meditation centered on breathing, to refresh your mind and sharpen focus.

• Embarking on brief, mindful strolls, fully absorbing the sensations and sights around you, to rejuvenate your mind and spark creativity.

🪷Nothing feels as good as knowledge. It helps you show off your brightness and let you see what others can’t see. You can choose whatever topic you are interested in and uncover more secrets of humanity

I would really appreciate if you reblog and like this post🪷 Thank you🪼 stay safe

Do you have any reading recs about perfumes?

I haven’t read most of these yet— but here’s my current perfume reading list. Enjoy! I might update this with more as I move along. 

ARTICLES

‘Smell, Memory’ by Rachel Syme

‘The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Perfume’ by Katy Kelleher 

‘In 1902, Audiences Turned Up Their Noses at the First Perfume Concert’ by Allison Meier

‘Kazimir Malevich’s Little-Known Perfume Bottle’ by Jillian Steinhauer

‘Getting a Whiff of Perfume’s Illusions’ by Sonya Vatomsky

‘LAYERS: Pushing Through the Arts to Perfume’ by Dannielle Sergent

‘Scenting Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroines: Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth’ by Lauryn Beer

‘Some Thoughts on Scent Criticism’ by Miguel Matos

‘Scent and Healing: The Transformative Power of Perfume’ by Ida Meister

‘Here’s Why Perfume Description Are Never About Smell’ by Elyse Hauser

‘Heaven Scent’ by Danielle del Sol

‘Ann Haviland, Forgotten Mastermind of the Signature Scent’ by Jessica Murphy 

‘Perfume, Power, and God’ by Arabelle Sicardi

 ‘How to Pick a Perfume When You Can’t Smell’ by Alaina Leary

‘People Are Buying This Perfume Because They Think It’s From Killing Eve’ by Rebecca Jennings

‘Meet Chandler Burr, the World’s Foremost Fragrance Expert’ by Chavie Lieber

‘Making Perfume From the Rain’ by Cynthia Barnett

‘Can Perfume Sabotage a Budding Romance?’ by Jesse Frost

‘The Scent of True Love’ by Cari Romm

‘Perfume: An Ethereal Corset Trapping Everyone in the Same Unnatural Shape’ by Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg

The New York Times archives on Perfume

FICTION

The Song of Solomon from The Bible

Das Parfaum by Patrick Süskind

NONFICTION

Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume by Mandy Aftel

Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent by Mandy Aftel

Throughsmoke by Jehanne Dubrow

The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession by Chandler Burr

The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York by Chandler Burr

Dior: The Perfumes by Chandler Burr

Folio Columns 2003-2014 by Luca Turin

Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin

The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell by Luca Turin

The Perfume Lover: A Personal History of Scent by Denyse Beaulieu

The Diary of a Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumeur by Jean-Claude Ellena

A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette’s Perfumer by Elisabeth de Feydeau

Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride by Alyssa Harad

Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent by Jean-Claude Ellena

Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris by Christopher Kemp

The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Social Imagination by Alain Corbin

A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman

Fragrance: The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel by Edwin T. Morris

Cult Perfumes: The World’s Most Exclusive Perfumeries by Tessa Williams  

The Ephemeral History of Perfume: Scent and Sense in Early Modern England by Holly Dugan

Perfume: Joy, Scandal, Sin: A Cultural History of Fragrance from 1750 to the Present by Richard Stamelman 

The Aroma of Righteousness: Scent and Seduction in Rabbinic Life and Literature by Deborah Green

Scenting Salvation: Ancient Christianity and the Olfactory Imagination by Susan Ashbrook Harvey

Scent: The Mysterious and Essential Powers of Smell by Annick Le Guérer 

Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins

Aroma by by Constance Classen

Flowers and Fruit by Colette

Waiting on “your season” is nothing but a weak excuse to be lazy about achieving the things you want. Those things will not miraculously appear in front of you if you are not willing to go after them relentlessly. The moment you decide to be the main character in the story of your own life rather than an spectator watching it unfold by is the day things will change. Don’t wait for your season, create your season.

Woman to woman, I tell you this because I want you to be in a healthy relationship:

• Be with a man that loves you a little bit more, because he's the one who will propose to you.

• Always get your degree and a job first, heal yourself and then start dating somebody.

• Know what you want in life and what you're looking for in a partner. Truly get to know your wants and needs first.

• Learn how to spot red flags in a relationship, unhealthy attachment styles, narcissism etc.

• Learn how to detach yourself from men and decenter men. Let men come to you.

• Have a life outside a relationship: Make time for your hobbies, spend time with your friends, go on solo dates... You had a whole life before him