A Place For Beauty

*Hello Lovelies.....

I have a book that I love. It always brings me to rights. I read it often and gaze at its images before bed so I can relax enough to get to sleep. It also is so correct in every aspect of what it is expressing, about the Intimate Home ~ Creating a Private World. That is the name of the book and it was put out by Victoria Magazine.


You can get the book on amazon now for penny and it is worth far more than that. The irony.
I think in a harsh world, every woman needs to be reminded of the essential requirement for seeking grace and timelessness, and a greater indulging into Beauty of Self....and when I say "self".....this is inclusive of the whole of body mind and spirit.....take care of the body also nurtures the spirit, this I have felt. Take care of the spirit, also nurtures the body.....it is one and the same

I want to share one of its chapters called "A PLACE FOR BEAUTY''.............

"devotion to beauty is a careful and daily tending, a ritual

 of polish and gentle refinement that takes place from

 bathing to dressing. In a place for beauty, a woman looks

 leisurely to her appearance and increases her allure. 

Such a pleasurable time deserves surroundings filled with grace".

excerpt:

''Victorians treated the daily ritual of bathing and dressing the same way they approached all aspects of everyday living, with a lavish appreciation for utilitarian beauty and an equally lavish love of the sensory. After the day began with a languid steep or under the invigorating needles of a shower, came the toilette, the measured application of cosmetics, jewelry, and perfume, and enhancement of the body before dressing.
Toilette, the devotion to beauty, is not practiced in a hurried way. A woman is seated in comfort before a vanity on which is laid everything needed to pamper, nurture, replenish, and protect her beauty. Prepared with creams and foundations, the face in the looking glass is the canvas on which a woman works her art. Palettes of color appear from a vanity drawer for a delicate brush of petal pink or soft lilac. Then, the skin is given a final polish with an airborne sprinkling of silken powder from a feathery pouf, a finish that will cause the face to glow with the inner beauty of porcelain. Finally, perfume, the heart note of a woman's soul, decanted in heavy cut-glass flacons, is applied. When a gentlewoman steps from her dressing room, the sweet results of her labor are for the world to behold.''

I have told of my desire to have all nurturing things in one place and my intuition was right. When there is no place for tending leisurely, with focus and attention, that which needs tending will suffer.
I knew everything should be organized so that the tending to ones skin and beauty was time well spent with everything I need and use in one place, not merely organized but so aesthetically pleasing that the space enticed me, pulled me in to spend the time, making nurturing an enjoyment of all the senses. In that case, one is regularly looking forward to tending to oneself. And the results are that one feels beautiful, regardless.

I was gifted a vanity as an early Christmas present and I am in love with it. But before I found it I was trying to figure out how to create such a vanity. I had the space, I just didn't know how to put it together. There are many ways and I have discovered another just today in my imagination.

First one must gather all the things they use and see what they have so they know what kinds and size of containers one actually needs. If one cannot find a proper vanity, then trips to the stores or thrift stores will come up with a small desk, maybe with drawers on one side, or a secretary desk or even a flat desk will do as long as you can sit in front of it with your legs beneath it. Benches usually come with them but if not, they are easily found in stores too. They can be covered with fabric you love or simply draped with a lace. For the top you can find lovely small cabinets from stores like Home Goods, Marshall's, TJ Maxx etc, sometimes in the bathroom section called medicine cabinets which can be decorated inside and out....... and collect beautiful containers that you love for all the things you use and want to store. Then you can find lovely mirrors etc. Painting the desk, containers, mirror etc to the color or look you want is important to give it that purposeful look of being a vanity.
I happen to like cut glass Victorian style jars etc which are found in thrift stores or on ebay. You can also find beautiful ones in the stores mentioned above or get creative. You can decoupage containers or even the desk you find using some of the gorgeous napkins sold in places like Party City. I'm actually going to decoupage this secretary desk soon.
Use your imagination by seeing in your mind what you want to see.

The idea my muse gave me today was a plain desk can be made into a vanity with a beautiful stylish jewelry box on top to hold any cosmetics and jars one uses. I found some really useful looking ones by googling them in images and realized these can work well if you don't have drawers.
One like this for example comes with a mirror already. It can be painted or decoupaged, trimmed with metal trim or appliques, etc....





Can't you just see this one filled with brushes, small jars, compact makeup rounds, cotton balls, etc? I don't use much so this would be enough for me. One could remove the top part for the rings and use the space for jars. There are so many styles and sizes to choose from and thrift stores usually have them. A mirror could be found to fit the desk or hung on the wall behind it.

I just think they are important, these Places for Beauty.
I wish to see a return of the woman who spends the time on her God Given Feminine Grace and Beauty, slowing down in the rush driven society where busy is celebrated and nurturing laid to the side.
I wish to see more nurturing and ''busy'' laid to rest. In this way a natural repose is released like endorphins and may catch you by surprise how wonderful it is......if you give it the space, and the time.
I wish to see the woman who spent such care for her appearance that she oozes a rare dignity. She KNOWS when she shows up, she will have made a statement of refinement. She will receive admiration.....not for her outer beauty but for the inner one she refines by nurturing herself through the looking glass. It is a vibe, an energy the woman emanates when she has tended well to her Self.
I wish to see more vanities......if you have them please share. If you make one please share.

Here is mine for the moment.......I have three more jars I need.....one for powder, which I'm going to make...... one for my shea butter, and another for the organic coconut oil I use to cleanse my face each night. I prefer all to be in the same type of glass jar with silver lid. I abhor plastics and things with ads on them, I just want the pure product in pure glass.......it just makes me feel more beautiful.

And there is nothing more beautiful than the woman who feels beautiful, no matter what.

sharing this with A Return to Loveliness

and with The Charm of Home 

and with FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE

and with Rooted In Thyme

and with Shabbilicious Friday