But, of course, the presents! Those, which I made for myself this year. Nota bene: I am definitely not the kind of person who brags about stuff (we all understand how cringy it is, right?), but to share your experiences that are overall nice and not ridiculously expensive, is still fun: at least, I myself adore to see my friends showing their favourite things, being happy and cheerful.
So, this time I bought three items that in a sense resonate with different facets of my life: firstly, the DKNY purse. Totally unnecessary, borderline campy/kitschy, with certain Basquiat vibes, AND from a budget chain (which I love dearly for always-unexpected discoveries). Its name reminds me of that scene from the 2016 adaptation of the 90s sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous,” when Edina and Patsy are attending “London’s biggest fashion event of the year” and bump into Stella McCartney in a dazzling gold dress, who’s whispering to our gals in suppressed fury, “You’re not wearing my clothes, are you?” and Edina replies non-chalantly, “No, no it’s all TK Maxx, TK Maxx!” So there: it is all TK Maxx, and it’s very—and I mean it!—very well-loved by me.
Then, Guerlain Meteorites: an unfading classic, a staple makeup piece in your drawer, something that belongs to the time when Laura Mercier’s/Bare Minerals translucent powder wasn’t a thing yet, and Kevyn Aucoin/Becca/Kosas/Fenty/Two Faced either didn’t exist or didn’t play strongly on the highlighters’ field. Gorgeous and they seal the deal for your cheekbones for many years ahead.
And a perfume. I don’t know why, but within the last four years or so I’ve become more and more sentimental towards the things I loved back in time, when I was much younger (Chloé, Kookaï, Chaumet): it could be hit or miss and it demands a bit of an effort to find *the* thing on eBay, but it is a fact: I love my small collection of retro-fragrances, and I decided to indulge myself a bit with this joyous and very warm and wintery Dior from the 90s, Dolce Vita. I am sure many of you still remember its package, which looked very glam 30 years ago, but now regards as old school. I got my parcel exactly on the eve of my birthday, and man, let me tell you: it’s pure magic, which instantly makes you happy.
Yet again, I was reminded of the first time I wore it. That was either in 1997 or 1998, and I was visiting my dad and Stepmum in Moscow (I lived in Zaporozhye at the time). My then boyfriend (who became my first husband pretty soon afterwards) had also visited Moscow (he stayed with his relative), and since we were dating, he invited me to a chamber concert at one of the endless Moscow venues (a shame I no longer remember where exactly it was, but never mind). The concert was supposed to be very highbrow (Mahler? Nope, no precise memories anymore), and somehow my bf ended up with three tickets instead of two, and he invited to the concert his friend whom I barely knew, to join us (nerdy kids are always awkward at taking decisions, but that was cute anyway). The guy was quite opposite to us: my bf and I were shy and reserved, whereas he was a bit more boisterous. Maybe he also wanted to make an impression of being “that cool guy” (he was younger than us and, it would appear, also insecure).
So, we arrived at the place and right before the beginning, when we were walking around the venue, we spotted an adorable tabby pussycat, which had fallen asleep right next to the orchestra pit (the musicians weren’t there yet). Of course, I was making those noises of adoration, my bf smiled clumsily, and that friend of his (or shall I say, of us) approached the cat, stroked it saying, “we have to find out whether it is a he or a she”. Bf and I were puzzled when that guy stroked the cat again, turned it on its back (I need to give him credit: he wasn’t rough, thank god) and screamed with utter conviction, “It’s a girly!” Well, that was epic: since the audience gave us looks, bf and I died inside from shame a bit. The guy was happy though. The pussycat yawned in our faces and then proceeded under the curtains (hope she had a happy life). Ah, and that evening I was wearing Dolce Vita, which my Stepmum had kindly offered to me. I don’t know why, but I remember this idiotic and hilarious scene as vividly as if it had happened only yesterday, although it was a while ago. But my attachment to this perfume has never gone away.
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