Sharing an Outfit of the Day by What I’ve learnt (about myself!) after blogging for the better part of a decade.
Suman Nathwani Resortwear by Khayti dress // Ray Ban round – copper flash sunglasses // Daniel Wellington Classic Petite Melrose watch + rose gold cuff // BCBGeneration gold sandals
lips- Colourpop Ultra Satin in Frick N Frack | nails- Nykaa Nails Silk in Pretty in Pink
Photos by Sheila Vaz.
Lessons I’ve Learnt
I‘m not one that keeps track of years or anniversaries very well. But lately I’ve had a very similar conversation at many events – I’m usually making small talk with another blogger or a publicist & they’ll ask me how long I’ve been blogging for. The first couple of times this happened, I had to pause & think before replying – It’ll be 9 years in Jan.
And it was only after saying it a few times & it began to dawn on me that this was a very long time. I’ve talked about how much blogging has changed & evolved in the last few years, but what about me? I’ve changed quite a bit too – my cringey blog posts from 2009-10 always serve as the best reminder.
I chose to make this my career & it’s been such a become such a big part of my identity that I’m not sure what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this. Blogging has taught me so much about myself that I thought I’d share three that I’ve been thinking about a lot.
Done is Better than Perfect
I pride myself at creating quality content here on the blog. Since I started YouTube, I wanted to also maintain a very high standard of quality over there. Quality is very important, of course. Nobody wants to read or watch a soulless content mill that just churns out content for the sake of it.
But there’s a flipside. Perfectionism is seen as a desirable trait but it can very well be a crutch. Spending time fixating on tiny details wasn’t doing me any good. Not only was it physically & mentally exhausting, it stopped me from moving onto the next task & just had me stuck on little things I couldn’t change. I already know that I’m a control freak, but I realise that I need to get better at letting go of the little niggles. Every time I spend too long obsessing over producing a video or photoshoot, I have to remind myself that I’m a digital content creator, not Wes Anderson making his next film or Anna Wintour prepping to release the September Issue, you know? And focussing on body positivity & self love has helped quite a bit too, I no longer worry that my face is too oily or my eyebrows aren’t evenly done or my zits are showing. All of this together is helping me not only more productive but more at peace.
TL;DR Striving for quality is good within limits. Don’t get compulsive about things. Imperfection is good, it reminds people that there’s a real person behind what they’re watching / reading.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Noise
Being someone who puts myself online, there are a million different parameters by which I’m judged. I spent a good few years being a little too concerned with how I’m perceived. That I should behave a certain way, that there were certain things I could or couldn’t wear, talk or behave.
I think it was sometime last year that I just stopped giving a fuck. If I want to put up a photo in a bra or talk loudly about politics, I do it, without a second thought. People are going to judge you anyway, so why bother?
TL;DR I’m don’t give any thought to my image or bother about labels anymore. Don’t let society’s or people’s perceptions stop you from being the person you want to be.
Quality over Quantity, Always
This is something that’s been drilled into almost everyone since we were little kids. But when building your first grown-up closet or makeup bag, it can be easy to get swept up in the numbers game. And of course I’ve gone through periods of buying too much. Part of it is just experimentation – how can I find what I like without trying many different things first? Then it can also become part of building a collection- how cool would it be to have a hundred lipsticks? Or two hundred? I did this for a few years before realising it wasn’t sustainable at all.
Not great for the environment or my pocket, & I ended up with a lot of stuff I’ve worn or used just once. It was high time I made some changes. At the start of this year, I wrote about my 2017 Makeup Buying Ban. It’s going superbly – while I usually bought multiple products a month, 9 months in I’ve bought a single mascara. In July I also wrote about my desire to refrain from buying fast fashion & wear, support (& feature!) more locally designed & made clothing. I used to buy clothes based on how striking or interesting they seemed. Now, I try to envision if I can easily wear what I’m buying a few times, is it something that fits with the rest of my wardrobe, will it pair with my existing shoes & can I wear it a year or two from now without it looking dated. And that kinda ties back nicely to this particular OOTD – this dress is from Suman Nathwani Resortwear by Khyati. I joke to my mom that I now only buy clothes if they really call out to me. Well this dress didn’t speak, it sang! I was really drawn to the colour & silhouette – and I think the brass coloured tinsel trim at the bottom just elevates it from a simple sundress to one that’d be perfect for daytime dos. It even makes a beautiful sound when you walk, kinda like anklets? I paired it with a few gold accessories & loved how the look turned out!
TL;DR Buy consciously – avoid buying multiples of the same thing (another pair of black jeans or another nude lippie) & instead look for timeless pieces you’ll be able to use multiple times in different ways. The environment, your closet & your wallet will thank you!
These are just three things that come to mind right now but I have so much more that I can share. I’m thinking of doing a video soon on things that being a vlogger has taught me. I’m so glad that it’s sunnier out now so I can be more consistent with shoots. Please do check out my YouTube channel + possibly subscribe if you like what you see. Until next time! x
