Journalist Nastya Kurganskaya about a healthy balance and favorite cosmetics
For "Available" we study the contents of beauty cases, dressing tables and cosmetic bags of interesting characters to us - and we show all this to you.
About the relationship with the face and body
I managed to make friends with my appearance about two, maybe three years ago. Before that, I was a child of glossy magazines from zero, who were still taught to wash mascara before bedtime, and on the other, to sincerely hate your wide hips, pale skin and oval face, and believe that if you do fifty more squats in the gym and buy a regular face cream with a credit card, your life will definitely improve. For several years I squatted like a madman and bought creams, I once lost fifteen kilograms in half a year, but for some reason my life wasn’t getting better and my self-confidence didn’t increase.
Now I understand that the near feminist media and literature helped me to get on the path of an adequate attitude to my appearance (I remember well how at the institute for several nights I first read the Beauty Myth Naomi Wolfe and looked at the world completely differently), the first serious mutual love as well as the experience of observing people. At some point I was struck by the fact that almost all of my beautiful friends, who seem to me extremely attractive and charismatic, are unhappy with their appearance and find something to scold themselves for. Often, only we ourselves notice our shortcomings, and we transmit to the world that image in which we ourselves believe — these thoughts on paper seem like creepy banalities, but for some reason, it takes years to become aware of them.
I like the fact that even far from the feminist values, brands and publications now quietly stop pushing us with stereotypes about how we should look and what kind of cosmetics to buy - I think that without outside influence it is difficult to stop forever trying to be like someone else. But still, while curly hair, standard forty-sixth clothing size or signs of natural aging will be served in pop culture and media as exotic, not a kind of norm, we all have to make a lot of effort to accept ourselves.
About care and make-up
I admit, I am one of those heroines who are not in the esteem of the commentators of the column “It is present” I love to look at girls experimenting with cosmetics, but I do it very rarely - to be honest, I'm just tired of the abundance of cans. I have long defined a minimum with which I feel confident: even tone, mascara, eyebrow mascara and sometimes lipstick or a bit of highlighter. Something more on the face tires. In addition, I love to grab my face, roar on movies in cinemas, constantly kiss and hug boyfriends and wash my face violently in an office toilet when my eyes get tired - all this is better done with a minimal amount of makeup on your face, so you have to sacrifice.
Another thing - care, with him I like to tinker. I pay a lot of attention to the nutrition of the skin and hair and will not go to sleep without incorporating several different substances. Two-step cleansing, exfoliation, oil or serum, cream is a daily routine that relaxes well and distracts from thoughts about work.
About hair
A separate chapter of my epic about accepting self is a battle with hair. I was born with a shock of disobedient, curly and fluffy hair, and part of my life was suffering because of this. Dry and porous hair instantly pushes because of high humidity, poorly styling, hate comb. Where my happy friends can get by with shampoo and balm, I always needed a whole arsenal: shampoo, balm, mask, indelible conditioner or serum, oil for the ends of hair, the right hair dryer. All this is necessary to remove the fluff and turn a small curl (which may look great, but it is not always convenient for me to walk with it) into an obedient wave.
At the same time, when you have dry and voluminous hair, special care - masks and serums - turns into basic. Most often I buy the most common shampoos (the main necessary function is cleansing), but I don’t skimp on masks and I like to experiment with them. This is the part of everyday care, the effect of which is always noticeable. Well, do not forget to have a haircut every three to four months, even if you grow hair: I neglected this for a long time, but then I realized that without frequent haircuts, care does not work properly.
About lifestyle
I am a classic office worker who looks at the computer screen for about twelve hours out of twenty-four, zazyvaya stress bar with a vending machine. In the long run, there is nothing good about it, and if I have the opportunity to spend the evening on Pilates or work out at home with dumbbells instead of after-hour work that can be done in the morning, I will do it: over time you realize that a healthy back and even mood are more important , than the inconstant arrangement of chiefs, and the notorious balance between rest and work is not a deliberate mantra of coaches, but a vital thing.
Sport helps to distract from bad thoughts and feel strength in the body, so I have long ceased to punish myself for eating a cake, but I just do it for fun when I have a mood. I used to go to the swimming pool, I ran for a few years and practiced yoga, but last year I did it three or four times a week at home, on YouTube lessons or on my own - although of course, this requires self-discipline, with which there are problems.
I have few other healthy habits: I like to eat and drink beer with friends, and I also drink a few cups of coffee a day. But I try to remember that the body needs balance and a cup of coffee should have two glasses of water, a pair of healthy cereal breakfasts for one pizza with salami, and a sleepy evening with a mask on the face for one burning deadline or an intense party.
