Bring the outside inside
CHENNAI: What kind of quarantine partner are you? Are you organising happy hours on Zoom and sending out paperless invites? Are you getting annoyed when your significant other breathes? Or are you baking 90 loaves of banana bread while waiting for Heathcliff by a drafty window? I’m apparently the kind who hysterically air kisses her parents from 20 feet away; while wanting to fine them for leaving their cups of tea out (despite them still being in the process of drinking the contents).
Being indoors has left us all different kinds of neurotic, and I often find myself missing the little things — I miss being outside. I miss walking through a playground at night and swinging on the swing set, which is somehow just as thrilling and new as it was when I was five years old. I miss taking myself out on elaborate dates with a lot of truffle. Watching a couple lean into their table to say something quietly, meeting their hands in the middle right next to their wine glasses to run their fingers together. I miss wondering what that couple is saying, how long they have been together, and if they know how lucky they are to have what they do. I miss sitting on a beach, with the little dust fairies floating around in the light, and the sounds of people laughing.
I invite you to trick your senses into thinking you’re on a tropical vacation while we’re all stuck indoors. Light up a few candles or look for a moisturiser that smells like coconut or sea salt. If you’re looking for something sweeter or more floral, a diffuser with citrus notes should do the trick. If you don’t have any of these in hand right now, find your trusty old bottle of coconut oil and cut up a few lemons to prep yourself for a relaxing spa day. Coconut oil is an incredible moisturiser for your body, and if you’re looking for something grittier to exfoliate: add some coffee grounds! A DIY citrus face mask with powdered orange peels, rose water and a hint of lemon will take your mind to sandier climes.
Did you know that libraries have a very peculiar musty smell because of cellulose decay? If you’ve got less-beach-more-decay on your mind, Byrdeo’s Bibliotheque is a candle which mimics it and apparently smells like the “velvety quality of paper”. I’ve always wondered if you could bottle up the smell of an old book. I don’t entirely recommend you ordering these at this very moment, but I can vouch for this DIY hack: sandalwood agarbattis, vanilla incense cones, a musky perfume and a big bowl of potpourri next to where you work. What smells remind you of being outside? I spoke to a few friends about this who described several aromas, some were triggered mostly by cooking smells (turns out an awful lot of you like the smell of cabbage). Let me know if you tried to recreate the smells outside at, well, home. More anon.
Saumya R Chawla @pixie.secrets