Spectator by Seema Goswami: Break free of your rut
When you travel as much as I have been doing of late, then it is almost inevitable that you will lose a few things along the way. Even though I know (and accept) that at some rational level, I was still devastated when I couldn't find my favourite eyeliner in my make-up pouch when I arrived back in Delhi. But even that devastation paled into inconsequence compared to my crushing disappointment when the brand in question did not have the Noir Intense shade I have been using for years. Worse, they did not have any black eyeliner at all; but I could choose between several shades of brown, they offered helpfully.
Once I had recovered my equilibrium, I chose two shades of brown, hoping that they would tide me over until my usual shade was back in stock. The next day, with great trepidation, I tried the darker shade on my upper lid and the lighter one on my lower lid and stood back to see the effect. And much to my surprise, the shades looked amazing – even better, dare I say it, than the black that I had been relying on for years. There was a certain soft smokiness to the look that the black had never been able to achieve, no matter how hard I blended it. So, as it turned out, it had been a stroke of luck to lose my eye pencil – because its loss had led to the gain of an entire new look.
I guess that's the problem with growing older and set in your ways. You decide at some point that this is what you like and you stick to that without experimenting with new things. And, as I had discovered, when you get into a rut like this, you lose out on novelty of new things.
But when I sat back and thought about it, I realised that when it comes to getting into a rut, make-up was the least of my problems. My penchant for familiarity was leading me to stay safe with choices I was comfortable with rather than venturing out to make new discoveries. When it comes to restaurants, for instance, I have my perennial favourites in every city which I head back to like a devoted pilgrim. What's worse is that in each of these restaurants I have my favourite dishes which I order every single time.
The same thing goes for travel. I head back to London in the summer and Bangkok in the winter like the proverbial homing pigeon. When I am planning a European holiday, I can't seem to think beyond Italy. When choosing hotels, I always plumb for the safe option of a chain that I am familiar with rather than a standalone boutique property, which might conceivably be more fun.
When it comes to clothes, I am in a bit of a rut there as well. I spend my summers in Anokhi kurtas or Marks & Spencer linen dresses. I have been wearing the same brand of pajamas to bed for over a decade now. And my brand of shoes hasn't changed either.
But if the eyeliner revelation has taught me anything it is that it is time to go forth and explore new options – for a newer and better me.
From HT Brunch, June 14, 2025
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