How To Survive Mercury Retrograde: From Nightmare To Aesthetic Revision
So you made it to another Mercury retrograde. Congratulations! But before crying and tears set in, here's one thing, it doesn't HAVE to be so bad! First, we should all get the idea out of our heads that Mercury going retrograde is the enemy. It's simply a time to afford ourselves the space to slow down, reflect, and reassemble our lives. Typically, it's hard to stay zen about it all when you feel like the universe is working against you, but take a second to breathe along with the planet, and you can make retrograde your friend! Maybe more like a frenemy ‘cause she really can be a bitch, and always shows up at the worst times. So how exactly can we make the best of her stay?
It can really take some deep digging to truly see the benefits of mercury retrograde. Our ability to communicate fluidly and navigate in a linear fashion is severely disrupted. It may mean you miss your connecting flight or lose all of the files you never synced to your iCloud, but it doesn't have to mean that your pretty has to take a turn for the worse. Here are some beauty and fashion exercises to help get you through the universe’s menstrual cycle.
Mercury retrograde is the absolute perfect time to take inventory of your beauty armory. We all have that box/bin/bag/drawer full of beauty products that were purchased with intent to use but never made its way out of the package i.e. a birthday gift from your boyfriend’s sister or samples you've been hoarding from Sephora. Let's get digging. Check if there's an expiration date on anything and separate. We want to make use of the stuff we have before invest in more and more products to add to our collection. Please note that big purchases during retro are a no-no (even that $26 Nars lip pencil isn't worth it-- you'll lose it and have to re buy it only to find out they've discontinued your favorite shade). Here are 3 things we DO want to indulge in:
SAY YES TO: anything that promotes relaxation and reflection
Allow yourself the time to indulge in some good old fashion naked and alone time. Nothing there to hide or mask, just your own skin and truths. Here is an opportunity to ditch your phone (don't you dare think of bringing it in the tub because TRUST you will drop it) and let your mind find a slower pace without sharing every photo op moment, without the blue light of your screen piercing your eyes, without the ever growing pain in your thumbs from obsessively texting your best friend the entire recap of the encounter you had with your ex. Give it all a rest. And if you can manage to do a deep conditioning hair mask in the midst of it -- bonus points!
2. Essential Oils
Mercury retrograde is a great time to reflect on our past to help guide us toward our best possible present and future. What better to draw us backwards than our sense of smell. If you think you've spent enough time in the past, and you're just trying to desperately move forward, there's still a great use for some yummy smells here! Treat your nose to lavender + peppermint. These will naturally dispel headaches that you will most definitely be nursing from all of the stupid shit people say when they forget how to communicate during retrograde.
Retrograde is begging for the dead skin to be scrubbed away. Whether for your body or face (hell about both), scrubs are a YES. What a perfect time to wash away all of your old skin cells that have been just mooching off you for months with zero contribution to your complexion. Rude. Dermis revolution! Bid farewell to old layers that no longer serve you. This is also a great routine for full moons!
Let's move on to some fashionable tips for Mercury retrograde
1. Well, why not be inspired by the movement itself, and GO RETRO!? Again, this period of time is NOT optimal for large purchases, so steer clear from the latest and newest ‘it’ items. Instead, take a stroll to your local thrift shop to survey the selection of vintage threads. Fast fashion labels have made it so easy to spend next to nothing on passing trends, but what ever happened to hunting finds with a story of their own beyond cheap labor? Explore and dig! For sure you'll feel some serious gratification when you find an Hermes scarf for a bargain rather than another pair of cardboard heels that are bound to break on your first night out in them. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, literally. Or at least take an Uber in someone else’s shoes. Depends on the shoes I guess.
2. Similarly to your retrograde beauty tips, this is a great time to do make some serious decisions about the garments you've been accumulating over the years. This will likely take hours if your closets look anything like mine, but slowing down and doing the dirty work is imperative right now. This is certainly not suggesting that you just bag up and toss out your unwanted items. I propose a good old-fashioned swap or straight up give away party! We all have a friend that has complimented the same dress 50 times. Just give it to her already! Have some piles set aside (this includes accessories too), invite over some girlfriends, and let them give new life and adventures to your sorted items! You will feel great for gifting your friends some new outfits and clear up some space for some new things (that of course you won't purchase until retrograde is over and/or there's a new moon). There is something terrifically therapeutic about giving your belongings away. Just make sure you are thoughtful about the things you're gifting. The only rule here is that you can never ask for it back. So, be wise.
3. If both of these options sound dreadful, maybe the third suggestion will be more helpful. Are you in a style rut? I find that during retrograde I lose my ability to get creative with an outfit. What I've learned is: don't fight it! What comforts me during retrograde amongst other periods of time where I feel uninspired or overwhelmed is finding a uniform. This uniform should be as simple as possible. It should mostly consist of neutral colors: black, white, grey, taupe, navy, olive. We want to keep the energy calm and grounded. Typically, steering clear of patterns is a solid idea too (except stripes. You can't rip me away from a nautical navy and white stripe. It's the air I breathe). Other than that, the silhouette should not be complicated. Keep it standard: jeans/trousers and a tucked tee. You want simplicity and comfort to really spearhead this outfit without resorting to sweats or yoga pants because sometimes just no. Accessories are also best kept to a minimum during this time, so ditch the fake septum ring you've been wearing since Coachella along with the 24 delicate gold rings you have stacked on your digits. It's all great post retrograde, but for now it’s just static and gets in the way. Try sporting this ever so simple look for two to three weeks straight. Hopefully, the lack of pressure of outfit perfection will allow you to relax, be gentle with yourself, and uncloud the messy mind that retrograde will undoubtedly insist you live in.
Retrograde fashion wrap up: keep it inexpensive and keep it simple. It's all about assessing what you have and cutting the fat. Retrograde is a great time to give your fashion ego a break. Send her on vacation. For now, you're sartorially revisiting, repurposing, and relaxing. Best of luck to ya!
