GABRIELA YARELIZ

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Not too long ago, I was looking at photos from a movie premiere Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes had in the 1990s. The fashion was terrible. I think there is a whole BuzzFeed article dedicated to the horrendous fashion. I won’t post a photo from the premiere. You’re welcome, Clare Danes. Google at your own risk.

I mean, we all have things we aren’t proud of from the past, right? Like plastic butterfly clips that snapped when I tried to use them to secure too much hair or that email I had, “NicoleRichieRox”– yes. *Cringe* (Insert your ridiculous email address here. The one you checked after waiting seven years through dial-up. NO ONE TOUCH THE PHONE!)

Anyway… When we look at the past, we often see what didn’t work. I think it is often easier to emphasize our disappointments and everything that deserves the hashtag ‘#FAIL’ next to it. I am talking about way more than fashion choices here. And while reflecting on the bad can help us improve…

This is a call to reflect on the things that did work in the past.

After my good mascara dried out, I bought a random one at the pharmacy in efforts to try something new. The mascara made my eyes swell. Not happening. I looked like a sick Anne Hathaway, basically.

So, in efforts to clothe my eyelashes, I was browsing again for a mascara when I came across one I used and loved in high school. L’Oreal, you are timeless. (Speaking of L’Oreal, I can’t wait to see its ambassadors at the Cannes Film Festival this May).

Back to the mascara, I began asking myself why I ever stopped using it. I suppose it was because I wanted to try new things or I simply forgot. I have been trying new things for years, I suppose. There is nothing wrong with that. However, I realized that sometimes there are things that work, things that fit, and we veer away from them. I am talking about more than makeup here.

There are things we loved, things that worked, things we accomplished, things we enjoyed– let’s remember those before the ‘fails’ and disappointments, for once. Let’s not choose to forget about something that is right for us. Let’s hold on to the good in our lives.

Let’s re-embrace old tricks of the trade, hacks, techniques and attitudes. Let’s be encouraged by the things we did that worked and pursue positive things in our lives. Let’s not give up the best, to explore other things in hopes of finding better, when perhaps there really isn’t anything or anyone better.

I am a grownup, so they say. But maybe, part of growing up is exactly this, not being afraid to go back and re-try the things that worked. I am a grownup, but I am taking my eyelashes back to high school. Maybe more than just my eyelashes will go back to a simpler time.

Disappointment stings. It’s time to remember what worked, what was right and why, and move forward with that. Hold on to the treasures you find in life, because, as L’Oreal says, ‘You’re worth it!’

*Excuse any typos. I hate finding these. What can I say? Writing is flawed just like the person writing it, but it’s also beautiful, just like the person writing it.

[Images from Tumblr]