Stay beautiful, classy and sexy…

Yoliswa Dube-Moyo

I’VE had my iPhone 6s for the past six years and sentimental is an understatement in describing how I feel about it. It’s really been good to me and I’ve absolutely loved the user experience over the years.

In case you’re wondering why I’ve kept it for so long; well, besides the fact that I love it, I’ve had no reason to get a new phone.

It has been working just fine so why change it, I’ve thought. It’s not until recently that I’ve actually had reason to get a new phone. My 18-month-old, Khaya, thinks it’s his too. He fights so hard to make video calls, scroll through videos or talk to Siri. It’s taken a few knocks as a result. If you see the screen of my phone right now, you’d feel sorry for me, but I’ve normalised using it in that state.

Well, I did for a while until a few days ago when a friend watched me trying to recharge it. He was in awe and literally sat me down to discuss my plans for replacing it!

One of the first things he asked was, “What’s the problem exactly? Before I could respond he continued, “Why are you not doing something about this phone?” I had my answer ready. I had my reasons ready. Valid ones at that, but he was having none of it.

He said, “You know, it’s not just about the fact that the screen is cracked, it says volumes about who you are as a person and how people view you when they see you using a phone like this.” Well, that was the pits.

He went on about how some people can never take me seriously when they see me using a phone in that state.

“It’s like lingerie. What stops married women from buying themselves new lingerie every three months? It’s not even for your spouse, you feel good when you wear good lingerie,” he said.

It got me thinking. We’re living under difficult circumstances at the moment, that’s a given, but how much of a sacrifice would it be if you went to renew your haircut or shampooed and moisturised your hair?

How much would it REALLY take to get your eyebrows threaded or have a manicure or pedicure done? Would it be too much to ask paying close attention to your personal hygiene and what you wear?

There’s really so many little things that we can still afford to do to keep ourselves looking and feeling good, despite the difficult circumstances we’re going through. You may not afford to buy new clothes right now, but switch around what you already own to make what would appear as new outfits altogether.

Just don’t give up on yourself and how you look when you step out of your house. It’s important, extremely important, to stay on top of your game. Acuities are built mostly on what people see when they look at you. Before you even open your mouth to speak, someone has formed perceptions about you just by looking at you.

One of the things I’ve always spoken about has been the importance of consistency. Be consistent in your looks, even in difficult circumstances. Find cheaper, cost effective ways of doing certain things and achieving the same results.

If you could afford to buy facials, but can no longer do so, why not make your own scrub with mealie-meal and water? Try not to neglect yourself and all the things that make you happy as a person. Stay beautiful, classy and sexy even when life won’t allow you.

You don’t always have to spend money to look good. In any case, it’s not everything that requires lots of money. For example, one of the most underrated aspects of looking is oral hygiene. No matter how good or how “relevant” you look, bad breath has a way of tainting everything! Unless you have a dental or oral problem that requires a dentists’ attention, we really can all achieve mint fresh breath by following a simple oral hygiene routine at home.

Get into the habit of brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes to make sure you get all the plaque out. I know, two minutes sounds like a lot but it really isn’t when you’re pacing around – that’s how I get through it.

Make sure you brush your tongue and rinse your mouth thoroughly afterwards. You’d want to brush your teeth after food, which is easy to do in the evenings. If your mornings are tight like mine and you happen to eat after brushing your teeth, make sure you rinse your mouth thoroughly after eating.

Floss regularly and get the nasty bits stuck in your teeth out. Visit your dentist at least twice a year, for cleaning and routine check-up. Your dentist will be able to treat or help prevent dental problems. Remember, no matter how good you look, if your mouth stinks, it stinks!

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @PatternStyleZw or WhatsApp +263774492700.