I have to start this blog off by saying how fun shooting in this particular look was, for me. There’s nothing like a plunge neckline and a healthy dose of black to make me feel like one badass babe. The Luxe collection is full of special dresses that can empower any woman.

Now, whether or not I’m actually “badass” is up for debate. I probably stir up far less trouble than that word suggests. However, I definitely still find ways to take my day from mundane to “man, I’m glad I was awake for this” and what I’ve found makes that difference is glamour. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean flashing lights, good access to life-threatening drugs or any sort of celebrity style glamour . . . What I mean by “glamour” is whatever it is that you do to appreciate yourself, to decorate your day to day, a glamour that’s specific to who you are as a soul.

For me, this often means compelling lipstick and an evening out on the town or sipping wine with a good read in hand. However, it could also mean eating carrot cake in a foamy tub while swimming in unapologetically sad jazz. Sometimes, glamour means licking the tips of my fingers clean after eating my favourite pizza in bed . . . Or being naked in a creek somewhere. In fact, moments like these usually require little more than an appetite for feeling and are easy to achieve. All that’s really required is that I take the time. In our conceptions of people we consider to be glamorous, I think the concept of excess is usually a key determinant. However, what’s maybe at the heart of glamour is actually excess feeling and the capability, as Rox pointed out in her last blog, to choose to slow down – not to slow down permanently, but to allow yourself time in a day to really sensually engage in an experience that you enjoy.

Sensual, intentional moments of indulgence – this is what makes me feel glamorous.

While the accessories and carrot cakes and pizzas or whatever do play a part, what rewards my soul most is taking hold my creative agency to curate a moment that I can fully engage in. Shooting in this look, the sensuality, the thrill-seeker and the woman in me felt both acknowledged and celebrated.

For me, this is the difference between “treating yourself” in a way that’s often used to enable excess and between allowing our souls the time to feel acknowledged and rewarded. Even if it’s as simple as putting on something that makes you feel vibrant or listening to an album or two in full, eyes closed, allowing yourself to be glamorous through moments of decoration unique to your own existence is life-giving.

There are few sights more beautiful, glamorous or more compelling than people actively loving themselves before our eyes.

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