Visit L’Occitane’s site for Vervine Eau de toilette with new packaging
Hello again,
It’s been a while since I last shared a scent story here. Life, as it often does, required a bit of a “pivot.” For the past few months, I’ve been navigating a journey that many women face but few talk about in the world of lifestyle and beauty: experiencing Menopause, High Myopia, and Cataract Surgery.
Clarity and Contrast: Navigating Menopause and Cataract Surgery
The last few years have been hectic, helping my daughters find their way through higher education, balancing that with the ever increasing pace of change at work, but always finding personal enjoyment through scent. But as my estrogen levels shifted, so did my sight. I learned that for those of us with high myopia, the “menopause ” can sometimes bring cataracts forward much earlier than expected.
The Reality of Mid-Life Vision Shifts
I found myself like many people, getting older also meant getting reading glasses or in my case a combination of multi-focal contact lenses and high strength multi-focal glasses. It was manageable, but for the last couple of years, I struggled with both near and far sight and couldn’t focus. It was on my last visit to the opticians where during the consultation, the optician told me that I had had the cataracts for years but they had been very small and were gradually getting worse. It was time to get a referral to the GP to get an appointment with a specialist.
Inevitably, surgery was the recommended path forward. If you’re thinking about it and have been delaying the idea of surgery. Speak to your optician, explore the options available and don’t wait for things to get worse. I can honestly say it’s the best decision I made to have cataract surgery.
I opted to use my work private health care insurance to have a better type of lens implants. In the UK, the NHS will provide basic monofocal lenses. So for a small premium, I elected to get the multifocal version, the type that would be very similar to how my contact lenses helped me see things at an intermediate and distance range.
I’ll cover off the process in a different post for another time.
Sensory wellbeing: My Recovery Essentials
During recovery, when I couldn’t wear my usual makeup or even splash my face with water, there was one sense that I leaned on: Scent. I found myself returning to one of my absolute favorites from L’Occitane. There is something about the Lemon Verbena—and especially the Verbena with Mint—that helped lift my spirit. During the short recovery after the cataract surgery, the sharp, zesty “frosted lemonade” scent was the clarity and it became the sensory anchor that helped lift my spirits.
What’s Next for The Scented Abode? I’m relaunching this space not just to talk about perfume, but to explore how we navigate the “mid-life shift” with grace and some helpful information that I’ve learnt. Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing:
- The Waterless Cleanse: How I redesigned my skincare routine when water on my face was off-limits.
- The “Strong Lip” Phase: How I felt “assembled” when I couldn’t wear eye makeup.
- Sensory Weight Loss: How I used citrus scents to help me lose 20kg naturally.
Recovery isn’t just about healing; it’s about rediscovering the world through a new lens. I’m so glad you’re here to see it (and through the senses of sight and through scent) with me.
If you’re new to this site, welcome. Please explore other content, such as the home made skincare such as the Rosewater toner recipe
