The Soft Girl Obsession: A Love Letter to Skin & Body Care

"I don’t chase glow-ups, I lather them in vanilla lotion and let them come to me"

Self-care isn’t just a face mask; it’s a love letter in every drop of serum

Hey Sunnies💛,

There are girls who journal. Girls who drink herbal tea by the window. Girls who collect tiny things in tinier jars. And then there’s me — the girl who fell head over heels for skincare and body care before she even had a pimple.

If you’ve been keeping up with me — either through my podcast Navigating Life Diaries or here on the blog — then you already know I’m deep in my soft girl era. But let me take you back to where it all started.

Before the Serums, There Was Scented Lotion...

“My body care isn’t a routine — it’s a romance.”

I’ve been obsessed with body care since before I could even spell “hyaluronic acid.” I was just a little girl who loved to smell good, feel soft, and make self-care my tiny ritual. My dad, unknowingly, was my first enabler — he’d buy me lotions and body oils, and I’d lather myself up like I was going to a red carpet… in my pajamas.

One Christmas, I remember sleeping over at my cousin’s place. She got a gift set — a scented shower gel and lotion — and my 13-year-old heart fluttered. I wanted it too. I asked my dad to take me shopping and voilà — my own dreamy little duo was born. That was the moment. My origin story. The skincare siren had been awakened.

Enter: The Dove Era (and a Bit of Acne) ...

“The world was rough, so I chose to be smooth — body buttered, softly scented, and radically tender.”

Then came the breakouts — those little devils that danced across my face and tried to rob me of my self-esteem. But instead of hiding, I began to care. My mum bought me the iconic Dove soap and cream and just like that, I had a skincare routine. Simple, sweet, and sacred.

In high school? Chile... if you know Kenyan public boarding schools, you know you can’t keep anything nice. Things get stolen, and there’s no time to double cleanse when you’re fighting to get to the dining hall. So, I paused.

2020: The Glow Up Begins...

“Every Tuesday, I bought a serum instead of silence. That’s how healing began.”

Then came 2020 — the year my glow-up era quietly tiptoed in. I had just finished high school, and while most people were chasing big changes, I was chasing serums, creams, and the softest skin imaginable. My obsession bloomed from watching influencers treat their skin like royalty — and I wanted that too. I couldn’t afford the fancy products they used, but that didn’t stop me. Every Terrific Tuesday, my dad and I would head to the mall for our little ritual — grabbing pizza at Pizza Inn. And right after, like a secret tradition, we’d pass by the supermarket, and he’d buy me two products. Just two. And oh, how they meant the world. Slowly, my shelf started filling up — a cleanser here, a lotion there — tiny love notes to myself in plastic bottles. Sometimes I’d make DIY masks from kitchen ingredients, dreaming of the day I could afford the sheet masks I saw online. It wasn’t about the price tag — it was the joy, the ritual, the way it made me feel seen by… me.

Now I’ve Got a Shelf Full of Love...

“I don’t just moisturize — I romanticize.”

Fast-forward to today, and I have a cute little shelf full of products. It brings me joy. Like actual, deep joy. But I also know this: you don’t need a million products to feel beautiful or cared for.

Please, before you start piling your cart with serums and scrubs — get your skin checked. Talk to a dermatologist or aesthetician. Your skin is personal. What works for one girl may not work for another. And listen, just because I’m extra doesn’t mean you have to be. This is my obsession. What’s yours?

Your Self-Love Language Might Smell Like Vanilla...

“You don’t need a million products to feel beautiful — just one moment of kindness to yourself.”

Whether it's skincare, haircare, makeup or perfume collections — we all have that one thing that makes us feel like us. That’s your self-love language. Mine just happens to involve face mists and body oils that smell like a candy shop.

I’ll be writing more about self-love languages soon, but for now, I’ll leave you with this:

🌞 To the Sunny reading this...

“Find the little thing that makes your soul giggle. Then romanticize the hell out of it.”

So, Sunny… what’s your soft girl obsession? But remember, you don’t have to break the bank for your obsession, no matter how tempting it gets. Luxury is in the ritual, not the receipt. And if you can’t afford it right now, don’t you dare feel bad — you’ll definitely get there. Luxury isn't about the price tag; it’s about how it makes you feel.

✨ P.S. If you love cozy rambles and skincare rambles, come hang out with me on Instagram @_.selfcare_diary — where I post my visual diary full of glowy things, soft days, and a little chaos in between.

And if you're into voice notes that feel like hugs, listen to my podcast Navigating Life Diaries on any platform you love — it’s just me, my mic, and all the heart stuff.