@nonahikaru

by Aika Mentari · July 12, 2025

War Kit for the Soul

What are the essentials you carry every day? For some people it is a wallet and keys. For others it is the kit that makes sure they are ready to face the world. This photograph from Nona Hikaru (@nonahikaru) is a beautiful curation of the modern war kit.

On a soft white rug lies the armoury of looking after oneself: Cetaphil, Chanel, Nivea. Trusted brands for keeping up an appearance. And among them, in a blue that steals the attention, lies something different. A leather journal.

A Deeper Ritual

I feel like placing the journal there is no accident. It is a statement. An acknowledgement that looking after yourself is not only about what shows on the outside. There is another ritual just as important: looking after what is inside.

If makeup and skincare are for the face, then the journal is for the soul. Somewhere to put a disordered mind back in order. Somewhere to pour out a worry before it shows on your forehead. Somewhere to celebrate a small victory before you smile in the mirror.

A Quality That Stands Level

That blue journal does not look out of its depth beside a Chanel. It sits there with confidence. Its strong colour and the honest texture of its leather have a gravity of their own. This is a meeting between the world of precise mass production and the world of handwork full of feeling.

And as it turns out, they can live side by side in harmony. Because both were born of the same idea: quality. The kind of quality you can feel when you touch it.

There are products for looking after your face. There are also products for looking after your story.

Seeing our journal become part of a personal collection so carefully curated is an honour. It is evidence that what we make with our hands is counted as an essential. Something worth carrying every day, as important as your favourite lipstick.

What is the essential for looking after your soul? It may be waiting for you here.