To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. – Alan Cohen
We all get a little bored some times with how we look. When your morning routine can be done in 5 minutes because you’ve done it for years, or when you simply can’t remember when your hair made you feel stunning.
While simple is easy, it can get you feeling bored with yourself.
If you find yourself reaching for the ‘mom bun’ and BB cream repeatedly it might be time to give yourself a little bit of a makeover. Not that you need it of course, but it can be a lot of fun to let loose with the hairspray and a new eye palette.
Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
Hair
The quickest way to give yourself a huge boost is by changing up your hairstyle. Experimenting with new cuts and styles can make you feel like a whole new woman. It can take a while before you find the exact cut that you want to try. Creating a Pinterest board filled with your favourite looks can be really great. You can work with your hairdresser to create something flattering. Even a few inches off the ends, bangs, or going drastic from long hair to pixie cut is fun. Just remember that no matter what happens your hair will grow back!
Colour is a lot of fun. You can play with box colour or head to a salon. Hair colour is much more widely accepted than it used to be. Pinks, purples, blues and ever oranges are beautiful and look stunning on so many people. You can add colour to just the tips if you don’t want to do your full hair, or streaks are a popular way to add a pop of colour without it being too much.
Feathers, braids, and glitter are lovely ways to add something new but not permanent. You can have them clipped in by a professional so that they last a little bit longer, or pick the ones that are attached to hair slides, so you can add and remove them whenever you like.
If you want even more simple suggestions, if you always have your hair up, take it down. Always straight? Learn to curl it.
Think like a queen. A queen if not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. – Oprah
Skin
Your skin needs a lot of love and attention. And, we aren’t all blessed with the new trend ‘glass skin’. If you aren’t really big on makeup, then perhaps a new skincare regime will be right up your alley. You can never really take too much care of your skin. And this is an inside and outside kind of deal. You can add as many products as you like, but without drinking plenty of water and chowing down on enough fruit and veg, you aren’t going to see the real benefits.
The first step is going to be to work out what kind of skin you have. Visiting a dermatologist will give you the quickest answers. But, if your budget doesn't stretch that far don’t be worried. Spend some time research skin types and the symptoms that go along with it. We mostly know if our skin is oily or dry, but there are other things like enlarged pores, elasticity, and fine lines and wrinkles.
Build your team of ‘must haves’. This might take time to get right. The market is heaving with products all with big claims, but before you go dropping big coin on brands you’ve never heard of - you need to read as many reviews as possible. Then when you have picked some brands and products, you’d like to try then head to a local store and ask for samples. Usually, there will only be enough for a few uses, but you’ll know if you like the feel, the smell and the results. Then you can size up to travel size. Still not as big as a commitment but you can then trial the products for the coming months.
Ideally, you’ll find a facemask that can give you a weekly boot and tackle your concerns too.
Sunglasses will help to protect that sensitive skin around your eyes, but you should also incorporate a good SPF for your face. Our faces get exposed to UV damage over the years, so it’s never too late to start protecting that vulnerable skin.
Brows
Your eyebrows have more impact on your face than you might think. They can make your eyes look brighter and more prominent, and you instantly look neat and put together. Waxing, threading, epilating or good old fashion tweezing will give you a beautiful shape. If you aren’t blessed with plenty of brow hair, you could consider microblading or tinting to provide you with more to work with.
Photo by kevin laminto on Unsplash
Lip Care
It can be an overlooked part of your skincare routine, but the skin on your lips is pretty thin and needs some love. Lip scrubs, simples ones made with olive oil and sugar works wonders to scrub away dry skin. With the big focus on matte lip products, many people have felt the effects on their lips. Using a moisturising balm a few times a day will help combat this. Lip masks can also help inject a lot of moisture in just 15 minutes.
It is fun to have a stash of lipsticks, but if you aren’t using them, then it might be time for a refresh. Head to a makeup counter and explain that you're looking for a red with blue undertones (it will make your teeth look whiter), a ‘my lips but better’ nude and a deep berry colour too. This will serve as your full kit of lip needs. Of course, if you love a bit of gloss or a tinted balm go for it. But there is no denying that a good red will give you a huge boost in confidence.
Extras
From trainers to slight heels. Swapping your all-black wardrobe for some splashes of colour, new earrings, stackable bracelets and some cool necklaces. Shop here for some great options if you are stuck for inspiration right now. Jewellery is a way to express yourself without too much effort. Sleek and small gold rings, huggies and thin chains look stunning and delicate. Chunky rings, plenty of turquoise and feathers and you’ve got a boho beach babe look on lock without too much fuss.
Nails
If you struggle to keep your nails polished a prepped it might be time to hand it over to the professionals. You could opt for acrylics, gels or a simple manicure. They’re really relaxing, and you might be surprised just how much you enjoy having long pointy nails, or wonderfully shiny gel nails. You might opt to have your toes done at the same time. Having your feet soaked and pumiced while you kick back and relax for a while is rather lovely.
Have your toes and nail matching for a completed look.
Meditate
This one will help with wrinkles but not in the way you think. Spending some time meditating every day will help lower your stress levels. Lower stress levels mean better sleep, better sleep gives you more energy. When we have more energy, we just glow a little. It is an excellent way of giving yourself space and time no matter how busy your day is.
If you don’t know where to start with meditation, grab an app like Calm or Headspace. They have guided meditation in short sessions to help you get the hang of it.
Eat a Rainbow
Eating a range of fruits and veggies is going to do wonders for your skin, hair, nails and digestion tract. All of the vitamins and minerals that we need to have our body running in the best way can be found in a well-balanced diet. There is of course balance to be found in everything. Cake, cookies, even fries - so long as you are keeping your diet rich in that all-important healthy stuff too.
Love
Of course, this one doesn't always come easy. Learning to love yourself before giving love to others is really difficult but essential. Appreciate how you handle your day -to - day life. Do you make a fantastic cheese grill? Own it. Can you do a cut crease like no one else? Be proud. Career girl, going place? Raise your cup to it. Confidence comes from being secure in what we can do and how we do it.
It might take a while to get there, but keep working on it, and one day you will wake up and not have to practice anymore - it will just be there.
