4 Simple Ways to Get Your Pretty Back
As I talked about in my previous post, I'd recently been feeling a little frumpy and blah. Not that one single person ever made me feel that way though. My boyfriend is always telling me how beautiful he finds me. My coworkers/friends are some of my biggest cheerleaders and kindly compliment me on my look nearly every day. Moral of the story: I have fantastic, supportive people in my life and all of this negative talk was in my head.
Because I knew there wasn't anything truly wrong with my style—I hadn't started wearing burlap sacks or doing anything particularly bizarre with my hair or makeup—I figured that I could easily spice up my daily look with a few short cuts that have always put a bit of pep back into my step. In case you're not feeling your best, I'm sharing my quick (and inexpensive) secrets on how to get your pretty back.
Try a faux glow
With my very delicate, very pale skin, I cannot be out in the sun for more than 10 minutes without at least SPF 50 and expect not to be burned. Plus, there have been enough skin cancer scares in my family to know that tanning isn't worth it. However, tan skin always makes feel slimmer and sexier than when I'm my normal skin tone. As much as I love sunbathing at the beach or by the pool, this summer I'm relying on help from the beauty department. L'Oreal's Sublime Bronze Towelettes have developed a mini-cult following at my office and are a favorite among the PR Girls. I applied my first towelette over the weekend and goofed pretty badly on my legs because I was careless and applied the towelette mindlessly. When I tried to fix it the following day I made it a lot better in certain spots...but a lot worse in others. However, I do really like the color and as long as I keep the splotchy parts covered, I feel like a beach goddess. For less than $10 for six towelettes that you really only need to use once a week, I think it's definitely a worthwhile pick-me up. I'm assured you get the hang of it after the first week too!
Go for a glossy lip
I used to wear lipstick all the time, but eventually got frustrated because pretty much every time I put any on, it would gunk up where my lips meet and make me look like I'd been chewing on the lipstick rather than applying it. Then for my birthday in February, I got BH Cosmetic's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies makeup palette and lip gloss collection, and let me tell you, this is seriously the best lip gloss I've ever used. I've really made an effort lately to remember to reapply it during the day to get a continuous boost of pretty. Some of the colors are perfectly opaque, while others give you the sheer, shiny look you're used to. And most importantly, they're not too sticky and don't taste like chemicals. You can see a close up of the makeup on my Instagram post I highly recommend BH Cosmetics to anyone looking for high quality, yet inexpensive makeup.
Swap out your stilettos for wedges
I wrote last week about how I was tired of wearing uncomfortable heels that make my knees hurt. The easy solution? Switch out my heels, which are cute and have their time and place, for my favorite pair of trusty wedges. The best part about wedges is they usually are slightly platform and give you an extra inch or so of height. Basically you'll get to feel a little more like a super model without crying in pain over your feet by the end of the day.
Add new hairstyle to your repertoire
For awhile I was guilty of wearing my hair two ways. On hair wash days, I'd wear it down, tamed by a few seconds under my blow dryer. And then with no-wash-second-day hair, I'd scoop it up back in a pony tail. If I was I really feeling adventurous, I'd wrap the pony tail into a bun. Caroline from Un-Fancy inspired me to rethink my hair wardrobe and add a few new styles. I scoured Pinterest and revisited some old favorites and now rely on these 3 looks for no-wash days:
Milkmaid braids - surprisingly easy to do while still giving people the impression that you put a lot of effort in. Just word to the wise, if you live in Lancaster, home of the Amish, people might mistake you for participating in Rumspringa.
Half bun - I became obsessed with this look after I saw someone wear it at work and then started seeing it everywhere on Pinterest. I like how casual yet messy yet chic it looks.
Beach waves - I have naturally stick straight hair, which is a blessing most of the time, but it tends to feel a little lack luster to me. Instead I'll break out my curling wand, add a few curls, and then wait for them to fall throughout the day to give me the ideal casual bedhead look.
If you've been feeling down about yourself, it's important to remember that you don't have to feel that way and there are little tricks that can give you a quick confidence boost. Perhaps my best advice is to surround yourself with people who make you feel beautiful. Because I have people who love me for me and have a positive outlook, I very rarely feel poorly about my looks or style for long.