It's a new month! Which means another installment of my new 10 THINGS series!
I confess. I don't wear makeup everyday. Sometimes, I just don't have the time! Other times, I either don't feel like it, or I'm trying to be good to my skin and give it a break from the elements (elements = products).
That being said, it can be easy to fall into a rut of looking, well, "tired" all the time. You know what I mean by tired, right? It means like shit, basically. In the same notion that you take it when someone from work tells you, "You look tired". And it leaves you thinking, Thanks sweetheart. Thanks for the kind words.
So in order to break the rut, I wanted to make a list of 10 things you can do each day to boost your appearance. It's not a lot of things, in fact you don't have to do them all at the same time. But sometimes a little goes a long way.
1- Concealer. Under your eyes. It will brighten up your face and make your eyes look more awake.
2- Blush. Or, my favorite, a cheek tint. The best thing about cheek tints is that they are fast and effortless. All you have to do is have good aim (i.e., know where your cheekbones are), swipe that shit and you're done! Blush helps to give you a youthful glow and adds a bit of color to your face.
3- Exercise. It doesn't have to be much. A quick 10 minute walk on the treadmill is enough if you truly don't have the time. Walk your dog. Walk your neighbor's dog if you don't have one, just get moving. Endorphins are a powerful thing. They make you feel chipper and just doing a little bit of work to better yourself makes you feel good, proud and accomplished!
4- Try something different with your hair. If you wear it up all the time, wear it down. If it's always down, sweep it away from your face and let your eyes show through. Try a braid, a low side pony tail, bangs or a faux bob! Remember, the changes don't have to be big ones, just different.
5- Drink! Water, that is. Not only does it hydrate you and help to keep your skin clear, it keeps your skin glowy and naturally dewy. Besides, it's just good for you!
6- Adorn yourself! Add a scarf to your hair, or my personal favorite, a flower. They're a nice, unexpected change and it's elegant, fresh and wonderful for summer! Try wearing earrings, or use colorful bobby pins in your hair. They're not very expensive. You can find tons of great options for hair accessories at your local ____ Superstore! (Target, Walmart, etc.)
7- Exfoliate. Now this is a tricky topic for me, because I don't believe you should exfoliate your face everyday, especially if you're using a cleanser with harsh scrubbers like coconut or almonds particles. Instead, I say use a gentle cleanser (Purpose, Cetaphil) and use a mild scrub sponge on your face and gently buff away at your skin. I really love Cotton's Oval Face and Body Exfoliating Pads. They're so gentle, but provide just enough force to get the buff away impurities, dead skin cells and all that other nastiness roaming around on your face. They're a must if you have sensitive skin.
8- SLEEEP! It's the proven, successful, unanimous way to NOT look tired!
9- Two words: Cold. Shower. Now calm down, you don't have to spend the whole duration of the shower in cold water; you can do what I do and spend the last minute to 5 minutes just waiting under the shower head. The cold water increases blood circulation and it will help make those dreadful bags under your eyes recede faster.
10- Smile. Even if it's difficult, or if it hurts or you just don't feel like it. Studies show that smiling and laughing even if you're not feeling happy makes you happy! Besides, everyone looks beautiful with a smile on.
How do you break out of your beauty rut?
