Looking your best can be hard (I hear). Maybe you’re a busy woman; perhaps you just don’t see the point in waking up early to put on your face and curl and tease your hair. Personally, if I have a choice between sleeping later or putting on makeup, sleep will win every time, hands down. This might be why nobody ever says, "Hey, you're looking your best today!" when they see me, but no matter. I'm well-rested. Here are a few beauty shortcuts I’ve taken over the years:
Hair: The first step is to tell your hairdresser you want a low-maintenance cut. When she asks how low maintenance we’re talking here, be honest. “I want to be able to dampen it a little and leave the house,” I always say. “Seriously? Do you even run a comb through it?” he or she will usually respond. “Does it look like I comb my hair?” I’ll ask, and then they shake their heads sadly in defeat.
Luckily, I have curly hair. My hair is cut in layers, so “dampen and go” usually works fine. If you have long hair, straight hair, or wavy hair that takes primping, I have one word for you: ponytail.
Eyebrows: I’ll confess nobody ever taught me how to pluck my eyebrows. My mother doesn’t pluck hers, and my sister must’ve learned how to do it from one of her friends or a fashion magazine, and never shared the details. Before embarking on an eyebrow-plucking session, study someone close to you who plucks theirs. I’ll often study my sister’s shapely brows and think, Okay, the arch is probably important. Where in the heck did she learn to do that? Why has she never taught me how to do it? Is it because I hit her with a tap shoe that one time? Followed by That looks like a lot of work. I find it then helps to Google “natural eyebrows in style.” Scroll through the results and decide your unibrow is fashionable right now. (Visit unibrowdorks.com for confirmation and affirmation.) Leave 'em alone.
Makeup: When you’re in your twenties, maybe you feel like you can’t even leave the house without foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip liner, lipstick, and finishing shimmery powder in place. As you get older, you’ll realize a universal truth: If I wear something low cut, nobody will even be looking at my face. Trust me on this. If you show off the girls, you’ll never have to buy mascara again.
Perfume: Finding your signature scent can be harder than you might think. Perfumes will react with your natural body chemistry and change, and you may find that Chanel No. 5 smells like Septic System No. 1 when spritzed on your skin. Also, spray lightly: if people start gagging and choking when you get on an elevator, you might want to lay off the perfume.
I’ve found that it’s best to go with a light, airy fragrance. This is why I wear Febreze Air Effects Air Freshener, Meadows and Rain. One quick fwoosh and I’m ready to face the world. Also, it makes the car smell nice.
I could give you a hundred more tips, but some things ("waterproof" mascara is a bald-faced lie) you just have to learn on your own.
Picture: Hair by indoor plumbing. Eyebrows by God. Shirt by Forest Haunts, and I promise you, nobody is looking at my face.
Hair: The first step is to tell your hairdresser you want a low-maintenance cut. When she asks how low maintenance we’re talking here, be honest. “I want to be able to dampen it a little and leave the house,” I always say. “Seriously? Do you even run a comb through it?” he or she will usually respond. “Does it look like I comb my hair?” I’ll ask, and then they shake their heads sadly in defeat.
Luckily, I have curly hair. My hair is cut in layers, so “dampen and go” usually works fine. If you have long hair, straight hair, or wavy hair that takes primping, I have one word for you: ponytail.
Eyebrows: I’ll confess nobody ever taught me how to pluck my eyebrows. My mother doesn’t pluck hers, and my sister must’ve learned how to do it from one of her friends or a fashion magazine, and never shared the details. Before embarking on an eyebrow-plucking session, study someone close to you who plucks theirs. I’ll often study my sister’s shapely brows and think, Okay, the arch is probably important. Where in the heck did she learn to do that? Why has she never taught me how to do it? Is it because I hit her with a tap shoe that one time? Followed by That looks like a lot of work. I find it then helps to Google “natural eyebrows in style.” Scroll through the results and decide your unibrow is fashionable right now. (Visit unibrowdorks.com for confirmation and affirmation.) Leave 'em alone.
Makeup: When you’re in your twenties, maybe you feel like you can’t even leave the house without foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip liner, lipstick, and finishing shimmery powder in place. As you get older, you’ll realize a universal truth: If I wear something low cut, nobody will even be looking at my face. Trust me on this. If you show off the girls, you’ll never have to buy mascara again.
Perfume: Finding your signature scent can be harder than you might think. Perfumes will react with your natural body chemistry and change, and you may find that Chanel No. 5 smells like Septic System No. 1 when spritzed on your skin. Also, spray lightly: if people start gagging and choking when you get on an elevator, you might want to lay off the perfume.
I’ve found that it’s best to go with a light, airy fragrance. This is why I wear Febreze Air Effects Air Freshener, Meadows and Rain. One quick fwoosh and I’m ready to face the world. Also, it makes the car smell nice.
I could give you a hundred more tips, but some things ("waterproof" mascara is a bald-faced lie) you just have to learn on your own.
Picture: Hair by indoor plumbing. Eyebrows by God. Shirt by Forest Haunts, and I promise you, nobody is looking at my face.
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