Tuesday, March 8, 2011

My Beauty Routine needs a major revamp!

This is going to be my first BEAUTY post on this blog. I've never really been into making myself beautiful, but I've made a personal resolution to myself to start trying harder in this department!

I think that I never really felt worthy of beauty. As if because I was obese/overweight, beauty just didn't apply to me.
First, I would take the fat off, then I would start taking care of the rest of me.

How backwards is that thinking?! Why didn't I care about my looks? Why did I not feel worthy enough to take care of?

The fat excuse is now gone for me. I'm no longer overweight. What's my excuse now? Well, you'll be happy hear that I've come up with a whole list of reasons to not worry about my beauty routine just yet:

"I'm too busy." Extensions of this include, "School is more important,""Work is too draining,""What am I supposed to do, wake up earlier???"

"I still have a couple of pounds that I would like to lose before I start worrying about makeup and hair."

"I have a boyfriend, and I rarely go out. What's the point of makeup?"

I could probably go on and on with more and more excuses.

The truth is, I want to be beautiful, and I'm sick of my excuses! And while I know that I am naturally beautiful, (as are ALL women!) without any makeup on and without my hair done, I still really have always wanted to have some knowledge of the beauty world, and to wear a decent amount of makeup at work.

I am ready to start a real beauty routine, and am looking for advice!!

Here are the facts about me:

1) I am very, VERY, pale.

2) I have extremely sensitive skin (probably should make this an extension of #1)

3) I have very fine, thinning hair (this is why my short haircut suits me so well)

4) I have a very limited budget (Cover Girl and Suave are my go-to brands)

5) I am not a morning person, therefore need a simple and quick daily routine


Here's what I am currently doing:


1) I've started to be religious about exfoliating and moisturizing my face and body. In the shower, I'll use a facial scrub cleanser (Clean & Clear morning scrub) and exfoliate my body with a loofah. After showering, I use both body lotion and facial lotion. Just adding this to my daily routine has made me feel fabulous! It feels good to do something so loving for my body, which I have treated so poorly in the past.

2) I have begun to use a foundation every day, on my face, after moisturizing. If I'm wearing contacts, I will do some eye shadow and mascara. With my glasses, I don't ever do eye makeup. I love how smooth my skin looks with foundation on! I would love to add some more items, like concealer, blush, powder, and lipstick!!! Or is that too ambitious for a newbie?

3) I have started to grow my nails out. I am usually a biter, gross I know! But now instead of biting, I file. Me, filing my nails! I am starting to think about painting my finger and toenails regularly.

Any tips for someone who is very much a newbie when it comes to beauty products?

Anyone reading this who is currently putting off a beauty routine until you get to a certain number on the scale, why don't you start feeling beautiful now? :-) I wish that I hadn't put this off for so long!

BTW, I'm not trying to say that all women need to wear makeup to feel or look beautiful! I'm simply saying that I would love to learn more about it, and to start putting more effort into my appearance. Just focus on me for a bit. Why not? I only get to be "Leah" for another 50-60 years, if I'm lucky!


4 comments:

Amanda said...

I haven't put off my beauty routine but I could use a new one. I don't know if its because I've lost all the natural tan to my face or what but I just feel so blah lately. I think I need a new brand of make-up or something. I know tanning is bad for our skin but I was thinking of getting a small package so I could get back a little color in my face/neck area.

I can't wait to hear what others have to say.

Leah: Not Otherwise Specified said...

Priscilla, I was so hoping that you would respond to this! I know that you are an expert in this field. I love reading your beauty blog. :-) THANKS for the tips, for real!

Amanda- check out Priscilla's blog if you want some great makeup tips. She is my beauty idol, LOL. And thanks for the comment, as always! :-)

Katie said...

Leah, I am the wrong person to ask about make-up, since my typical pre-office routine involves brushing my teeth and hair, hahaha.

But when I go out, I generally put on dark eyeliner (usually a dark brown) on my upper eyelid and then I smudge that with some pink/ beige-ish eyeshadow. Afterwards, I put on a bit of mascara and then some lip gloss. That's the extent of my routine. I personally don't put eyeliner on my lower lid, because it makes my eyes look smaller.

I also don't use foundation, but I do use moisturizer (nivea) before putting on make-up. It generally makes the make-up go on smoother.

I know this is off topic, but I'm SERIOUSLY jelaous of your abs!

Leah: Not Otherwise Specified said...

Katie- my WHAT?! I didn't think that I had abs. Well, I mean, I know that I have abdominal muscles somewhere in there, but I didn't think that they were visible. So thanks for that, I feel like a rockstar now! :-)