I just finished a book called Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro. I have some complaints about the plot, but I loved the main thread; the main character starts out completely not caring about all aspects of her appearance. She buys a book that covers ways to be elegant. She starts applying changes and sees huge differences.
A very common and easy take is that carrying about your appearance is vain. And to a degree I agree; if left and right all you care about is your looks that’s too much. However I do think we tell ourselves we’re busy enough, we then don’t want to spend time on our appearance. The way you present yourself does represent a lot about you and it’s worthwhile to devote a few minutes on your look. Definitely putting some thought into the clothes and accessories helps you look polished even if you feel all over the place. In that vein I’m all about shortcuts that help you look pulled together:
- Lash Lift and Tint: this is a more expensive and a time commitment, but WHAT a huge impact! I love wearing at least some makeup, normally at least mascara and some lip color. I recently tried this and absolutely will be continuing to do this. The process takes like an hour; it doesn’t hurt, but you do have to keep your eyes shut the whole time, and because the technician is working around your eyes if you’re more sensitive it can at times be uncomfortable. This lasts 6-8 weeks, and organically you notice it wearing off in the last few weeks. This MAJORLY cut back on the amount of makeup I needed to be satisfied with my look. Normally to look “done” enough I apply shadow, liner, mascara; the whole shebang. After a lash lift and tint I just did a touch of shadow and barely some liner. I cannot recommend this enough.
- Color Street Nail Strips: I’ve talked about these before. Same with doing a gel manicure; go with something that instantly is dry and is more durable to last longer. Painted nails is an easy way to be more polished.
What are your shortcuts to looking polished?
