Monday, May 05, 2008

I Feel Like a Woman

There have always been many things I wanted to learn more about or skills I wanted to acquire but there never seemed the time or, more importantly, the motivation to see these things out. It's only been while planning my wedding and preparing for my new role as a married woman that I have made the effort to learn.

Take putting on makeup for example. My usual routine (if I bothered at all) was to put on blush, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, and pressed powder. However, I never bothered to learn the proper techniques for applying the make-up. I would just use the little brushes that came in the packages and just figure it out on my own. When I was getting ready for my engagement photos I wanted to be able to do my own makeup (and have some new stuff that wasn't so old it made me break out every time I put it on!). For Hanukah JF had bought me blush and eyeshadow brushes from MAC and had given me the card of the manager at the Bloomingdale's counter so I could make an appointment to learn proper application techniques. Three months later when I felt I had a reason to I took this step and realized how little I knew before. For example, if I was putting on 2 colors of eyeshadow I would put one on my eyelid and the other over it on my brow. I learned you're actually supposed to put them side by side; one by inner corner of your eye and one by the outer corner. This was a huge revelation to me and I feel much more confident now when I apply my makeup and have gotten many compliments.



My hair has always been another sore spot. I have naturally curly brown hair that falls a bit below shoulder length when dry. My normal routine was to wash it every day with shampoo and conditioner, towel it try, apply a couple types of styling products starting at the crown of my head and using a pick to comb it through my hair. Most days I would start off with very flat hair on top and by the end of the day my hair had majorly poofed out. Ponytail bands and clips were my friends. My sister encouraged me to go a salon where there was a certified curl technician who could give me a good cut and show me the best way to style my hair. I went to The Beehive in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and received the best hair cutting experience of my life. Now I use shampoo occasionally, condition every day, and apply hair products with my fingers while still in the shower starting at the tips and ending with the roots before dabbing my hair dry with an old t-shirt (apparently not as drying as using a towel).

There are many other physical examples of changes I have undertaken such as trying to accessorize every day with interesting jewelry, wear skirts more often, and even heels on occasion. These may seem like small superficial things but they have made a big difference in my self-confidence. I feel it is worth it to try to look good as compared to before when I would roll out of bed 20 minutes before it was time to leave for work, throw on a pilling sweater and pair of oversized pants complimented by scuffed flats, and rush out the door forgoing makeup or jewelry.

It's amazing what a little mascara & lipstick can do!

2 comments:

NH Knitting Mama said...

Would love to see some before and after pics!

Alyssa said...

I think you always look beautiful but a little makeup can rev things up from pretty to sexy!

Go Woman! Go!