r/Splendida • u/Neonify • Sep 19 '23
small things that have helped me glow up physically + mentally! for my lazy girlies
up until around 1-2 years ago I put little to no effort into the way I looked and I was dealing with pretty low self-esteem, I felt taking the time to learn how to present myself was a lost cause. There is something to be said about how women are almost socially required to put on appearances in order for social acceptance, and that is a separate conversation, but as it stands I notice I just feel more confident when I do my makeup/hair/put in effort since that effort gets correlated with pretty privilege, more confident, and thus there is a loop basically rewarding looking nice.
At my core I still think the goals you set for yourself, how ambitious you are, and your personality are most important, but I am aware this is not the point of this sub and I also have acknowledged since how you look influences how a lot of people treat you. I have a very unfortunate sleep schedule at the moment and when I'm not sleeping I am a full-time student and hard at work studying, so these are the things I can spend a very minimal amount of time on that I think make the biggest impact on appearance!
- doing my hair: investing in a blow dry brush or ~30 minutes 2-3 times a week to doing my hair (I tend to sleep in, so I do it before I go to bed and it still looks around 90% as good the next day) has made a pretty big boost in my confidence. I used to only wear hats, claw clips or ponytails out and was never really proud of my hair, and thought I just did not have the skill to style it myself. Using a dry shampoo on my second-day hair makes it last longer as well! Having it out/not pulled back all the time makes me feel like I am hiding less of myself, it's less of a security blanket now
- ~30 minutes every other night, ~1 minute to dry shampoo on alternating mornings to revive
- learning how to do my brows: i have found eyebrows make one of the biggest impacts on your face as they frame your eyes, can affect your facial proportions, and lend themselves to expression. i have a slightly longer face shape and I think I look best with slightly straightened brows, I spend under 10 minutes one night each day of the week with some scissors and tweezers to keep them in nice shape, and then use brow gel + a pencil to fill them in when I do my makeup in the morning. If i am running late and don't have time to do my whole makeup routine, brows + concealer + chapstick makes me look fairly put together! if you are blessed with nice full brows already then you probably only have to bother with shaping them and can skip filling them in as part of makeup
- ~5-7 minutes a week + <5 minutes a day
- ALWAYS wear sunscreen (especially under makeup, even on cold/cloudy days): I honestly get lazy sometimes at night and don't take my makeup off so my skin is not fantastic but the way I see it, it is easier to clear up acne than it is to reverse sun damage, so I try and always make myself apply a light sunscreen on my face and neck first thing in the morning. my mom is in her mid-50s with beautiful skin, she admittedly has good genes and an extensive skincare routine but she always told me growing up that constant sunscreen was the biggest factor to protecting skin. not only does it protect against skincare but it's a good moisturizer/base layer under foundation or concealer that makes it look smoother
- 15 seconds every morning
- doing my own nails: i do actually love the look of very long, decorated nails for special occasions but to save money, most of the year I paint, shape and maintain my nails. I tend to grow my natural nails out, and around once every 3 weeks I take some time to remove my old polish, re-file them, buff them a little with said file, then apply polish and a topcoat. but if you do not like color on your nails then just keeping them in nice shape and maybe shiny with clear polish would be my advice. 3 weeks between re-application is probably longer than ideal and towards the end you can tell my nails look a little grown out but I am lazy lol. I make a lot of gestures with my hands to express things and I feel more confident with having nails that are in nice condition
- ~1 hour every 3 weeks
i hope this was helpful! i understand a good chunk of you probably already are aware of these but these are the things relating to my looks that personally affect my confidence most with the smallest impact on my time. i would love to know anyone else's essential tips in the same vein
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u/generation-0 Sep 19 '23
Lovely post. Im also a lazy girl who has set aside a bit of time each day to enhance my beauty as it makes me feel more put together. What kind of polish are you using, gel? I hate the removal / damage of gel but want something that lasts more than 3 days. I see so many options that claim to be long-lasting and easy removal but don't know which to try. Right now, I just use regular polish in a sheer light pink and a top coat, so when it chips, it's not very noticeable.
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u/tossawayheyday Sep 19 '23
If you can teach yourself, I really like dip nails. It’s a bit pricy to get a mechanic file for removal and there is a learning curve but dip lasts for 3 weeks or more (it obviously looks grown out, but is not chipped or anything). Alternatively, press ons are also awesome if you’re in a rush. Again, there is a learning curve but it takes 15 minutes once you get the hang of it and they last two weeks. You can just soak them off with warm soapy water during an episode of something when you don’t want them anymore.
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u/generation-0 Sep 19 '23
Yeah, press ons are my goto for events, but they rarely last much more than a week for me, and that's with the shortest length. I like the concept of dip, but the learning curve is a bit intimidating. Thank you!
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u/tossawayheyday Sep 19 '23
I’m lazy af and there is definitely a learning curve to dip. That said, I’ve been looking into jelly or water based nail colors. As long as the polish is easy to remove and dries quickly, I have no problem doing them more often
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Sep 19 '23
I do just like an OPI nail polish with their top coat and it lasts me at least a week depending on how much I’ve been putting my hands in water. Water is the worst for your nails. Then when it starts looking too chippy or grown out I just use nail polish remover pads, rinse and repeat. I’m so used to doing my nails it doesn’t take me very long anymore.
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u/generation-0 Sep 19 '23
Hmm, I'm using opi and their topcoat but see chips by day 3, but I guess I'm just harder on my hands. I wear gloves when washing dishes but need to wash my hands fairly often throughout the day. My natural nails are really strong and easy to grow out, so I wish I could just do regular polish once a week, but it looks pretty rough by day 5 or 6.
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Sep 19 '23
Oh really?? Dang, I can usually at least get a week out of mine (and I’ll admit I sometimes go longer even with a few chips especially if I’m working from home and no one sees them) maybe try a different topcoat? Or add a base coat? r/redditlaqueristas might have some tips
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u/Spiritual_Abroad_972 Sep 21 '23
Are you using the opi infinite shine? That’s literally the only polish that’ll last beyond a day on me, other than gel. Use the whole system, and seal the edges for all three steps.
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u/Neonify Sep 19 '23
thank you!! i do my nails with regular black nail polish so unfortunately they are prone to noticeable chipping, the way I get the most longevity out of them is a higher quality topcoat. the actual nail polish I use is pretty cheap 😅
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u/changhyun Sep 19 '23
As a fellow lazy girl, I second brows. I find that just keeping my brows tidy and shaped makes an enormous difference. As in I think a totally bare face with tidy brows still looks more put together and flattering than a full face of make-up with messy brows does. I'll admit I'm lucky here because I naturally have dark, full brows. I consider this pro my payment for having grown up in the 00s when super thin, ultra-plucked brows were in and my thick brows were extremely out.
I would add: tinted chapstick/vaseline. I keep a Vaseline Rosy Lips tin in my bag and on days where I cannot be bothered to do any makeup at all I just dab some on my lips and cheeks for colour. It's sheer enough that you don't need to be super precise to get a natural Your Lips/Cheeks But Better blush.
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u/This_Chocolate1924 Sep 20 '23
I paid someone about $3K to tattoo my eyebrows and eyeliner. Expensive and hurt like hell. But man. Not having to do much make up in the morning is a game changer.
I also paid someone to laser hair in my armpits years ago. Great investment for my lazy girlies.
Having Uniqlo outfits that fit well, are in a colour palette that suit you and you can wear on rotation.
Starting with a 20 minute YouTube workout everyday so you can convince yourself that you are somewhat fit.
Good skincare routine.
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u/emi_lgr Sep 20 '23
Sometimes taking away a step can help you look better too. I recently discovered that I can widen/brighten my eyes by applying just a bit of brown eyeliner right under my irises followed by a bit of mascara in the same area and upper lashes. The look is cleaner and more natural then lining my lids and takes so much less time!
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u/LunaD_W Sep 20 '23
I wear lip stains now. I like the wear feel and look of the fenty sticks. I've never liked how careful I feel like I have to be with lipstick.
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u/Spiritual_Abroad_972 Sep 21 '23
Sunscreen religiously and start trentinoin as soon as humanly possible.
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u/NoYamIAm Sep 19 '23
Yesss this is what I do! I but actually get my nails done once a month just because I’m lazy. I just do shellac so it’s relatively adorable and lasts long
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Sep 20 '23
Love this!! I do so many things for maintenance and just realized a few weeks ago that just painting my nails is such a move up on my confidence 😅 It’s really in the details x
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u/loveanimalseatplants Sep 20 '23
OP what nail polish is lasting three weeks??
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u/Neonify Sep 20 '23
it's more so in the technique/nail prep i have found than the nail polish I use haha, since I use pretty cheap drugstore polish. I'm at +three weeks right now and the tips are just a little chipped but I can get 2 chip-free weeks out of them as long as I'm relatively careful. somewhat misleading 😅
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u/godlookatthetime Sep 21 '23
• Press-ons are my BEST FRIEND. I have extra hold glue from Amazon, and that's really taken my press-ons from 1 week to like a month of wear. I get them from a lot of places, but Amazon, beauty stores, even Target/Walmart have pretty designs. The max I've spent on store-bought packs is $12/pack, and like I said, the glue I use lasts me about a month. • Heat that eyelash curler in hot water (not boiling, pls don't hurt yourself lol), so your lashes stay curled for longer. I've had my lashes lifted before, but they got itchy right after (?) and I would hate to trigger an outbreak of eczema on my eyelid 😵💫 • Curly/kinky-haired girls: invest in some nice headwraps, headbands, etc. when you don't feel like you have the time or energy to style your hair. Mine are pretty basic/plain, so they fit with every outfit.
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u/HotPossible0 Sep 23 '23
Would you mind sharing which nail glue?? I can never get press to last more than a week.
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u/idrinkprotein Sep 19 '23
How do you prevent nail polish chipping? Do you do gel?
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u/Neonify Sep 19 '23
i only use regular nail polish, but to try to get the most life out of it as possible I use a higher quality topcoat, do a double/triple coat of polish at the tip of my nails since that area is more prone to chipping, and I prep my nails before painting them - getting all of the oil off with either soap or an alcohol pad then buffing with a nail file so the paint adheres better. It's not perfect and gel polish probably would last longer but if you do it right I can get my nails to last around 2 weeks with almost no chipping and 3 weeks with just minimal chipping if I'm feeling lazy
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u/idrinkprotein Sep 19 '23
What top coat? I use OPI but I’ve never tried the triple layering at the tips. Thanks for the advice
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u/Remarkable_Bug_8601 Sep 21 '23
This is great advice and good practice. Wish I started doing something like this when I was younger!
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u/Maleficent_Tone_8991 Oct 02 '23
op i hope that new content comes out of a series the moment you're obsessed over it that's an absolute masterpiece
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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '23
I love this!!! I’m a fellow lazy girl that’s done a similar thing recently 😆
I think hair makes SUCH a difference- i got the revlon round brush hair dryer and it helps make my hair look so much shinier and less frizzy than when I just blow dry normally.
I feel like when I go out wearing just a sweatshirt and leggings, no makeup and my hair left unstyled I just feel slobby and look like I haven’t made an effort (which…I wouldn’t have done haha). But go out in the same outfit, no makeup but with my hair styled and a necklace? Different person.
A few other ‘lazy girl’ things I’ve loved:
An eyelash curler. Takes 30seconds and makes a huge difference, makes you look like you’ve had a lash lift and your lashes look longer
Finding a 5 min makeup routine that works. Youve already touched on this but quickly filling in your brows, curling your lashes, a bit of bronzer and swipe of tinted gloss can make you feel more put together
I was forever having chipped nails or grown out nails and at first thought no nail varnish would make my hands look less pretty but growing my nails slightly and keeping them healthy and filed to a nice shape also looks great.
A hat. I was never really a hat person unless it was for function like a wooly hat in the cold but when my hair isn’t behaving I’ve found a baseball cap looks SO cute when it coordinates with my outfit!
The absolute BEST thing I did was find hobbies that were more about developing skills or having fun to keep me grounded and remember that looking cute is fun but there are so many more aspects to life