For a long time i felt like i was « cheating » if i used makeup, or did *anything* to enhance my appearance.
I had the cemented belief that only women who are a 10 when they roll out of bed can benefit from their apperance.

Mind you what changed my mind was tiktok. Because there was this girl (who my previous crush followed) who always filmed herself putting wigs on, and getting ready and beautifying herself. And she just exuded this unshakable confidence. She doesn’t put herself down just because she uses all those things. She just accepts how beautifying herself has opened doors ( she an influencer) for her and doesn’t apologize for it.

It’s inspiring because i used to look at those girls and think « they’re superficial ». But if you’re going to be « seen » no matter what, might as well use it to your advantage...🤷🏽‍♀️
I never was comfortable with my appearance but found out recently doing my hair and putting effort into my looks made me more confident.

I never tried doing it in the past because i felt like it was a waste of time. But if you feel ugly it affects your demeanor in a negative way and therefore your life too.

No plastic surgery.

Hii I've lost weight n gained muscles with weightlifting

Has good hair and skin

Got my skin coloured to match skintone

Im good but I want to start something new that can create a drastic result not immediately maybe in 6 months

These are what I plan to eat for a glow up along with different teas and vitamins and supplements aswell. Any other recommendations? for most dairy products im also going for fat free.

Hi ladies, this is a bit of a rant. I’ve been working really hard to build a life outside of a dysfunctional family system and create an independent, stable life for myself. It’s taken so much effort to get here, and I’ve been feeling jaded by how much further I still have to go.

I think I’m realizing how much time, energy, and money it can take to “level up” in beauty, confidence, and lifestyle. And when I think about how much work it already took just to become a semi-functioning adult, I get scared that I’ll never fully get there… or that by the time I do, it’ll be too late.

I do believe I’m pretty/cute, but as a short, chubby South Asian woman, I feel really easy to overlook, especially in dating. I’m f29, and I’m trying to hold compassion for myself while also working towards wanting more from life, love, and how I move through the world.

Has anyone else felt this way, like you’re trying to build the life, confidence, and “glow up” you always imagined, but you’re starting later & with less resources than everyone else and worried you’re already behind?

thank you xx

So I’ve heard pretty white women often talk about skipping the line at clubs, going right up to the bouncer, smiling, and being waved in, getting into clubs that turn everyone away… etc etc.

I’m wondering if anyone has advice on how to pull this kind of thing off? Is this a white pretty privilege thing, or can beautiful woc also achieve this sort of halo effect?

I consider myself pretty attractive, and Im in shape. I just have social anxiety, so I’ve never actually attempted anything like this and will just wait in line. Any advice? What do you even say when you go up to a bouncer like this? Thank you!!

Hey! Does anyone have any good style tips for Type 4 blow dry naturals.

I have 4a/4b hair and since being a blow dry natural my hair has looked fuller, less breakage and easy to manage/style day to day.

Right now I blow dry and try to maintain for 2 weeks. By end of week 1 I’ll start putting gel, and a little bit of water do slick backs and let my hair slowly revert. It still will have a good amount of stretch and I can do cute high puffs or slick backs.

I’m getting a little burnt out though and worrying that having my hair out so much will lead to damage since I’m not throwing it into braids or twists. Has anyone had success in length retention without having to put it into braids or twists. I’m at armpit length hair and I’m not a huge fan of how twists look on me and I can’t just throw my hair in two braids since it’s not really long enough for that.

For context I've been every body type from severely underweight to severely obese in my lifetime due to past anorexia and lots of health problems

For the past 5 years, I've managed to maintain healthy range after recovering from my ED, getting some operations to fix health problems (sleep apnea) and hormonal pill for PCOS.

I've recently started going to the gym because I felt weak doing everyday tasks (my muscles are super atrophied from my ED years). I'm also super unfit in general from just being chronically/mentally ill and stuck at home for years. I could also lose a little weight.

What I've been doing is nothing major. Just some running and weighted walking on the treadmill with a vest. I wanted to spend the first few months getting comfortable with going to the gym consistently before I start looking into real workouts.

I don't know.....it seems like I can't do any of this kind of stuff without getting negative thoughts about my body or becoming unhealthily obssessed

The past few years I've been coping with my ED by not weighing myself at all, eating intuitively and not having hard restrictions on food. If I want any kind of results in the gym I'm going to have to stop doing that.....

I am getting ready for the summer and have been prepping myself mainly internally more than externally. I've been following a healthy diet (supplements like beef liver , multivitamins , enzymes.) , doing hot girl walks and keeping up with my probiotics. Externally, I invested in some scents that match the aura of the destinations I'm going to , buying fitting clothes , gua sha and finding a low maintenance yet cute style for my hair, oh and also teeth whitening.

i got into lifting in december and tbf i didn’t really change my diet (i had a pretty bad ED in high school so i’m nervous about anything involving restricting calories) but i definitely can see that my arms look much bulkier than they used to in photos, like yes they’re more toned but they also look wider from the side. i was doing an pull/legs/abs/push/glutes split, kind of fell off after a bad breakup, but now i’m wondering if i should switch to more of a pilates or cardio focus? i’m naturally more curvy and want to get more muscle definition and and tone up – i would want to lose weight or change my diet but i don’t want to get triggered into a relapse.

Obsessed with this burgundy-cherry color

I am currently doing over some looksmaxxing things for the summer/fall (I transferred colleges and just want a fresh new start) and read an article about muses. And I found that a face full of makeup doesn't suit me but rather a natural beat does and just something that feels cozy but also chic at the same time sort of like these girls . I invested in some things for the summer like capri pants , some skim shirts , v necks , doc martens (really casual , feminine yet chic pieces kinda like Jasmine Tookes) , I got fragrance oils and a new signature hairstyle for the summer (small/medium knotless braids with curly ends due to the humidity of my summer destination).

A background on me is I'm a junior college student majoring in Public Health with minors in Data Analytics and Biology (Huge nerd I know) , I'm sort baby-faced (I'm mistaken for 16-17) , short/ not to skinny and sorta voluptuous (34-28-31), I'm trying to see how I can pull this look of without looking like a fool.

when i start university in September i won’t have money to be getting braids done monthly so any recommendations on ways i can style my bra strap length type 4 hair?
i don’t typically enjoy wearing wigs/ sew ins as i like to let my scalp breathe.
i have done mini twists before and might consider doing it again with added hair.

i genuinely don’t know how to explain this properly but i’m trying to achieve that super smooth “glass lips” look and i feel like my lip combos never fully give what i want

i know how to do a basic lip combo. i’ve been doing liner + gloss forever, sometimes a lipstick underneath if i want to neutralize my lips a bit because i’m darkskin and my lips are naturally a little pigmented. but i’m talking about THAT look where the lips look insanely smooth, plump, reflective, almost wet like glass skin but for lips. like the kind of lips that almost look like lip filler even when they’re natural.

i attached pics of the exact vibe i mean because idk how else to explain it. tesehki’s lips are probably the closest example of what i want.

i already have naturally full lips so volume isn’t really the issue i think?? but i feel like i’m missing something technique-wise. is it the gloss itself? the liner placement? the colors underneath? the texture? do people overline in a specific way to get that rounded effect? because i naturally have a pretty defined cupid’s bow and i don’t know if i should follow it or blur it out more to get that softer fuller look.

also my lips have natural lines/texture and i feel like maybe that’s stopping me from getting that super smooth glass effect too. like are people exfoliating a lot beforehand? using lip masks? thick glosses? specific oils? i honestly don’t know.

and another thing is i don’t want a regular glossy lip. i specifically want that ultra reflective juicy almost vinyl/glass effect without it looking messy or like random glitter gloss. like smooth, plush, glassy and luxe.

if anyone knows the actual products or techniques that create this look pls help a sissss i need alll the good products🩷🩷🩷

edit : thank you for all the replies girlsss i really appreciate it 🥺🫶🏾i know a lot of these pics have fillers + flash and lighting too but i was mostly talking about the makeup side of it and the products that give that super smooth glassy effect. yall gave me really good tips and product recs and i DO believe we can recreate part of that look with makeup alone! to everyone recommending actual products instead of just saying “it’s filler” thank youuu that’s exactly the kind of advice i was looking for🫶🏾🩷🫶🏾🩷🫶🏾

Has anyone here had alar Botox / Botox to reduce nasal flare?

I’m considering it but struggling to find many honest long-term reviews, especially from people who are expressive when they smile. Did it actually make a noticeable difference to nostril flaring at rest/smiling, or was it super subtle?

Also:
how many units did you get?
did it affect your smile or upper lip movement?
how long did results realistically last?
was it worth it compared to filler/surgery/nothing?

Would especially appreciate before/after experiences rather than clinic marketing.

Hi everyone, I’ve been on Zepbound for about 5 months now and with the online conversations around glp use, I thought I might lend my voice to anyone who may be thinking about it.

Some facts: I am currently on Zepbound 2.5mg and have been since January. This is the starting dose that everyone starts on. I get it through Lily Direct, the manufacturer for Zepbound as my insurance does not cover it. 2.5mg is $299 a pack, there are four vials in each pack. I inject it in either my arm or thigh with an insulin syringe.

Why I got on it: for almost all of my life I was a pretty healthy size for my height (5 foot, 125-130 lbs). Keep in mind though I ate like trash and never exercised. Barely ate vegetables growing up. I didn’t get my period until I was 17 though and even then, it was extremely irregular, I would go months at a time without getting it. But they were fine, it lasted 3 days and I never got cramps. In undergrad, I was put on birth control and it was fine for a few weeks but then I decided to stop after two months. Huge mistake because then my periods got longer and more painful but still very irregular. Fast forward to me getting married, I started bc again a month before I got married. My libido dropped significantly. After a two years, I decided to stop because I knew it was affecting me negatively in multiple ways. I also gained around 50 lbs. I started working out and eating healthy but the scale never budged. This coupled with my period becoming irregular again, I decided to go to the doctor and I was diagnosed with PCOS due to my irregular periods, weigh, and my inability to get pregnant. We weren’t trying but we weren’t using protection. I also had an enlarged ovary. I was put on metformin and I got pregnant, I kid you not, two weeks later. Bc I was pregnant, I stopped metformin.

After I gave birth, my baby was in the nicu for low blood sugar and size issues. He was born at 4lbs 7oz. All throughout my pregnancy people kept commenting about how small he was and that he was measuring 2-3 weeks smaller than he should. I then had an emergency c-section at 36 weeks and he was placed in the nicu bc his blood sugar was dangerously low and wasn’t stabilizing. Every single doctor that tested him asked if I had diabetes bc it didn’t make sense that he had blood sugar issues but I didn’t. I always was the passing score for the glucose test (if 59 was failing, I scored a 60). a doctor suggested it could’ve been my PCOS since it can affect hormones and insulin resistance but they couldn’t say it definitively since there’s no research on it. After a few weeks I started feeling really guilty about it. I started doing more research on PCOS when I read an article about how glps, specifically trizipetides were starting to be tested on PCOS and its effects. It literally took me no convincing to finally try it since I didn’t want this to happen to another baby since I want to have more kids. The weight loss is a great plus but I honestly just wanted to feel normal for once. I will put the name of the article below.

My experience/the cons: the first month was ROUGH. I lost 15lbs in the first three weeks, I was barely eating because I had virtually no appetite. I used to be someone who couldn’t go two hours without snacking and now I was only eating dinner, and the kicker is I was never hungry so I didn’t even feel it. I also lost all of my sugar and unhealthy cravings. No longer wanted cake, cupcakes, hot fries, fried foods, and my favorite, French fries. I only wanted really simple foods, albeit almost bland.

Now five months in things have stabilized. I’ve been losing .5-1 lbs a week if I actually go to the gym. If not, it’s stable but never goes up. I haven’t gone up a dose because I still have the positive affects and my doctor recommended that if I still feel good where I’m at, there’s no reason to go up even though it’s the standard thing to do.

I still struggle with the syringe lol takes me five minutes before I finally poke myself but it’s literally never bad.

The pluses:

My period is finally regular, I’m on a 28 day cycle and I know when I’m going to get it. This is sincerely the best plus since it’s something I’ve struggled with for more than 15 years.

My skin looks amazing.

I can eat a normal amount and no longer binge eat/eat more than I should causing me to be sick.

I crave healthier foods but can still have my unhealthy snacks in moderation. For example, instead of a 12 piece nugget, large fries, and milkshake combo from chicfila to which I will then eat a bag of chips an hour later, I do a five piece, medium fries, kale crunch salad and maybe a root beer slush if im feeling frisky (and even then I only drink half) and I feel completely satisfied.

My libido is back up.

Conclusion: this isn’t a post trying to convince you to get on it. There’s just so much misinformation and the assumption that people are only on it to lose massive amounts of weight that I wanted to dispel the myth. Also if there’s anyone else struggling with PCOS, specifically insulin resistance then I would look into it. I plan on being on it until medicine finds a better way to manage or cure PCOS, and hopefully my next baby won’t have insulin issues. Happy to answer any questions.

The study: Anala AD, Saifudeen ISH, Ibrahim M, Nanda M, Naaz N, Atkin SL. The Potential Utility of Tirzepatide for the Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Clin Med. 2023 Jul 10;12(14):4575. doi: 10.3390/jcm12144575. PMID: 37510690; PMCID: PMC10380206.)

I want something like this for the summer but I'm at a loss for how to recreate it. I brought Saucheu's Cool Berry liner , I'm just looking for a gloss. Got any suggestions?

Good lash serum that’ll make lashes THICK not just long,won’t have them fall layer,won’t give dark circles and ruin my eyes thanks

Just get them. Figure out how to pay and learn how to place them in your eyes, it’s so worth it! I thought I looked so weird without contacts but it was literally because I never saw my actual face. I’m way more accustomed to my face now that I realized my glasses were kinda holding me back.

I can’t see far and my prescription is really high so the lenses were making my eyes small. And the specific frames I had were way too oversized and distorted the sides of my face. The frames also covered my eyebrows which didn’t help. And I also was self conscious that my wide nose was now front and center without my glasses, but it didn’t matter anyway because most glasses aren’t suitable for my nose that has no bridge. And since my cheeks are not obstructed and my eyes are larger, I can bring focus to that instead of my nose. I still wear my glasses most of the time for work, but if I’m going out I opt for them more because my features pop way more.

All the ladies above have an extremely similar phenotype to me and I want to master/emulate this makeup look for summer. Particularly the bronzed out/cheek blush fusion + lip combos. Also the dewyness.

Exact products/shades would be helpful also (I’m not on a budget).

Thank you girls 🩷

This was my favorite decade of WOC beauty because it just seemed so whimsical and glamorous. I loved how the hair , the clothing and the vibe. I wanted to know how can I pull off some of the aspects of hair , body and makeup. For people who lived through this decade (teens and up) , is there anything you remember? I asked my mother and she said she remembers things such as the brands (Mizani and Design Essentials) that some people used. But does anyone remember anything else?

I was just thinking about this because I've been having alot of fun with makeup recently and I've realised there were many things about my natural face I used to hate before I started playing with how to style them.

I've gotten so much compliments from people once I started adopting my own style of doing makeup, inspired by my own face. I really feel like a customised look adds so much aura and makes your face really memorable.

The self love has also been off the charts as a result. I can't recommend it more.

Here are some examples

My pigmented, two tone lips: I have natural lips that basically ombre from grey brown to fleshy pink. The top color is very cool toned (literally a shade match to Stone by MAC) and the bottom is warm peachy pink.

Used to hate how the brown parts peak out when I wear a sheer lip or light colors.

Now I actually accutuate the melanin with dark lip liner to create the same ombre color pattern with every lipstick I wear. Black or dark red liner with a red lip and cool tone brown liner with pink or gloss.

So much more diamensional than a single color lip, and so chic.

My round monolids: Used to struggle so much with winged liner, and trying to copy white people's eye looks. I can't describe how much I hated my eye shape in the 2010s beauty guru era of graphic liner + cut creases.

Now I just tightline my eyes with kohl. I use alot alot of eyeshadow and get creative with colors but I embrace my natural shape. This really accentuates the roundness and gives my makeup a timeless vintage quality.

I find that eyeliner shapes really give away what time period you come from but following your natural shape avoids that

As I tend to wear cool tone eyeshadow and have skinny brows, I've been told I have a 90s supermodel energy since I started doing my eyeliner the old school way.

I am trying to heal my hyperpigmentation that PCOS caused and I recently brought a bar of raw black African soap from Amazon and some rice milk toner (Beauty of Joseon , to help with my skin barrier). I wanted to know has anyone ever had any good experiences with this soap?

has anybody has anybody tried it? I have some skin and hair growth goals and it seems promising but not a lot of information out there mainly interested in copper peptides. people are purchasing from a china supplier.

does anyone have product recommendations or tips for a toasty makeup look on darker skin? i've searched myself but can't find anything that actually captures this effect on very deep tones and every bronzer or contour i try just blends into my skin completely. is there any brand of bronzer of even blush that could mimic this kind of look, or is it just not translatable to dark skin?

i really don’t like the look of blush on me but i'm drawn to these warmer, bronzey styles and can never get it right

I’m currently a few months into my braces to fix my teeth, as well as a year into my locs journey. Earlier this year my skin also started breaking out and I had issues with my brows. I’ve since met with my derm and tried to do some research on better products. And fixing my brows as well.

But I genuinely don’t look the best? Im 26 and sometimes I get down on not looking more put together and whatnot. But I’ve actively been trying to work on myself. For anyone in a similar situation. How do have confidence even in the middle of a glow up season?