Beauty Routines Empower You to Be at Your Best

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I have to admit, since I work from home, it’s easy to be lazy with my beauty routines, and overall being lazy about taking care of myself. Ok, let’s be totally honest here, I “let it go,” but luckily realized what a disservice I was doing to myself. I gained a good 20 pounds (actually more, but I will never admit it), I let my hair grow long, and I stopped using many beauty products that I used on regular basis before. I got nails done only if I was on a tropical island and went to a spa there. I wanted to think of myself “low maintenance.” Part of this low maintenance was that I started using more natural beauty products, and for example started making my own body scrubs. (Part of making my own soaps and beauty products was also that I simply sometimes forgot to buy them, and ahem, I was kind of just used to using the hotel shampoos and soaps I carried home from travels.) It was also difficult to find some of the products, which I was used to using in the USA while living in Sweden, where we lived the past three years. Like I used the St. Ives Fresh Apricot Scrub for years, but just couldn’t find it from Sweden. I’ve always liked their paraben free products, which are made with 100% natural ingredients. It’s great to be back in the US, and find the St. Ives Fresh Apricot Scrub from my local grocery store again.

I think it was on one of the work trips when I realized, I needed to change things… I was in my travel destination, going out for dinner the first night, and looked at myself in the hotel mirror. My blonde roots were showing, I looked pale with dark circles under my eyes, and I hadn’t shaved anything for a few months, and thus the short dress I was going to wear for the night, was simply just out of the question. It was, again, time to hide under the long maxi-skirts. I realized it was time to get myself back. Most people when they decide it’s time to feel more empowered and better about their looks, they do a makeover. Maybe a new haircut, perhaps a new wardrobe, you know what I am talking about. What I realized that the “makeover” would only last for a while, and then the makeover turns into the new “same old.” What you really need to feel that you are in charge of how you look, and more importantly how you feel about it, are several changes in your daily beauty and healthy lifestyle routines.

It takes a few weeks to break a habit, and it also take a few weeks to form new routines. And that’s what it really was for me. Making a lot of small changes, one step at the time. I realize now how those small changes I’ve made have impacted in how I feel about myself. It’s really beyond the “looks.” I lost a lot of weight. I colored my hair again. I even got my skin in better shape with redoing my beauty routine on the mornings and evenings. Enter the current day, and now I am back being the best me I can. My beauty routine is still easy to manage, but now instead of making those “mini-makeovers” when I feel like I have hit the disaster zone, I am keeping up with shaving, nails, hair and all of it. I thought I felt empowered when I was not doing any of this, and got to be “just me,” but now I feel better when I take care of myself with my daily beauty routines.

Feeling at your best inside and out really makes a big difference for your confidence. I have been speaking in a few conferences this spring, I was just in Spain, where I spoke at the TBEX conference as a keynote speaker. I have been talking with some of the fellow female speakers lately how the rock it on the stage, and also like how the TED-speaker Amy Cuddy who believes in power-posing before speaking. However, I heard many heard many different things from my fellow speaker ladies… like one of my friends said she always wants to dress in something colorful, one said she needs her red lipstick to feel good. I said, I need my high heels, shorter skirt, and perfectly shaved legs to feel empowered! I hadn’t quite realized how much disservice I had been doing to myself just simply getting used to hiding my legs under the maxi-skirts!

Rocking your legs is not as difficult as you think of. I do squats in the bathroom as part of my morning routine, and I use Schick shaver to keep them their best. I skip the shaving cream and use body wash, like the St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter for shaving.

Your turn to Rock Your Legs! Check out this beauty product offer available at the Ahold stores: Buy any Schick women’s razor, disposable or refill + St. Ives Skin care, Get FREE St. Ives Body Wash with it!