So tomorrow is August. August/September is typically the time when everyone goes back to school. No matter if you spent the summer hitting all your self care goals or if you barely hit one, school is coming for you.
So, how do you glo up in such a short amount of time? Let me tell you.
Even if you spent all summer eating brownies watching the bachelorette, there’s still time to at least feel good before school starts back. Here’s some quick fixes that could even help you drop a little weight before school starts.
-Drink your body weight in oz of water every day
-replace one meal a day with something healthy
-drink a meal replacement shake
This is where things could cost you a little money. I’m going to have two sections for this, inexpensive vs expensive makeover.
-Hair: Buy a one packet hair mask from Walmart/target/beauty supply, get your hair trimmed or even just a shampoo and style (many times this costs less than 20$), practice new styles
-Skincare: sheet masks are an inexpensive but effective form of skincare, use a hot washcloth to steam your face before cleansing, buy skincare from tj max/Marshall’s etc
-Body: shave wherever you like to shave and use a sugar scrub all over, you can buy cheap scrubs at Walmart or make your own with sugar and an oil of your choice, use lotion all over, put body butter or cocoa butter on the tougher parts of your body, ask for samples at lush they will give you at least enough for a spa day, buy a new scent from bath and body works or tj max/Marshall’s
-Nails: Buy a cheap nail kit from Walmart and some Epsom salts, grab a bucket or fill up your tub and poor the Epsom salts in, soak your feet then scrub them with a pedicure tool or your sugar scrub, put on lotion, apply nail polish carefully, for your hands use a bowl to soak your hands and push back your cuticles gently, scrub your hands and clean/trim your nails, then file them if needed and finally polish them and watch Netflix while you wait for them to dry
-Clothes: Thrift stores and sales honey. Try traveling to a bigger city to find the best thrift stores. Some places even price clothes by the pound there. After you get the clothes, wash thoroughly with hot water in your washer to sanitize. Also, scout sale ads. Make a fake email, sign up for every store ad out there and once a day or however often you choose, check the email and reap the rewards. Buy basic versatile pieces, and maybe one or two trend items to stay up to date if you care about that. Last tip: search for your nearest outlet mall!
-Makeup: drugstore makeup is perfectly okay girl. Sign up for ulta emails/rewards. It’s free and you get 20% off coupons all the time. Sometimes even for expensive brands. Ulta carries drugstore so I would shop there over places like target so you can rack up rewards and use their sale coupons. Make sure you have the basics for a good base. Look up “drugstore makeup routine” or “drugstore foundation routine” on YouTube, Sephora will give up to three free samples a day
-Hair: if you don’t have a favorite salon, google the best salon in your area and BOOK A CONSULTATION, do not just go in for an appointment unless you’re just doing a simple trim or root touch up. This will let you know what their pricing is and how things work in their salon. Ask who is best for your specific hair type or what you’re wanting. Many stylists have a specific thing that they’re amazing at. Make sure you get the most out of your experience. Some high end salons are worth it, some are just overpriced versions of regular salons. Check with people you know and see if they know about the salon. Read all the reviews.
-Skincare: get a facial at a nice day spa, get your skin assessed by a professional and get the recommended products
-Body: get waxed wherever you please at a good WAX ONLY salon, if the place you are going to is mainly nails or mainly hair the better the chance of them not following the same procedures and being as good as a primarily wax salon. Splurge on nice scrubs and lotions, also throw in a bottle of quality argan oil, it does wonders for your skin all over, buy a new scent (pro tip: buy the perfume sampler at Sephora and try out the perfumes before you purchase), African black soap is good for preventing in grown hairs and getting rid of body acne
-Nails: find the best nail salon near you and make sure you know pricing and exactly what you want ahead of time, don’t let them trick you. Look up nail shapes and styles on Pinterest and pick the one you think is best for you, ask your friends what they think. Pick out a color you know will look good on your skin tone. Speak up while you’re there! This is hard for me but make sure you’re telling them if something hurts or is uncomfortable or they’re not doing what you want. Because if you don’t then you’re paying for a bad experience which is just plain dumb. Also don’t worry about your feet being a little cracked or anything, they’ve probably dealt with much worse.
-Clothes: Make a gameplan for shopping day. I’ve done back to school shopping a million times and I know how it feels to walk into a crowded mall and not know where to start. At least pick your first store. Also, most people have a budget even if this is the “expensive” category so keep that budget in mind. If something you try on doesn’t wow you, maybe wait to buy it until after you’ve been to other stores. And make sure what you buy you’re going to wear. Yes that mini dress is cute but are you really going to walk all over campus in it? Probably not. It’ll probably end up living in your closet. On that note, make sure you clean out your closet and donate other pieces so those that need it can have them.
-Makeup: Make sure you stock up on the things that will complete your most basic look, buy quality items that will make your look the best. Watch favorites videos on YouTube or a tutorial of something you love and take note of the products they use.
-Buy supplies that you like, even if it’s cheap buy it in colors you don’t hate
-Make sure your planning system is set up and ready to go, with dates like when you start school, breaks/holidays, and birthdays already written in.
-Write down your goals for the year some place you can see them daily
-Take a social media break, detox and come back better than ever
-Make sure you don’t get too overwhelmed during this time, take some time to just relax. You don’t have to be doing something all the time. Just chill.
-Comparison kills joy. Don’t compare your glo up process or anything about yourself to another person. God made you, you. Don’t try to be someone else.
☀️Reminder: you’re beautiful just the way you are and you don’t need to do your nails or buy new clothes to be pretty. I like to think of this as just taking care of yourself and having fun becoming a new version of you. This won’t turn you into a naturally photoshopped Instagram model, but it will enhance your natural beauty and boost your confidence☀️
