Thursday Thirteen: Make Me A Girl

Growing up, I wasn’t the girly girl. I liked being a girl, because in the crowd of boys at the rodeo it made me different and they treated me special. Even cowboys as kids are a special breed. I didn’t get my Bachelorette of Style until I met a very fabulous man who taught me a lot about being female. There’s something funny about a man teaching a woman about being feminine. So today’s post is thirteen things is a tribute to him because I want to share thirteen beauty product, tips and tricks that I use – daily.

1. Don’t be shy about waxing, plucking or shaving it. If whatever your ‘it’ is has too much forestation, do something about it. You’ll feel better neatly groomed than if you try to hide or minimize your ‘it’. My it? My upper lip. I tip my waxing tech well.
2. Eyebrows make a statement. Hopefully yours says something positive. Some women are born with amazing eyebrows that need little to no grooming. I am not one of those people. I plucked for years and years, and finally got waxed and it’s one of two fashion up keeping costs I won’t give up.
3. Your skin is everywhere. Literally. Pick up after yourself. We’ve all had dandruff, or dry, flaky skin. I keep a roller on my desk at work for days like this.
4. Skin care. Following the above idea, taking care of my skin was something I didn’t do until I was in my 20’s. I didn’t know I should exfoliate or moisturize. Now it’s one of my routines. I exfoliate with an organics face scrub and I use day and night moisturizers and eye cream.
5. Something luxurious is a necessary. Some people love pedicures or manicures, maybe a massage. The salon I go to for my hair has a fantastic facial package. My face has never felt smoother, nor have I ever been so relaxed as when I splurged for what I thought would be a one-time facial.
6. Don’t limit your style. Everyone has a style, even if it’s only jeans and a t-shirt, you have a personal style.  But don’t stick to that. Just because you’re wearing a name tag that says My Name is Sidney doesn’t mean you’re limited to those letters. Pick something in a daring shade, a cut you aren’t 100% confident about or something that is or isn’t trendy. You’ll feel that special something else when you wear it.
7. Footwear shouldn’t be forced. Comfort is a big deal for me. If something isn’t comfortable for me I’m not going to wear it. I don’t care how fantastic the heel is or how wow the print, I won’t wear it. I love heels, they do wonderful things for my calves, but I won’t bleed to wear a heel.
8. Sometimes His really is better than Hers. I use men’s razors. I know that women’s razors are supposed to be specifically made for us, with a close shave – but the best shave I’ve ever had was from a men’s cheapie disposable razor.
9. Find your POP. Everyone’s style has a pop element. Be it blingy jewelry, a flower or jeweled head piece, or a body bag sized purse – there’s some funky twist that we all love. And it’s usually ‘you’ specific. For me, I like a lot of pop. My challenge is selecting the pop items.
10. Edit yourself. Hard on the heels of the ‘pop’, know when you have too much. We’ve all seen the teenager with a hundred bazillion necklaces, tons of belts, chunky shoes and clothes that scream at us. It’s too much of too many statements. Know what you want to say about yourself, and underline that with your clothes. Don’t scream it.
11. Artistry is subjective. I encourage everyone to go get their make-up done professionally once or twice. The first time you’re going to be so wide eyed and amazed at all the different products and all the stuff that will be put on your face. A second time you’ll be able to understand what’s going on. Another reason I suggest going more than once, you might not like the results the first time. Different people style different ways and playing with colors and combinations is allowed. Make-up is an art.
12. Take the whole picture into consideration. Have a good, full length mirror. You are your own worst critic, and being able to
    evaluate how you look, see how fantastic you are, that’s pretty important. I fail on this one. I really need a new mirror because mine is rather pitiful.
13.  Somedays, you need to let yourself go. This is a hard one for me to do. Make-up was my shield, it was a mask that made me feel
    able to handle being around people and feel confident. Don’t just let yourself be all natural on a day you’re at home, go out al natural sometimes, because you’re fabulous if you’re made up, and when you’re not.