It’s the dawn of a new zodiac year. We’re shifting from winter to spring, from dreamy Piscean fantasies to bold and dynamic Aries realizations. And with the start of this new year and season, it’s time to allow ourselves to be reborn into our new skin.
Winter is often a time of hibernation and retreating. So when the number of social engagements on your calendar start to rise with the temperature, it can be jarring. Am I supposed to emerge from my hibernation cave as a perfectly ethereal spring fairy?
Make-up and accessories inspired by ethereal, fairycore spring aesthetic.
Understandably, you may not be feeling like you’re at your #hotgirlsummer best. Let’s get one thing straight: you are always at your #hotgirlsummer best.
But I’m a firm believer that inner beauty and confidence always shines through. So if you’re not feeling like your best, your glow will be dimmed and it’ll show. So let’s establish that you are beautiful any time of the year, but sometimes, you need a bigger reminder of that.
It can be helpful to start by looking at photos of yourself from last summer and comparing them to now, you might see a difference and wonder, “What happened?”
How did that girl turn into this girl? And I’m happy to tell you that you can probably link the root source of your “uglies”— aka confidence dampeners— to one of three things and we can address them easily.
Coloring
Depending on your natural tones, your skin may likely be tanner during the summer and a golden glow will give a perception of youthfulness and vibrancy. And if you have hair that is prone to photobleaching, or lightening under the sun, it may also have some golden tones that lend to the sunkissed effect.
Without this summer tan, your undertones may come through which can mean you might be looking particularly green, ruddy, or sallow this time of year, depending on whether you have olive, pink, or yellow undertones, respectively.
An amazingly quick and low-effort fix for this is self-tanner or employing more bronzing into your makeup routine. My favorite is the Tanologist Face Drops (I use the shade "Dark"), which can be mixed with your usual facial moisturizer. It’s a clear formula so there’s no staining, it’s been gentle enough for sensitive skin, and the color develops gradually so it’s a super gentle transition. And the best part is that it’s not an orange undertone so it actually provides a natural-looking warmth to the skin.
If you’re not ready to commit to a self-tanner, then you can warm up the face with bronzer in your makeup routine. Note: I said bronzer, not contour. Contouring products have a cooler, greyer undertone and using contour instead of bronzer can actually make your face look more sunken and hollow. So be on the lookout for warm-toned products that will mimic the appearance of the sun hitting your skin. Rare Beauty’s bronzer sticks are easy to blend and the cream formula looks more skin-like (I wear the shade 'Happy Sol'). NARS’ Laguna bronzer is iconic and offers subtle shimmer to double down on the glow.
Freshness
Has it been a while since you’ve gotten a trim? Are you feeling like you’re in a rut with your routine? Product plateau is also a real thing so it may be time to switch things up to refresh your beauty routine and to garner new results.
Winter dryness can wreak havoc on your hair and skin. The cold, dry air can make hair prone to breakage or frizz and generally, hair needs a trim every six weeks or so to prevent split ends and make it look fuller and grow healthily. Your skin could be in need of a decongesting facial or you can start to incorporate ingredients such as lactic acid, vitamin C, or retinol to boost radiance.
If your aim is to be at #hotgirlsummer peak during summer, this is the time to prep your skin and hair since it can take them the length of their full growth cycles (an average of about 6 weeks) to show results in time for summer.
If you’re looking for something more radical, try a brand new haircut or even brow shape. After not touching my brows for nearly four years and some research, I’ve been interested in looking at brow shapes that require shaving off bits of the tail for a more lifted effect (Disclaimer: please consult a professional before doing anything semi-permanent to your brows. Let anyone who overplucked in the 90’s warn you.)
Moisture
We’ve touched on this as we talked about freshness, but hydration and moisture will make the biggest difference to your appearance. Because of the winter cold, we’re not reaching for our emotional water bottles as often and the cold or heart systems can suck moisture from us.
Water aka hydration is what’s going to plump your skin, add life back to your complexion, and make you look healthy.
Moisture is how we can lock in and trap that water content. Especially if you’re already prone to being dry, you need this locking step so all of your hard work doesn’t go to waste with your body’s natural proclivity to water loss. My best tips are to apply lotions or creams while your skin is still a bit damp from the shower. Pat your skin dry as rubbing it can be rough and patting can press water into your skin. Then, pat lotion into the skin. If you want to go the extra mile, layer body oil on top as well. Oil and water don’t mix so the oil will ensure that water is not escaping and it tends to leave a Fenty-level glow. I love to use body oils from local small businesses. My all-time favorite is the Houss Freya Goddess Power Body Oil. It doesn’t feel greasy or slippery because it sinks in well and the fragrance always brings me compliments— truly, it’s a goddess experience.
There you go— now you have the arsenal you need to battle the winter uglies. Your appearances are meant to change over time and your routines should evolve with them. It doesn’t mean that you’re losing yourself or any part of you, just that you’re going with the flow of life. Allow yourself to be reborn and kudos to your new era of beauty.
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