3 Ideas for Feeling Pretty When You Just Don't

I was given free product in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are my own.

You know those days when you look in the mirror and your first reaction is "Eeewwww"? Yeah, one of those. We all have them, I think. And even though we really shouldn't be dwelling on those thoughts, and even though we really are beautiful just the way we are, it still stinks to have those feelings. Sometimes it is just nice to feel pretty, to feel vibrant, and to feel free from self-consciousness.

First of all, our beauty comes from Christ. We are made in the image of God, He loves us, and when he created us, he liked what he saw. The creator of the entire universe was pleased when he sculpted us. So, if God sees our value, and God sees our beauty, it really can't get any better than that. We should be completely pleased with that truth.

However, I fully acknowledge that we can take care of ourselves at different levels, we can have good days and bad days, and sometimes, a girl just wants to enhance the way she looks and feels. And I completely resonate with that.

It's not about fixing something that's wrong with us, and it's not about making ourselves acceptable to society. Feeling pretty isn't just about appearance, but it's also not just about what's on the inside. So today, I am sharing a few ideas for what I do when I don't really feel beautiful- whether on the inside or outside.

Encouraging Music

Sometimes, all I need is some good, cheerful, encouraging tunes to cheer me up. Whether it be something danceable, a song that reminds me of God's goodness, or a song that I really just like belting out at the top of my lungs- listening to music is often a good idea.

And the thing about it is, if I start feeling more cheerful, I usually also feel better about myself. The better my attitude, the more self-confidence I tend to have. I suppose this is because I know that a smile brightens my eyes, which usually improves my looks by about 500%.

Fresh Flowers

I love fresh flowers, but it wasn't until very recently that I realized it really was okay to buy myself flowers just because I feel like it. I knew other people did it, but it felt excessive and silly. But then I realized that treating myself to something as pretty and fresh as a bouquet of flowers made me feel cheerful and feminine. It's a strange thing, but I feel better when I have a vase of fresh cut flowers in my room. And again, if I feel feminine and fresh, I also feel prettier.

Pretty Lipcolor

I'm not going to lie- when I heard about Lipsense, I was soooo skeptical. I figured it was just another thing for people to go crazy over, sell for a few months, and then realize that it's not so great and fade into obscurity.

But I kept wondering, and kept wondering. Why? Because I actually love makeup. I don't wear it very often because as a nanny, it's pretty pointless. When the only person that sees you all day is a two year old boy, it doesn't really seem like there's a reason.

However, the side effects of never wearing makeup are that I often feel frumpy and I often think "ew" when I look in the mirror. Should I think "ew" about myself? Of course not! But I will admit that I do look pretty frumpy a lot of the time. Makeup may not be the main reason we are beautiful, but it certainly doesn't hurt our self-esteem if we have a healthy view of it.

So I was already starting to want to improve that situation when I started asking my friend Summer of Coffee with Summer about Lipsense. She had recently started selling and I figured that if she was into it, it might not be the gimmick I thought it was.

As Summer and I discussed the product, she told me about how she went from being a skeptic to falling head-over-heels for Lipsense. She had never been one for direct sales, but discovering Lipsense changed her mind since she believed in it so much. Summer kindly offered to let me try it out if I wanted to do a review for TPT, and I am so glad that I did! I'm loving Lipsense. I have been surprised that it lasts as long as it does, and I am beyond-impressed with the color selection.

Summer gifted me the shade "Luv It" (above), and I loved "Luv It" (see what I did there 😋) so much that I ordered another, more "everyday" shade. This time I bought "Beige Champagne" (below) and I am seriously in love with it. It might be the most beautiful lip color I have ever owned! Plus, Lipsense is smudge-proof (no joke!), lasts hours and hours before wearing off, and there's a shade for just about every scenario you could possibly imagine!

If you are interested in trying Lipsense, check out Summer's Lipsense Facebook page, The Darling Lip Studio, or her Lipsense Instagram account. Summer is approachable and tries to help you identify the best shade for you. She isn't just interested in selling product- she wants you to love the product! So if you think you'd like to try Lipsense, head on over to her Facebook page, where you can choose your colors, ask questions, and order your product.

Obviously, these ideas are not cure-alls. Sometimes, the only thing that we need is a good ol' dose of perspective. But, when we have perspective and we just need a pick me up, these ideas are some that often help me, and I hope you find them helpful and successful too.

Never think that your value, worth, or beauty come from coating your face in makeup, getting a nice bouquet of fresh blooms, or even from how you feel about yourself in the present moment. God determines your value, worth and beauty and he says you are valuable and lovely. But if you just want to feel an extra little boost of peppy and pretty in your life, give these tips a whirl!

My 3 Favorite Self-Care Rituals That Have Nothing to Do With Technology

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You know what I am seeing a lot of these days? Blog posts and magazine articles dedicated to the topic of self care. Articles and posts that are focusing on the fact that we need to take care of ourselves and make ourselves a priority.

Technically, this idea could be taken too far if we aren't careful, but I am appreciate that people are realizing that in order to live life as the peculiar treasures we were meant to be, we have to invest in ourselves.

We can't help others, give our all all of the time, and go-go-go constantly and expect to have a full life. Why? Because when we stop taking care of ourselves, there is quickly nothing left to give. And that's why having self-care rituals that we practice consistently is so important.

Need some ideas on how to care for yourself? I've got your back!

Paint my nails

I'm going to be honest here- I actually find painting my nails a little bit stressful in the moment. I'm not very good at it, so I usually have to back-track and correct my mistakes. BUT, and this is a big but, once it's done, I almost always feel better. I feel more feminine, pretty, and put together. I feel cared for. Ha! Imagine that! 😉

This winter, I have almost exclusively worn Bahama Mama by Essie. I absolutely love the color, and it is seriously one of the best nail polishes I've ever had. And for the Spring, I've been eyeing Where's My Chauffeur. So stinkin' pretty, right?

Read in Bed

I don't do this NEARLY enough. I always try to work on blog tasks and I never just lay in bed and read someone else's work. But I know that 1.) reading is relaxing and good for me, and 2.) I probably wouldn't struggle with writer's block as much if I took time to read.

Reading also has a calming effect on many people. So if you have trouble calming down in the evenings, you may want to start reading before bed.

There is one book in particular that I absolutely love but have been reading since last May 🙈. It's called Wild and Free, and I think that pretty much any woman in her 20's-30's would benefit from it. It's all about realizing who we were created to be- women who are free in Christ and free from shame. Seriously amazing!

Soak in the Tub

This is something I have done for many, many years. I love how it feels to sink down into a hot bath, the smell of bath salts, bombs, or bubbles filling the air. If I have bath salts, I like to combine them with a few of lavender essential oils and a tiny splash of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

The vinegar has cleansing properties and is fantastic for your skin, the lavender is calming, and the bath salts help a tired and achy body.

Sometimes I like to read a magazine (my favorites are Good Housekeeping, The Magnolia Journal, and Woman's Day). Sometimes I like to read a book or a chapter in the Bible. Sometimes I like to play Candy Crush and hope I don't drop my phone in the water. And sometimes, I like to close my eyes and listen to music, or nothing at all.

There are so many different ways to relax and so many ways to practice self-care, but these are my three favorite ways and I love that none of them require technology. Sure, if you prefer, read on your kindle, turn on that music while you soak, or watch Netflix while you paint your nails. Nothing wrong with that at all. But if you need a break from technology, you are not excluded from these rituals!

Do you have a favorite self-care ritual that I didn't include in this post? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Make Time for You: Mug-spiration Monday

We all have those weeks. The one's where you never feel like you actually catch your breath. The one's where you are lucky to get any sort of balanced nutrition, and you live off last week's sleep. Thankfully, those don't usually happen to me now, but I used to have them all the time.

So what can you do to take care of yourself during these sorts of weeks? How can you make yourself a priority, have some "you time", and still get everything done?

I get it. How can you possibly schedule "you time", when you don't even have time to breathe? Well, I believe that you can find a way to schedule 30 minutes of "you time" in any busy day.

Some of you may be able to just decide that at 3:30 (or whenever) you are going to go watch fuzzy cat videos for 30 minutes. Others may have to ask their hubby to watch the kids before you go insane. But what about if there is no help in the picture? What if you are going constantly from the time your feet hit the floor to the time your head hits the pillow again in the evening? In that case, I have a few ideas for how you can still make "you time" happen.

Get Up Early (or go to bed late)

You probably feel like you can't possibly give up any more sleep. But unless you are already missing an unhealthy amount of sleep, I think that you need to make the time.

Doing things you love is important. If I didn't make time for blogging, I'd be missing an important part of me. And I'm guessing that there is something you love that you need in your life.

Maybe you love to blog like I do. Maybe you love crocheting, painting, or singing. Or maybe you just feel so much better when you take a bubble bath. Whatever it is, you are important enough to make time for something that is important to you. You matter enough to carve out part of your day for you.
And if that requires getting up 30 minutes earlier, or going to bed 30 minutes later, then you need to do that. You will adjust, and I am guessing you'll be very glad that you made that change!

Ask a Friend

Are you a parent who gives all of your time to your kids? Are you a workaholic who spends nearly every hour at the office? Are you a people pleaser who can't say no to helping other people?

Hey, I'm glad you give a lot of time to your kids. I'm glad you are a hard worker. And praise God that you love to help people! Those are all good things- in moderation. They cease to be good things when you neglect the rest of your life- your spouse, your friends, or yourself.

So if you find yourself putting off "you time", ask a trusted friend to keep you accountable. Ask them to text you and remind you that you need to make the time. Ask them to be tough on you, if that's what you need.

Take Little Breaks

As a last resort, if nothing else will work for you, then just take little sanity breaks here and there. If you absolutely can't get away from work at a decent time, then take a few extra bathroom breaks throughout the day and sit and breathe in the bathroom. Sounds silly, but if that's the biggest escape you get in your day, then you need to do that. I had to do that when I worked at a grocery store Starbucks. I was miserable there and the bathroom was a beautiful place during that time. Do what you have to do.

Or if you have no help with the kids, and money is tight, find a discount grocery store to shop at and use the extra money you save to hire a babysitter a couple times a month. If you don't have a sitter but are skeptical of babysitting websites, then call local churches and see if they have any trusted members that do babysitting work. Make it clear that you have high expectations and see if they can help you find someone.


Ultimately, only you can decide that you are important. Only you can give yourself some time, and only you can make the decision to treat yourself well.
I get that we are all in different walks of life, and I have no idea what your particular situation is, but I still believe you need some time for you, or one day, you are going to break. You might last for a while, but sooner or later, you are going to burn out. You need to start seeing yourself as valuable, and treat yourself that way too.

So today, decide to make yourself important. Work on it throughout the week, no matter what else you've got going on.

You are important.