My Ray of Beauty

Beauty for Breakups

“We’re just not at the same place.” For a bride-to-be, looking forward to marrying the man of her dreams in one month, these were not words I wanted to hear. However, I quickly decided if I have to go through breakup hell at least I’ll look my best.

If you are going through a breakup (or another hard time), here are a few beauty tips I’ve learned over the past few weeks. You won’t want to do any of these, but please do. They will make you feel a teeny bit better. And I promise you will be glad you did when you’re ready to go public again.

Eye Must-Haves

1. Book hair and nail appointments ASAP. I had timed many beauty appointments around the wedding but promptly moved these up. Within a week, my hair was relaxed, colored and cut; nails and toes painted.
2. Book beauty appointments that have downtime. Always wanted lipo? Now’s the time since no one but you will see the recovery bruises. I consulted with a dermatologist and plastic surgeon for body contouring work I want to have done. And had another Asclera leg vein treatment, likely my last, since they are nearly vanished, yay 🙂
3. Use a great eye drop, gel and concealer. Your eyes reveal the most heartache from tears and puffiness. Visine (drugstore) removes a lot of eye redness. I like Mally Beauty Eye Gel ($45 QVC, Henri Bendel) to take the puffiness away. Massaging with the metal ball is critical, results are temporary but do the trick. Mally Beauty’s Cancellation Conditioning Concealer ($35 website, Henri Bendel) smooths out under eye discoloration. I apply it down through the nostril area to cover redness in this area.
4. Walk everyday for an hour. Split the time if you need to. I’ve heard running increases cortisol (stress level) so keep it to fast walking. Plus you’ll be overindulging in food and drinks alot, so it will make you feel less guilty.
5. Switch to waterproof mascara (I like L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara $8.95 drugstore). Typically I don’t use waterproof mascara because it’s really hard to remove (make sure you have eye makeup remover). However, something will set you off at the most inopportune time and black ink running down your face is not pretty. You could also have a professional apply lash extensions.
6. Splurge on beauty products you wouldn’t normally buy. It’s small, but I’m enjoying Josie Moran Argan Lip Treatment ($18 Sephora).
7. Keep up your daily skincare routine, each step. Wash your face every night, apply treatment products, use body lotion, spritz perfume, etc. It’s really tempting to skip it. You can still go hide under the covers, but please do so with a clean, treated face 🙂

Josie Moran Argan Lip Treatment

Finally, one of my favorite tips is “Don’t Waste the Pretty.” I think it’s from a movie but can’t recall which one. To me, this saying means women of all ages, shapes and colors are  so beautiful. And we shouldn’t waste our beauty on negativity. You may have to go on faith for awhile (that’s where I’m at), but try taking care of the outside and the inside will follow.

What Not to Do

1. I’ve always wondered if I could pull off cropped honey-blond hair (hey it works for Halle Berry, why not me:-). It’s tempting to do something drastic, but save it for later (at least two months).
2. A relaxing body massage sounds great, but for me, left too much time to think about “things” and have a meltdown in front of a stranger. Best to wait until you can really enjoy it.

Any tip you’d like to share with me? I’d love to try it.