As we continued from the previous issue...
Welcome to the third installment of my Look Good, Feel Good series on how to feel good about your appearance while you're in the process of getting healthier and losing weight.
So far we’ve talked about changing the belief that skinny = beautiful and discovering what fashion and style choices work for you!
I know that after my last post, you might have been left thinking, “I don’t have a gajillion dollars to spend on my wardrobe. I have a mortgage to pay, food to put on the table, children’s education to save for, and retirement coming up faster than Donald Trump can tweet?! Where is this magic “clothing money” coming from?”
I get it. I hear you. Words like “fashion” and “style” get connoted with “expensive” and “platinum credit card.” That's why my next tip is all about how to look and feel good, without needing to keep up with the Joneses (or the Kardashians!).
Look Good, Feel Good Tip # 3: Shop on a budget
Looking good doesn’t have to break your budget or replace paying the mortgage! Here’s where some of the work from Tip #2 comes into play. If you know which things help you feel most beautiful, you’ll know where to prioritize an extra dollar or two.
If you know that for you, having a great make-up job is what matters most, then that’s where you’ll want to spend your beauty resources. Sign up for newsletters from your favorite beauty stores and brands so you can catch when your favorite products are on sale.
Maybe you’re less into makeup, but your hair matters a great deal to you. If so, budget out a few extra dollars a week to save up for getting your hair touched up every so often. You might need to sacrifice a meal or two of eating out, but you’ll thank yourself when your hair is freshly cut and dyed!
And if you’re into fashion, be creative in where you spend your dollars. Not only are there great second-hand stores in most cities, there are even online thrift shops! Sites like ThredUp or Swap.com make buying high-quality or designer clothes affordable. If you only like new clothes, sign up to get emails from your favorite brands so you know when they have deals going on.
Again, budgeting out even a few dollars a week will add up and you can spoil yourself with a new shirt or pair of shoes every now and again!
I don’t want to make it sound like I believe that fashion = happiness. Fashion doesn’t = happiness, just like skinny doesn’t = beautiful. The purpose of these posts is to give friendly, inexpensive ideas on how to look good and consequently feel good. Body image is an aspect of self-esteem, which is the overall feeling you have about yourself as a person.
If we get caught in a rut where we never feel beautiful, pretty, handsome or worthy of attention and love, we will treat ourselves like we aren’t beautiful, pretty, handsome or worthy of attention and love.
Even small, inexpensive changes like wearing mascara, putting on a nice shirt, or styling your hair nicely can give a positive boost to your self-esteem.
You are beautiful regardless of what you wear, but sometimes it’s fun to wear something that makes you feel beautiful!
That leads us nicely
into Tip #4.