Three-month evaluation

It's been a rather rough month. My son has been teething and/or sick and/or going through a growth spurt and just plain sleeping horribly. So I haven't been able to attend to my goals as much as I'd like. The result? Our Christmas pictures aren't my favorite. We all looked pretty ragged, and my son is much too young to start worrying about being photogenic! And my husband received more photography equipment so I should expect to be documented further.

I've mentioned how my body is part of this project, although initially I imagined it would be more about accepting my body or presenting it better. Of course, I did read in a magazine that if you stick your head out toward the camera you're less likely to appear to have a double chin. This information has been a blessing. However, it doesn't help the fact that my post-pregnancy body needs more exercise. The little bit of calisthenics I do with my son in the mornings isn't enough. And we're taking a swim class together at the end of January. Um ... swimsuit season wasn't supposed to come so soon! I live in Wisconsin!

Also, I have gained exactly 2 lbs. during the holidays. What's the big deal? Who cares about two pounds? Except that somehow those 2 pounds look like 20 in photographs. So I'm working out a little more to give my body some shape. This is tricky since it means I have to work out with the Velcro baby in tow. The Velcro baby who doesn't sleep. How motivating. But it's all part of the project, right?

Two-month evaluation

I should probably say that I hope it's obvious that this is a slow process with a baby. But my LG is getting a bit more independent, although that doesn't mean that he is good about sitting in his bouncy seat while I attend to my appearance -- he's starting to get bored.

However, I bought a lot of make-up for my birthday and discovered the following:

1. Tinted moisturizer with sun protection is my best friend. I bought this from Paula Begoun's site and it is wonderful. The coverage is as good as my foundation, but it doesn't make me break out like my other stuff. My only problem is that the tube isn't very large so I don't know how long it'll last me.

2. Lip stain. Generally, I prefer a lip balm or lipstick with SPF protection, but a quick-dry item that doesn't rub off on my baby is at the top of my list. I bought this from ELF.

The problem with buying make-up over the internet is not getting a chance to really look at the colors, but that's a problem if you're also buying at the drugstore anyway. The color I bought from ELF was a little more coral than I expected, but then I realized I was putting too much on! Now it's a nice tint to my lips that's not like any other color I own.

Progress on Clothes

I wasn't planning to do any work on my clothing until the end of the year, but I already made some progress because my husband bought me clothes for my birthday! I don't know how he does it, but he has great taste and he can pick out items that are extremely flattering. In fact, generally I look better when he dresses me because I buy items more because of price than anything else! Thanks, sweetie!

Itty-Bitty Beauty Bump #2: No picking

This mini beauty task is going to be much harder: stop picking at my skin. Once again, I point to Paula Begoun as my mentor. She is the ultimate Gentle Care advocate, even going so far as to suggest tepid water for washing your skin as opposed to warm, cold, lukewarm, etc. I have no idea how long it'll be before I see results from this change, or even how easily I'll be able to stick to it!

Month One Evaluation

My Little Guy is teething, which means that spare time is even more specious for me right now. But it's been nearly a month since I started this project and I thought I should reassess the changes I've made.

1. I'm already pleased with the improvement in my appearance in my photographs. Before I began this project, I was appalled with my appearance in about 95% of my photos. Now I'd say it's closer to 50%, and that's mostly because LG is demanding and adorable, so while I may not have a chance to do my hair and make-up every day, LG is too cute for a day to pass without a photo opportunity.

2. I wonder if a year is going to be enough for me to make any progress?

3. I'm going to need some faster products. I can do foundation and powder on some days, but not all. I think I'll trade those in for a tinted moisturizer with SPF protection.

Itty-Bitty Beauty Bump #1: Cuticles

In my efforts to become pretty, or more photogenic, I'm going to adopt small lifestyle changes that I hope will advance my efforts in small ways.

My first one is to stop pushing back my cuticles on both my hands and feet. I just read in Paula Begoun's The Original Beauty Bible that this actually compromises your nail and it's not going to do your cuticles any favors, either. The solution is to moisturize your cuticles daily and you'll see improvements in your nails and cuticles after six months of not pushing them. Okay, then. Sometime around my son's first birthday I hope to have some beautiful cuticles!

Body

Interesting blog, considering my project. Although some of these moms are way too fit for me to feel like this helps me much:


http://theshapeofamother.com/