Rules to Looking Put Together - Part 1

I loooove to look good. 

I know, I know, I shouldn’t say that because we are so much more than our looks. I don’t disagree… I just also think it is important to look good on top of having a great personality, being well read, and having strong emotional intelligence. This read isn’t about how to look like a Beauty Pageant Queen, it is how to not look unhygienic. And random cleanly things to add into your routine.

If you are running out to the grocery store and you spot your friend's mom, you want them walking away from your conversation thinking…

“She was pleasant to see, I’m so glad my daughter had good friends” 

You don’t want her walking away thinking…

“Ew, her breath smelt funky”

Now don’t do this for you… but do this for your friend. 

These are 10 key rules I keep in the back of my mind to review before I leave the house. All super easy and inexpensive options… don’t worry I won’t convince you to get botox or anything. 

Rule 1: Be Nice to Your Loofah

Your Loofah has feelings too! Wayyyy too often people forget to wash their body cleansing device and it can get smelly. Whether you use a washcloth, loofah, or gloves… PLEASE THROW IT IN THE WASH WITH YOUR LAUNDRY. You may think that by it being in the shower under running water and constantly lathered in soap it may not need to be washed. 

You…

Are…

Wrong.

It has equal time being pressed up against your dirty crevices scraping the sweat, dirt and gosh knows what else off of you and onto it. 

These cloths can build up germs and form smells no ones nose should sniff. But, since it is in your household, you may not even notice it smelling putrid. Your nose has gotten used to it. HOW SCARY IS THAT! Then the smell could transfer back onto you or j=give you a less fresh smell the next time you get out the shower. 

Moving forward I think we’ve all come to the conclusion that we will throw our body washing tools into our laundry for the weekly load and we won't have to worry about that sour smell you’ve become nose blind to anymore. 

Rule 2: Don’t Look Dry

Dry means dehydrated which means lack of water which means lack of resources which means lack of strength to find resources or lack of ability to find someone to provide resources which means unwanted which means inadequate which means… well we don’t want this to be us.

Dry lips, dry face, dry skin, dry convo… all bad news.

First, dry lips are not attractive. When I say this I don’t mean you are trying to attract everyone to you but it looks crusty if your lips appear dry and it is an easy fix. Always have a lip product on you. You can get a tub of Vaseline or Eucerine for like $10 from Walmart and it will last you a lifetime… so no excuses. Always have a lip product on you whether it is a lip balm or lip oil or chapstick or lip moisturizer. This way you can add it onto your lips whenever you are out so they look juicy and shiny and full and hydrated. 

Next is a dry face. Your face is a HUGE part of your personal brand… and it is perfect gateway it is. But make sure it looks healthy, that’s all. I’m not saying to surgically change anything or even put makeup on… just make sure it is hydrated. I understand this isn’t a feasible option for everyone because they may have acne from things they can’t control… so for these people, I apologize and I hope a dermatologist can give you advice that works. However, for the people who may have dry skin or get some pimples because they don’t take care of their skin… well that is your fault. Invest in learning how to take care of your skin. Eating healthier and getting sleep and investing in a skincare routine are all important to clear skin. So although this paragraph is about a hydrated face, I mainly want to emphasize the importance of taking care of the skin on your face to the best of your ability… wherever you may find your credible information. I am not a dermatologist so it is not me… I am just the motivator. 

This segways into taking care of the skin on your body. Put cream on whenever you come out of the shower. I am lazy and only put it on the visible parts of my body based on what will be exposed based on what I’m wearing that day. I am a culprit. I need to moisturize more. 

Dry convo is a you problem, sorry I don’t have a prescription. Actually wait, I do. Read How to Win Friends & Influence People… I haven’t read it but I heard it’s a good one. 

Rule 3: The Number One Reason People Don’t Want to Talk to You

Going back to your friend's mom. One small conversation can be the beginning of disgust. My mom used to tell me…

 “ You can tell how hygienic someone is by their mouth “

She was a dental hygienist so she looked at mouths all day. She always used to preach that good oral hygiene was an instant indicator to whether the person in question takes pride in their appearance. I agree. 

Oral hygiene is an immediate sensory indicator that will either be appealing to someone or cause them disgust. This is because it attacks 2 senses instead of just 1. See AND smell. Double whammy.

First… See. 

You must make sure your lips aren’t cracked or dry (we touched on this). Cracked lips makes you look like you don’t drink water. Dry lips make others not want to kiss you. Not that you want your friends mom to kiss you… but you don’t want her to not want to kiss you. 

Don’t ever… I MEAN EVER… have food stuck in your teeth. This is why it is mandatory to keep that pocket mirror from the complimentary Sephora gift you got 5 years ago. Whenever you finish eating (or drinking if it is a seed filled smoothie) you must do a subtle teeth cleanliness check in your pocket mirror. No, your iphone camera doesn’t work the same because it is not as clear and precise… trust me. The last think you want is to be smiling big and bright at your friends mom with something red stuck in your front teeth.

Whitening strips. Invest in some whitening strips from the drug store because a bright white smile is appealing. Yellowish teeth are not. But only keep the strips on for as long as the packaging recommends, don’t leave them on longer or you may cause sensitivity… not worth it. 

Second... Smell.

Nothing is worse than smelly breath. A+ for minty breath… B for smell neutral breath… C for coffee breath… F for garlic, blue cheese, onion or lack of brushing teeth recently breath. Immediately vomit. 

This is where the real oral hygiene comes in. 

Brush your teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes. I get bored so I scroll on social media while I brush. Don’t forget to brush your tongue! 

Then floss ideally once a day but I know none of you are going to do that so do it at least once a week. If your gums bleed when you floss… you don’t floss enough. 

Don’t grind your teeth… if you do try to find a solution. 

Don’t put anything acidic on your teeth (lemon water is the worst… so at least use a straw). The acidity will break down your enamel which leads to sensitive teeth and yellow teeth. 

Mouthwash is great to keep clean and smelling good. If it’s easily accessible, use it before you leave the house. I bring a mouth spray with me in my bags to use for emergency situations.

Now if you run into your friend's mom at the grocery store she will think.. “Wow her breath smelt  minty, she seems like a clean girl.”

Rule 4: NAILS.

I’ll admit it. I was a nail biter. In fact I was a nail biter for 21 long years. My nails got smaller and smaller. The skin around my nails was constantly bleeding. My nails were never quite smooth so I was always irritated and had more nail to bite to even it out. Which… you guessed it… caused me to keep biting my nails because it was never even because my nails never did a perfect and clean cut. I was in constant pain because the wounds around my nailbeds that I bit would get lemon or hand sanitizer in them. 

My nails looked like they’d been attacked by a torturer. If my nails had a sound it would’ve been the sound of nails on a chalkboard. 

Forget about my nails… when I bit them I looked like a rabid beaver. Gnawing at my fingers… I must’ve looked delusional. How horrifying. 

Not to mention, the amount of germs I must’ve ingested from the gross things under my nails that I couldn’t see. I would grab the door at UNION STATION. The one that thousands of people touch a day. People that can be sick, that pick their nose, that pick up coins from the ground. Those people touching those doors touching my hands that MY MOUTH IS BITING. 

Anyways let's put that trauma aside and move forward onto how I fixed it. Nail biting is an addiction and a way to ease anxiety. This is why it is so hard to stop. I’ve been there. I know. 

They say to keep your nails trimmed short, or sit on your hands when you can. They say to apply nail polish or bad tasting nail serum. They say to change this habit out for a new better one. Whoever wrote these suggestions online never had a nail biting addiction because it never worked for me. 

Ny nails/hands were one of my biggest insecurities growing up.

The way that I solved it is kind of pricey (sorry! I know I said I’d give options that weren’t pricey), but it is the only thing that worked for me. Every three weeks I get bio gel nail polish on my nails. If you aren’t into that then I’m sorry but you’re screwed. Lol I’m joking. But if you ever find another way to quit biting your nails please let me know… I’m genuinely curious on what else ACTUALLY works for a nail biting addict. A year and a half ago I made a New Years Resolution to stop biting my nails no matter what it took. It became my priority because after so many years of failed attempts, I was ready to invest in my success. This was the year I was graduating University and starting my new big girl job. It was time to get rid of little girl habits and woman up!

The first week of January I got my bio gel nails done and I didn’t bite them, but I did peel them off. What a waste of time and money. After some trial and error I found my favorite salon with my favorite nail tech. Trust me… the place and person matters. I eventually found a place/person that treated my nails with care. The nail was impossible to peel off and the way it sat on my nail made it tough to bite or pick at. Not to mention the price of getting them done was high which was another incentive to leave them alone. 

I haven’t bitten my nails in a year and a half. Every 3 weeks I go into my favorite nail salon and I get my nails done. I don’t have fake nails… They are my real strong nails, and they always look amazing. After 21 years, I finally stopped biting my nails. Instead of nervous biting my nails, I may tap them on a desk because they make a satisfying sound. They are strong and long and beautiful. They look clean. I suggest getting Bubble Bath by OPI (I know you probably already know it lol). Now I have people complimenting my nails constantly. They ask… “are those your real nails?” in shock of how strong and clean they look. I have even had people complimenting my whole hand saying… “ wow you have beautiful hands !” No joke. I went from weak, brittle, ugly finger nails… to long, strong, clean, beautiful nails and hands. Getting bio gel nails at a good nail salon every 3 weeks is an investment in my image that was necessary to overcome a bad habit for me. I never regret the money I’ve put into it. 

I know not everyone needs this extreme of a change. Maybe you have a nail bitting addiction and you have enough willpower to stop… seriously applause to you. Or maybe you don’t have a nail biting addiction at all. You don’t need nailpolish to have hygienic hands… I just needed it to kick my bad habit. 

For non-nail biters, I will say to make sure your nails are always trimmed to look clean. When the white of your nail shows, make sure there is never any dirt under it. That is the first indicator of being unhygienic. Alway have hand sanitizer and hand cream on you. That will keep them looking healthy and clean. Take care of your hands because they are often the first thing to wrinkle. Always dry your hands after the bathroom and apply sunscreen onto them. For the cherry on to… a few well thought rings and bracelets add a touch of style and pride.

aaanyways... this is just part one so stay tuned.

cya,