'Glow Up'/ "Princessing" 2024 Thread 1

[Chaiselongueallday]

I've had some success with these in the past. Have realised that over the years I've picked little habits from these that I've been able to sustain so I thought ahead of the new year I would start a thread for 2024...anyone else want to join me?
I'm 46 this year and want to focus on being healthy, happy with my style and attuned to my body and skin. I don't want to waste time worrying about not being good enough. I am including a bit of health and fitness on my list as I feel better in my clothes when I'm toned and generally healthy in body and mind. I'll be doing yoga, walking and mad living room dancing. I'll not be bothering with foundation (unless a very special occasion) this year fed up of wearing a mask..so looking after my skin will be important. I won't be spending on fast fashion ...I've done quite well on this in the past, inspired by this board and capsule wardrobe threads.

I'll think about a more detailed list and post it later.

I've copied some useful info from a previous 'Princessing thread' below for anyone that fancies it and needs inspiration.

*The term "Princessing" was invented back in 2011 by a poster called Blackswan. It was the year of the royal wedding and she proposed that every year you should get ready for a wedding you were attending as if it were your own.

I took that idea and ran with it!

The general idea behind that original thread and all the "Princessing" "Grooming" "Operation Revnovation" threads since has been to make small sustainable changes that help make you feel better. To make this measurable, most people finds it helps to make a list - not too long, no more than 20 items really of the changes you want to make. The original thread had one general list but as no two people have the same priorities I think it's better for everyone to have their own individual list. To anyone in need of inspiration the original list was:

1. 8 glasses of water a day

1. Exfoliating
2. Using some kind of teeth whitener
3. Using some kind of regenerative face cream
4. Intensive nail care (feet and hands)
5. Some kind of eyelash growth serum
6. The Shred / other intensive exercise
7. At least 2 extra fruit & veg
8. Healthy breakfast daily.

10. Hair oil (moroccan hair oil for eg, or kerastase etc) 11. No alcohol during the week 12. Daily vitamins 13. Body brushing 14. At least 2 servings of salmon or other fatty fish per week. 15. One early night once a week. Suggest 9PM. 16. Regular hair removal 17. Give up one naughty favourite item e.g. chocolate/crisps 18. No more fizzy drinks 19. DAILY body moisturising. 20. Warm water with lemon first thing in the a.m.

You don't have to post your list but I would recommend you write it down somewhere for yourself.

Original Princessing thread*

Has anyone got recommendations on body washes? I’m looking for something new as all my tried and tested are drying out my skin plus I’m a swimmer so that doesn’t help my skin either.

thanks

Body brushing sounds interesting, is that a daily thing?

I've kept up with everything so far and feel much better in myself for it already. I'm shocked at the difference Skin+Me has made to my face in 3 uses!

Quite enjoying being back into the gym too, although it's definitely helped that toddler DS has slept well the past few nights. Not sure I'll feel quite as motivated if he has a rough night but we must persevere!

@HiddenBeauty I use real soap. Pick up a fancy one from Tk maxx. I shower every day but will only clean pits and bits or sweaty areas and leave the rest of the body to water only, twice a week I'll do a full body clean with soap. Then body moisture afterwards.

I read from a dermatologist that we shouldn't be washing our full bodies every day, it's way too drying on the pH for the majority of our skin.

Morning, I’ve not got off to the best start but I’ve been drinking more water (definitely not 2ltrs a day though!) and have got back to the gym/exercise routine.
I need to cut out the biscuits (last tin of Christmas biscuits are finished now!) and get to bed earlier. Also need to start using a body lotion daily, always do it for a couple of days in a row then stop again!
I charged my kindle up so need to load some books on and start reading rather than aimlessly scrolling my phone in the evenings.
Vitamins are a good idea, will grab some when at the shops later today

L'occitane almond shower oil - it is heaven in a bottle and no need for body lotion after the shower.

https://methodproducts.com/for-your-body/bar-soap-body-wash/body-wash-simply-nourish-18-fl-oz/?sku=817939018576

This one is lovely , smells milky rather than coconutty

Slow going so far but trying to be consistent rather than doing lots of things at once I guess.

I don’t drink or smoke so that’s a plus. I’ve started writing down what I eat in a pinch of nom food diary that I picked up last year. I’m trying to stick to 1200 calories a day - I did that last year and lost almost 2 stone but since August I really slacked off on daily exercise and watching my food intake so it’s all gone back on! I know it works for me so I’m trying to keep that in mind when I’m hankering after a chocolatey snack!

I’ve got dental and hair appointments booked and I’ve bought a diary so I can write down what needs to be done when (clay face mask, retinol night mask, yoga, weights, teeth whitening treatment etc)

A failure to plan is a plan to fail (in my case anyway!) I’m 40 this year so would like to start my next decade feeling and looking as good as I possibly can!

@HiddenBeauty I second the L'occitane almond shower oil, it’s so lovely and moisturising.
Bit of a slow week here trying to get back into the routine of work/school run etc.
Didn't do much in the way of princessing during the week other than exercising but did a face mask, scrubbed my feet, body scrub and body lotion this morning. Also put on some makeup and made a bit more effort with my outfit! Feeling good for it😊

Olaplex ( '0' and '3' then shampoo/condition)
Exfoliant
Face oil
Salux scrubbing body cloth and nice shower gel

Not used any body moisturiser yet but feel 100% improved already

Loads of water before bed and brushing teeth

I’ve been trying with my exercise. Onto week 3 now with couch to 5k and done Pilates weekly. Want to take a proper look at my clothes tomorrow. Need to sort out my diet still, will start logging on Monday.

Joined the thread a lot earlier but not really done a great deal until today.

Things I've done today

Gym workout
Swim
Lovely long shower with shave and scrub and oil and hair mask
Moisturiser on body and face
Painted nails
Afternoon nap

Feels good. Could have done with some time outside.

Had a successful princessing week. Lots of water, no alcohol. Stepped up the vegetables and protein.

I've had my nails done, I love them, nude with rose gold asymmetric lines. I've been to the hairdressers, had a trim and my roots done.

After tomorrow i will have smashed 3 big sessions in the gym, remembering to pack my body oil spray in my gym bag for after the shower, a quick easy addition to my gym routine to feel extra pampered on my gym days.

I've done a quick self tan and spent more time on my teeth. I've bought a spare hand cream and lip balm for the car. I hate having dry hands and lips.

All is looking good, very pleased. I just need to keep it up.

I need to get busy with my styling tongs and try doing something with my hair .

I bought a gas powered one but it isn;t nice to use , the smell puts me off a bit , it's like one of those wheeled gas cylinder heaters that we had when I was young !

I've got mini tongs , I might try doing beachy waves

For anyone who is looking at changing their diet or exercise routine, there are a number of Michael Mosley books in the Kindle Daily Deal.on Amazon for 99p today (Sunday 14th Jan).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?node=5400977031&ref_=pe_67538081_841452701_kdd_ecg

I'm not massively overweight but keen to shift a few pounds.

The second week of princesing has been going well: mainly nightly skincare routine, daily body moisturise, weekly nail file and foot pamper, 3 runs per week and some strength exercises. Diet-wise 30 a week veg and fruit (which I'm loving keeping track of), tons of water, cutting out sweet snacks. I'm going to add more new habits in February and start looking into how to make some bigger improvements (teeth whitening, a new hairdresser).

I'm loving hearing how everyone else is getting on and it's keeping me motivated seeing your updates.

I want to join! I've really stopped making any effort in recent years and I'm ready to change.

Every day

• drink enough water
• moisturise
• do hair

Every week

• exfoliate
• shape and buff or paint nails

Every month

• tint eyebrows

As and when

• get my hair cut
• purge wardrobe of ugly, low quality clothes
• buy high quality, well fitting clothes

Thanks @Ambi @JMAngel1 @70isaLimitNotaTarget @LBB2020 for your suggestions. I'm starting with the L'Occitane and loving it.

Princessing is going okay so far (I'm so out of habit). I've started to choose my outfits for the week on a Sunday night and I've taken out a pool membership to get my swimming in.

Doing well at:
-eating well, drinking water, alcohol free.
-daily yoga.
-flossing (not everyday but it's an improvement on not doing it at a ll!)
-daily journalling.
-daily breathing exercises/meditation.
-using exfoliating gloves in the shower (stopped myself from buying the wash clothe everyone is on about when I realised I have these gloves in the cupboard!)

Not doing so well on:
-getting outside/in nature everyday for a walk/steps in
-phone free evenings.
-weekly pamper.
-strength work out (though yoga is enough I think atm).

Went to use up some body lotion and it smelled really chemically - realised it's been open for 2 years so I threw it away! So definitely need to clear out my stash and see what's still good.

Still have a list of things on my to do list that I haven't tackled:
-clear out my wardrobe. Currently overflowing.
-have a pile of clothes which need mending
-clear out my bathroom stash/ make-up- throw or use.
-buy a new bike > in progress!!

-spruce up my walking boots (need polishing)
-book a haircut

Having a bit of an end of week reflection.

Things that are going well:

• skincare routine
• swimming 3 times a week
• daily body moisturising
• lunchtime walks on work days
• food within MFP calorie limit
• lots of fruit and veg
• drinking lots of water
• alcohol only at weekends
• monthly massage
• regular hair and eyebrow appointments
• outfit planning for the week ahead

Things that still need work:

• day 13 of yoga with Adrienne and I haven't done a single session
• drinking too much coffee
• my nails are a mess (although I have an appointment for this on Friday as I have a wedding next weekend)

Princessing went ok this week! I wore lots of make up and a new dress on Saturday night and felt quite pretty (including lipstick which I am trying to motivate myself to wear more of this year!). Today I went for a walk (although we did end up in a pub, I’m still counting it as a win!). This evening I had a loooooong bath and shaved my legs, moisturiser all over my body and face, and hair oil when blow drying my hair. I am away for work later on this week so i have decided to take my stuff to paint my nails/toenails in the hotel room where I won’t get distracted.

Feel very unmotivated really. I need to go back into my gym routine!

@MissWatercress

Good advice about the lemon and water and teeth damage. I used to drink this and my dentist sternly warned me against it.

Had a good princessing day today, feel very productive. I bought a new journal today with some pastel highlighters and have made a start on tracking healthy habits. I feel very organised now 😇. On Friday I received a new deskpad/diary for work, I cleared out my email inbox, tidied up notepads/ notebooks and scraps of paper to set up my diary/to-do list on the deskpad. My head feels much more clutter free.

Heading to my gym today, there was a match on nearby and no parking left for the gym. I'd usually go home in a strop but I decided to try another gym branch a couple of miles up the road, got my workout in and added bonus this gym had a steam room and sauna. Happy days! Felt like a proper pamper, my gym bag is now packed with a hair treatment, travel hairdryer, body oil spray and day cream so I can get properly ready whilst I'm there. I walked out feeling amazing 👏.

Protein packed healthy eating day too and got loads of home chores ticked off (if only we had Disney princess style animals to clean the house).

-clear out my wardrobe. Currently overflowing.

I’ve set up a bag I use to put seasonal clothes away. I’m slowly going through my winter clothes and wearing, washing, then putting away or selling/ recycling. I reckon by the time I come to the end, it’ll be spring and I’ll have decluttered.

I don’t have loads of clothes but this way I get to wear them all, and sort as I go.

I've tinted my eyebrows and lashes today. I really need to do it every month. It doesn't take long but I can go months without bothering. As a blond, it makes such a huge difference, I look so much better with eyebrows 😄

Is tinting your own lashes difficult? I do my brows but I've never tried doing my lashes. I quite fancy going for a lash lift tbh, never tried that either 🤔

Has anyone dabbled in filler at all? I'm tempted to get tear trough filler, I've never had any kind of filler/injectables before though so I'm nervous! But I've been self conscious of my dark circles/hollow eye sockets since I was a teenager. I'd really like to get to a place where I feel more confident without makeup on.

Well my get up and glow is failing miserably.

I've not been to the gym , rode my bike or indeed any firm of exercise since middle of December. This is due to a combination of things including unexpected shift changes at work, feeling flat,bad weather and plans being cancelled. Just as I think I've got a plan together I've been knocked own with the bug that's kept me in bed for the last four days and not easing.

On a plus, my toe nails still look good from a pedicure a couple of weeks ago. I've lost 6lbs. Some of this will be lack of appetite but I had started the 30 plants a week and no upf after seeing my friend lose 4 stone since the beginning of last summer doing the same. I've only had two pints of beer since middle of December so alcohol is cut for now.
I'll just keep on keeping on when I can!