OK, bear with me. There's nobody I can say this to without sounding full of myself.
I'm early 40s, and for the past few years have been pregnant, breastfeeding, sleep deprived, hormones everywhere, adult acne and carrying extra baby weight. I work full time and have been dressing like someone from the 40s, in mid length dresses and bulky, shapeless cardigans.
My smallest child has started sleeping. Breastfeeding seemed to stop my spots, and ive been treating my acne ever since and its all gone. I've had several health problems over the past few months and a stone has just melted off without me even realising.
I've recovered, am feeling well rested and about a week ago I looked in the mirror and thought 'My spots have gone, I don't look haggard, I've lost so much weight!' Somebody got me makeup vouchers for Christmas and I used them for some great makeup. I'm like a different person. I went and got my mousey brown/grey hair dyed and coloured for the first time in years. I tried on some size 8 dresses in the sales and they slipped on; beautiful, fitted dresses. I pulled out some high heeled boots I've hardly worn and have been wearing them instead of my usual trusted Chelsea boot. I was in a shop today, in all my new garb, and the assistant said to me 'you're beautiful!' I think i went bright red and started talking about my coat and how I got it in the sales because I felt so shy in that moment, but I felt like I was walking on air. I've noticed heads turning when I walk past and that certainly never happened to me before, at least not for a very long time.
I've been through a really rough time recently where my mental and physical health felt very damaged. I feel like I've woken up from a deep sleep with a new look and new confidence.
I'd resigned myself to my big beige cardigan and dreary mum-bun and recently realised that I'm still in here, not just a mum who is forever scraping dried weetabix off the highchair with a ruler.
Anyway, I feel like a transformed person but didn't know who to tell. It felt like such a moment of happiness but I can imagine my friends faces if I told them how good I think I look! So here I am.
I look good!