Some days I jump out of bed ready to put my best foot (or face) forward and other days….well not so much.  You know the feeling; the one where you’re sure you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, where it takes a while just to register what day/week/season/year it is. And on those days I can definitively say that primpin’ ain’t easy.  

Primpin’ 101 

The most fundamental decision to make, to primp or not to primp, is determined by the timeline.  Today, will I actually have time to shower, shave, wash my hair, give myself a blowout, use a straightener, put on a full face of products and makeup, get out the door, grab coffee, and not be late?  Or will I be reduced to a swish of mouthwash and a “roll and go”? Decisions, decisions.

The pressure to primp.

If you’re anything like me, you spend hours on the internet browsing “how to” hair and makeup videos, beauty blogs, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and watching infomercials to discover the latest and greatest breakthrough beauty products and procedures.  They dazzle us with special effects, ring lights, professional photographers and testimonial after testimonial about how a particular product or procedure changed their life forever (I see you $400 makeup brushes). For these masters of beauty magic their primpin’ game is strong!  And so is the pressure.

 

Perfect or pathetic?

So we listen and we look and we follow and we fold to the pressure of trying to be and look perfect every moment of every day! And even though we wish we could channel our inner Dolly Parton and just rock a wig all day we find ourselves stressing over the fact that we can’t create a magnificently arched eyebrow in 7 seconds using only our pinky finger.

It’s at this point that my inner dialogue takes over and as I stand staring at my morning reflection in the mirror I realize that I need to decide a few things.  Why do I feel the need for primpin’ perfection? Do I really want to be part of the culture that believes in order to be valued I need to do and have all the things that social media tells me to do and have?  Do I need to look everyday like I am YouTube famous and or IG influencer? Or do I just need to embrace my own standards and code of beauty and decide how much primpin’ is enough to satisfy me?

I put on my Snatam Kaur music, find my zen, and determine that, for today, I choose lashes and glam.  But if tomorrow I choose neither, that’s okay too. It’s up to me and I’m beautiful either way.

 

And for those days I want to add a little extra to my primp…

 

 

For the summer: EMINENCE Pink Grapefruit Vitality Masque

For the winter: EMINENCE Tomato Lycopene Masque

Just because I’m worth it:  IMAGE AGELESS Total Resurfacing Masque