The Only Glow Up Routine You Need To Maximize Your Allure

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This post is all about the ultimate glow up routine.

Are you trying to figure out a glow up routine that will have you feeling your best week after week?

Just like with anything, getting in the routine of “glowing up” week after week can be simple.

It’s proven that repeating things and habit stacking is an effectual way to make lasting habits.

Why not apply this to self care and in turn, have a full blown glow up?

Pick a few (or all) of the following tips below and add them to a note in your phone or google task labeled “Glow Up Routine.”

There’s something so powerful about having goals in writing that you can go back to as a reminder or future motivation.

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Read on for the best steps for a successful glow up routine!

1. Add Sleep to Your Glow Up Routine

Regardless of what you have seen or heard, you don’t have to get up at 5 in the morning everyday to have a productive life. If you ask me, getting many hours of restorative sleep is a lot more glamorous than depriving yourself and feeling miserable.

I know they say “once you’re up and around it’s fine…..” but to be honest, it’s never went that way for me.

The hours I get up earlier I wish I was still sound asleep in my bed.

Attribute that to me just not being a morning person, but, I have found that making a small change like getting up just 30 minutes earlier than when I need to be up, has given me time to do things that set my day up for success.

2. Work on Yourself

Starting a gratitude journal to practice gratitude or reading up on motivational self help books are a tried and true way to have an internal glow up.

Some of my favorite recommendations for life changing self-help books that jumpstarted my glow up are:

3. Get Ready Everyday as Part of Your Glow Up Routine

You know how they say “if you look good, you feel good?”

Well, that really is true.

Challenge yourself to wakeup just 30 minutes earlier than your normal time everyday and use that time to freshen up, style your hair, put on some minimalist makeup, and throw on a cute outfit.

4. Get In More Movement Daily

Your exercise glow up exercise routine doesn’t have to be intense or daunting.

You would be surprised how much you can transform your body just by getting in more movement or steps everyday. With people working from home more now, it’s so common for people to only get between 2-3000 steps in per day.

Aim for 8-10 thousand steps per day and add in 2-3 days a week of a workout you actually enjoy.

This could be swimming, spin/cycling, weightlifting, or even yoga or pilates.

The goal is to just up your activity level and movement all around for the ultimate glow up effect.

An added advantage is that you will feel so much better too!

5. Drink More Water as part of your glow up routine

Studies have shown that just adding in a simple habit of drinking more water can have immense benefits on your health and beauty.

Aim to get at least half your body weight in ounces everyday for optimal hydration.

6. Nutrition as part of your glow up routine

Focus on cooking food at home a majority of the time.

Additionally, if your goal is to lean out, you should focus on eating higher protein and incorporating a lot of fruits and vegetables.

7. Nails

Have you ever seen a woman with grown out cuticles and dirt under her nails with differing jagged length tips and thought, “she must really take care of herself!”?

No?

Didn’t think so.

Needless to say, having well-manicured, regularly groomed nails is crucial to looking your best.

This doesn’t even mean you have to go get your nails done professionally every week or two.

It means learning how to keep them up yourself at home (i.e push cuticles back and trim, trim and file tips, and a nude polish with shiny top coat).

8. Hair Cut & Color

In order to fully glow up, your hair is up there with your skin as far as importance.

As a rule of thumb, your hair should never be more than 1-2 shades lighter or darker than what your natural base is.

Granted, there are exceptions and people who look great as a blonde who are naturally brunettes (besides the dreaded upkeep and continued damage it wreaks on the health of your hair), but for the most part this stands true.

Opt for your natural hair color with some face framing highlights for the ultimate glow up.

As far as length, most women look best with mid-long length hair if it is healthy.

9. Weekly Hair Styling Routine should be part of your glow up routine

So your hair is it’s optimal length and color, now what?

To really glow up, I recommend committing to a weekly hair styling routine.

This can be as simple as washing/drying/blowing your hair out at home yourself once a week.

Or if you have the funds and it would be a time saver for you, go to your local hairdresser or DryBar weekly for a blowout.

This way you don’t have to worry about your hair all week.

If you have thick, wavy hair like me: this post is all about my weekly hair styling routine that has saved me tons of time and energy and made me actually love my hair!

10. Brows

Many people are walking around with eyebrows that, whether they know it or not, are affecting their appearance in a negative way.

Eyebrows frame the face and can completely alter your look.

So that means, if you have bad brows, everything else on your face can appear off balance.

My advice would be to completely grow out your brows (for worse or for better) and then find a reputable brow artist to go to for shaping/tweaking once they are completely grown in.

If you are someone who just doesn’t grow brows altogether or they are really light and sparse, you might want to consider microblading.

11. Hair Removal

While we’re on the topic of hair, let’s get into another aspect of hair – or rather, lackthere-of.

My weekly hair removal routine consists of epilating my armpits weekly (EPILATING IS LIFECHANGING FYI for a dark haired girly who could never seem to get a close enough underarm shave), and shaving my legs every other day.

If you’re interested in learning how to use an epilator under your arms, check out this post where I go into it in detail.

I also like to use a face razor to:

exfoliate my skin and
remove any peach fuzz or underlip/chin hair from my face once a week.

If it’s in the budget for you, I have heard Laser Hair removal is well worth it. I would love to do it full body but especially for Brazilian area and underarms.

Whatever the case, find a hair removal method that works for you and stick to it weekly/daily/monthly depending on the type.

12. Take Care of Your Skin

The difference your skin makes in your appearance is second to none. Skin is the determining factor we use visually to gauge age and internal health. If someone suffered from acne or eczema, it can be a visual way your body is showing something is off inside.

To have a full glow up, it’s crucial to focus on taking care of your skin.

This is a full discussion of it’s own but I would say the basics are:

If you suffer from any types of skin conditions or pre-mature aging/wrinkling, see a reputable dermatologist for assistance with treatment (might include laser treatment to fade acne scars, medication management of eczema)

P.S. if you do happen to suffer from eczema like me, check out this post.

Consider a self tanner or a daily subtle self tanning lotion like Jergen’s Natural Glow to add a nice subtle tan.
Use highlighters and glow creams to make your skin look moisturized and youthful.
Consider botox for stubborn wrinkles.
Get monthly facials.
Adopt a daily skincare routine that is effective for your personal skincare type.
Start using Tretinoin or retinols for anti-aging.
Wear SPF daily to protect your skin from sun damage.
Always make sure your skin is moisturized (pro tip: post shower, lather on an oil followed by a thick, emollient cream).

13. Invest in a capsule wardrobe

I’m here to tell you once and for all: you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on your wardrobe to have a glow up in the way you dress!

The first step to upgrading the way you dress is to uncover what your signature style is.

You can do this by starting a “Signature Style” board on Pinterest and pinning everything that appeals to you, then going back and reviewing the board to look for a common factor or trend.

Hack! Check out my signature style post for how to easily create your own signature look..

Basically, once you know what you’re going for, you are going to want stock up on the basics to easily re-create looks that encompass your signature style.

This can be as easy as going to H&M, Zara, or even Target which all have cute, affordable clothes.

If you’re still at a loss, I would stick with simple natural colored tailored clothes like a nude, black and white tops, dress slacks, and at least a couple pairs of jeans that fit you well.

Another aspect to this is the purge. You should get rid of and/or donate pieces of clothing that don’t match up with your signature style.

This is because you want to make getting dressed everyday as easy for yourself as possible. You shouldn’t open up your closet and feel overwhelmed and undecided because of all the options, and you shouldn’t have to think too hard about it!

If you have less pieces to choose from and they all fit your style.

For more on converting to a minimalist closet and lifestyle, check out this post.

14. Become unf*ckwithable

Becoming unfuckwithable is the ultimate glow up practice.

This means finding balance and harmony within yourself, and letting things happen around with, without reacting or letting it have an effect on you.

Some might call this having black cat energy.

It is a very attractive trait and is worth working on in yourself, especially if you are someone who suffers from an insecure attachment style in your relationships (both romantic and unromantic).

An amazing podcast I recommend is Being Her by Margarita Nazarinko; It has completely changed my perspective on the power of being a woman.

15. Hygiene & Smell

What many people fail to mention when talking about glow ups, is your odor.

Someone can be beautiful inside and out, but if they don’t smell great, something is off.

I’m talking about besides the obvious hygiene everyone should be practicing.

I’m talking about walking by a girl in the street or in a store and being like “wow she smelled amazing!”

Smelling good starts at the cleansing stage and I recommend everyone use a good old fashioned bar of soap and a wash cloth. Making sure to lather well and scrub thoroughly every part of your body (for woman parts I recommend a separate baby cloth and dove unscented bar soap always).

After you dry off, use a spray deodorant like the Dove. I’ve tried them all and I honestly feel like this hands down works the best (any scent).

Next, lather on a good oil followed by an emollient lotion to lock the hydration in and then spritz with a clean smelling body spray like Sol De Janeiro.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to layer your scents. After the body spray, top off with a good perfume.

16. Teeth

Right up there with hair, skin, and nails when it comes to a physical glow up is teeth.

It’s never too late to fix your smile if there are things you don’t like about it.

There are numerous options for improving your teeth and some common options (ranging from DIY to actual orthodontic intervention) include:

Whitening
Invisalign or braces
Gum contouring
Composite bonding
Porcelain veneers

17. Go to Therapy

Seeking professional help through therapy is a great way to have a real glow up. Because if we’re being honest, you can do all the above and not truly FEEL better about yourself.

It is crucial to learn self love and acceptance, in order to fully radiate health and beauty!

Final Thoughts on Glow Up Routine

All the above points are aspects to check in with yourself on every few months or so. You can even add them to a glow up daily routine.

If all of this is too much, pick just a few and add them to a daily routine checklist on your phone.

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This post was all about the best glow up routine.