The Ritual

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I don't know how many of you watched the show Gilmore Girls, but there is a great episode where Emily and Lorelei are getting ready to go to bed and Rory is watching them both unintentionally do the same beauty before bed routine. Lorelei catches on and stops immediately. It is a moment that I think many daughters throughout the ages have had, the discovery that you've accidentally or intentionally started taking after your mother.

I have been thinking about my beauty rituals (or current lack thereof). What sticks out most in my mind is what I used to do every Friday for four years of high school. Every Friday rain or shine, I woke up, put on my cheerleading uniform, pulled up a pair of awesomely high socks, my "cheer" shoes and tied a white grosgrain ribbon in my hair before heading off to school. Then, after classes were over the real makeover would begin, green and gold and blue shades of eyeshadow (not as garish as it sounds), sparkles, blush, lots of mascara, and enough Aqua Net to put a hole in the Ozone layer. It may have been over the top, but there was never a night when I didn't feel like I looked my best when I walked out to cheer for a game.

Now, I barely have time to throw on a coat of mascara and lipgloss before I sprint out the door. Lately, I've noticed that my devotion to cute heels has even waned, and I've been opting for flats more and more. I've also noticed that I feel less and less confident about how I look. It wasn't about the shellac, so much as, taking the time to care for myself. Starting in college, when late nights studying or giggling or dancing led to much later mornings wearing sweatshirts and UGG boots around campus I stopped making my beauty ritual a priority. 

For the month of August, I want to create a new and improved beauty ritual to start off everyday feeling confident. Does anyone have any suggestions or favorite parts of their morning ritual? I've got my own list of favorite products but I'm always open to trying new things. Do you have a favorite product that is part of your beauty routine? Is there some part of your routine that you learned from your mother? Or that you hope to someday share with your little girl?

I'll do some sort of updates at the beginning and end of next month to share my plans and how it all turns out.