8 Grooming Rituals That Will Leave You Feeling Glorious & Poised!
Grooming is key to presenting yourself well. Think about it, the way you present yourself, tells the world that you are worth care & attention.
With that, when we stick to regular grooming routines, this allows us to stay consistent with our personal brand.
Now you may be thinking, 'whoa, Nicole. Personal brand? I'm not looking at becoming a brand, and I am definitely not an influencer. So this must certainly not apply to me".
Well my dear elegant ladies, of course it applies to you. Regardless of you being in the public eye or not, you most certainly still have viewers.
In this post, I will be going over the grooming rituals that I implement regularly. Perhaps you can gain some inspiration from it too?
1. HAIR
Not only do you need to ensure that you are having regular hair cuts. But it would be wise to think of what your game plan is for your hair.
I have a funny feeling, if you are reading this blog post, it may be because you are on a level-up journey yourself. And with that, if you are beginning your journey, you may be overwhelmed with all of the things that you need to do.
Perhaps you have a finite budget, and you are looking to make it go as far as it possibly could go.
Or, perhaps you have finite time. You are a new mom, and you are wanting to try and look your best in your day-to-day, all whilst taking care of your little one. And so you can't handle anything too high maintenance.
Are you a Type A, career-loving, corporate woman? Perhaps you have all the financial resources to get your hair done, but the thing you are lacking is time.
Your work schedule keeps you so busy, you simply cannot afford to be in the salon every 6 weeks to do a root touch-up.
This is why it is so important to have a game plan with your hair maintenance.
It also may be wise, unless you truly have all the time in the world, to avoid high maintenance styles.
My personal hair care routine looks something like this:
Summer - I get a natural balayage, treatment and haircut.
Autumn - I get a hair cut & treatment.
Winter - I touch up my balayage, treatment & get a hair cut.
Spring - I get a hair cut & treatment.
I personally have fine, curly hair, and it damages easily. So with that, it is imperative for me to get my hair cut every 3 months. This keeps my hair looking as thick as possible and as healthy as possible.
There is no point in having long hair, that is unhealthy. Especially when the world of extensions is so easily accessed.
I pre-book these appointments, it is on my calendar, and I don't miss them.
Ladies, does your hair look clean?
Be honest.
I don't know when the trend began, but there seems to be a thing in current culture these days... Have you noticed how some women brag about how long it has been since the last time they have washed their hair?
Just because you can push the limits between hair washes, doesn't mean that you should. And it certainly isn't hygienic.
Another thing that I have found incredibly useful is, to have default hairstyles that i can rely on. My current hair wash schedule looks like this:
Day 1 - Wash and use my Dyson Airwrap
Day 2 - Use my T3 LuceaID around my hairline, and curl any limp pieces of hair with my Dyson Airwrap
Day 3 - Put a hair oil in my ends and scalp, and wear my hair in a sleek low bun. Ensure that my fly-aways are slicked down.
The sleek low bun is my default hairstyle. You can often observe high-caliber women wearing their hair like this. Albeit, it is not a hairstyle that best suits my face. But it is a hairstyle that can be put into rotation for me that keeps me looking on brand, and fresh.
2. NAILS
To paint your nails, or not to paint your nails. That is the million-dollar question.
There is no right or wrong answer to this. However, as many feminine and elegant women opt for a minimal, less-is-more kind of wardrobe... Having your nails done is a way that you can really make your overall look 'pop'.
If you follow me on YouTube, you have frequently heard me mention Anna Bey, and Lauren Amiri.
Anna always has her nails done, and she always looks elegant.
Lauren often doesn't have her nails done or does them at home. And she always looks elegant.
The biggest takeaway here is, to ensure that your nails have no chips. This is why I am finding it useful to have a backup nail polish and gel lamp at home to fix any chips when they may happen.
The majority of the time I head into one of my clients and get my nails done there. However, I do now have a lamp at home to fix any minor chips at home.
If you are looking to keep your nails looking as elegantly as possible, stick to a natural shape. Keep them short & clean.
I also love keeping mini nail files on hand. I currently use ones from Mavala. They fit seamlessly into my handbag ( even the smallest of ones).
We have spoken a lot about our hands, but we cannot forget about our feet. Don't neglect them. Not even in the winter.
3. BROWS
Would you like an instant subtle makeover? If you said yes, then you must get your brows done by a specialist.
When I say specialist, I don't mean any brow studio. I mean, head into the big city, and find out who is doing the celebrity eyebrows.
I had the lovely opportunity to have my brows done by the lovely Shavata Singh. And I thought my brows were in great shape, to begin with.
“Hailed the “Brow Queen” by the likes of Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan, Shavata Singh has revolutionized the beauty industry with her unique and natural approach to eyebrow grooming. Using the ancient Asian art of threading, Shavata expertly accentuates the face structure and enhances the natural beauty of each client. A true trailblazer, Shavata opened her first Shavata Singh London Studio in 2004, well before the age of social media influencers and the online beauty tutorial boom.
Shavata has built a devoted following over the years and is the only choice for many celebrities, fashion insiders, and other high-profile clients, including Adele, Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, Elle Macpherson and Kelly Brook. Her bespoke, highly in-demand eyebrow treatments boost clients’ confidence and enhance their lifestyle.
Shavata brings her trusted expertise to her Studios, where she trains her top team personally so that each and every client is treated with the same insight, discretion, and luxury. Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do at Shavata Singh London Studios, and it’s our mission to empower everyone who comes through our doors to feel confident and beautiful.”
But when Shavata was done with me, I could not believe how such minor tweaks made such a massive difference.
What I found was, that after Shavata was done with my brows. I merely had to maintain the shape that she carved out for me.
From here, I just had to decide whether I continued to have my brows waxed, threaded, or sugared.
As I have a wax pot at home, I have decided to upkeep them that way. But just know that there are multiple options out there for you to achieve this.
4. UNWANTED HAIR
We live in a day and age where many things that shouldn't be 'normalised' are.
There, I have said it. And I feel that if you find yourself reading this blog... You would agree!
If you do not agree, by all means, you grow your body hair out, girl!
There are a few things that you will want to consider when you are looking at any type of hair removal.
Here is what you should consider:
Your budget - Hair removal can be very expensive. So do your research, and factor in how fast your hair growth is.
2. Pain tolerance - Ladies, this sure won't tickle. If you are someone with lower pain tolerance, factor this in accordingly.
3. Long term solutions vs Short term solutions - Perhaps you are someone with low pain tolerance. But, you can suck it up if you are going to be offered a longer-term solution.
Let me tell you what my hair removal routine looks like:
I wax my brows, lip, & underarm at home
2. I shave most other places.
I am not the hairiest of females, so I find that this is an option that works best for me.
5. TEETH
We all may not be in an economic position to see an orthodontist, however, we all should be in a position to keep on top of our hygiene.
There are so many toothpaste & strips that provide at-home whitening. Pick this up if you find your teeth are looking more yellow, than white.
6. SCENT
Some people believe in having a signature fragrance. Some people wear different fragrances during the different seasons. And some people only wear fragrances when they are wanting to feel special.
I personally think wearing a fragrance is such an easy way to bring out your femininity.
Here are a few things to think of when opting for fragrance:
Use fragrance to enhance the way you smell, not mask the way you smell.
Assess if you are someone who wants to have a signature scent, or a seasonal scent.
Ask yourself if you can create your own scent -- How chic!
Layer your fragrances by using a body wash, scented lotion, and perfume. Have fun with this, and explore the different notes in your fragrance.
Don't overspray it!
7. MAKE UP
Ladies, let's be our best selves, not hide our best selves.
Make-up is to be used to polish and enhance ourselves, not cover and hide.
There have been countless times in my life where I have heard beautiful young ladies say they want to mask the way they look. And it is truly such a shame.
Equally, I have also gone to get my make-up done and have asked for something natural. And walked out of the salon looking like I was ready to go full glam!
We don't want people to look at us and question our judgment, and when we wear too much makeup, it often leaves our viewers with this impression.
Here is what I have learned over the years, and am finding success with:
1. Ditch the extreme lashes
2. Heavy liner does not look chic
3. Master the 'no-makeup-makeup look'
4. Take a before and after to see how heavy-handed or not you are
5. Take a masterclass, learn from a professional!
8. SKINCARE
Last but certainly not least, let us chat about skincare.
I truly do believe, that if you do not have a good canvas, your makeup application will not look good either.
What do I mean by that?
If you are having skincare issues, there are so many solutions out there that you can be seeking out.
Ask yourself:
1. What is affecting your skin? Water? Stress? Heat? Smoking?
2. Do I know my skin type? Can I learn more about my skin type?
3. Do I need to cleanse AM & PM? Some people can splash water in the morning, some other skin types need to do a thorough skincare routine in the AM & PM.
4. Would a chemical peel / resurfacing treatment help me?
5. What type of moisturizer helps me? Gel-based vs. Cream based.
If you do not know any of the answers to these questions, then you, my dear elegant ladies need to book a consultation with a skincare specialist.
