Self-standards
It’s so funny how your standards change depending on your situation, outward influence, age, place in life, etc. Living in the bus brought me to a place where I am the most comfortable I have ever been with myself. I wore makeup (just mascara) for the first time in over 6 months the other night because we made a nice dinner reservation, and I have it with and haven’t used it yet (I hate wasting storage space for unused items - ugh). It was weird and I was really irritated that I had to scrub it off my face the next day, as I had black bruises under my eyes. But it made me think about how far I’ve come…
Some snips of my high school years (age 18):
Can’t say I always cared about what I looked like ———————————>
Some snips of my college years (age 21):
Some snips of me now (age 28):
Beauty adds: When I first started working in manufacturing about 4 years ago, I got used to not wearing makeup or painting my nails because it was rules of a clean room building medical devices! And let me tell you, operators noticed if you tried breaking them! You do NOT get anything past Judy. I got used to myself without black lines around my eyes and my skin was fortunately really clear (even clearer when you don’t wear makeup), so I mostly just stopped wearing makeup all-together aside from the occasional night out or wedding. And guess what! I still feel beautiful! I also met Jake after I stopped wearing makeup 90% of the time, so everytime I put any on, he notices and isn’t that big of fan, so it all works out :D If your man prefers you with makeup….you may have a problem!
Benefits of no makeup routine: quicker getting ready (esp when going into the office was a thing), moisturized face (not always cleaning it), clearer skin, natural beauty (obvi)
Bras: the one definitely was elevated on this Ruby road trip, but I have mostly gotten extremely comfortable not wearing bras in all places. I’m currently in a coffee shop without one on and do many Home Depot runs with the girls out. The one thing I cannot figure out how to not wear a bra doing is working out…if you have a trick aside from duck tape, hmu. I remember 2 instances in the last 4 months that I put a REAL bra on (WOAH) - 1, was when we were doing laundry of literally ALL of our clothes & it was the only thing clean and 2, was also our nice dinner we went to this week.
Benefits of not wearing a bra: FREEDOM
Matching: I mean, this is all discretional anyways, but this has really gone out the window with a limited wardrobe. I wouldn’t say we under-packed, but we do have limits when it comes to “outfits” that would be considered acceptable to many. For example, we went to a coffee shop this morning and Jake was wearing a flannel button up with a flannel jacket (of different pattern) over the top of it. And we don’t care!!! It’s often you’ll find me in my lime green Athleta top with my blue or red leggings - what of it?
Benefits of not caring: less stress, less $$$ spent on clothes, dress for comfort
Showering: another #beauty trend that we have greatly boycotted (sometimes on purpose and other times not) throughout this trip. (See post about how to build up your “no-shower” tolerance :D) It’s amazing how far beauty wipe, scrub-downs can go!
Benefits of having a shower tolerance: smoother hair, less shampoo/condish, less hassle looking for a shower on the road, less freezing in the outdoor shower
Okay, I’m not completely gross though. I do have some non-negotiables when it comes to beauty:
Brushing my teeth at least 2x / day (you only get 1 set folks!!!)
Washing my face before bed (thx Beauty Counter!)
Changing underwear daily (‘nuff said)
A proper shower at least 1x / week
Deodorant, trying really, really hard to go #aluminum free (Best thus far: Native, Coconut & Vanilla)
I feel like such a crazied Mom or secured wife talking about some of this because as I write this, I can just see the classic response of “Wow - she’s really lost herself”. I picture the person writing this post walking their 4 kids into school (10 mins past the bell), ratty hair, jeans 4 sizes too big, and sleep lines on their cheeks. To that I laugh because throughout this process, I actually feel like I’m even more confident and loving of my body that I have ever been.
It’s really that I found myself, in its rawest form.
I love myself and don’t need face masks (figurative, I do need literal face mask because #COVID) to give myself the “pump” I need to feel deserving or wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to curl my hair for no reason when I get home and take a bubble bath every night for 2 weeks straight, but I don’t need it to really feel myself. & that is what I call a #WIN!
peace & love yourself, like a lot,
yo’ girl Jen
““Perhaps we shall learn, as we pass through this age, that the ‘other self’ is more powerful than the physical self we see when we look into a mirror.””
