I Used To Think I Was Low Maintenance . . .

 
I once prided myself on being a “low maintenance” kind of woman. That is, until I decided to count my steps to get ready on an average morning (ready to go out, not just ready for my coffee and blog-browsing). It’s a surprising number.

My husband, who always looks good, takes about four steps: shower and maybe wash hair, brush teeth, deodorant, get dressed. If we’re getting ready to watch a movie or Netflix show at night (loving Ozark now), he needs a reminder about six minutes before the show starts to get ready for bed. Sigh.
 

My husband doesn't even recognize some of these grooming tips.

My husband doesn’t even recognize some of these grooming tips. Image via copyright-free Unsplash, by photographer Mubariz Mehdizadeh.

 
Today I challenged myself to get beautiful in just twelve steps – counting steps is a bit subjective, but you get the idea:

  1. Shower
  2. Body lotion – currently Aveeno
  3. Deodorant (loving a liquid roll on by Cardinal Health)
  4. Put damp curls in clips to help define them
  5. Brush teeth and use Biotene mouthwash (because I now have “dry mouth”, bleghh)
  6. Vitamin C cream on hands
  7. Facial lotion/sunscreen – almost always an Olay Regenerist product
  8. Scar gel for nasty wrist scars
  9. Fragrance – currently and almost always Infusion d’Iris by Prada
  10. Makeup: counted as one, but it’s concealer, mascara and lipstick most every day
  11. Body sunscreen 50+ SPF for exposed areas
  12. Fluff hair and sprinkle hair fibers on my thinning spots
  13. Get dressed

That’s thirteen, I can almost do it! But some days you’ve got to shave legs, tweeze other hairs, use eye drops or Minoxidil, file fingernails, etc. It can get intimidating.
 

It's not this bad yet.

It’s not this bad yet.

I’d love to know if you consider yourself high or low maintenance with regard to getting beautiful in the morning. Am I hopelessly over-product-ed??

Stay fabulous, and see you at the new “Easy does it” Visible Monday, 

 
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patti

27 Comments

  1. I would say low maintenance in the morning and high maintenance in the evening. I take showers at night because I don’t get dirty while I’m sleeping. Usually every second or third night. Mornings I just wash my face with water (no soap) and brush my teeth, apply moisturizer, eyeliner and lipstick, get dressed, takes 15 minutes. Nails or anything else is done after my shower in the evenings so that takes longer, which means I’m high maintenance on evenings that I shower.

    ❤️carmen

  2. I’d say I’m low. I do the body/teeth/hair cleaning basics. Generally no lotions. Lipstick, definitely, and sometimes eyebrow pencil. And even less frequently mascara/eye shadow. But now I’ve started using lip and eye primer as an age-related thing. Pffft. Not happy about it but even more unhappy with what happens when I skip that step. I’d do more if I had strong sun to contend with.

  3. I think I’m relatively low maintenance – shower, body lotion, deodorant. I wash my hair every 2 or 3 days and it’s so short it takes no time at all to style. My makeup routine is down to moisturizer, brow gel, some concealer and lipstick. Never leave the house without lipstick!

    • Love your hair, Shelley. And I agree, it’s one of the Big Laws – don’t leave the house in bare lips! xo

  4. As I’ve gotten older I most definitely have become more high maintenance if I’m going out and about. I agree with Suzanne on showering less often and Samantha on being classic and worth maintaining. The only thing I have “done” is a cut and foil color every 3 months. I do use a few expensive skin care products.

    • I’ve seen your hair and it’s really beautiful – well worth the maintenance! Nice skin care products can make us feel pampered, I love that. xo

  5. Somewhere in between you and your hubby. But I have very short hair and can shower in the evening. I save the elctric razor, tweezers and all that good stuff for one night a week. I dont wear nail polish and mine are clipped (too many sewing machine or artist disasters) . So in the morning I shower (or not) put on deoderant and do my teeth while in the bathroom. Then I put body lotion all over and use a good quality facial moisturizer with sunscreen, (an absolute requirement in Colorado). I throw on some frangrance and get dressed. Somewhere in there I throw on some chapstick and blusher if I think about it!

    • Sounds like a nice in-between! Very short hair is such a time-saver, and I love it that fragrance is part of the routine, xo

  6. I was very low maintenance, but am average now.
    I wash my hair at night , every other day, and as it dries, I tie it in a sock, and wake up with bouncy curls . I use tinted moisturizer with SPF and lip gloss as I go out the door.
    I get eyelashes every 2 week for 10 minutes and am getting micro blading to define my thinning eyebrows and that is supposed to last 6 months. Love the fake eyelashes! Every 4 weeks I do have to get hair coloring, but the processing keeps my hair looking fuller, as my methotrexate, a mild chemo drug thins it, and I love my salon. I bring champagne to these visits, but I don’t often drink it. I love to hear the pop sound!

    So dressing, brewing coffee and getting dressed takes under 15 minutes , which is not too bad. I could push it to 10 in the morning, but I I do have to factor in monthly hair maintenance . How many steps is that?
    Dunno!
    Brush teeth, brush hair, quick moisturizer, fill in brows for now…
    Sometimes I do a fast braid and add my braided headband which looks like an elaborate do…..
    Nothing easier than long hair, quick pony tail, braid or top knot…and out the door.

    Sally Hanson one coat or gel manicure saves time too.

    My most time consuming ritual is my bedtime vitamins and medications! Hard for me to swallow with my autoimmune disease.

    Finding my keys and glasses sometimes takes more time that my beauty rituals, . Lol.
    Fun post. When I had short hair, it took more time.
    Happy weekend!
    ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

    • it sounds like you take good care of yourself, Elle! Sorry about all the medications. Your hair always looks fab. xo

  7. I fit firmly into the high maintenance category but I am quite alright with it, I feel it’s necessary the older I get. My husband has always been low maintenance, he showers and doesn’t even have to dry his naturally curly hair! The nighttime routine is about the same – he brushes his teeth. Me? Ugh, the skincare routine alone involves several steps.

    • lol! I know! I often say to my husband, “yes but i look better” and it’s not even true! xox

  8. On an average day I apply face moisturizer, eye cream, brush, floss and use mouthwash (I’m crazy about keeping my teeth clean) lip balm and if I’m heading out then it is a quick lipstick as well. This all takes about 6 minutes.

    I only shower every 3-4 days unless I’ve worked out. People might be grossed out but the reality is that you don’t need to shower that much if you’re not doing something to get dirty. Showering and bathing dries out your skin.

    On a day when I’m going out to meet someone then the whole schedule changes and then the shower, makeup, hair etc takes an hour.

    That said, I also get my lashes done every couple of weeks and my hair every 4 weeks.

    Having my photos taken for the blog certainly adds pressure.

    Suzanne

    • yes, getting “blog-ready” takes me longer too. Your lashes are always perfection. xox

  9. V.Low. Not much more than your husband. I can be out the door in 20-25 minutes most days including making my tea to drink on the commute, as well as my husband’s pot of coffee for when he gets up (2 hrs later). The timing is especially true if my hair doesn’t need washing. 1) Shower, but don’t apply body lotion, though I should since I have v. dry skin; 2) makeup is limited to SFP 50 moisturizer on face and hands; 3) one stroke blush across each cheek; and 4) a quick swipe of lip gloss. I leave at 4:15 am and drive 50 miles to work. Works for me. So far I haven’t scared anyone at work with my minimal makeup. 🙂

  10. I’m getting higher and higher Patti!
    And why not?
    We get older and we either give up (and head to the scrap heap) OR keep up with maintenance, which gets more pricey as we clock up more miles.
    I think we are like classic cars and deserve all of the attention!
    XXX
    Samantha

  11. I’m definitely low maintenance … I think. In the mornings, especially, time is at a premium, so I just jump in and out of the shower, then moisturize Etc. I always wear full make-up when leaving the house, but I call it the light version, which I can do in less than 10 minutes. At least, having short and straight here, it just needs some brushing and that’s it. I wash it every other day, though, sometimes I even skip another day, if I think I can get away with it. So, low maintenance, I’d say, although my husband might disagree … xxx

  12. Not only do I have so much maintenance, I’ve slowed down so it takes forever. Hair every 4 weeks, nails every 2,feet every two to three, brows every 4 weeks, Botox every 4-6 months, it’s endless.

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