It’s your time to glow up

The Urban Dictionary describes it thus: “A glow-up is a mental, physical and an emotional transformation for the better. Glow-ups can be both natural or planned, as well as being gradual and permanent, or fast and temporary.”

The Collins Dictionary says: “If you say that someone glows up, you mean that they become more mature, confident, and attractive.”

The art of the glow-up is something that has been growing in popularity since last year’s lockdown. There are people who took that opportunity to work on themselves. The glow-up welcomes you into the world following a period of hibernation. Maybe your workplace has resumed office working or they have a hybrid environment.

Maybe you have got in touch with your inner woman,  or  you have had the opportunity to examine your life a little more closely and wondered what became of your life decisions. No matter what inspires you to glow-up, the result is plain as day. It’s You 4.0.

The glow-up involves a series of choices that will ultimately lead to your best self. During lockdown, a number of women did things that built on top of each other that led to a glow-up. The most obvious are:

- Drinking more water.

This prevents bloating. It is said water is good for the skin, but this has not actually been proven to be true. It works for some people. Others can drink lots of water but there will be no discernible difference. The idea, though, is to encourage yourself to hydrate, something we don’t do so much of in real life. It also means you drink less of the beverages that can cause weight gain, heartburn or stomach irritation.

- Working out.

Lockdowns lasted for months. It was enough time for fitness gurus to come up with stacks of workouts to help you lose the weight you gained either over Covid-19 lockdown or before. There are hundreds of success stories about women who took the opportunity to glow-up and are now fitter, happier and better shape having developed the habit of exercising.

Now, working out is not designed just for weight loss. It improves your mood, makes you stronger, inspires the domino effect in your life by compelling you to make healthier choices, and it is great for your sex life.

- Eating healthy.  

The key is more vegetables.  And just a little more fruit. There are schools of thought that believe one must not eat fruit because of high sugar content. I say: all things in moderation, so long as you keep in mind that fruit salad is not a meal for a grown adult under any circumstances.

- Sleeping more.

There has been so much study on sleep that we now know it to be the fountain of youth and the one thing you can actively do to tame depression. A good night’s sleep cures many ills. So much so that bragging about being able to sleep only four to five hours a night is no longer a desirable trait. Sleeping well boosts your cognitive thinking, helps with weight loss, and creates a better mood.  Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is the new thing, unless you are genetically disposed to sleeping for short hours. And that is not a gift the good Lord bestowed on many.

- Revamping your skincare routine.

 There is nothing as blessed as trying out a refresh for your skin. This can be achieved through double cleansing where you first use oil then water. Clean skin is the foundation of skincare. Another thing you can do is get a serum that addresses your skin concerns. But the best way to get a skin glow-up if you are struggling with skin issues is to see a dermatologist.

- Changing your hairstyle.

African women do this so frequently: we become different personas every time we go to the salon. But, you can still change.  If you are constantly in braids, try your natural hair. If you are always in weaves, try interesting braids. Mix it up. Go to Black Pinterest and draw inspiration from here. You could chop off your hair, colour it, go straight, curly or wavy with weaves and braids, go natural, relax it — the choice is yours. Nothing changes a woman’s look like a hair change-up does.

- Getting your eyebrows done professionally.

Thick, healthy and bold brows are still hot. A lot of us women don’t have really thick brows and they seem to disappear right where the arch begins to the tail end. Eyebrows seem to have gone to our brothers. That said, a professional brow artist will define your eyebrow shape to highlight your beauty. Once you find your eyebrow shape, maintain it. Find ways to make your brows look more natural and not so sculpted that they look fake.

- Looking after your skin and nails.

You don’t have to go the nail polish way to have well-kept hands. You need to find your nail shape and nurture it. It would be great if you considered nail polish, however, and used something clear. Nail polish protects the surface of your nail. Keep an acetone-free remover close. As for your body, exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.

- Buying new underwear.

Whether you have been shacking up with food or burning fat the past year, you need new underwear. Go get fitted for a pair or two of nice bras, and buy yourself nice panties. A good bra improves your posture and is great for breast health. You won’t constantly feel like taking it off.

- Don’t look at celebrities and imitate their glow-up.

A lot of it includes expensive products or services, and though they will deny it till they die, there is some level of doctoring involved. They have a glam squad. And they glow-up under the radar. They don’t suddenly appear and ta-da! Twenty pounds gone! They hibernate too, and then one day photographers capture their glow-up on the street, on the red carpet, at the airport and anywhere else the unveiling is orchestrated. Unveiling the glow-up can be done on social media, preferably Instagram, or at a premiere. Your glow-up will be unveiled to family, friends and colleagues.

And you will know you did something when they can’t help but comment. Of course, you are not doing a glow-up for other people’s attention or approval. You are doing it because you see yourself differently, love yourself more and have had the opportunity and resources to do so, resources here being time. When glowing up, focus on habits that you can maintain. Make it a part of your lifestyle.

[email protected]; @CarolOdero