Quick confidence boosters

What is your go-to, quick pick-me-up that gives you a little confidence boost?

I’ll be honest here, it’s not always easy to write about makeup or other beauty products, news or routines. Especially when you’re PMSing and feel like you’ve gained 10 pounds overnight. I can’t go “Ermahgerd you guyssss, this new foundation is ahhhhmazing” when looking in the mirror and seeing red and blotchy mess that my skin turns to once a month.

Whenever I’m feeling a little down about myself- PMS or not- I do have a few little quick confidence boosters, that always seem to do the trick for me.

PERFUME

Whether it’s a new fragrance or your signature scent, a few spritz of perfume can boost your confidence and lift your mood. This is something that I do all the time, sometimes even when sitting in my home office, wearing leggings and a baggy sweater. It just makes me feel confident and ready to take on the world. Same thing goes for important meetings, or whenever I know I’ll be meeting someone new. Wearing my signature scent always eases up my anxiety. According to research conducted at Duke University Medical Center wearing any fragrance can boost your confidence.

LIPSTICK

In ancient Egypt, both men and women wore makeup and the wealthiest of people were buried with makeup, for use in the afterlife. When talking confidence, I mean particularly bright, intense color lipstick. I think that we’ve all head that wearing red lipstick is the best thing for boosting your confidence, but it’s important to find one that goes well with your skin tone- also, it doesn’t have to be red necessarily. Did you know that hundreds of years a go, lipstick was considered a sign of witchcraft? Nowadays, red lipstick is considered a source of strength and… you guessed it, confidence!

PRETTY LINGERIE

How good does it feel to be wearing not only matching lingerie, but also one that’s cute and flattering? This is probably one of my favorite ways of boosting my confidence when I’m feeling a little down. I recently splurged on a few sets and I happened to be with a friend when my order arrived (online shopping FTW). As I was opening my package and showing her what I got she goes “uuuuu what’s the occasion?” I started laughing and said that the occasion is me wanting to look cute. For myself. I think that anything that has pretty lace on it is a perfect little treat. By the way, if your chest is on the smaller side, like mine, and you can’t stand push-up and wired bras, like me, you have to check these out at Victoria’s Secret. They are so comfy and come in a few different colors.

A PAIR OF HEELS

Growing up and even in my late teens, I never considered myself a very girly or feminine girl- despite loving makeup. I didn’t like wearing dresses or skirts, just didn’t like dressing up in general. I also never owned a pair of heels until two years into dating my husband, when I was 19. Once I learned how to walk in them, I couldn’t get enough. I loved how my legs- who I always thought were a little too muscular- all of the sudden looked so long and slim. I used to have a friend at work, a smoking hot girl, but she was one of those people who just couldn’t take a compliment and as gorgeous as she was, she wasn’t very confident. But, she had this cool trick where she kept a pair of her favorite heels under desk and wore them, whenever she had to make an important call (she probably could wear them around the office, but chances are, she’d break her ankles). She told me that she read about this trick in Cosmo and asked me if I think she’s being silly. I actually thought it was pretty cool and hey,  studies actually confirm that wearing high heels is great for boosting your self-esteem and assertiveness.

Another must for me? Freshly manicured nails. Taking care of your looks isn’t the only or most important thing to take care of when trying to boost your confidence though. This is why I also love meditating, using affirmations or listening to one of my favorite audiobooks to feel better and more confident about myself. Whenever I start hearing that little voice telling me that I can’t do something, I immediately start telling myself “I love myself, I love myself” over and over again. It might sound silly, but as I always say, the relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship in your life. That’s why it’s so important to nourish it!

Do you guys have any quick confidence boosters that put an instant smile on your face?