Narcissism vs. Neglect

I've always considered myself high maintenance. I was the girl in college who was never without a full face of makeup, and who was known to slink around the sorority house late at night covered in body mud. And my beauty routines only grew more elaborate as I got older. I started getting regular manicures, pedicures, facials and bikini waxes. I made regular pilgrimages to department stores, and later, Sephora, to stock up on the latest products. I spent tons of time poking at my face in the mirror, while smoothing on assorted lotions and serums.

But that was all LBL (Life Before Lola). Now that I have a VERY active 14 month old and another baby on the way, I've found that my list of essentials keeps getting smaller. Somedays, it disappears entirely. Today was one of those days. I didn't wash my face this morning, or use any skincare product except for my sunscreen. I didn't use my pregnancy stretch mark oils or body lotions or bust gel or hand cream or foot cream or eye cream. I didn't use much of anything. I didn't even shower. I did manage to make it upstairs at some point in the early afternoon to apply some deodorant, but that's as far as I got.

Why? Well the Cherub was more tired, and therefore more demanding, than usual, and I was more exhausted than usual.

Somewhere in between, there's a healthy middle ground between narcissism and neglect, and most days I manage to find it. I squeeze in a shower, slather on some body lotion, take care of my skin, do my hair (however quickly) and even sneak in a little makeup. But even for a beauty addict like myself, there are days when just making it from morning to night is an accomplishment. On these days, it's nice to be able to pare down to the bare necessities and take it easy on yourself. Because sometimes, going easy on yoursels is the greatest beauty secret of all.