Mirroring Your Muse. The Process That Led to My Glo Up

One of the most popular articles I've written was that time I shared how I became pretty and it changed my life.  To this day, that has been one of the most effective experiments I've ever done.  Today I want to touch a bit more on the process I took to actually facilitate my glow up. 
Before I get into the details, I want to start by explaining the very first step I took to facilitate the process. 

I found my muse.

muse

/myo͞oz/

a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.

Any transformation process must first start with a vision of what the transformation will look like when complete.  I could not have successfully conducted this experiment without gleaning inspiration from my muse.   In my case, the muse wasn't a specific individual, she was an archetype. 

To make the process easier, I chose a muse who I could emulate on a daily basis with ease.  Because I typically wear natural looking makeup, my archetype of choice was the girl who looked naturally pretty (vs. glam).  If I would have chosen a glamorous girl as my muse, it would have been a bit more difficult for me to execute day in and day out.

The girls who became my inspiration had naturally pretty features like big eyes, prominent cheekbones, perfect skin, shiny hair.  I, on the other hand, have tiny eyes, congested skin with visible acne scars, a round face, and unkempt hair.   My features aren't what I would consider naturally pretty. They're plain...and there's nothing wrong with it, I just needed to put in a little effort to close the gap between my current appearance and how I wanted to look.

One of the biggest obstacles I had to face was improving my skin.  All of my muses had darn near flawless skin (even without makeup).  Part of the reason why I started writing so many skin related posts was because I was obsessed with improving my skin.  My Pretty Experiment was a huge catalyst in helping improve my skin. The goal was to get my skin to the point where I could replicate the look of great skin with the help of makeup.

This experiment required me to wear makeup every day otherwise I couldn't accomplish the look I was going for.  Each time, after putting on makeup, I would inspect my skin and ask "what do I need to do make my skin look better under makeup?"  Inspecting your skin when you're wearing makeup is super important. Makeup can help reveal issues that we don't normally think is a big deal. That's why I encourage wearing some every day, even if makeup isn't your thing.

BRINING BALANCE//
As I mentioned, some of my muses were women who had features what we different than mine.  My eyes were the main priority. When left alone my eyes are small and unassuming.  In order to elevate my beauty, I had to make them appear bigger, or at the very least, make them more prominent.  Honesty, I had no idea how to make them look bigger so I spent most of my free time practicing how to do a cat eye on hooded lids and seeking out mascaras that would make my lashes pop.  I even incorporated a few extra steps like using an eyelash curler every single day.  If I  were to try this experiment again, I'd probably just get some lash extensions and call it a day.

The other strategy I used was to pay attention to how women highlighted their best features.  For instance, I noticed that girls with big eyes would utilize tricks to make their eyes even more noticeable.  They did little things like add highlighter to the inner corners of their eyes and wore lashes that enhanced the shape of their eyes.  When I utilized similar techniques, suddenly my eyes (which were almost non-existent) suddenly became the focal point of my face as well.  I also amassed a collection of muses with similar features who figured out how to leverage them.  For example, Ryan Destiny has full lips and smaller eyes.  I look nothing like her but I can probably study her makeup up looks for techniques that could translate well on my face.

I considered my lips to be a strong (positive) feature on my face. The only drawback was that my top and bottom lip vary wildly in hue which made it difficult to find a lip color that flattered both shades. The solution?  Concealer.   But more specifically, I'll sometimes dap concealer on my top lip to neutralize the hue a little and make my lips appear more balanced.  This made it easier for me to wear beautiful nude lipsticks as my muses often did.

Lastly, I completed my transformation process with a few finishing touches that pulled everything together.  Because I often dress down, I decided to focus on accessories as a way of inserting a bit of sparkle and glam to my every day look. I often received compliments for the small pave rings I wore daily.  Since I don't wear watches, I opted for a chunky watch band bracelet as a statement piece.

Back when I conducted this experiment, the topknot was a popular hairstyle that everyone wore. Luckily for me, that style flattered my face so I basically wore a top knot or a high bun daily.  It saved me time and allowed me the opportunity to focus more on my face.  This hairstyle worked well but I know that I tend to attract more attention when my hair is down.  I'm married, but if I were single and looking to attract a partner, I would have worn my hair down more during that experiment.

To really make it official that I was transforming into someone new, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and invested in some quality accessories that completed my look.  I didn't spend any money on clothes during that time, I just took time to put together looks using this method.

Every single morning, during my Pretty Experiment, I would look at images of my muse(s) for inspiration.  I even had a small playlist of songs that encompassed the "vibe" of the lifestyle I wanted to create.  This became a daily activity and every day I tried to outdo the results from the day before.  Every single day, I strived to look more polished, more put together.  Essentially, I transformed myself from someone who really didn't put much effort into their daily appearance into the girl that grabbed attention when I walked into a room. 

The purpose of the experiment was to determine if my outward appearance would have an effect on my life.  Ultimately, I released that I would have lived a completely different life if I were to present myself to the world like this on a daily basis. When I presented the best version of my self, my confidence was sky high!  People were drawn to me that lived a completely different lifestyle than I did. As a result, I was exposed to new people and experiences that didn't exist for me beforehand.  I'm pretty sure that I walked around feeling amazing and attracting like crazy! 

By the way, this process of mirroring your muse also applies to incorporating certain mannerisms that you admire in others.   If you wish to take on more feminine traits in how you carry yourself, mirroring is a great technique to do so.

Since that wonderful experiment, I've definitely backslidden into my old life.  I still dress up and look decent when I go out but it's not the same.  A few hours of looking and feeling good does not compare to living a life as the best version of yourself.  Some of you have tried this experiment for yourself and messaged me on Instagram about how it's quickly made a difference in your life.  For those of you who haven't, I urge you to conduct your own version of this experiment and see what unfolds.