Jennifer Chiu
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I almost deleted this photo 🫣

I almost deleted this photo 🫣

The makeup I quit, what I do for my nervous system and the baby moon photo I almost trashed.

Jennifer Chiu
September 17, 2026

Hi beautiful, ☕

I opened my camera roll for one second and froze.

You know the one.

Where a normal Thursday photo turns into who is that?

My thumb went straight toward delete.

Then I looked again… and I kept it.

If you've been quietly editing yourself out of your own life too, I see you. 👋

Here's what I'm sharing this week:

✨ The makeup I quit vs the 5 things that stayed
🌿 What calmed my nervous system (and what made it worse)
💛 Why deleting it would’ve been the real mistake

This is what stayed after I quit the heavy glam. 🥰

I wish I did THIS instead…

I used to cake on a face for “good” photos…

Then hate how heavy it looked.

This is what I do now when a camera shows up.

….and it makes a BIG difference.

1. Soft base for soft photos 💧 I used to smother my face in heavy foundation and look cakey by lunch. Now I apply this skin tint with SPF and spot with this luminous silk concealer. I'm on bottle 2 of the tint because it gives me awake skin without the mask look.
Tip: Shake hard, wait 60 seconds, then conceal only where the light is rude.

2. Color that softens the frame 🌸 In my 20’s, I’d skip color or go full harsh contour and look flat or carved on camera. Now I tap this healthy glow blush stick and sculpt lightly with this forever skin contour stick. It’s the combo that keeps me from looking flat in candids.
Tip: Smile for blush, then blend contour under the cheekbone toward the ear.

3. Glow without the full glam ✨ I loved highlighter on a night out but always got flashback in every photo (cringe lol). Now a sheer glowy gel illuminator plus this veil translucent powder is enough for school pickup, without the flashback I used to hate.
Tip: Less on the high points. Dust setting powder last. Stop early.

4. Soft lip that still looks like me 💋 I used to draw a sharp dark lip liner paired with a super light lippie (my brain can’t even deal with that image right now). At 40, I love a natural looking everyday look and this soft matte lipstick is it. I always get complimented on this color when I wear it. For date nights, this longwear satin lippie is gorgeous, and not too dramatic.
Tip: Soft edges. Skip the sharp line, blend and blur is the way to go.

5. Skin work before the next photo 🌙 I used to only fix my face at 7am and wonder why makeup couldn't save me. Now nights get this cellular longevity serum and 10 minutes with my LED red light mask before bed. If you’re wondering is it worth it? Does it work? YES! I will die on this hill. It’s the one thing I’ll never regret getting.
Tip: LED first. Retinal after. Only at night.

My nervous system was on fire…

You can work on the outside…

But if your inside is inflamed, it all comes pouring out one way or another.

Here’s the stuff I do to keep my health in check:

1. The daily trio I actually finish 💊 I used to abandon vitamins in the cabinet. Now I take this essential gut and skin trio most mornings, and I’m on my second bottle of the prebiotic. So good.
Tip: Put it next to the coffee machine so you don’t forget it.

2. Regulate the nervous system first 🧠 I used to chase optimal with more protocols and still feel wrecked. Now I treat a regulated nervous system as the foundation, because you can look healthy on the outside and still not feel safe in your body.
Tip: Meditation, walks, relaxing in an ultra soft and comfy robe can help!

3. My mom's warming drink 🍵 I simmer red dates, goji berries, and organic ginger a ceramic nonstick pot the way my mom taught me. I'd tell any friend to always buy organic ginger. It's spicier, more flavorful, and even my kids will drink it for digestion.
Tip: Refrigerate leftovers in a large mason jar and heat and drink during the week.

4. Sleepy magnesium + the morning walk 🌙 A good night’s sleep used to mean a glass of wine (oh how wrong I was!) but now I’ve been having this mind + muscle magnesium drink before bed. I wake up rested and walk the kids to school even when I'd rather drive. Those steps give me clarity, get me outside my work zone, and help regulate me before the day starts.
Tip: Magnesium at night. Walk one school route this week.

Almost deleted it. Glad I didn’t.

I almost deleted this photo…

This photo is from my baby moon.

First pregnancy. 👶

Hawaii with a group of our closest friends and their little kids. 🌴

A friends-and-kids trip that was actually so much fun.

Then I opened this picture and cringed.

I felt huge.
I was waddling.
…And peeing every five minutes back then.

My thumb went for delete so fast.

Then I remembered where I was when I took it.

I was lounging on the beach with my best friend.

We were sitting there talking about life before kids.

How wild it felt that we were here now.

The sand was perfect.
The sunset was amazing.
Jeff was building sand castles with the kids.

And there was so much excitement about the future.

So when I look at that photo, I was pulled in two different directions.

❝

Every photo tells a story. Even behind a “not so great” photo is a story worth noticing.

I realized I needed to be kinder to myself. I was growing a human being in there!

It’s not a bad photo, it tells a story about a very important part of my life.

Deleting it would’ve erased the sandy beach, the girlfriend talk, and the version of me who got to be newly pregnant on that trip.

So this one stays.

If you’re holding a photo like that right now, keep it. 💛