I thought I was low maintenance...😶

Hi beautiful, ☕️ 

I finally figured out at 40…

That you have to do a few high maintenance things a couple times a year...

…to stay low maintenance the rest of the time. 💗 

This is what I do every few months to keep my skin, brows, and hair in check so my daily routine takes almost no effort.

And yes, there's a men's product in here. 😉

More on that later.

Inside this week:

🌿 The high maintenance upkeep I do a few times a year no one knows about
🧠 5 things I've been doing quietly that are keeping me sane (save #3)
💛 What my 5-year-old said at dinner that I am still not over 😭

I do this 3x a year. That’s it.

I used to think the girls with effortless skin and perfect brows just woke up like that.

Nope.

They just do a few things really well, a few times a year…

So they don't have to think about it the rest of the time.

I am now one of those girls. 😆 

This is my version of that:

1. Still breaking out at 40?! 🫧 I was washing my face every night and still congested. The problem wasn't effort... it was my cleanser. This salicylic acid cleanser actually clears the pores and this pro-collagen peptide moisturizer keeps it from feeling stripped after. My skin is so clear now! Tip: Massage for a full 60 seconds, most of us rinse way too fast and that's why it's not working.

2. I glow now. While watching Netflix. 📺 This red light therapy mask is tightening my skin and reducing redness while I sit on the couch doing nothing. Yes, yes, yes, it does work! And the thing I realized was missing when I turned 40? Brighter teeth. I do a refresh every few months with this whitening kit I've used for years and I look younger instantly, my lipstick pops, and people notice. Tip: Do both at the same time, 10 minutes and you've done two things at once.

3. My foundation finally looks right 🍊 My base looked flat no matter what I spent on makeup... and it wasn't a makeup problem. If you do anything this year, use a BHA liquid exfoliant to smooth out breakouts and inflamed skin. Now my makeup looks flawless. I pair it with this niacinamide serum to fix my tone and now everything just sits better. Tip: Use liquid exfoliants during hormonal times to keep skin smooth!

4. My hair was giving up on me 💆‍♀️ Dry, weak, shedding more than usual after a stressful few months. This bond-rebuilding treatment once a week brought the strength back, and I added this hair growth helmet because if red light works on my face, why not my scalp? And it did! Tip: I rub this bonding oil over dry ends and it looks like I got a blowout!

5. Your brow gel is lying to you 🤎 If your brows won't brush up no matter what you try...you need to laminate first. I have Asian brow hairs, stick straight and stubborn, and nothing worked until this lamination kit. Then I follow with a tinting kit that people think I'm crazy for using... because it's a men's product. I'm saving you money and it works better. Once you do both? Your brow routine is 2 minutes flat. Tip: Don’t get brows wet for at least 24 hours after.

My nervous system has been loud lately.

Something about March always gets me.

The season is shifting, the kids' schedules are changing, and my brain wants to do everything at once. 💨 

These are the 4 things actually helping right now:

I finally started eating enough protein 💪 I got a workout plan at 40 and didn't realize how much protein I was supposed to be getting. Rule of thumb, close to your body weight in grams. I've been doing this for two weeks and I already see more definition and have way better energy throughout the day.

My morning concoction nobody talks about 🍋 I can't do the olive oil and lemon trend, I just can't. But warm water, lemon, and a pinch of celtic salt every morning? Game changer. It's basically a mini electrolyte and my digestion changed almost immediately.

I stopped drinking coffee first ☕ I used to wake up and go straight for it. What I didn't know is that caffeine on an empty stomach spikes your cortisol. Now I take my morning concoction first, eat breakfast, then coffee. Way less gut issues and I feel so much more even in the mornings.

I made doomscrolling inconvenient 📵 The moment you open an app you're hit with things designed to keep you hooked. It was making me anxious, sad, and feeling like not enough. So I started leaving my phone in a room I'd be too lazy to walk to. Now I read instead. Currently on Reminders of Him and honestly? Best swap I've made.

She didn't know I was watching…

We celebrated Lunar New Year with my grandma this year.

She turned 98 last month. 🤯 

We were all at the table, kids being loud and silly, food everywhere... and she was just sitting there.

Quietly smiling. 👵 

She's hard of hearing so she doesn't say much. She just takes it all in with this gentle, unhurried smile.

And I was watching her watch them.

Because one day, if I'm lucky, that could be me.

Later that night my 5-year-old looked at me and said, "Momma, are you gonna be old like great grandma one day?"

I said if I'm lucky enough to be 98 and see you grow up, that would make mommy so happy.

He got quiet. Then said: "Mom, I don't want you to get old." 🥹 

I told him, "Growing old just means more time with you."

His little face understood but I could see sadness in his eyes.

Then he looked at me very seriously and said...

"Mommy, I think maybe there will be discoveries. And you will live longer. And then we all will."

He used the word “discoveries". He's five.

And in that one sentence he held grief, hope, and love all at once... something most adults spend their whole lives learning how to do.

We spend so much time worried about things that might never happen, about time running out, about doing it all before it's too late.

But what if we just...showed up?

For the dinners. The loud tables. The little faces watching us.

Because if we do it right, one day we get to be the one sitting quietly at the end of the table.

Smiling at all the beautiful chaos we helped create. 💛

See you next week. xx

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xo Jen

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