It all started with an influencer...🫣

Hi beautiful, ☕️ 

I wasn't going to tell anyone this yet. 😲 

It started with one influencer. One post. One line.

And something in me just... cracked.

I turned 40 and realized I had been running on autopilot.

So I did something about it.

Pour the coffee or wine, babe. It's all below: 

🙋🏻‍♀️ my skin looked dull + tired but these woke it up
💢 the influencer that struck a nerve (and I can’t keep it in)
🫠 nobody warns you about this part of turning 40

I gaslit my tired skin into glowing

My skin had been looking exhausted…

Dull and tired no matter how much I slept. 😴 

These are the finds that gave me my glow back…and most are on Prime Day! 🛍️ 

The sale ends tomorrow. You’ve been notified. 📩 

…because I’ve already stocked up. 🛒 

1. the glow I refuse to gatekeep ✨ My skin looked flat and tired, zero glow. This 7% ectoin glow booster woke it right up and this peptide plumping cream keeps it bouncy, girl you should've started this yesterday, I use mine every single day. Tip: Glow booster in the morning, peptide cream every night.

2. the reason my makeup finally grips 🧼 My base used to slide off by noon, sinking into every line. This glow prep primer that grips holds it all day and this velvet cushion that melts in looks like real skin, all the K-beauty girls swear by it. Watch this tutorial for the shade match! Tip: Primer first, wait a minute, then tap the cushion on thin.

3. the bounce I thought I'd lost 🤍 My cheeks went crepey and slack out of nowhere. This firming ceramide moisturizer plumped them back and this first spray serum leaves me dewy in one mist, my mom's done this for years and her skin still wins. This spray hack is going to leave you speechless! Tip: Mist on damp skin first, then seal with the moisturizer.

4. okay, these two are random 🛒 I earned every stretch mark from my babies. This #1 stretch mark cream softens everything (my post partum belly, arms and thighs are noticeably smoother and firm!). The truth about my stretch marks? It's all in this video. I also can’t get enough of this jelly lip tint that fakes lip filler and flatters my skin tone. Tip: I wish I started using the stretch cream BEFORE I got pregnant.

5. the dullness I finally fixed ✨ I looked tired and gray no matter how much I slept. This glycolic brightening serum buffs the dullness away and this barrier cream that drenches stops the stripped, tight feeling, second tube and I can't go back. See the live demo here! Tip: Glycolic at night, barrier cream over it, wake up glowing.

The influencer that struck a nerve…

I’d been running on empty.

Then this one influencer I follow showed up on my feed at the exact right moment.

Something about her just struck a nerve, and I finally got it together.

Here’s what I started doing:

this reset is kicking my butt, literally 🍑 This influencer who’s also a mom, looked strong, lean, toned and genuinely happy stopped my scroll cold, because that used to be me before I lost myself in motherhood. So I started her Triple A challenge, abs, arms, and ass, and 4 days in I already feel like I'm coming back to life.

3pm crash that ran my life 💪 Every afternoon I'd hit a wall I blamed on being 40, like the tired was just permanent. Then I got consistent with this daily supplement and the fog lifted, my brain finally felt like it was mine again.

the bedtime I'm weirdly proud of 😴 I was a midnight scroller dragging through the next day exhausted and snapping at everyone I love. Protecting my sleep on this dreamy mattress fixed it (and my back pain). I loved it so much I got my six year old his own.

I finally kept the guilt down 🎾 Taking even one hour for myself used to feel selfish, like I was stealing it from my kids. Now tennis every week fills me back up, and I've finally stopped apologizing for needing it.

I almost let 40 win…

I turned 40 and finally heard myself.

The voice that whispers you're doing everything at fifty percent and nothing all the way. 😩 

Half a mom. Half a wife. Half of myself.

This year was a lot, if I'm being honest with you.

For a minute I let myself believe the good part was already over.

Then I saw that post. You know the one. 👀

And something I'd been ignoring just... changed.

I'd catch my reflection mid school run, hair everywhere, juice box in my bag, and still see a young person looking back. 🪞

So here's where my head is now.

I'm grateful for this body, the one carrying me through day 4 of shaking legs. 💪

Grateful for my family, the little hand that still reaches for mine in the parking lot.

And for what comes my way, and even the things that don't, because they're clearing space for something better.

I'm finally taking my 40’s back, one early bedtime and one shaky rep at a time.

If you feel the same, know you’re not alone. ❤️ 

x Jen

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xo Jen

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