Here's a little secret... I wear lipstick to bed. Yep, it's true. Just ask my children. Why ask my children? Because they don't lie about their parent's strange habits. LOL.
People are often shocked to hear that I am a single mom who wears lingerie under my clothes and puts on beautiful pajamas and lipstick before I go to bed at night. Most of us have a nightly face-washing routine where we throw on sweatpants and toss our hair up in a messy bun. I still find myself doing the latter from time to time when I'm tired and simply don't want to "care" anymore. And that's okay, too.
However, there's something about being happy with my reflection when I slip my dress off at the end of the day and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There's no man to appreciate what's under my clothes, so why can't I appreciate that for myself? Why have I only placed value on someone else seeing me look lovely?
I want to SEE myself! When I look in the mirror, I want to hear that quiet voice in the background of my mind say, "Damn, girl, you look gorgeous!"
And yes! Yes, I do, my friend! Thank you very much!
Waking up in this positive state of thought is so much better then waking up to this all to familiar thought process of... "Damn girl you look like shit... look at those bags under your eyes. You might not as well even get dressed up because it won't matter."
Wearing beautiful pajamas to bed and applying lipstick before bed (this lipstick does NOT come off and ruin my pillows, or this wouldn't be fun) gives me the unique opportunity to wake up in the morning and discover that the woman looking back at me in the mirror is still beautiful, even in her messy morning state. She cares... maybe she cares too much, some might say, but I have yet to hear her complain about her lovely colored lips and soft beautiful nightgown in the reflection.
I know some of you may be rolling your eyes because the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day is to worry about what you're wearing at home. If that's what serves you, then by all means, serve yourself as much as you want.
Giving myself every opportunity to love myself offers me the ability to show up at my best every day, and I never regret it!
It's like going to bed with a clean kitchen. It feels so nice to wake up in a sleepy state, wander in to get that first cup of coffee, and be welcomed by cleanliness. We never realize how nice it is until we experience waking up to a dirty kitchen. The same holds true for the experience I'm speaking of when it's time to be at home. No one else is there to see you, but you're there to see yourself in that early morning reflection. If you're happy with the way you look and feel at the end of the day, you'll wake up to the peaceful, pleasant appearance of yourself the next morning, setting the precedent that you matter—not only out and about in front of people during the day but also when no one is looking but you.
I love the first episode of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," where she would go to bed with her hair and makeup still on, then sneak out of bed to wash her face, only to repeat the opposite the next morning. She would sneak out of bed to apply makeup and fix her hair before her husband awoke. I may not have a husband or partner to sneak out of bed for, but I still enjoy seeing myself in the mirror because I put the effort in the night before.
Many ladies find it silly when I tell them this. I don't blame them! There might have been a time in my life when I felt the same. However, from experience, I now know that it's a routine I will never give up on, and I am better for it!
