The building of confidence is a skill. Just like everything else you've learned in life, it is an accumulation of knowledge and habit. It is not something that floats down from the sky and lands in your lap at a certain age, it is something you work at.
So what does your confidence work space look like?
Is that something you've ever thought about? We automatically know an organized desk at work tends to belong to someone put together and productive. We know that a clean kitchen always makes cooking dinner more pleasant.
But have you ever thought about the space you use to perform your skin care rituals and put on your make up?
Those organized work desks and clean kitchens didn't happen on their own. Someone worked hard and put thought into creating a space that would be conducive to making the outcomes they wanted to see (ie- amazing reports or spectacular apple pies).
The same goes for what you are creating of yourself. You need a space that surrounds you with the feelings you want to embody. A mindful beauty space, if you will.
This space does not have to be a huge 12 foot by 12 foot closet that is organized by color and meticulously cleaned three times a week by a maid. (*Clears throat, looking right at you Kardashians)
This space can be a simple 2 foot square space on your bathroom counter, or a small meditation table in your room. There are no rules. You just need a space where you go daily to look at and care for your face.
Here are some tips for zen-ing out your beauty space.
Keep it clean.
A clean space is a cared for space, and you deserve cared for. That means get it organized and keep it that way.
A great way to start is by throwing out all the old cosmetics and products. Did you know mascara only lasts 3 months after its opened? Most facial creams (including primers and BB/CC creams) a year at most? If you've kept it beyond it's healthy life, let it go my friend. It's probably not working correctly anyway.
Is there some cosmetics that you bought but ended up not liking? Maybe you know a young family member or local kid who would enjoy playing with them. (You should probably ask their parents first, unless you're a cool aunt like me that does whatever she wants!)
Once you've whittled down your collection to just everything you love and need, you'll be able to have a better sense of what organizing systems would be best to keep your beauty products clean and easily accessible.
Organizers can be found at local stores like Burlington Coat Factory, At Home, or even online at Amazon. Etsy.com is also a great place to look for personalized cosmetic organizers. You can find rotating ones, stacking ones, or even use little tea tins or spice tins to organize some of them.
I personally love going to estate sales for little trinkets like this. You can find local estate sales at www.estatesales.net You simply pop in your zip code and it will search for estate sales around you. Almost all the estate sales listings come complete with pictures of what's available, so you don't have to run around to places that you know don't have the things you're looking for.
One last piece of advice on cleanliness: pay attention to what you see over your shoulder in the mirror. For example, my mirror reflects my bed. So one thing I make sure to do every day when I wake up, is make my bed. I do not want to be looking in the mirror at a rumpled bed. That only leads to thoughts of things I haven't done that I need to do, why don't I keep my space clean, or I need to change my sheets. When you look at the mirror you want to see pride and confidence reflected back at you, not distractions and shortcomings.
Use all your senses
Think about how you want to feel when you're doing your beauty ritual.
Are you a high energy person that wants to feel calmer and more grounded? Try colors of blues and greens, working some plants, and some candles that have woodsy aromas.
Are you someone that needs an uplifting energy to get you going? Try yellows, oranges, and reds. Work in some Citrus candles. Grab some citrine stones or clear quartz to up the vibration of your space.
Your beauty ritual is an experience completely personalized to what you need to feel confident. Take some time to figure out what resonates with you. I highly recommend starting a beauty ritual space board on Pinterest. Search for pictures of spaces using keywords like meditation space, Zen space, beauty space, or makeup vanity to see what you fall in love with.
You may only use your space for 10 minutes a day, but in those 10 minutes take the time to make it all about you and raising your vibration to match the beauty deep inside you.
Make it comfortable
Do you like to sit when you do your makeup? Or do you prefer to stand? Make sure the space makes you feel comfortable.
If you prefer to sit down to do your makeup, but don't have the space to put in a full vanity, check into meditation style tables. They are shorter tables that sit on the ground that can hold your makeup and mirror. They're created for you to sit on the ground in front of and they take up a very small amount of space.
For my own personal space, I converted an armoire because I prefer to stand. I picked up an armoire at a Goodwill store and changed out the drawer handles and then got a mirror at one of the local home good stores. A jewelry armoire is perfect because it has many small drawers and inside I used small cosmetic organizers to keep everything separated so I can find it easily. They're also very narrow and don't take up a lot of floor space. The one I have is about one and a half foot by one and a half foot.
If you're sharing space with other people, it might be a great idea to get movable storage. There are some amazing boxes that have compartments for storage. You can look up sewing boxes, or even things like tackle boxes. You can decorate these yourself by either painting them or using contact paper, or even bumper stickers that have the uplifting quotes you need to start your morning off. This will help keep your cosmetics clean, organized, and out of the way. You can put small votive candles that you take out and light every morning and then blow out and put back in the storage box and put away under the sink or in a closet.
I hope these tips help spark some inspiration into creating a zen beauty ritual that you can adhere to day in and day out.
Carve out a little bit of space in your living quarters where you become the woman you have always wanted to be.
