I got up early this morning to tend to some girl business. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm a total slacker when it comes to a bazillion things. I let my legs go unshaven yet like to wear skirts, let my dry feet go unslothed for weeks, yet like to wear sandals. Let my toenails go ungroomed and overall just get by daily when it comes to beauty rituals. I'm on a need-to-do basis with myself and really would like that to change. At some point in my life.

Beauty wise the only things I stay on top of are my eyebrows, hair (generally speaking) and makeup.

There is a lesson in becoming more adult-like that involves doing things that you don't really want to do in the moment, but you feel good about and are good for you, rather than doing things that feel good in that moment and make you feel bad later. IE: overeating, not exercising and in general not taking care of yourself.

Any who, I'm not saying I need to be on top of my woman-hood in superficial ways to consider myself "taken care of", but I feel better and do better. To each her own, you know?

I figure on the road to the wedding date I would work on other outer layer feel good stuff to make me feel really good physically and mentally the day off and there after. This includes and is not limited to, getting a good fake tan going by then. Not a super dark, I spend all my time in a tanning bed tan, but a healthy glow. I don't do tanning beds, at least not since high school. And have been perfecting the art of lotion tans for years. I've got it to a fine science: Shave, exfoliate, moisturize dry areas, apply tanner, let dry, put on dark clothes before bed, wake up tan. Repeat.

I love Clarins for this, but neutrogena works nicely too. I'd like to say that I'm okay with rocking my paleness, but unlike Scarlet Johansson I do not pull it off well. I have varicose veins (yep, at 26), cellulite, and stretch marks. All of these things seem to somewhat dissipate with a little extra layer of darker skin.

More fruits and vegetables are in this look-better plan too. I keep reading how good skin looks with an intense regimen of regular fruits and veggies, but still only get around to a serving or two each a day. Right now we have some very brown bananas and few red apples around, but it needs to get more intense than that. I have a dress date today and plan to stop off at the local store and stock up and then eat and eat and eat. Nobody ever got fat from fruits and vegetables, right?

The next part of this plan is daily exfoliation and moisturizing. I hate putting on lotion even though my skin always looks better for it. The reason? I wear contacts and put on makeup after I shower, neither of those things go well with lotion-hands. The solution? Put contacts in -before- the shower. Wash hands before applying makeup. That was easy.

More exercise. Obviously. I need a schedule, as I've been too willy nilly about this. This is really truly the biggest key to looking and feeling better. No amount of makeup or self tanner can compare to the glow from exercise. Not to mention the extra lumps that disappear from exercise.