Transcription
We have to be chopped and cooked first before we can surf and eat. So, if you're here for a glow up, that's what we're here for, too. So, you're going to get it, diva.
Listen, everybody wants to look better and glow up, but nobody wants to work these days except for us. We're going to be locking in. There's no luck or genes involved because then it's not going to be a glow up. We're here to take it to the next level.
So, step one, yeah, we're going to manifest it. But then step two, we do the inspired work. Otherwise, it's called wishful thinking. So, we're going to work on this like a project with systems, processes, timelines. In this house, nobody's sitting around doom scrolling on Pinterest. We're here to actually get things done.
Hello, Angel. I'm May. If you're new here, welcome. On this channel, I talk about improving ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually because people forget we have complete power over our lives. So, I'm just here to remind you. I make videos like these every week. And I have a community of other angels who are just like you, working on themselves. It's like a support group over here. We're just stoic angels, and these are our halo and wings, in case you can't tell.
I'm going to get better at this, you guys. I just got a whiteboard. This is my second video ever using this. So, don't worry, my handwriting is going to get better.
I also made a free PDF worksheet specifically for this glowout project: the 30-day plan. And then I'm also going to be giving you the framework to maintain that beyond the 30 days. You can download that in my video description for free, and then you can just fill in the blanks and put in the work.
I have read so many scientific studies on glowing up. Literally, this is a side hobby of mine, but one of these days I might actually become a scientist. I won't even be surprised if my content ends up on a scientific journal someday. Seriously, I've also researched makeup techniques to create facial harmony for brands like NYX.
There are objectively proven effective methods out there, and I know about them: skincare ingredients that work; food you can eat that literally creates glowy skin; and then there are different tactics that you can do that can really drastically change the way that you look completely.
So today, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to project manage your glow up in 30 days using real physiology. We're going to be designing our routines using actual behavior change principles. People around you will know this in 30 days.
So let's start with your baseline. You have to fix this first because your brain can only fix what you can actually see. There's a lot of research done on selfmonitoring that shows that when you measure something, your prefrontal cortex wakes up and becomes more disciplined about it.
So, grab your notes app or journal or that worksheet I made for you and write down where you are right now with no emotions attached. Maybe even take the before photo that you want to save for later. That's honestly something that I wish I did a lot more of before my glow up so that I have something to look back on because I was too ashamed of the way I look, and I don't want to see that for anybody. Take that progress pic so that you can look back and be proud of yourself. But here we are, we persist anyway.
So let's note down some of these items and ask yourself if there's any improvement needed. Right? First of all: your skin; your hair health and shine; sleep quality and consistency; hydration levels; bloating patterns and digestion; your posture and how you carry yourself; and then your brows and facial symmetry (basically your face); your sense of style direction; your teeth brightness; energy levels; and then lastly, confidence in the way that you show up.
So, take note of what you want to improve on. There's no judgment, no emotions. We're collecting pure data, and then we're going to be using this as the blueprint for our road map for the next 30 days. Everybody's road map is going to look different.
I'm going to tell you about one part of my own glowout process as an example. So, shout out and thank you to our sponsor.
You like one thing I'm working on is fixing my strawberry legs, like the dark spots and the texture and shadows that stay even after you shave, which is super annoying. Shaving is my go-to, and it made me feel like my legs could never look smooth no matter what I did. So, here's my before, and then here's my after. And I'm still working on it. And I'm still in the process, but it's improved a lot.
I fixed this with the UL like 10, which is the IPL device I've been using consistently, and IPL stands for intense pulse light. This device right here targets the pigment inside the hair root, which weakens the follicle over time, so hair grows back slower and finer. So, if you're thinking about the season of giving, this is the gift to myself that keeps on giving, okay?
I went from shaving every two days to shaving once or twice a month, and all I have to do is zap, zap, zap. If you don't know this, your hair grows in cycles, and IPL targets the active growth phase. That's why you see real reduction only after a few weeks. In fact, I actually noticed it in the first week.
What made me actually stick with this one (and I've tried other brands before and hated it) is you like air's ice cooling technology. The tip literally gets cold and fogs up while you use it. It keeps your skin cool during the process, which makes the whole thing way more comfortable. If you've ever used IPL or professional laser before, you know the heat and the pain are the main reasons why people quit. When I use the other brands, it feels like shock therapy, and it makes me not want to use it. But the air time makes it so comfortable for me. I can do my legs without wanting to stop in between.
Even before I started using IPL, I was constantly shaving and dealing with irritation and ingrown hair, and waxing hurt me and it inflamed my skin. Salon laser is also super expensive and required so many appointments, and it's not even permanent. Comparatively, you only buy this once, and I do it at home on my own schedule. Technically, I bought it a few times because I didn't like the other brands, but if you buy this one, you buy it once.
This is the holiday season, so it's actually a really thoughtful gift for yourself or for somebody that you love. I will give something like this to my mom or my bestie. It saves money long term and gives you visible results that keep improving, and that motivates us even more to keep improving. I put my code and my link in the description box so you can get the holiday offer while it's still available.
So, shout out to smooth skin, and now let's build your actual 30-day system week by week.
Week one is the biological reset. The first week is all about fixing your biology because it shows up the fastest in your skin, your face shape, your energy levels. You are optimizing your foundation first before you start thinking about aesthetic trends. Okay?
So, think of it like a pyramid, right? You are starting off right here. This is where we're at before you start thinking about everything else. So, first thing we're looking at: sleep.
Sleep literally changes everything about how you look. There's studies showing your skin barrier repairing itself at night. Your collagen production also increases during your deep sleep. And growth hormone rises, which helps with cellular turnover and muscle recovery. When you're sleeping poorly, then your cortisol is going to rise, which breaks down collagen and increases inflammation. So, your face is going to look puffy, your skin looks dull, your eyes look tired, and that is just from losing sleep.
So, aim for 7 to 8 hours every night, non-negotiable. Go to bed around the same time so that your circadium rhythm can stabilize. Literally, put your phone away 30 minutes before bedtime because blue light delays melanin increase. And the fastest hack is to use warm, dim lighting before bedtime. Typically at night, I only use warm lighting. And then after you wake up, you can use cooler lighting. And this trains your body's internal clock, so my phone screens are always on dark mode after sunset so I can go to sleep on time. Your skin is going to look visibly calmer and brighter by the end of this week just from getting a few days of good sleep.
Next, we work on the hydration levels. We know our body is about 2/3 water, but did you know that your skin is about 30% water by volume? We learn something new every day, and higher water intake directly improves your skin elasticity and also increases smoothness, reduces the appearance of fine lines, and also your skin care is going to work better if you drink more water. Hydration also supports other things: digestion. It reduces bloating and lowers under eye puffiness. So literally from what I'm telling you, working on your sleep and your hydration, just these foundational items, is already going to save you a lot of effort in all the other areas.
I like to use a big one liter water bottle and finish it twice a day. I put it directly in front of me even when I work so that I see it and I can remember it. You can also add electrolytes if you want, or if you sweat a lot and you're active, or if you drink a lot of caffeine because those both dehydrate you. Sometimes I drink a lot of coffee and I forget to drink water, and oh my god, everything suffers. Okay, I also add minerals to my water, a couple drops a day, because I have a filtered water system which strips away minerals. Your face and your body will look fresher and less swollen within days of drinking a ton of water.
And then there's also nutrition for your skin. As much as I love my skincare (and I'm going to talk about it in the next section), your nutrition is more important in my opinion and works alongside skin care way faster. It's also going to boost it as well. Like your skin is going to use all of the vitamins that you're eating, the healthy fats, and the antioxidants to repair and regenerate itself. All I'm saying is the bioavailability is so much higher when you're eating healthy food, whole foods, and stop spiking your inflammation levels all day long with processed sugar, seed oils. Your skin is going to respond incredibly fast.
Focus on vitamin C foods like citrus, bell peppers, and berries. That's going to help with your collagen synthesis. And then vitamin A foods like sweet potato and carrots for cellular turnover. That's literally like eating retinol or tinino, you guys. It's the same thing. It's literally vitamin A. Eat healthy fats from salmon, from avocado, and walnuts for skin barrier function. And then focus on polyphenols in green tea, in blueberries, and dark chocolate for antioxidant protection. This directly supports your collagen production and reduces systemic inflammation, which will show up as redness, as breakouts, and dullness.
And then your bloating and digestion. Digestive inflammation shows up on your face faster than people realize. Your jawline is going to look softer when your gut is inflamed. Your face holds water differently. One of the fastest glow-ups you can experience is not weight loss. It's always, always going to be reducing inflammation. Eat slower so that your body can actually digest the food. Walk a little bit after your meals to support your gut health. Reduce your sodium swings because salt can make you retain water. I've actually learned to enjoy plain foods so that I don't have a dependence [clears throat] on salt and sugar and other things. Tea as well. I love tea. Drinking peppermint or ginger tea calms down your digestion a lot. You can even add a probiotic if it helps you personally. I eat a very probiotic rich diet myself. You're going to notice your jawline sharpening and your face deeploating within 3 to 5 days, maybe even sooner. I'm not even exaggerating.
For week two, we're focusing on the structural changes that also how you physically look and carry yourself: your postures, muscles, hair, and brows. So, now we're going to be right here. Oh my gosh, we're halfway there.
So, posture is the first one. A good posture can lift your entire silhouette. It changes how tall you look, how confident you look, and even how your face sits on your neck. You're not just going to be standing up straight. This is muscle training. You need to strengthen the muscles that hold your alignment. You need to strengthen your deep core, specifically your transverse abs; your glutes to support your pelvis; your upper back, the rhomboids and mid traps; your neck flexors to counteract forward head posture. These muscles control your alignment without you even having to think about it.
So, there are simple exercises you can do daily. Okay? Dead bugs for core stability; glute bridges for your posterior chain; wall slides for your upper back activation; your chin tucks for neck posture. And you do this like, I don't know, 5 to 10 minutes a day, just a few minutes a day. Your silhouette will visibly change in a week, and people are going to ask you if you lost weight even when you didn't. And all you did were a couple of exercises for your posture.
Okay, now I want to talk about skincare, specifically effective skin care, because people over complicate this so much. 30-step routines will ruin your glow up. I promise. But the right ingredients use though consistently is literally just good biology. You need a routine that supports that biology. I always think of it in four steps: Cleansing, hydrating, repairing, and protecting. That's the whole formula. If you use a good routine alongside your foundational stuff, this is going to help you a ton. And then all you have to do is maintenance.
So, here's what's actually effective. Hyaluronic acid, I love. It's a water binding molecule. It basically holds moisture on the surface of your skin and makes everything look nice and smooth and plump. But this is a hctin. It only works when your skin is already hydrated to begin with. So, drink some water and then apply it to damp skin. And that's how you can get that plump look.
Snow mucin I love. And snail mucin has been researched on a ton. It contains natural growth factors and glycoproteins. And these support wound healing and barrier repair. That's why it helps with your redness, irritation, and texture. If you have compromised skin, this is one of the best fixes, provided that your skin can handle it. I think that some people can't. So, make sure to test it out. I would probably get like a sample or something.
Remember what I said about the growth factor. So, I also love using growth factor serums. I'm not going to lie, these are expensive. A good bottle is like a couple hundred, but it is very effective. Like, snail mucin I think contains a bit, but not as much as like a concentrated bottle. So, growth factors signal your skin to increase regeneration and collagen repair. So, think of it as like anti-aging, but actually effective and backed by science. If you invest in one thing for cell regeneration or anti-aging, this is the one that's actually worth it. Especially if you're healing other things like acne marks, smoothing out your face, your wrinkles, or if you just got a laser treatment or micro needling done at the spa, I would supplement that with some growth factor serum after that.
Antioxidant ingredients as well. Vitamin C, green tea extract, resver respir resveratrol, resveratrol. I think I got it. Okay, so antioxidants, they neutralize free radicals, which are molecules that damage your collagen and it accelerates aging. So, you don't want those free radicals, and also antioxidants can help with brightness and evening out your skin tone. So, if your skin looks dull, that can fix it faster than makeup or anything else.
And then you have retinoids. Vitamin A, the gold standard. Retinoids increase cellular turnover and collagen production. They also reduce acne. It smooths texture and softens fine lines. So if you know about Accutane, that is literally a form of oral vitamin A or retinoid. So the best way to use this is to start slow and use a tiny amount like P size or even smaller and moisturize heavily afterwards. I would do it as a sandwich before and after. It is so important to hydrate because it can be drying. And I've been on all the retinoids, including Accutane, so I know.
And then there's nioinamide. So this helps with redness, oil regulation, strengthening your skin barrier. It's also one of the few ingredients that most people can tolerate. For some reason, for a while, I couldn't use it on my face because I would break out. But then after I started taking it internally through like supplements, it becomes a different story, and I can use it for some reason. I don't know why. So the lesson here is if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you, but it did work for me eventually.
And then the ceramides. If your skin barrier is damaged, nothing is going to work for you until you repair it. So ceramides literally restore the lipid barrier and reduce irritation. If you want to glow up, ceramides are non-negotiable. I actually love the skincare line Sarah Ve because it has ceramides.
And then you have peptides. Peptides are like communication molecules. They send signals to your skin to produce more collagen or hold on to more moisture, which is really great for long-term firmness, for bouncy skin. And you totally don't need to use all these ingredients, by the way. But that baseline audit that you did right here is going to tell you what you might want to focus on.
So the next thing is your hair. Hair frames your face and it influences how polished and balanced your features look. Even if everything else is perfect, unhealthy hair is going to drag your entire look down. I like to keep my hair relatively low maintenance because it's always something, right? I always think of it as two out of three things. There's my makeup, my style, my hair, and if I get two out of three right, I'm doing very well. But if I'm getting all three right, then I'm doing amazing. But that's not every day, which is fine. I like to keep my hair typically low maintenance because I know that if I'm doing my makeup, my style, and my hair, and I know that out of all these things comparatively, I'm not that good at the hair. Plus, I generally like to let my hair down, and I like a relatively straight to natural looking hair. So, this works out for me.
A few lowmaintenance upgrades you can do is, for example, you can get a trim to remove dead ends. [clears throat] Whenever I'm bored or when I'm sitting at the desk, I would literally just have a pair of hairdressing scissors next to me, and I cut my dead ends. Every now and then, you can also mess with your part to add more volume, or you can even add more layers for movement, as well as think about the type of hair brush that you're using, right? For example, a blowout brush can give you a smoother texture. Detangling brush for the mornings, and I also like to use a bore hair brush for volumizing my hair. You can also use a deep conditioning hair mask about once a week. And in general, avoid excessive heat styling. I sometimes would use heat styling to the extent of like using a Dyson Air Wrap, for example, which is basically like a haird dryer, but you're also using it like a styling tool. And every time before I use any heat on my hair at all, I always use a heat protector spray. You can find it at the drugstore. Usually, it's next to the leave-in hair conditioners. Healthy hair in general reflects light better. So, your entire face is going to look brighter. You're going to look more awake.
And then you have the other part of the hair deal. Your brows change your eye shape. It changes your expression and your overall facial symmetry. It can literally shape your face, and even though you can't see mine right now because I'm wearing bangs. It's one of the highest ROI upgrades you can make, your return on investment. If you've never gotten professionally shaped before, I would try that at least once so that you can just maintain it. But generally speaking, you want to follow your natural bone structure instead of just following trends or whatever looks good on somebody else. We all have different face shapes, and we need to learn how to work with it. Although personally for me, once I figured out the rest of the style that I want, I actually deviated from that formula because it didn't make me look good. So my suggestion to that is to try what would technically look good on you. And if you don't like it, then go and do something else. Other things that you can do is to tint them if you're too light or spars. And you can even give yourself a little bit of a brow lift. So I get a lash lip done about every 6 weeks or so. And I would just do my brows as well. Even though you can't see my brows, it still keeps everything in place. Even your eyes are going to look bigger and more open. Like people are going to think that you got Botox or something when you didn't.
Now we're on to week three, and we're going to be working on our style, the aesthetic. Yay. We're almost there. We're 75% there, you guys. I want to say that your style shows up the most. This is where your glow up becomes actually visible to other people and not just to you in the mirror.
A few things you can work on. First of all, is your color season. Basically, your skin is going to look brighter and healthier and more radiant when you're wearing the right colors for you. And when you're not wearing the right colors, it's going to make you look washed out or tired, even when you're not.
So, an easy way to find out what your color season is is by looking at whether you're a cool undertone or a warm undertone. So, generally for cool undertones, you have a pink or blue tint on your skin. Silver jewelry tends to look better on you than gold, and your veins will look blue or purple. The best colors for cool skin tone are true black, crisp white, jewel tones like emerald, sapphire, cool reds. I actually call it the office siren palette.
And then you have the warm undertones, which are yellow or golden tint on your skin. Gold jewelry looks better on you than silver. And your veins are going to look green. So the best color that's going to look good on you are camel, cream, warm browns, rust, coral, olive.
And then you have the neutral undertones, which is actually what I have. You can handle both warm and cool colors as long as they're not at the extreme of it. And you can wear both gold and silver jewelry because they both look good on you. For example, I'm sort of a deep winter. Even though I do have green veins, I also have some purple veins. When I tan, I would look warmer, but generally speaking, those dark jewel colors that I mentioned will look good on me.
And then lastly, when it comes to color seasons, you also have your contrast levels. You have high contrast, and then you have low contrast. So contrast level typically looks at your hair, your skin, and your eyes, and the difference in color between them. Usually high contrast means you can wear more bold and saturated colors. And then lower contrast means you look better in softer and muted tones. And then medium contrast just means that you're right in the middle.
So to test your season, basically you can hold up different color tops to your face in a natural light near windows of your face in the daylight and notice which colors make your skin glow and which ones makes you tired. If you can take a photo of it and compare it, and you're going to get your answer.
And then you have your fit, which matters more than your fashion and your style. In fact, the way your clothes fit you matters the most. And your best silhouette also depends on your bone structure and how much softness or angularity you have in your body. A good system to look into will be the kid system. But you can also do a way simpler version of that.
For example, if you have an angular shape, structured jackets look really good on you. Blazers, straight leg, widele pants, clean lines, geometric shape, sharp accessories. I had this professor when I was in school. She's super skinny and tall, and she has this very angular look, and that is exactly what she wore. And I'm telling you, she looks so good.
If you have a more softer body, you have some curvature. Drape fabrics that move with your body will really suit you. Wrap tops and dresses, soft fabrics, soft knits, round accessories. Think Aphrodite, think Grecian, Saurons, beachwear, soft, feminine.
If you're a mix, again, you can balance both of these elements. For example, you can play with hardness and softness: structured jacket with soft romantic hair. You can even wear a flowy top with tailored trousers or even a really standout accessory with a drape dress or something like that. So, in terms of fit, the way clothes look on you will matter so much more than trends. So, find out what your shape is and what your go-to should look like, and then just go for it.
Another great way to find your personal style is to try clothes on in real life. I call this the boutique method, and this is going to cost you $3.99. So, basically, all you have to do is go to a boutique or department store and just pull 15 pieces or however many they let you try on and just choose completely different silhouettes, okay? Straight, geometric, wide, fitted, drape, oversized, bodycon, whatever it is. And then just try it on. Take a photo and be relaxed and just like look at yourself in the mirror and notice which shapes automatically flatter you more without effort. And that is going to be your system. Most people only need to identify like three silhouettes that looks the best on them and then just keep repeating that in different styles, different fabrics, different colors.
And then when it comes to your makeup, I love messing with makeup. It changes how people perceive you, your bone structure, your facial harmony. I can change the shape of my eyes if I want, and so can you. And in general, what you want to follow is: light brings features forward; shadow pushes it back. This is basic optical science. You can call it an optical illusion, but really it's just science. And you apply that to your face.
So, for example, if you want to upgrade your makeup, you can even lift your eyeliner up a few millimeters towards your temples instead of dragging it down. Or you can even do the opposite. I like to follow the natural contours of my eyes, but sometimes I also like to play with them. You can extend your eyeliner here. You can extend your eyeliner inwards. You can also place blush higher on your cheekbones for a lifted look. Or if you want to sculpt your face, you can also lightly contour the side of your cheekbones as well as your nose to lift it up a little bit and create more dimension. You can also use lip liner to create symmetry and fullness. I just noticed I completely forgot to wear my lip makeup. But anyways, in general, I like to avoid heavy powder if possible because it really sinks into the lines and it ages you. I prefer to use liquid or cream or BB cream. This is also why we want to get our skin right in the foundation week so that we can wear less foundation, less concealers. All these things when you put it together is going to show up instantly in your photos and also in person.
And then week four, we have the identity shift. Glowups will stick when you change your behavior and your identity and not just the appearance itself. This is why most people fail because they choose to change their behavior instead of changing their identity and their way of being.
Your brain rewires itself on repetition. You just have to keep repeating the thing, and then eventually it's going to be automatic. This is just neuroplasticity. When you're behaving like the upgraded version of yourself long enough, you're going to get there. You're going to upgrade automatically.
So, in order to make all of these things who you are, all you have to do is ask yourself, what would the upgraded version of me choose to do today? For example, what would May plus do? That's why I'm calling the upgraded version of myself May plus. And I actually want you to name it and write it out.
For example, this is for me, okay? May plus is going to drink water first thing in the morning. She gets ready earlier instead of rushing. She's going to do everything intentionally, including picking her clothes out the night before if she wants to look good. She knows her go-to styles in general. She also showers in the morning to feel fresh if she's feeling tired, but I usually prefer to shower at night unless I'm really tired. Then a quick rinse in the morning will always wake me up. May plus does her IPL routine consistently. She goes to bed on time. She sleeps 8 hours a night. She moves her body regularly, even if it's just a walk, even if it's just a stretch. She speaks to herself with respect.
All of these small choices that you note down, you're going to remember it. Maybe you're going to make it an affirmation. But every time you choose to do these things and act it out, not only do they compound and lock it in as in your new identity (so you're not constantly fighting yourself and resisting yourself to maintain your glow up), you're also building trust with yourself, and that's how you become more confident by building proof that you can actually trust yourself to do the things that you say you want to do.
So the video that I made right before this one is about reinventing your identity, and I also made a similar worksheet as well. So if you want to incorporate that video into this week four, you can actually do that.
So, what actually happens beyond the 30 days? What does the plus look like? So, these are your results, right? And guys, I'm sorry. My handwriting looks like trash. I'm going to improve. But anyways, this is what you can expect, right?
After working on all these things, you're going to get calmer, smoother skin for sure. You're going to have less inflammation, less skin texture overall. You're going to have a sharper jawline from less bloating, better posture. And that posture work that you're doing is automatically going to make you look taller and more confident. You're also generally going to look brighter from better sleep and better hydration. You're going to have healthy and shinier hair. And by identifying your style uniform, so to speak, you're going to have a consistent style that actually looks and feels like you. You're also going to have more stable energy throughout the day. You're going to be showing up more confidently at that point because you have done all of the things that you said you're going to do, and all you have to do is to actually get to that point of the after.
So, how are you going to maintain these results? The maintenance work is basically how you're going to be protecting all the work that you've done over the last month so that you don't keep starting from zero every few months. Think about it in terms of weekly maintenance, bi-weekly maintenance, and monthly maintenance.
So on this worksheet, you would have identified all the things that you have to do to maintain your glow up because you have done the work over the last month. For example, weekly maintenance is going to look like consistent sleep, daily hydration, skincare routine, whole foods, pilates, sculpare, styling your outfits, and so on.
And then you have your bi-weekly maintenance. For example, brow upkeep, plucking your eyebrows, shaping your eyebrows, deep conditioning with hair mask, maybe resetting your closet to remove whatever you haven't been wearing, decluttering your beauty products, maybe doing your nails or something, healthy groceries, restock, refreshing your supplements, trimming your hair, all of these things.
And then lastly, you have the monthly maintenance, which is basically like updating your style direction depending on what works and what doesn't. Re-evaluating your routines. Figure out what's draining you and what's adding more life to you. Maybe even a bit of experimentation, right? Testing out a new upgrade, doing continuing education, so to speak. Keep learning new things, keep learning new techniques, and finding new ways to do things better. Basically, you're adjusting whatever is not serving you and testing out new improvements and upgrades whenever you feel like it.
And this is how you stay in your glow up instead of constantly chasing it or doing these glow up glowown cycles. It's an active exercise in you becoming the most aligned and healthiest and intentional version of yourself, and she's already here. Like, you are her. You just have to uncover it.
So, leave me a comment and let me know which week you're most excited to start with. Or you can just say glow out gang. We're all in this together. And if you want more transformation content like this, you can subscribe because I post videos like this every week that will actually shift how you see yourself and your life. I totally believe in you. You got this. And I'm going to see you in the next video.