Everyone wants to be beautiful. It’s easy to feel ugly when you compare yourself to Instagram influencers and pop stars. But being beautiful is actually much more easily achieved than most people think. And it doesn’t involve crash dieting, contouring your face, or lip fillers. Read on for a simple guide on how to be beautiful—really beautiful—without trying too hard.
- Keep a list of things you love about yourself. Forget what One Direction told you. You not knowing you’re beautiful doesn’t actually make you beautiful. In reality, when you know you’re beautiful, your beauty is more likely to shine. If you’re having trouble with your self-esteem, try writing a list of things that you love about yourself. They can be about your appearance or your personality. Refer back to that list when you have moments that make you feel less than beautiful. Remember, there’s a difference between confidence and arrogance, and knowing you’re beautiful is the first step towards feeling confident and radiating self-love.
- Invest time in yourself. You don’t need truckloads of makeup, designer clothes, or cosmetic surgery to be beautiful. The key to beauty is feeling it, and you can do that by investing time in yourself. If you do like to wear makeup, spend time practicing how to get it right so you feel like a million dollars in it. Plan out your outfits in advance so you don’t have to wear clothes that make you uncomfortable at the last minute. Take time to do your hair the way you like it. Appearance-wise, there are so many simple ways to look more attractive. They don’t always take money, but they do take time.
- Practice self-care. Practice self-care so you can be the best version of yourself. Look after yourself from the inside out so your beauty exudes from within. That means staying on top of your health by eating nutritional foods, exercising, and getting enough rest. Take care of your skin by wearing sunscreen, and washing and moisturizing daily. And you’ve heard this before, but drink more water! When you are healthy, you are naturally more attractive to other people and you feel better within yourself.
- De-stress. Stress has a lot of negative side effects that can interfere with the way you look and feel. Long-term stress, in particular, can cause mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. It can also lead to obesity, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, heart disease, permanent hair loss, and skin problems, including acne and eczema. Luckily, there are many ways to de-stress. You could try regular exercise, relaxation activities such as meditation, or talking through your problems with a licensed therapist.
- Show love and kindness. This is cheesy but true. The best way to appear beautiful on the outside is to be beautiful on the inside. Although people who are aesthetically conventionally attractive might appear more beautiful at first, an ugly personality dominates everything else very quickly. You can make yourself beautiful (without doing a thing to your appearance) by being a high-quality human being. Spread love and kindness. Make people feel welcome and accepted. Leave the world better than when you found it and you will be beautiful, regardless of what you look like.
- Find your own style. To be your most beautiful self, you have to be your true self. You’ll never beat someone else at being them, and they’ll never beat you at being you. So embrace who you are and find your own style. Maybe your style includes keeping up with the latest fashion trends. Maybe you’re a timeless beauty. Or maybe your thing is totally different. Wherever your comfort spot is, just be you and let your weirdness shine.
- Feel comfortable with your appearance. You’ll never look or feel beautiful if you’re uncomfortable with your appearance. Insecurity shows up very easily through facial expressions and body language. To avoid looking awkward and uncomfortable, don’t wear clothes that are too tight or makeup that’s too heavy if you don’t like it. Forget about what’s in and only wear looks that you feel like your best self in.
- Wear red lipstick. According to Bustle, wearing red lipstick is a science-backed way to appear more beautiful. That’s based on a study that found the lips are considered to be one of the most attractive facial features, and drawing attention to them does wonders. The color red in general tends to help you stand out from the crowd. As mentioned, real beauty may come from the inside. But if you’d like to show off your natural beauty and shine all the more, choose red.
