Why BlogHer Makes Me Feel Beautiful

I have to admit that right this very second, I don’t feel beautiful. I was up oh-so-late last night and up early (for me) this morning. My face is showing the signs of pre-conference stress. A few blemishes, bloodshot eyes, and heavy bags. And no, I wasn’t drinking last night.

BUT…

My nails look FABULOUS! Here’s why.

For all the hurry and scurry and worry and what to wear and how to dress and the pre-conference primping that goes with BlogHer, I’d say it’s all for a good cause.

I use to kind of chuckle at people that posted their potential outfits for every single day and event at BlogHer. I mean, I know we all worry about what to wear but should we really post about it so others can ridicule us? Not that I would ridicule anyone.

And then last year, as I was getting ready for BlogHer in NYC, I had an epiphany. I did a little Q&A for a post on SheKnows sharing my best tips as a BlogHer “veteran.” My favorite question went like this:

Turns out we’re not so vain and shallow that we care what everybody thinks about us and what we’re wearing. It’s that WE care about how we look. WE care what we’re wearing. And for many women who simply don’t have the time or money to pamper themselves throughout the year, this is finally a reason and an opportunity to splurge a little.

Get your haircut. Yep. But I did this two weeks ago so it wouldn’t have that fresh haircut look.

Get your coloring done. I passed on this one so expect to see beautiful golden highlights in the front of my hair. And some very long roots.

Clean your pores. What? Doesn’t everyone do this? Maybe a facial would have been a better way to go but I promise, if you look real close, my pores will be clean dammit.

Shave your legs. All the way. I shave plenty during the year. Well, during the summer at least. But it takes a special occasion to make me shave past my knees. I’m bringing my smooth thighs to Chicago.

Pick out a few new dresses. This year, I said that I needed nothing new. I have such a closet full of conferences dresses. And then I went into Ross. To look. I picked up two new dresses but they were super cheap and I love them. So there.

Get some matching shoes. I have more shoes than even I think I need. But this year, I made a promise to myself to NOT WEAR HEELS. And I’m keeping that promise. So I bought some fancy platform flip flops from Guess (for super cheap – see Ross comment above).

Whiten your teeth. I have to admit that I’ve had these Crest Whitestrips under my sink F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Some blogging promotion or another. No idea if they worked but I at least feel whiter.

Buy new makeup. Normally we promptly ignore the “replace your eye makeup every three months rule” but this time of year, we might splurge a little. I splurged on some new Wet ‘n Wild liquid eyeliner. It’s horrible. I say go big or go home.

Get a manicure and pedicure. Usually I’ll do this once or twice a year, this being one of those times. But with a dog that recently ran up a $1600 vet bill, I thought I could maybe play the home version. Nails and neatly trimmed and buffer. Toes are flawless. And, yes, that IS Sally Hansen Magnetic nail polish. Thanks for asking.

And finally, go get a full body massage to completely relax you and de-stress you before the busiest three or four days of the year.

Yeah, I didn’t have that done either (see very high vet bill above) but a girl can dream, right?

Thank you to the one conference that forces me to stop, take a moment, spend a little time on myself, and feel a little glamorous for a few days.

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Hope to see you at BlogHer13! As usual, I’m looking forward to the venue, the swag, and most importantly, THE PEOPLE which I’ll be writing about next week. And please come see me at VOTY on Friday night. I’ll be reading!