If looks could kill

I don't wear make-up. I have no idea how to put my hair up in a girly way. I flat out refuse to iron. In my house, if it's not wrinkle resistant it gets thrown in the give away pile. I'm one of those women you see walking to work in a skirt and running shoes (I know, it's a bad look!) because my dress shoes slow me down. Instead of carrying a funky handbag, I use a knapsack because it doesn't hurt my back and it fits more stuff in it.

I'm sure that some people think I'm lazy, sloppy or both. I prefer to think of myself as practical. Why spend two hours getting ready to leave the house, when I could spend the time catching up some much needed sleep? And think of all the money I'm saving on hair products and cosmetics!

Don't get me wrong. I like to look good and, like most gals, I enjoy having a fashionable (albeit wrinkle-free and comfy) wardrobe. And, incredible but true, I do wear make-up on rare occasions.

My make-up bag is really tiny and contains three items which I sort of know how to operate - a tube of lipstick, mascara, and some blush (all of which I should probably throw out because it expired a decade ago). Don't ask me where it is right now because I have no idea. Usually it lives in my desk drawer so I can "freshen up" before a meeting with a big wig. Of course, I don't get a lot of face time with big wigs, so it mostly sits there and collects dust. When colleagues catch me in the hall wearing lipstick they pull me aside and whisper, "did you have a job interview this morning?" as though there could be no other possible explanation for my glossy lips.

Before weddings and other big special events I get my mother do my make-up for me (she's good!), or I pay someone at a salon to do it for me and get my hair done at the same time. People always gush at how great I look at weddings (which makes me wonder if I they think I look like crap normally).

My fingernails are appalling! I've never been able to kick my childhood nail biting habit. There is no point even trying to wear nail polish, because it would only draw attention to how disgraceful my nails are. Not once in my life have I had a manicure. What's the point? The job would be ruined before I got home.

So why am I telling you all this? Because this morning I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "oh man do I need a haircut." At the same time, I noted the little wrinkles forming around my eyes. And, when I looked in the closet and my face fell even further. None of my clothes fit right since my pregnancy. But then I started thinking about how I could fix things. So here's my solution:

I'm going to get a kick ass haircut that's easy to maintain.

I'm going to work out more often so that my clothes fit better.

I'm going to try for the thousandth time to stop biting my nails (wish me luck!)

And, I'm going to learn to love the wrinkles around my eyes. I'll just refer to them as laugh lines, and be reminded of my happy life.

But just because I had an "ugly" day doesn't mean that I'm going to upgrade to a bigger make-up bag. I have to draw the line somewhere.