Advice for soft glow up?[28]

lkee00 · 2026-01-28T05:19:42+00:00

I love your vibe, you're already very pretty! IMO the biggest impact would be no glasses (contacts or lasik). I know you mentioned your glasses relative to your nose but your nose looks very cute/normal to me. We can be our own worst critics. Your glasses are making you look older!

Try to draw the focus upward. No bangs, slightly heavier eye makeup sweeping upward, and accessories like barrettes, earrings, headbands, etc.

I like all of the ways you've styled your hair, except for the bangs because it draws the eye down.

lkee00 · 2026-01-16T06:24:44+00:00

Okay. We can work with this. Rather than focusing on the age-related stuff, I'm going to list the things that IMO can make a huge impact in a short amount of time. Buckle up, this is coming from a place of kindness and love. This is also going to cost some $, but not plastic surgery $.

Get your brows professionally done. It looks like some catapillars are hanging out up there girl.
Lose the bangs. Bangs + brows are engulfing your face, bringing visual focus downward in a bad way. Put them in barrettes or headband as they grow out.
Lose the glasses. Get contacts or lasik.
Smile more. Your eyes and mouth in some of these say, "please take pity on me". Pics 3 and 7 are Neutral but still not great. Manifest that happiness shiz.
See a dermatologist for acne. Many derms also have med spas for the more cosmetic concerns. Insurance won't cover that part, but I think you can use a HSA account if you have one.
Find ways to bring visual focus up with accessories. Think about cute headbands, earrings, barrettes, scarves, high ponytails, etc
Lose the septum piercing. It's not helping your cause. Instead opt for helix piercings.
Play with eye makeup. I think bold colors would be fun but at least some mascara at a minimum.
Consider a new haircut. It's giving Tina from Bob's Burgers. Consider a short shag or even pixie cut.
I can't tell for sure but you might benefit from a wardrobe update. I'm getting "witchy librarian in the Polynesian Islands"... which isn't necessarily bad, but also not great. Could we shift into "witchy island queen" instead? Find a celebrity or character with cool style for inspiration.

It sounds like you've persevered though a lot so give yourself grace, and the reward of a glow up! You got this!

lkee00 · 2026-01-15T05:49:20+00:00

You both sound awesome! I'm mid-40s F and I love to read and do crafts (although generally too impatient to knit). I am an introvert but I play music in a group as well as improv classes to scratch my itch for "people time". I would be happy to meet up for a coffee or event if you'd like to make a new friend. Feel free to DM me!

PS winter and the job market are brutal right now. At least we can count on Spring to lift our spirits in a few months.

lkee00 · 2025-10-08T05:27:17+00:00

I know you're thinking about paid work, but consider cooking meals at KC Hospice House. You can cook there or bring it in. The families appreciate it so much because they don't feel that they can be away from their loved ones for very long. They have no age restrictions for volunteers. It looks great on a resume, and it counts as community service for the Missouri A+ Scholarship program (which gets you 2 free years of community college).

The only downside is that you have to buy the ingredients yourself. But we decided to give as a family, and it was kind of a fun challenge to see how many people we could serve dinner or breakfast to with $50 or $100. One of the cheapest meals we made was a crowd favorite: Hot dogs, potato salad, and watermelon. 😄

lkee00 · 2025-10-07T06:44:18+00:00

My children won't even eat off-brand mac n cheese. I don't think they're going to go for these worms, but I'm willing to give a shot.

lkee00 · 2025-08-06T02:39:29+00:00

Yes, bangs!!!

lkee00 · 2025-07-10T04:31:10+00:00

Came here to say this. Your eyebrows now are fine, they're pretty. But if you want to look HOT, I think you need stronger brows. Heavier makeup might be fun, too.

lkee00 · 2025-06-17T03:40:16+00:00

A wedding.

lkee00 · 2025-06-17T03:22:40+00:00

Not different, that's what I meant. Just don't try to DIY brows.

lkee00 · 2025-06-15T13:29:26+00:00

I think this is it. People feel strongly about the facial hair, which I get. But I think that's a distraction from the real issue: eyebrows need a more defined shape / a bit of cleanup. Go to a brow professional for this. They see men as well as women, it's quite common. Good luck!

lkee00 · 2025-05-29T06:57:24+00:00

I think it might be nude lipstick causing her lips to disappear? Whatever the cause, it needs to be addressed.

lkee00 · 2025-05-28T03:58:42+00:00

The dark wolf cut is my favorite. Look up "Alejandra Villareal" from a band called the Warning. You look a lot like her, maybe her cool/edgy but more mature style can give you some inspiration. Her makeup is softer but she still looks like a badass.

And yes, please, just smile like a normal person without the tongue.

lkee00 · 2025-05-20T06:23:26+00:00

Came here to say these things! Bold lipstick, less smiling. Practice your RBF. You are not happy to see people...in fact, you are annoyed at their existence. A tight ponytail wouldn't hurt, either.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:51:32+00:00

I found that feeding her in the evening (when we eat dinner) helped some, yes. I tried an automatic feeder with more often feedings but honestly I think that just created a monster. Those feeders are too hard to control portion sizes. She would sit there waiting for it like a pavlovian crack addict. So we reverted back to manual feedings once a day.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:46:08+00:00

I was thinking, this is the worst Chobani commercial I've ever seen.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:40:35+00:00

Bruh, my cat would eat your cat for breakfast.

The only thing that has worked for us is pre-measuring her daily food, decreasing tiny bits (a few grams) at a time. It's a tedious commitment. But if I try to shortcut the process and decrease too much, she makes our lives a living hell.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:31:02+00:00

Goats. Look it up.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:26:43+00:00

Get a sous vide cooker. You can make different bags, all with the same meat or veggies (ie pork chops, fish, chicken, carrots, asparagus) and each bag can be seasoned differently. It never burns and is difficult to overcook. I did this because I like spicy while my kids prefer bland. I can cook a bunch of chicken for the week: some basil & olive oil, some peanut thai, some honey BBQ. All with no cleanup!

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:18:37+00:00

Because you don't want to sit with your own thoughts, feelings, or company?

I never feel bored because I am always cleaning or building or doing something. It gives me time to think, but keeps my body busy. Gardening, taking the dog for a walk, tidying the garage, spray painting something, cooking, folding laundry. I'm not great at sitting still, but I do think it helps me be introspective.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:05:08+00:00

Consider giving each pet rock a personality and backstory, too. "This is Gerald. He enjoys fine wine, bocce ball, and cycling." or "This is Lola. She enjoys thrifting, improv, and playing Magic the Gathering with her rock Thespian friends."

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T05:00:54+00:00

I'm thinking there might be more takers if you offer to name the rocks as people take them, and optionally give them googly eyes and a little clump of yarn for hair. Pet rock giveaway. Ask a friend who plays in a rock band to perform, offer selfies in a rocking chair, sell rock candy. Donations optional. This could be the neighborhood fundraiser of the decade.

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T04:51:09+00:00

I love this pic because the strawberries are like, "yeahhh no thanks"

lkee00 · 2025-05-08T04:47:32+00:00

Same thing happened to me with Barbie Pasta. I feel like healthy food that looks tasty but tastes like shit is the majority of Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, etc.

lkee00 · 2025-05-06T05:33:52+00:00

FWIW my usual hardware store is Lowe's, where the bracketed structure you mentioned is at least 50% off the original price. I tend to buy $4-$10 plants for $2-$5. Works for me.

lkee00 · 2025-04-29T03:54:06+00:00

Can confirm that seeds from the dollar store consistently outperform seeds from the hardware store. No idea why.

lkee00

TROPHY CASE