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The Effort Behind Looking Effortless

Writer: bagojeantonia
bagojeantonia
12 minutes ago
3 min read

I watched a clip of Paige Lorenze talking about the effort that goes into how she looks, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.


She’s beautiful. When I see someone like her, my first thought is usually, “Okay, what are you doing? I want to know.” I want the skincare details. I want to know what gives her that glow and what she’s doing for her hair. I enjoy that kind of thing.


But what stayed with me was the acknowledgment of how much work goes into the finished look. In her Skinny Confidential interview, she talks about getting facials every two weeks, having her eyebrows done, and her beauty favorites. Hearing the upkeep laid out gives you a different perspective on the pictures you scroll past.


Because we see the result so much more often than we see the time it takes to get there.


What are we calling effortless?


We’re all looking for some version of it. The no-makeup makeup. The glowy skin. The hair that looks casually done but somehow falls exactly where it should.


And I like that look. I understand the appeal. But a light layer of makeup can sit on top of a very involved skincare routine. The natural-looking hair can have a salon appointment and a blowout behind it. Looking as though you barely did anything can take quite a bit of doing.


When your feed is full of those finished results, it’s easy to look at yourself in the middle of a regular day and wonder why you feel so far from what you’re seeing.


Then you hear about the appointments, the products, and the preparation, and you think, “Oh. There’s a whole routine behind this.”


For someone whose work includes being photographed, filming, and presenting herself publicly, that upkeep also fits into her working life.


That context helps me.


I love what a little attention does for me


I love a facial, and with kids and work, regular appointments take some planning.


At home, I love an everything shower. Doing my skincare, blowing out my hair, using tanning drops for a little glow. Doing all of it and coming out feeling put together.


I feel good afterward. I like how I look, and I like the feeling of having given myself some attention.


So when I see someone looking beautifully put together, I’m curious about what she does. Sometimes I hear the answer and want to try it. Sometimes I think, “That sounds lovely, but I don’t have room for that right now.”


Both can be true without it becoming a judgment about how well I’m taking care of myself.


Knowing gives me a choice


That’s why I appreciate hearing the details. I want to understand what goes into the look before deciding whether any part of that routine makes sense for me.


Some things I’ll want to try. Others I’ll happily admire on someone else. I get to choose which parts I enjoy enough to make part of my own routine.


I can admire someone’s appearance and appreciate the effort behind it. I can also enjoy putting effort into my own without expecting the same routine to fit into a completely different life.


I still want to know what she’s using. I’ll probably always want to know.


I just appreciate knowing what goes into the glow, too.



 
 
 

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