1. Match with EVERYTHING
Being the laziest person on the face of this planet, my biggest life hack is wearing almost entirely neutral/basic clothing in a coordinating color scheme. So, in a nutshell, every piece I own matches everything else, and most of my shoes, and my accessories all match.
Black is my base color, then gray, white, pink/coral, and red are my accents. I can get dressed really quickly and look put-together. It’s great.
2. Gamechanger
Bobbypins fit perfectly in a tic-tac container.
3. Fill those suckers in
Eyebrows. Even to the grocery store. Fill them puppies in and have them shaped often. Eyebrows definitely change a person’s face.
4. No more green fingers
Clear nail polish on runs in your tights.
Clear polish to seal whatever cheap metal ring you just bought. No green fingers, no chipped paint.
5. Never lose chapstick in your bed again
Keep a tiny bowl on the bedside table or in the bedside drawer. This is where you can stow your earrings or jewelry if you forget to take it off before you get in bed and get all comfortable.
I also keep a Chapstick stash and a nail file in there.
6. Smells nice too
Coconut oil as my moisturizer and makeup remover. Best thing everrrrrrrrrrr!
7. No more cowlicks
If you have side bangs or part your hair to one side and shower at night, comb your hair while wet in the opposite direction that you part your hair in. When you wake up you can style it back to your preferred side and you won’t have a cowlick.
8. TIL wrong fitting bras can give women migraines
I wash my hair with first baking soda, then rinse, then apple cider vinegar. The vinegar smell washes out, or you can add some essential oils if you must, and while it’s SLIGHTLY more time consuming than a regular hair wash, you only have to do it every couple of weeks.
Cook large batches of soup/spaghetti sauce/curry whatever and freeze them for when you’re lazy to prevent getting takeout. (I guess this isn’t female-specific). Also, if you have too much rice, you can freeze that in clingwrap and it won’t dry out as much.
Menstrual cups are the best.
Learn how to use a sewing machine, you don’t have to be fancy with it, but if you can adjust clothing pieces it makes shopping a helluva lot easier and your clothes more flattering. Especially if you love thrift stores or have an odd body shape. Save leftover scraps – they can cover up holes, make quilts, be used as rags or hairbands, or you can use them as accents if you have a boring/plain piece of clothing.
Learn how to bake basic bread. It’s so much more delicious and cheaper than store bought. You can also bake huge batches of bread and freeze it, or freeze the dough.
Spend a little more money for a decent bra. They last way longer and will fit you better – it will make you look more put together, be more comfortable, and be better for your muscles. The wrong fitting bra can even give you migraines!
9. Have extra contact cases lying around?
You can use contact lense cases for things like face wash, lotion, or hair gel. They don’t leak and you can keep just enough to save you in a pinch in your purse.
10. Baby powder? BABY POWER
BABY POWDER in hair for those mornings you just don’t have time to shower. It’s essentially dry shampoo without the aerosol can.
11. It’ll help you in the long run
Do everything you can possibly do, the night before you have to get up early. If it’s something you HAVE to do (work/school), it will save you from being late, and if it’s something you want to do (exercise, write, paint etc) you will be more likely to do it. Lay out your clothes. Pack your lunch. Iron that shirt.
Learn to cook. Not really a life hack, but more of a skill you need to learn to access other life-hacks. I know it can be scary, but just pick up a beginner’s book, and just follow the instructions. Get messy. Fuck shit up. Learn. Keep trying.
If you are as busy as me (and you have learned to cook) cook in big quantities, and after the meal, portion everything into single-serving meals. Yes, it will take you an extra 20 min, and it sucks especially after you spent an hour cooking and doing dishes, and you worked all day that day, and you are tired, but TRUST ME. This saves you time ten-fold. When good food is easy to access, it will prevent you from being lazy and ordering takeout. It also prevents overeating if everything is portioned out in single servings. You’re not just endlessly digging mashed potatoes out of a big container while you watch “you stories”. It will also help you eat healthier because most likely, you have a vegetable of some sort in each meal. People don’t seem to often reach for peas when they are throwing together an impromptu lunch, but if you just throw a ready-made-by-you meal in the microwave, you’re going to eat the peas you put in there. This trick saves your wallet, your waistline, and your health.
If you are trying to wash a colander, fill the sink first and then wash it underwater. Sounds insanely stupid, but I used to spend way too long cleaning them, and thinking it was so hard, because the water just runs out of it. If I save one person from that annoyance, it will be worth it.
Walk with your head up, chest out, with good posture. It makes you look confidant, which actually makes you feel confidant, which makes you have a better day. I don’t leave my house in my PJ’s anymore, but I used to A LOT when I was younger. I always noticed if I walked with purpose and confidence, people seemed not to pick up on my “Oh please don’t judge me” vibe. I also could cut class a lot in HS because I dressed well an walked like I had a right to be wherever I was.
Pick your battles. I hate that everyone thinks women are super over-emotional crazy people. This simply is not true. Still, try not to get mad at little shit. This goes for men too. Life is short. Don’t keep your emotions in, but it’s not always a bad idea to take a moment to consider your feelings and honestly question how valid they are, and if it makes any difference in the big picture. I’d much rather spend the evening watching netflix with my boyfriend on the couch than throwing a pity-party in my room alone because he bought the wrong kind of shampoo. (And I’m not saying all women throw pity parties. I do. I’m really really good at it.)
12. MORE VOLUME
Dip a cotton swab in a bit of baby powder and run the swab over your lashes before you put on mascara. It’s like having false lashes!
13. Conditioner is better for shaving
Conditioner is better for shaving your legs than shaving cream.
I know “getting your colors done” is such a Mom’s generation thing to do, but figure out which colors work for your skin tone and hair. It makes your wardrobe look so much better! I’m a jewel tones kind of gal myself.
Don’t overload your face with products, as enticing as all the organic shit in the face wash section of Whole Foods is. Sometimes all your face needs is to be washed with water.
14. What’s a french wardrobe?
Start building up a “french wardrobe” as early as you can. (A french wardrobe is a concept- buying a small amount of quality pieces that are timeless, work in multiple ways, and you’ll own ‘for life’. Trend pieces are few and usually limited to accessories or something you really really love.)
Get an IUD and a menstrual cup. BC and periods are inexpensive, convenient, environmentally friendly, and safe.
Sleep naked or at least w/o underwear
Drink lots of water
Use coconut oil for everything you could ever need
You should be careful w/ taking out your menstrual cup if you have an IUD, but I think the rate of accidentally suctioning out your IUD is statistically minimal.
Sleeping naked lets your hooha breathe – which can cut down on imbalances/yeast infections.
15. Baby wipes FTW
Unscented or sensitive skin baby wipes are excellent eye makeup removers. They are less expensive than makeup remover wipes and non-irritating to delicate skin.
16. Always pee
Always pull whatever you’re applying to your face down to your neck: sunscreen, lotion, night cream, foundation. Age is most noticeable in the neck and make up is most noticeable when it stops at the jaw.
Also buy Argon Oil at your local Whole Foods or other similar organic-esque natural food store. You can get a bottle of 100% oil for under $20 and while I stopped using it on my face (was too heavy for me although great if you live in dry climate), it’s awesome for the body and neck.
Baiden Mitten, this is amazing for exfoliating and keeping your skin tone even. It takes a good soak or long shower and you need to rub the right way, but my skin has never looked better, worth every penny.
Always keep a travel size kit of night time ritual necessities in your duffle bag. I keep make up wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, eye liner, mascara, eyelash curler, hair ties, hair serum, tweezer in a ziploc bag and just stuff it in my travel bag and leave it in my closet. Makes packing so much easier and you get a custom set you developed and honed over several trips of what you absolutely need. I started this after finding myself in too many situations where I didn’t have a hair tie or my eyebrows were whack before an out of town meeting.
Always buy comfortable shoes. For the love of god, it doesn’t matter how cute or cheap they are: if they’re uncomfortable, they never will be worn.
Burt’s Bees Res-Q Ointment. I SWEAR by this stuff, it truly is the holy grail of ointments and if they ever stop making it, I will burn down HQ. It’s advertised as natural neosporin but I used it for EVERYTHING. Most noticeably lip balm (sooooo good for chapped lips and keeps your lips baby soft, better than anything I’ve ever used) but I have a tin in every purse and room in the house. Dry patch? Res-Q. Paper cut? Res-Q. Burn? Res-Q. Bug bite? Res-Q. Cold sore? Definitely Res-Q (so great on lip cold sores, better than Abreva or Lysine).
Sleep without your underwear, I wear my husband’s boxers to bed. This allows for better circulation down there and avoids yeast infections and the like.
Pee before and after sex. Every time. If not before, then definitely after. This should be in every sex ed class.
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