It’s no secret that summer’s one of the sexiest times of the year–bronzed shoulders, flirty dresses–but what happens when summer hits and your style is feeling more “bleh” than cute?
You should love your look all year long. But if you’re feeling a little…well, stuck this summer, it might be time to breathe a little new life into your style!
Summer is the perfect time to change your look. Here are 7 of our favorite ways to switch up your style and get you feeling great in that summer sun!
Clean Out Your Closet
If you’re feeling stuck in your same old stale style, it might be a good idea to start in on your closet. Getting organized and back to chic, classic basics doesn’t mean breaking the bank; sometimes all you need is to sort through the fluff for a new perspective on your clothes.
Get rid of everything you know you’ll never wear again–and everything you never want to wear again. If it’s just taking up space, chances are it’s also adding to your frustrations of “Oh my God, I hate everything I own.” If that one dress you keep wearing really just makes you feel frumpy and sad, get rid of it.
Take plenty of time to pare your closet down to the trusty, flattering things you still love, make a mental note to bargain-hunt for a few new summery pieces, and donate all the clutter. You might be surprised at what a fresh breath of air an organized closet can bring to your style and confidence.
Get a Fresh Trim
We get it–you’re still a little scarred from your last impulse hair-chop. We don’t mean to rush you into anything. But if your look feels stuck in last October with no hope of freshening up, consider making an appointment to get a trim.
A fresh trim on a dull head of hair can work wonders; making your hair feel healthier and look crazy-shiny. If you normally have your hairdresser shear off half an inch or so, consider letting her take off a bit more this time. The more dead lengths you can get rid of, the more substantial and worthwhile the change will feel.
Remember, a change doesn’t have to be dramatic to make a big difference. Most of the time, a subtle trim is enough to lift your hair back to life, doing away with the dead weight that’s been making it look…blah.
Change Your Part
Not ready for a cut or a trim? That’s fine, too. We can work with that.
Lots of people’s hair grows in a strong natural part. It’s easy to stick to what your scalp wants because–well, why not?
Well, because you’re feeling over your current look, that’s why!
One of the lowest-commitment, highest-impact hair makeovers you can institute is a change in the way you part your hair. If you’ve combed that mane the same way since college, or even since Christmas, it’s no wonder you’re feeling stuck!
If you’ve got fine hair, consider a heavy part far to one side of your head. This will give your hair more volume, your layers more texture, and your face a new frame. If you’ve got naturally thicker hair, consider a blunt middle part or a messy, out-of-sorts one. Just throw your hair back and let it do its thing! The best part about switching up your hair part is you can always brush it out and start again.
Bootcamp Your Brows
We live in the wonderful age of boy brows–the fuller and sassier, the better.
If you’re stuck in that early 2000s Lizzie McGuire brow game with over-plucked arches and stick-straight penciling, now’s the time to whip those bad boys into shape.
Thicker brows tend to make faces look more youthful and rested. Try rehabbing your brows by letting them grow in all the way, filling in sparse and regrowing patches with thin strokes of liner that help create shape. Go with a pencil color that matches your eyebrows exactly, or aim for one shade lighter.
Whatever you do–don’t pluck more than a few stray hairs. You’ll be surprised how much your new, fuller eyebrows can help amp up your whole style game!
Snag a New Lip Color
Okay, so you’ve got the wardrobe and the hair/brow things sorted out…now what? Well…what about your face?
It’s a lot to ask a person to switch up their entire makeup routine–we get that. But an easy and fun way to breathe a little life back into your face is to swipe on a new lip shade or type of product.
If you’ve worn that awesome burgundy lipstick every day since the fall, it’s probably because it looks awesome on you. But if your lip game isn’t feeling so hot these days, think about revamping your pout with a bright pink or soft nude color. Summer is all about tanned skin and relaxation; breathing a little of that no-makeup, no-problems attitude into your lip look may be just the refresher your style needs.
…And a New Eye Color
Once you’re rocking that new lip, you’ll probably be feeling pretty good. You’ll probably spend a lot of your time strutting your stuff in that bomb pair of sunglasses–but what happens when you’re not in the sun anymore?
One of the better parts of living in 2018 is all the ways you can switch up your style without breaking the bank or seeing a surgeon. If you’re already a habitual contact lens wearer, consider switching to a bright new eye color with freshlook colorblends contacts.
From Amethyst to Brilliant Blue, you can revamp your eyes just like you did your lips; with a fresh, fun new color for the summer.
Switch Up Your Skin Care
Remember how we decided not to bully you into changing your makeup routine? Well, we’re still not going to bully you about it…but we might, uh, strongly suggest switching up your skin care routine if you’ve started to feel a little stuck in your skin.
Consider taking a Sunday afternoon for an at-home glyolic peel, or an old-fashioned exfoliation/brightening peel/intense moisturizing spa day. These treatments and products are super low key an easy-to-use, but they may just be the perfect thing to kick your skin back into shape.
Remember, too, that since it’s summertime now, you’ll want to be careful to apply a generous SPF, even on days when you’re not sure you’ll even be spending time outside. A little summer color never hurts when it comes to falling in love with your skin again–just be sure to use protection!
Excited to Change Your Look?
That’s what we thought!
Snap out of your summer funk and treat yourself to a fresh perspective on your new style.
For more tips on how to change your look and liven up your style, check out the rest of our awesome lifestyle content!