My 5-Step (Realistic yet Life Changing) Checklist for Glow Up

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Last Updated on April 6, 2024 by Isabelle Dias

A checklist for glow up that is realistic and will work in real life? With all the impossible challenges around the internet, something like that can feel like a dream.

But it doesn’t have to! So, in this article, I will be sharing five steps of a glow up routine that bring real-life results to people ready for a life makeover. I will also share all the skincare products that completely changed my skin over this last year!

This one is a biggie, so grab a cup of tea and get cozy. If you need to pin this baby for later, I recommend doing that now!

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Checklist for glow up

Step #1 Set clear expectations

Can I tell you a secret? Many glow ups fail because the person who wants to go through the process doesn’t get clear about a few things:

What do you want to accomplish with this glow up process?

A beauty glow up? Okay, but what does that entail? Clear skin and hair, feeling better on my body overall?

Or are you looking for an inside-out holistic approach to glow up (my favorite!), where you will care for body, mind, and spirit?

What length is your glow-up going to be?

A week, a month, three months, something you will commit to for a whole year?

The premise of a glow up challenge is that you will get extra-focused for a certain amount of time to see faster changes happen. 

And then, of course, you can keep some of your new habits (that would be the best-case scenario!), but life can go on at a more relaxed pace.

So, after figuring out your main glow-up goal, think about how long you can commit the extra focus necessary to make this challenge bring lasting results.

How do you wanna feel at the end of your glow-up challenge?

Define what success means to you!

Imagine it is the last day of your glow up challenge.

You are looking at yourself in the mirror as you get ready for the day… in a perfect world where your glow up went exactly as planned, how would you like to feel?

What would you have to be feeling to see this whole experience as a successful/omg it was so worth it one?

You don’t have to take forever to answer each one of these questions, but if possible, write them down in a journal so that you have them as a reference point.

Step #2 Start inside

As I shared before, my favorite type of glow up challenge is an inside out glow up.

There are a few reasons for this:

• When we do an inside out glow up we are able to focus on way more than just outside appearance.
• When we do an inside out glow up we get in tune with our true selves, and amazing things happen from it.
• When we do an inside-out glow up we build confidence that goes way beyond how we look and is rooted in being proud of who we are.

If this is not your thing, you can definitely skip this part. But if you are here, I can pretty much bet that you want more to life than just “looking pretty.” Am I right?

When starting your glow up from the inside, one of the best things you can do is follow a personal development plan or program.

This way you have a structure that guides your days, and you know for sure you are making progress with every day that goes by.

You can follow a journal challenge, a book like The Miracle Morning (they have a 30-day challenge), or The 21 Day Self-Discovery Plan.

The 21 Day Self Discovery Plan is suuuuch a good match for inside-out glow-up challenges because it really focuses on helping you find your true self and create your dream life by addressing and breaking the cycle of procrastination and inconsistency so many of us feel stuck in!

So if you are ready to use this glow up to find your true self and have the roadmap to your dream life in just 21 days, this might be the way to go.

If you prefer a more flexible approach, this “start inside” part can also look like taking five minutes every day to journal and reading a personal development book, or just meditating.

Just make sure you add a “taking care of my inside world” component to the mix, ok?

Step #3 Organize your surroundings

So, now that you are being intentional about an inside glow up, what about start bringing that intention to the outside?

Research shows that our physical environment can significantly influence our emotions and behaviors.

More than that, since our brains like order all the visual reminders of disorganization end up draining our cognitive resources, keeping us distracted and unable to fully focus on whatever we are trying to accomplish.

Yep… it might be time to declutter and organize your house, office, room, wardrobe…

You decide how deep you wanna go into this.

Going through your closet and categorizing clothes to keep, donate (or sell), and throw away might be a wonderful and effective way to take this part of the glow up.

Doing that you are able to not only help your brand feel more at ease but also understand what still resonates with you and the person you are becoming.

I am on a wardrobe declutter and organization moment myself and have been looking for ways to keep things tidy in the long run (I wanna help my brain focus!!)

I have been experimenting with different drawer organizers. So far, this one has been my favorite for overall clothing drawers, while this one is great for smaller items like accessories, belts, scarves, etc.

Step #4 …Then focus on beauty

Taking care of our inner world… check!

Taking care of our surroundings… check!

Now it’s time to work on beauty, baby!

As I’ve shared before, the best thing you can do for yourself when coming up with a glow up beauty routine is to keep it simple so you can keep it consistent.

Focus on two or three small things you can do daily to bring maximum results.

Here are. a few ideas I’ve tried before and loved the results:

This life changing skincare combo

I am a hardcore The Grown Alchemist fan because they have clean ingredients, lightweight products, suuuuch good results, and bring a little luxury to everyday routines.

I have been using their facial cleanser for years, and their facial moisturizer is a tried and true favorite. My all-time favorite sunscreen is the Unseen Sunscreen by Goop!

And the Eight Saints eye cream was literally my surprise of the year (for more details on why, you can check my Favorite Things page).

Drinking a gallon of water a day

Yes, you are gonna pee A LOT. But drinking enough water does magical wonders for skin glow… something that no amount of fancy creams can keep up with.

If you wanna make things easier, a motivational water bottle is always a good ally (I love how cute this one is!)

Daily body moisturizing & weekly body exfoliation

When talking about skincare, we often talk about face creams but what about the rest of the body?

If you wanna try this route, I recommend moisturizing every day (it can be once a day or wherever you shower. I usually take 1-2x showers a day and moisturize right after. but this is super personal and varies from person and culture) and do a full body exfoliation once a week.

You can do that when you go shower and have a few extra minutes. My daily moisturizer is the (what a surprise) Grown Alchemist Mandarin and Rosemary Body Cream (it’s thick but not sticky, and the fragrance is sooo good but not overpowering at all).

For exfoliation, I really like the texture of the Tree Hut body scrub (and it will last foreeeeeeveeeer). On exfoliation days, I tend to prefer deep moisturizing body lotion to use after, like the Natura body butter.

Step #5 Adjust as you go

Ok, now take a deep breath and let it out. That was a LOT of information!

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed and end up never starting the glow up challenge you have been thinking of doing for so long.

But please remember: it’s ok to start with one area at a time, and then slowly incorporate the others. And guess what? You can also adjust, change, add, and take things away in the process.

This is your journey, your glow up! No one else’s.

So now that you know the five components of a life-changing inside-out glow-up, take some time to understand what can work best for you and where makes the most sense to start.

Are you ready to start? You got this, my dear!

Now, I want to hear from you! What did you think of my 5-step realistic glow up checklist? Are you up to the challenge?

Leave a comment below and tell me about it.

If those ideas were helpful, be sure to pin it for later!

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