What is a Glow Up & Why is it Important?

A glow up is basically self improvement in the way that you look , feel and think. It’s important as a person to always strive for improvement and to find ways to better yourself. A glow up improves the way you feel about yourself, your self-confidence , mindset and your self image. This leads to personal growth and happiness.

We will be going over how to glow up externally. We will be talking about how to improve yourself through skin care, diet, sleep, beauty and more. I also will provide you with a step-by-step guide at the end to monitor your glow up and create the best version of yourself.

1. Stay Hydrated & Drink More Water

This sounds so simple but people really do forget how important it is to stay hydrated throughout the day. Staying hydrated is better for your skin, under eyes and your body in general.

The best way to stay hydrated is to buy a cute water bottle or tumbler to carry around with you, this makes you more motivated to drink water throughout the day. Another thing you can do is add fruits to your water to make it taste better. Lemon water and cucumber water are popular choices to slice up and add to your water to make it more exciting.

2. Try to Sleep more to glow up

Sleep deprivation can make you irritable, groggy and cause you to have difficulty focusing. Typically, you need 8 hours of sleep every night so do you best to get anywhere from 8-10 hours. You can achieve this by sticking to a plan of going to bed earlier. Make yourself your top priority and stick to a good night time routine and schedule.

Not getting enough sleep can also affect your skin. Healthy, rested, and hydrated skin is the best to obtain for a proper glow up.

Speaking of which…

3. Update your skin care routine

OMG this is so freaking important for a glow up! If you are not doing a nightly skin care routine you NEED TO START! If you are doing your skin care routine and aren’t seeing results, maybe switch up a few products  and try some new ones until you find what really works for your skin type.

A nighttime routine should consist of:

• Removing your makeup with wipes or a gentle makeup remover

• Using an oil based cleanser (oil based cleansers clean the best and remove everything including stubborn makeup and spf)

• Using a toner – toners help to cleanse the skin of any excess makeup and provides a nice wet clean base for your moisturizer.

• Apply your serum, moisturizer and under eye cream

4. Upgrade your makeup products for your glow up

It’s time to change up your everyday look, so lets enhance your makeup routine! Try new products and new techniques to see what works for you.

Maybe you need a bronzer or a blush to add some colour to your face. Maybe a nice lip and cheek tint or some lashes. If your foundation isn’t working for you try a different brand, a new primer, or maybe just use an all over concealer. Try out winged liner vs no eye liner, new mascaras or false lashes. Play around with different looks and watch online tutorials to figure out what your natural glow up makeup look is!

Makeup products to try out if you don’t already:

Lip & cheek tint

Primer

Eyebrow pencil

Fake eyelashes or lash extensions

Bronzer if you want to look more tan

Blush if you want to look naturally flushed

Brown mascara or coloured mascara

5. Shape your eyebrows

If you already shape your eyebrows then you can skip this step, but if not, then it is a MUST. Eyebrows shape your face and really can change up your look. If you want to glow up then booking an eyebrow tweeze or wax is going to help so much! Another option for girls that already shape their brows is to do a brow lamination. This gives the appearance of thicker brows and looks really beautiful. If you feel your eyebrows are too light in colour, you could always do an eyebrow tint as well.

6. Experiment with hair colours and styles to glow up

Playing around with different hairstyles and colours can be a lot of fun! Highlights is always something safe to try out and everyone looks better with a bit of extra dimension to their locks. Or maybe you just want to try a different style like straight, curly or beach waves.

Another great way to amp up your hair game is to use a good quality hair mask twice a week. This will keep your hair looking soft and full.

7. Glow up with a tan

Getting a spray tan or using self tanner on your face and body can really make a huge difference in your appearance. Or if you don’t want to try either of those options, you could always just add  a bronzer to your makeup routine.

8. Upgrade your clothing style

It’s time to change your style! Do a closet cleanse and throw out anything that doesn’t suit you anymore or that you never wear to make space for new pieces. Then, pick your favourite tops that you feel  most confident in hang them or fold them all together in the same section of your closet. You can also buy a few new cute tops or pants that you feel really great and confident in and add them to your closet too! New clothes always makes you feel excited and more confident, especially if its an item you really love and look great in.

9. Diet

What do you typically eat in a day? Eating too much junk can make you feel depressed and sluggish. Obviously, it is okay to indulge once in a while but its great to try and eat a little bit healthier.

You can make morning smoothies, big salads with cheese and chicken, seafood dishes, and more. It’s fun to look through Pinterest and find easy, delicious, healthy recipes. If you want something more simple you can have veggies and dip, or fruit salads.

I also find starting the day off with a nice cup of coffee or tea boosts your energy as well.

10. Try to meditate

Meditation really helps to clear your mind and relax you. Stress can really affect you in ways you don’t even realize, including the way you look. Listening to guided meditations or even taking 5 minutes daily to just breathe and clear your mind, you will feel so much better. If meditation is not your thing, try doing morning stretches or yoga for a few minutes before starting your day.

11. Do workouts or stretching to glow up

Working out will make you feel better and look better. It’s important to stay active and move your body. Whether that is through going to the gym, sports, yoga, pilates or even doing workout videos online at home. Whichever you are most comfortable with, exercising is essential to glowing up and makes you feel great in the long run.

Quick Glow Up Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions About Glowing Up in 2025