7 Ways to Bring the High Maintenance Factor down a Notch ...

Learning how not to be high maintenance starts with hair and if you’re one of those people who wouldn’t want to be caught dead sporting a less than perfect style, you certainly know what am I talking about! Wash, air dry, straighten, curl, style – Now that’s a routine that requires some serious amount of time! Now, I’m sure that there are times and occasions in which a red-carpet-ready hairstyle is necessary but, let’s face it, Sunday brunch or grocery shopping aren’t one of them! Now, I’m not going to pretend that going around looking like a hot mess is okay (hot or not, mess is still a mess) because that’s something I’d never do myself! I will, however, point out the importance of getting the best of both worlds – a nice hairstyle that can be polished to perfection for special occasions and doesn’t take a lot of time to style on daily basis. Give yourself, your hair and your styling appliances a break and you’ll soon learn to appreciate extra free time, your new-found ability to actually turn up on time as well as the relaxing feeling of not having people waiting on you!

Multitasking is a wonderful ability and it can help you get ready faster without having to skip any of those super-necessary steps you’re used to! Run a full mental scan of your closet while you’re taking a shower/washing your hair, do your makeup while waiting for your hair to dry and use the remaining time to first select an outfit and press it and second paint your nails. By the time you’re done your hair will be dry and ready for a quick styling session which also happens to be the final step of your preparations.

Being high maintenance is often associated with spending an awful lot of time in front of the mirror and trying on a dozen of different outfits trying to nail the perfect one. Sounds familiar? Ah, well, we’ve all been there and that’s nothing to be ashamed of! And again there are times when such behavior is justified and even normal but, unfortunately, three times a day, seven days a week isn’t the dynamics I’m going for right here. If you need an hour or even two to model your outfits in order to decide which one feels best, you’re going to miss a lot of spontaneous things that might turn out to be a lot of fun! Think fast in times when you don’t have a lot of time to try out new things or put together a few SOS outfits forehand to use in these situations! Come on, you ARE familiar with the contents of your wardrobe (or at least 70% of them), you’ve already worn them and you don’t need to see this or that blouse and this or that skirt to be able to tell whether or not they go together.

Fabulous, glamorous red-carpet-ready bun won’t take more than 10 minutes of your time, doesn’t require your hair to be perfectly clean and will look just as good as any other hairstyle! Top the look off by applying your foundation, lining your eyes heavily, doubling on mascara and finishing off with a coat of sexy red lipstick then slip into your favorite dress. Voila! That took like what, 30 minutes? Forty five in case you decided to take it slow! Not bad, huh? Well, there are plenty of different fast&fabulous looks you can opt for and, believe me, spending less time on preparations doesn’t mean you have to settle for less in the look department! It took me quite a while to learn how not to be high maintenance and I must admit lengthy preparations do feel much more special now when they are a choice instead of a necessity.

Changing your attitude towards something as serious as this is a huge step forward and it will soon help you relax and learn to fully enjoy awesome activities without even thinking about your hair or makeup. And, guess what? Life is more fun when your hair, makeup, outfit and attitude allow you to do fun stuff such as camping trips, bike rides, picnics etc. Keep your mind open for new experiences, new people, new places, new adventures and enjoy this girl that looks like you, is just as beautiful as you are but is much more fun to be around and doesn’t constantly complain about what this or that would do to her hair, makeup, shoes or nails.

Being high maintenance is often associated with looking down on people, treating others like dirt, being super needy, being a drama queen or expecting pricy gifts, outings and vacations. Yikes! Personally, I don’t think this is true (sure, people like this do exist but there are different ways to call them), yet we all know there is no escaping to stereotypes. But wait, there is one more thing that might motivate you to learn how to change – guys actually prefer fun loving, easy going girls! And although most of them would stand in line to take Posh Spice on a date, it’s Hollywood’s most popular girl next door, Cameron Diaz, they’d choose to start a serious relationship with.

There is a time and place for everything and learning how not to be high maintenance sometimes is as simple as acknowledging the fact that being overdressed is just as bad as being underdressed. Even Mrs. Beckham wears flip-flops to the beach and not even Carrie wore her precious Manolo’s while taking Aidan’s dog, Pete, out for a morning walk. Do you have a habit of overdressing? Now, that’s a question you really need to be asking yourself.

Learning how not to be high maintenance doesn’t mean you have to give up all things you find normal and necessary to look good, it just means you have to organize better and learn to sort of go with the flow and enjoy being you even without all the colorful feathers! Have you ever been accused of being high maintenance and do you think this is a bad thing?

Top Image Source: weheartit.com