How Small Changes Transform Your Confidence

Trying a new lipstick or changing up your hairstyle is one of the easiest transformations you can make. But as Tatiana Boncompagni found, small tweaks can have long-lasting effects.

By Tatiana Boncompagni

Identify What You Want to Do

Figure out what you’d like to tweak about your appearance and be ready to articulate it. “You need to spend some mirror time” before you go in for an appointment, says Dendy Engelman, M.D., a dermatologic surgeon in New York City. Look at your reflection. What’s the first thing you see that you don’t like?

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Think About How You See Yourself

Now close your eyes and envision how you’d like to look in your mind’s eye. What are the differences between that image and the one you see in the mirror? “I call it the moment of truth—when what you see in your head is not matching what you see in the mirror. We try to make those two things align,” says Dr. Engelman.

Start Small

If you’re nervous about change, begin with your makeup, which doesn’t require as much commitment as, say, a new haircolor, makeup artist Carmindy says. If your hair is what’s bothering you, try going gradually from point A to B. “Minor tweaking with haircolor can be the answer,” says NYC-based haircolorist Marie Robinson. You can always try something more radical the next time.

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Plan for the Future

Talk to your hairstylist about how you can manage your hair in between appointments—with a shampoo to help lock in color, for example—and ask your derm to create a six-month to two-year plan, says Elizabeth Tanzi, M.D., a dermatologist in Washington, D.C. You’ve done the work to make a change—now this is the key to keep your new self looking and feeling great.

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photo: Arthur Belebeau