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Here at the Señora Zocalo, we love writing about well-being, our home and gardens, and how to guard your peace. But we sometimes forget that there’s another side to feeling good – that’s looking good.
Lately I have been comparing my mood during days when I throw my hair up on a ponytail or a “dirty hair headband”, when I avoid makeup and quick and furiously wash my face like a Formula 1 driver on a 3-second tire change. I genuinely feel better for the rest of the day when I take some time in the morning to look presentable. When I avoid it, I find myself feeling more stressed, depressed, and with super low energy.
Here’s where we can learn a little from the women from our ancestral lines. Many of our abuelas in Latin America were genuine artists of their own beauty rituals — women who wouldn’t step out the door without a full face of impeccable, glamorous makeup.
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I remember seeing all of the beauty and luxury brands in my grandmother’s closet: L’Oréal, Max Factor, Channel, and the reddest of red rouges. Even when there was not much to do that day, there was a lot of looking inside the closet for cute clothing and hair accessories.
In many ways this was their own way of taking care of themselves after taking care of everybody else.
Modern research has actually confirmed something our señoras and doñas intuitively knew: tending to your appearance – whether that’s doing your hair, applying makeup, or even doing your skincare – can have real psychological benefits, even if you never leave the house.
For example, studies have found that makeup use is linked to lower depressive symptoms, higher self-esteem, and even reduced cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Doing your skincare and getting dressed intentionally have been associated with improvements in self-image and mood regulation, giving señoras a sense of stability and grounding on days when everything feels heavy or unstructured. One large study even showed a modest but consistent link between makeup use and both general and social self-confidence.
Psychologists explain this through concepts like enclothed cognition, which describes how what we wear (and how we present ourselves) influences our internal state. The ritual matters too: taking five or ten minutes to clean yourself up nicely can act like a micro-ceremony that restores a sense of control, care, and identity.
During the pandemic, mental-health researchers noted that people who maintained small beauty rituals reported feeling more anchored, more productive, and less emotionally overwhelmed, even amid isolation. And that’s probably why the beauty industry absolutely blew up then.
Importantly, the research also shows that these benefits are strongest when the motivation is internal. Basically, when we’re doing it because it makes us feel good, not because we want to look good for other people.
So what are 5 things you can do in the morning when you don’t feel doing much but still want to feel hot and well?
1. The 90-Second Glow Routine
This is the fastest way to revive dull skin, boost circulation, and get that “awake and luminous” vibe without doing a full routine.
Start with cold water and hydrating mist, finished by a dab of face oil.
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2. One-Feature Makeup Pop
Choose ONE feature that you think makes the most difference — lashes or brows or lips — and elevate just that. For me, I hate my under eye circles, and so that’s the first thing I fix.
A tinted lip balm, or brow gel instantly makes you look polished and shaped with almost no effort OR mascara. Try to go for the thicker, lusher mascara, like KVD’s Go Big or Go Home Volumizer, which I have found to be the absolute best at instantly boosting your lashes.
3. Wash Your Hair & Air Brush It
I’ve tried a sleek low bun or clip-up twist or a headband and nothing compares.
You will always feel bleh if you don’t wash and blow dry your hair. That’s one thing that will instantly change your look. One of the best purchases I have ever made was the Revlon One Step Volumizing Hair Dryer. At around $50, it’s much cheaper than the Dyson (muuuuuch more), and it does the trick in just under 5 minutes. I have never felt better – even on particularly mediocre days.
4. Under-Eye Wake-Up Swipe
A tiny dot of tinted moisturizer, concealer, or brightening cream under the eyes.
This alone can make you look like you slept eight hours and drank three liters of water — even if you didn’t. My favorite quick go-tos’ are makeup sticks, like the Anti Aging Glow Bundle by Ogee, and I cannot live without their foundation stick. Or if you prefer liquid, their Tinted Serum should be just as good (just make sure you get a brush along with it). Easy as one-two-tres.
5. The Signature Scent or Glow Finish
One quick perfume roll on always adds the finishing touch. Rollerball perfume sticks are the easiest, and I usually source mine from small boutiques and indie brands, but this Miss Dior Eau de Parfum, the Violet Avc Amour, or Perfumehead Cosmic Cowboy have gotten great reviews. It’s sensory, confidence-boosting, and takes two seconds — but it shifts how you feel in your body immediately.
At the end of the day, looking good is also form of emotional hygiene, self-care, and a way of honoring yourself before the world asks anything of you. Even the smallest beauty ritual can shift your energy, lift your mood, and reconnect you to the confident, radiant lady you already are. A little intention in the mirror each morning should never be considered vanity because it’s truly a power of self-preservation. Our abuelas knew it. Now we do too.