O, The Oprah Magazine 's beauty director Valerie Monroe asked readers, "Have you recently done anything beauty related that has done wonders for your self-esteem? What was it, and why did it work for you?" Here are some of her favorite answers!

Layered Short
"I recently got all of my hair cut off. It's short, layered and I curl it to give it that extra poof. (My hair is so thin!) This cut gave me a huge boost of self-esteem. I feel great and I look professional, as opposed to me pulling my hair up into a clip all the time. I feel like I can take on the world now!"
— Mindy Walker
Rogers, Arkansas

Pluck Luck
"Perfectly plucked eyebrows work wonders for me! I have super-thick eyebrows and when they are cared for and shaped, I feel way more confident. But I can never do it myself. Threading is truly an art in hair removal, and I couldn't live without it."
— Terri Jennings
Toronto

Me Time
"I decided at the age of 50 that I was done being 'someone else,' someone who was not me. One symptom of the 'not me-ness': I had spent three years growing out my hair—baby-fine limp hair that even the kindest of friends would admit wasn't meant to be long. The only thing I really liked was the bright silver streak in the front. The larger symptom was that I was 17 years into a marriage that was good enough for one—him—and a misery for me. I couldn't change that overnight, but I could do something about my hair. I went into my trusted and long-suffering stylist and finally let her cut it all off. Now I don't just have one gray streak. The entire top of my new short cut is silver-white, and the bottom layers are dark espresso brown. It's short, sharp, liberating and me . It's perfectly, wonderfully me!"
— Mary Birkholz Zieska
Minneapolis, Minnesota

A Grey Lady
"I let my hair color go grey and let my short hair grow long. My hair had been colored for years and also quite short. I decided to let it change, and I am amazed at the results. Rather than feeling 70, I find that I feel young and elegant. I enjoy being 70, and the way I look now adds to that enjoyment."
— Sally Lowen
Santa Fe

NEXT STORY

Next Story