Boyfriend told me I look like I’m in a long-term relationship

So over the weekend, my boyfriend and I got on the topic of what we’d think about each other if we weren’t dating. For context, we’ve been together for a long time, so it’s been a while since either of us has really been in the dating pool.

When I asked him what his first impression of me would be, he said I look like I’m in a long-term relationship because I don’t wear makeup as much anymore and basically live in athleisure. Neither comment was meant to be offensive (I wanted him to be completely honest), and honestly, he’s not wrong lol. But at the same time, that’s not really how I want to be perceived.

So I’m coming to Reddit for help. I work from home, so most days I don’t put on makeup or do my hair unless I’m going to be on camera. I love doing things like getting my nails done, but with the current state of the economy, I can’t justify spending that much money every month when it could go toward something else.

I guess I’m wondering a few things:

1. For the girls who work from home, what do you do on a daily basis to feel put together? Do you still do your full beauty routine or more of a modified version?

2. What beauty treatments have actually been worth the money for you? I want to be “high maintenance to be low maintenance,” but still stay within a reasonable budget. For example, I’d invest in laser treatments, but I don’t really want to spend $200 a month on nails.

3. Any advice on getting out of a slump? I can’t lie, I feel like my slump has been since covid started. I used to have much more discipline but I feel like I’ve lost that part of me and it’s been slow to get it back. I’ve lost a good amount of weight over the past couple of years but I want to get the other parts of me back on track too.

Thanks for listening to my rambling. I really appreciate it 🙂