Relationship Success Tip: What to Take with You on a Couples Retreat PT 4

Ladies, this post is for you.  I know I recommended bringing along a few special treats.  However, I’m getting on my soap box for this post about what to bring with you for a Couples Retreat just for addressing the women here.

It’s called roughing it for a reason.

You are allowed 3 special beauty items.  And I am talking above and beyond high SPF Suncreen.  Your facial cleanser, your moisturizer, 1 or 2 make up items, and 1 hair styling item.

You are NOT bringing your daily moisturizer, night cream, eye cream, facial scrub, and facial toner all along with you.

Nor are you packing your full make up kit.  Mascara, lipstick or lip gloss, face powder compact.

Ok, maybe 1 additional item unique to you.  In my family it’s the invisible Irish eyebrows.  We have to put a little make up on our eyebrows or they are like, well, yes, invisible.  For you it might be your under eye make up, cream blush, or eye shadow.  Not your false eyelashes.

This is not your Hollywood movie set.  There will be no personal stylists there.  You may not bring along your facial waxing system or strips.

You may not bring along your blow dryer, your dryer diffuser, your curling iron, your set of hair rollers, and your hair flat iron.  No, no, no.  I won’t allow it.  I am not telling you that you can’t bring anything.  I am however telling you that you may only bring a few.  You’re thinking that what I am suggesting is even less than what you would consider bare bones minimum.  Well, yes.  Think even less than what you think you need to bring with you.  Put that aside on your bed to bring with you and then remove 5 items before you even pack those.  Trust me.  You’re husband will still think you’re beautiful.  In fact, he’s going to see a little more you that way than he normally does, and your being a little bit TRUSTING of him and showing a little bit of your vulnerability that way will endear you to him even more.  Rather than his thinking less of you, he will love you all the more for doing so.

Consider letting your hair dry naturally in the fresh sunny air in the morning your brushing it out in the sun to dry.  He will probably love seeing you do this, getting to watch a very natural and touch old-fashioned way of women doing their toilette.  Many men love to see our hair being brushed in the sun.  It’s very intimate and just a little bit sexy in a very sweet way.  Your hair will dry in a softer style than when you normally use all your hair styling products and styling gadgets.  And believe you me, I am on a normal day 100% behind having a variety of wonderful hair styling products.  My stylists have heard me say since my late 20s, “There is no such thing as a bad hair day just insufficient application of hair styling products.”

However, this weekend you are stepping out of that behavior for just a few days. Let him see that even though you look beautiful and sophisticated with all of your beauty and styling stuff that you enjoy using at home that they are indeed just “gilding’ the lily” and that you don’t really need all of that.  Because really, you don’t  you are actually beautiful just now.  Let him see that in you.

Happy Dating and Relationships,

April Braswell