This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I’m terrified of hot wax. Aside from rarely consenting to having my eyebrow done, the idea of a warm viscous formula ripping the hair off of my face and/or body has never been appealing. With Miss Florida coming up in, gasp, just about a week, some unsightly lip and stray brow hair had one of my coaches concerned. I had seen Veet before, but honestly never gave it more than a cursory glance until this beauty birdie was put in my head.

Since I was a facial/body waxing virgin, I consulted my hairdresser and unofficial pageant mom Jeanette of Paris Studio in Maitland to get the job done with these easy-to-use Veet products. I can confidently say, although she did an ah-mazing job styling my eyebrows, the directions are so straightforward that I could’ve even done it myself. These ready-to-use wax strips make eyebrow and lip waxing a breeze, and after rubbing the wax strips in your hands for about 5 seconds to warm the wax, you’re basically good to go. Make sure you hold your skin taut, though, or it’ll be a bit painful, and know that the faster you remove the strip, the more effective (and less torturous) it will be.

There will, of course, be wax residue and redness left in the aftermath. Veet provides Perfect Finishing Wipes for excess wax, and I recommend using aloe and a cold pack for the swelling of your lip. With the combination of these 3 lifesavers, it would’ve been impossible to tell I had such waxed the heck out of my face. I do look ridiculous, though, since we were practicing my pageant hair. Heyo!

I was so excited by their ease of use that I also attempted some solo bikini waxing action, and what’s great about their larger wax strips is that you can continue reusing each strip several times until it loses its stickiness. I can’t stress enough how fond I am of these strips. I hate razors, primarily due to my sensitive skin and its proneness to razor burn, and I adore the glow and smooth finish Veet provides. My legs and bod are going to look silky smooth on that Miss Florida USA stage!

I succumbed to my competitors’ pressure and took a body selfie to document my progress. Let’s see how much more fit I can get in 7 days. I’ve got the smoothness down; now I just gotta work on that tonality. I’ll take that as my own personal challenge.

I’m super excited about this product, though, because I’ll continue to incorporate Veet in my beauty routine post pageantry. The waxes last up to 4 weeks, which is unheard of for devout shavers, and I can avoid awkward airport run-ins with the TSA for accidentally packing a razor from this point forward. Plus, nobody feels pretty with stumpy legs; let’s just be real about that. Since summer is all about inner freedom and expressiveness, Veet fits hand-in-hand with any beach or water-loving lady. Hiking trips, lake days, spontaneous date nights, LBDs,  etc… it’s all happening with  my new long-lasting smooth skin, y’all.

Speaking of hiking, I’ve made Wakiwa Springs a regular occurrence of my summer thus far, and not only is it a fabulous natural tanning opportunity, but it’s helped get my pageant bod in shape through canoeing, paddle boarding, and out-swimming alligators. Also, the scenery is downright breathtaking. Although the humidity isn’t always fun, I love Florida. You can’t beat our tropical landscaping, unless you’re Hawaii.

I fully intend on maintaining this new found spirit of adventure and activity post Miss Florida; however, I am very much looking forward to indulging in sweet treats to beat the summer heat, like these all pink donuts my bosses’ brought in for my 26th birthday. I don’t think you understand the willpower it took to turn these down, but I ended up distributing them to nearby businesses, so they didn’t go completely to waste. Boo for being a good Samaritan.

Speaking of my birthday and its related festivities, earlier in the day, I spent my morning getting pageantry ready at my hairdresser, followed by a two hour meeting with one of my pageant coaches, followed by a 2-hour Jackie O-inspired blogger photoshoot. The pictures turned out gorgeous (these are teasers; detailed post to come), but I legitimately felt like a goddess. Who knew waxed lips made such a difference when applying lipstick? I certainly didn’t.

My family actually did honor my request to stay healthy, so we dined together at one of my favorites, Seasons 52. My real life and blogger BFF, Ashley Brooke, joined, as well, and it was truly a special and health-conscious evening that kept me feeling fabulously smooth, skinny, and elderly. Since Seasons is a bit more reserved, I opted for a two-tone mint and orange romper from The Mint Julep in lieu of a tight cocktail dress. Don’t tell anyone, but I did end up inhaling two desserts. Whatever; they were babies, so technically two mini-desserts equaled one half of a regular-sized dessert. There’s my conscious’ justification.

This new 26-year-old felt like a million bucks with my fabulous birthday entourage, smooth skin, reconstructed brows, and pseudo-tan. I just can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds. Cross your fingers for Miss Florida USA! 🙂 What makes you feel most confident this summer?