Taking Time Out For Beauty

I always thought that your 20s is that period of time where you become a lady and relish in your youthfulness.  That may be the case for some, but not me.  The only thing I've done for my appearance in the last 10 years has been to change my hair color about 20 times and gain about 30 pounds.  Not exactly ideal.  And not having a job to get up and get dressed for everyday has been nice, but it hasn't exactly motivated me to care about how I look.  I've decided this is something I need to work on.  Here's what I've been doing and what I'm going to do to make myself feel more like a woman and less like the sweatpants-wearing college student that I'm regressing back to...

• I got about 3 inches cut off my hair and it's fantastic.  I enjoyed having brightly colored hair for a while, but it caused some major damage.  Cutting most of it off has made a huge difference.  And no more bleaching for me.  Luckily I discovered that L'Oreal Excellence HiColor will lighten my dark roots just as well as a bleaching without the damage.
• I've finally mastered straightening my hair with a brush and a blow dryer.  You all have no idea how happy I am about this.  I've had naturally curly hair for years and hated it, but I came to enjoy it by the time I got in my mid-twenties.  Well, when you bleach your hair it stretches the hair making it a frizzy mess.  Which means my days of curly hair were gone.  But thanks to a great stylist and a bristled-brush, I'm now on my way to a lovely head of hair. 
• I've been doing the P90X stretching video everyday.  You're probably asking yourself- why I don't just do the whole routine?  Have you tried to do those things?  Even the yoga one is way out of my league right now.  The stretching video is so awesome.  It works every muscle and I feel great at the end.  I'll work my way up to those other ones.
• I've got to get some contacts.  Don't get me wrong, I love my glasses.  But they make me feel like a full time dork and I want to have the option of not wearing them.
• I'm going to put on my big girl panties and start wearing lipstick once in a while.  I've always felt like it makes me look like a kid who just ate a popsicle, but I'm trying to get past that.

Honestly, I know all of this sounds a little vain, but I think I've been stuck in the opposite direction for so long that I could use a little vanity.  No more going out in sweatpants and no makeup (yes...I do that.  A lot.).  I'm not going to start wearing heals to the grocery store or anything, but it won't kill me to put a little more effort into my appearance.  I have a feeling that making just small changes in my daily routine will give me a much needed confidence boost.  What do you all do to make yourself feel that extra bit of pretty?