u/RatioSubstantial4913

I really need help with a glow-up — looking for realistic, affordable advice

I’m 5'6" (168 cm) and around 54 kg, and I really want to look and feel like the best version of myself over the next 1–2 months. I’ve been bullied for a long time, especially about my appearance, and it has seriously affected my confidence.

I used to post normal photos of myself, but after getting so bad about my face, I started using filters on my photos. my classmate called mw catfish, which made me feel even worse. At this point, I’m extremely uncomfortable posting photos of myself, so I probably won’t be able to include a picture.

I’m looking for safe, non-surgical, affordable ways to improve my appearance and confidence. I’m not looking for anything extreme or dangerous, and I don’t have a big budget.

Here are the things I’d like advice on:

- Skin/tan: I have a lot of tanning and uneven pigmentation, including on my face and body. I’d like to get my natural skin tone back and make my skin more even.

- Scars/marks: I have various scars and dark marks on my hands/body that I’d like to fade.

- Hair: I have naturally curly hair, but I used to straighten it frequently and it’s now very damaged, especially the ends. My hair is already quite short, so I really don’t want to cut it. I also have a receding hairline that I’d like to improve and grow back if possible. Is there any realistic way to make damaged curly hair look and feel healthier without cutting it, and are there ways to encourage my hairline to grow back?

- Eyebrows: My eyebrows are quite thin and I have a sparse/bald-looking area. I’d like to encourage them to grow back.

- Jawline/face: I used to have more definition around my jaw, but I feel like I’ve lost it recently. Are there safe ways to improve facial definition?

- Nose: I’d like my nose to look a little slimmer, if there are any non-surgical options (even makeup/hairstyle/glasses tricks would be helpful).

- Overall glow-up: I want to improve my skin, hair, eyebrows, styling, fitness, etc. and generally look much more put-together.

I also wear glasses, so I’d love advice on frames, hairstyles, makeup, or anything else that could complement them.

I know an “unrecognizable glow-up” in 1–2 months probably isn’t realistic, but I’m willing to put in consistent effort and I’d love to make as much improvement as I safely can.

Please keep recommendations affordable. I’m not looking for expensive treatments or surgery. I’m open to skincare, haircare, exercise, makeup, styling, grooming, or lifestyle changes as long as they’re safe.

I’ve been feeling really bad about myself because of all the bullying, and I genuinely want to work on myself and feel confident again. Any practical advice, routines, product recommendations, or things I should avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much.

Looking for affordable self-care, grooming, and hair/skin advice

I’m 5'6" (168 cm) and around 54 kg, and I’d like to improve my overall appearance and grooming over the next 1–2 months. I’ve been dealing with some comments about my appearance for a long time, which has affected my confidence, so I’d really appreciate some practical advice.

I’m looking for safe, non-surgical, affordable ways to take better care of myself. I don’t have a big budget, so inexpensive products and simple routines would be ideal.

Here are the areas I’d like advice on:

Skin/tan: I have quite a bit of tanning and uneven pigmentation on my face and body. I’d like to gradually even out my skin tone and improve my overall skin health.

Scars/marks: I have some scars and dark marks on my hands/body that I’d like to reduce over time.

Hair: I have naturally curly hair, but I used to straighten it frequently, so it’s now quite damaged, especially at the ends. My hair is already short, so I’d prefer not to cut much off. I also have a receding hairline and would like advice on how to maintain it and encourage healthier growth if possible.

Eyebrows: My eyebrows are quite thin in some areas, including one sparse spot. I’d like to encourage healthier eyebrow growth.

Face/jawline: I’d like to improve my overall facial definition and learn about safe ways to do that.

Nose: I’d like my nose to appear slightly slimmer. I’m completely open to non-permanent options such as makeup, hairstyles, or glasses that could create that effect.

Overall grooming: I’d like to improve my skincare, haircare, eyebrows, fitness, clothing, and general presentation.

I also wear glasses, so advice about frames, hairstyles, or other styling choices that work well with glasses would be really helpful.

I understand that major changes aren’t realistic in just 1–2 months, but I’d like to use that time to establish better habits and make noticeable improvements where possible.

Please keep recommendations affordable and safe. I’m not interested in surgery or anything extreme. Skincare, haircare, exercise, makeup, styling, grooming, and lifestyle advice are all welcome.

I’d really appreciate any practical routines, beginner-friendly products, or tips that have worked for you.

Thank you!

A few months ago, I met a guy online. We talked every single day, got really close, and eventually fell in love. Everything felt genuine and consistent. Then, over time, he started changing. He became distant, stopped communicating properly, and put in much less effort.

I tried multiple times to fix things and talk through the issues, but it felt like I was the only one trying. Eventually, I unfollowed him and decided to step back because the situation was hurting me.

The thing is, I still have feelings for him. Recently, I started scripting/manifesting him. After I began doing that, he started liking some of my posts and reels again. However, he still hasn't texted me or made any real effort to reconnect.

Part of me wonders if the likes mean he's thinking about me, and another part thinks I'm reading too much into it because I miss him.

If you were in my position, would you keep manifesting and hoping for reconciliation, or would you take the likes as meaningless and move on? I'd really appreciate honest opinions

I need outside opinions on a confusing long-distance situation I’ve been stuck in emotionally.

I used to run a fairly popular social media account where I posted motivational and self-love content, and a lot of people used to message me saying my posts helped them. Through that account, I gradually started talking to one guy who was initially just engaging with my posts. Over time, we became very close and started texting regularly. He gave me hints that he liked me, and I was very honest with him from the beginning about my past trauma of being cheated on and how scared I was of getting attached. He used to reassure me and comfort me, and eventually he told me he had feelings for me. I also confessed my feelings, but I got overwhelmed and scared, so at one point I told him we should stop talking. After that, things became distant and inconsistent, and he slowly stopped putting in effort.

Later I realized I still had strong feelings for him, so I reached out again. We started talking again but it was very inconsistent. Sometimes we talked, sometimes he would reply very late, and it felt like I was the one putting in more effort. There was also insecurity on my side because I felt he might be talking to someone else, and emotionally I became very attached again while he seemed to detach.

Around 20–25 days ago we had a call where I was trying to convince him not to give up on us. On that call he said he still “loves me” and will manage things, but it felt forced and not natural. He also said something like he wanted me to “regret” things, which confused me emotionally. After that call, for the next few days we barely talked, and since then communication has been very cold and formal, like strangers.

About a week ago I texted him again trying to reconnect, but he replied very late (after 5–6 hours each time) and still very cold/distant. Since then, there has been almost no real communication.

Now we are still mutuals on Instagram, we can see each other’s stories, but we don’t talk. I feel like he has emotionally detached, but I still have strong feelings for him and I am stuck in this loop of overthinking, waiting, and checking my phone constantly.

Current problems I’m facing:

- I think about him constantly throughout the day

- I keep checking my phone and waiting for his replies or attention

- My sleep and appetite have become worse

- I feel emotionally dependent on him

- I keep overanalyzing every small interaction or silence

- I feel stuck between wanting to move on and hoping things go back to how they were

- Seeing him online/stories affects my mood a lot

I genuinely don’t know what this situation is anymore or what I should do. I feel emotionally stuck between letting go and hoping things somehow go back to how they were.

Should I text him telling him everything?

Atp I've done everything each and every manifestation technique you could think of but I'm not seeing any results at all it's been 2 months since I've been trying manifesting my sp but it's not working ( I've ignored the 3d, I have everything) I'm at the verge of quiting pls help me I want him back anyhow and instantly overnight because I cannot wait anymore

I run an Instagram account for self love, motivation and after one of my Reels went viral a guy found my page and reached out to me in my DMs. From the beginning I told him straight up that I was not ready for a relationship or emotional attachment. But he kept pursuing me and comforting me. He told me that even though we are long distance we are both becoming adults and going to college soon so we could easily meet up anytime. He was constantly telling me that he loved me and that he was not like other guys. Because of his consistency I finally let my guard down and fell for him.

The exact moment I fully invested my feelings everything flipped. He became cold and distant. Around this time he was going through a really dark and sad period. Even though I was right in the middle of preparing for my board exams I stayed up incredibly late every single night just to talk to him and comfort him because he was feeling so sad. I sacrificed my sleep and my own peace during my exams to pour all my energy into him while listening to him vent about each and every thing. Whenever I tried to bring up his mistakes or things that hurt me he would completely manipulate the conversation. He would turn everything around on me until he made me believe that I was the one who did something wrong and I always ended up being the one who apologized.

It feels like he just used me because he needed someone to lean on. I completely filled his cup when he was empty but the moment he got better he emotionally left me behind. He literally took away my spark and left me completely broken.

When we finally talked on a call everything changed completely. He suddenly turned around and said you do not understand this is not going to work because we might not meet each other and it will be too hard to visit each other's cities. I asked him okay so now we are in a relationship right and are you saying this just because you do not want to hurt me. His response on the call was horrifying. He literally said no this time I want to hurt you I really want you to regret your decision and I want you to cry. He followed that up by saying I will manage everything. When I tried to talk to him about why we are not speaking anymore he completely brushed it off by saying yeah because I am focusing on myself and I do not want to be dependent on anyone. He acts like his behavior is completely fine but it is incredibly rude and twisted.

He became completely cruel and malicious the exact moment he knew he had me. Now I am so incredibly desperate to get the old version of him back that I turned to heavy manifestation and scripting. I even started listening to custom subliminal audio tracks on loop for hours every single night desperately trying to rewrite reality. The level of desperation I feel is consuming me. I feel like I absolutely need him to change back and the fact that it is not working is breaking me.

This situation has completely taken over my life. I am stuck in a horrific loop where I check my phone every single minute of the day desperately staring at the screen to see if he has texted me. When I see that he has not I just end up crying uncontrollably. It has gotten so bad that it is affecting my life outside of my phone. My mood is completely gone. My family is constantly asking me what is wrong because they can see something is way off with me and my friends are noticing that I am totally detached and not myself anymore.

When I do text him he will deliberately wait six or seven or eight hours just to send a cold dry reply. It has been over four days of total distance now and he has completely stopped viewing my social media stories entirely. I am completely stuck and hurting and exhausted from crying over a person who explicitly told me he wants to see me suffer even after everything I sacrificed for him.

There is also another girl involved in this. When I first did not have feelings for him he used to tell me every day that she was texting him. Back then I did not care and I just told him to go text her if he wanted to but he would insist that he only wanted to talk to me. Now that I actually have feelings for him everything has flipped. They both text each other a lot now like all the time and I strongly suspect this is the real reason why he is not talking to me anymore. When I brought her up on the call he literally said I agree she is pretty but that does not mean I like her. I do not understand what he means by saying that.

So I want to ask all of you what should I do now. I already know everyone in the comments is going to tell me to move on and leave him but the truth is I am simply not able to leave him. He is still on my Instagram and I still view his stories because I am completely addicted to him even though he clearly does not want me anymore. I just want the old version of him back so badly. How do I break out of this loop when I am too weak to let go.