I kept seeing “PSL looksmaxxing” online. Some folks use PSL like a score. Some mean a checklist. Some joke it’s pumpkin spice latte season. Honestly, it’s all of that. It’s about small changes that stack up. I got curious. So I ran my own test for a month. I took photos. I tracked costs. I asked friends what they saw. You know what? I learned a lot—about my face, my habits, and my mood. (If you’re new to the concept, looksmaxxing is the catch-all term for any intentional effort to improve appearance, from grooming tweaks to full makeovers.)
Let me explain what I did and how it felt. If you’re itching for a deeper play-by-play of the emotional roller-coaster, here’s what PSL looksmaxxing really felt like for someone else.
My starting point (not pretty, not awful—just real)
I’m 5'5", warm skin tone, wavy hair, combo skin. I work on a laptop all day. I squint. I slouch. My “before” selfie had flat hair, dull cheeks, and dark circles. I gave myself a PSL score of 5 out of 10. Not sad. Not spicy.
I used a plain checklist I found in a looks forum and made it fit me. No surgery. No crash diets. Just stuff I could do after work without losing my mind (and, if you’re curious about how self-improvement talk can sometimes cross paths with edgier online subcultures, The Guardian recently explored how certain incel accounts rebrand their language to dodge TikTok bans).
Week 1: Face basics that actually helped
I went simple, not fancy:
- Morning: rinse, vitamin C serum, light moisturizer, SPF 50.
- Night: gentle wash, retinol twice a week (the mild kind), moisturizer.
- Little things: cold spoon under eyes, water bottle on my desk, bed by 11.
One quick pass through grooming sites like Sharpman gave me a no-nonsense sequence—clean, treat, moisturize, protect—that stopped me from doom-scrolling product reviews.
Real example: by day 10, my skin wasn’t as red after lunch. My friend Mia said, “You look rested.” I wasn’t. But my face lied for me, in a good way.
Note: Retinol can sting. I used a pea-size amount and skipped nights if my skin felt tight.
Hair: the sneaky game changer
I booked a quick trim with long face-framing layers. Nothing wild. The stylist suggested a soft side part. I fought it—and then loved it. My jaw looked softer. I also used a round brush for two minutes while my hair was 80% dry. I didn’t aim for perfect. I aimed for not-flat.
Random tip: dry shampoo on day one, not day three. It gave lift without the chalky look.
Brows, lashes, and that tiny “oh” moment
I got my brows threaded for $12. Cleaned up, not thin. At home, I brushed them up with a tinted gel. I curled my lashes and used a tubing mascara. My eyes looked more awake, even when my brain didn’t. Small wins matter.
Teeth and lips: simple, kind of boring, still worth it
I used a 7-day box of whitening strips. Drank coffee with a straw. Kept a mint lip balm in my jacket. This sounds silly, but my smile showed up more in photos. Maybe because I wasn’t hiding it.
Style tweaks that leveled up my vibe
I didn’t buy a whole new closet. I adjusted fit and color:
- Tailored one pair of jeans (shortened hem). Cost: $14. Looked like I grew an inch.
- Swapped worn sneakers for clean white ones I already had.
- Small gold hoops. Soft, not shouty.
- Light tortoise glasses frames (I’m warm-toned; they blend better).
- Tops in warm shades—rust, cream, olive. Black can wash me out.
Real example: my coworker on Zoom asked if I changed something with my camera. Nope. Just a cream sweater that bounced light up to my face.
Posture and body basics (no drama, no guilt)
I didn’t “go hard.” I kept it humane:
- Daily walk, 25–30 minutes.
- Two sets of wall slides, light shoulder openers.
- A 20-second dead hang from a pull-up bar when I passed it.
- Protein at each meal. Nothing strict. I still ate bread. I still ate fries.
Some people also experiment with edging in looksmaxxing to chase quick bursts of blood flow and a temporary pump—your mileage may vary. If high blood pressure is on your radar, it’s worth looking at how HTN looksmaxxing can clean up your look while calming numbers.
I felt steadier. And taller. Not actually taller. Just more open in my chest. That shows.
Photo habits, because angles are real
- Stand near a window. Face the light. Not behind it.
- Chin slightly out. Forehead forward a bit. It feels odd. It works.
- Camera at eye level or a tiny bit above. No low angles.
- Smile with my eyes first, then mouth. Sounds cheesy. It reads well.
My selfies stopped looking like passport photos. Thank goodness.
What worked best for me
- Side part with face-framing layers
- Clean brows + curling lashes
- Cream and warm earth-tone tops
- SPF every day; retinol two nights a week
- Posture work (the dead hang was weirdly helpful)
- Window light and better angles
What flopped (or just wasn’t me)
- Heavy nose contour. Looked muddy by noon.
- Tape “face lift” trend for photos. It peeled. I laughed, then I stopped.
- Center part on me? Too harsh. On others it’s great. Not my face.
- Stretching hair washes to four days. My scalp got grumpy. Day two is my max.
- Gua sha when I didn’t clean it well. I broke out. Lesson learned: clean tools.
Costs and time
I kept a rough tally:
- Brows: $12
- Hair trim: $40 plus tip
- Drugstore skincare refills: about $35 for the month
- Whitening strips: $30
- Tailor for jeans: $14
Time: 15 minutes in the morning, 10 at night. Walks were on calls or while listening to a podcast. For a more serious 90-day breakdown of wins and fails, see this extended looksmaxxing experiment.
So…did my PSL score go up?
I’d say I moved from a 5 to a 6.5, maybe a 7 on good hair days. Two strangers smiled at me on the sidewalk. The barista said my “nail color is cute” (it was a soft pumpkin shade—yes, I’m that person). My camera roll looks kinder. And I feel less fussy about my face. That matters more than a number.
And hey, looking fresher often sparks the urge to test those social waters. If the idea of showing off your post-PSL confidence under Corsican sun appeals to you, the city-specific dating guide Plan Cul Ajaccio can connect you with open-minded locals, highlight laid-back meetup spots, and make a spontaneous getaway feel even more rewarding. Closer to home, if your glow-up has you craving a no-pressure after-work drink or a quick coffee date in Brick City, the localized platform Newark hookups streamlines matching with like-minded singles in Newark, suggests easy meetup venues, and keeps everything casual so you can focus on enjoying that new-found confidence.
Who should try this
- If you like small steps that add up.
- If you want to look a bit more awake without a total makeover.
- If you feel stuck and need a gentle reset.
If your skin flares, or you feel pressure to change everything, pause. Talk to a pro if you have skin issues. You don’t have to do it all. Truly.
Final take
PSL looksmaxxing wasn’t magic. It was a tidy nudge. Clean brows, softer hair, kinder light, better sleep. The basics. Boring on paper. Bright in real life. And yes, a pumpkin spice latte in hand didn’t hurt the vibe either.
Would I keep going? Yep. I’ll keep the routine, skip the tape tricks, and say yes to warm sweaters and window light. It’s simple. It’s kind. And on