High-Maintenance Procedures That Help You Live a Lower-Maintenance Life

There's something about opening a new calendar that makes us want to feel our best. So this January, POPSUGAR is giving you everything you need to hit the reset button on your health, your habits, your home, and more. To find more articles about resetting your beauty routine, click here.

The start of the year is the best time to reset your beauty regimen, and if you're looking to prioritize a low-maintenance everyday routine, you've come to the right place. Originally birthed on TikTok by user Rahma Sheikh, the "high-maintenance procedures for low-maintenance" trend inspired people who detailed their intensive, and often price-y, beauty maintenance procedures to make their daily getting-ready routines much quicker. Though the exact regimens vary, the primary goal is the same: wake up and go about your day with as little effort as humanly possible, while still looking put together.

For beauty lovers, the trend feels like the best of both worlds. People are paring down the bold, almost editorial makeup looks and hairstyles that require daily styling and instead opting for routines that scream "I woke up like this." But to be clear: in no way are these routines minimal. While the pandemic found many people embracing their natural features due to being in isolation at home, the subsequent plastic-surgery boom post-lockdown was an indication that personal aesthetics and upkeep were still very much at the forefront of many people's minds.

"High maintenance to be low maintenance" routines feel like the perfect middle ground — they are not as drastic as, say, plastic surgery but require enough of an effort to look like you actively maintain your routines. Interested in crafting your own routine for the new year? Ahead are some of the procedures you can incorporate into your own schedule to be the "effortlessly" beautiful main character of your dreams, every day.

Microblading is one of the more popular treatments seen in these videos. The procedure is a semipermanent cosmetic tattooing procedure that's typically done to enhance the look of your eyebrows and can last as long as two years. Similarly, there's also lip blushing, which is a cosmetic tattoo that adds color to your lips, and permanent eyeliner.

In that same vein, brow transplants are also an option if you have thin or sparse brows and don't want to fill them in every day. The procedure involves taking hair from another part of your scalp and using it to replace absent or deficient eyebrows, typically under anesthesia or with a mild sedative.

Eyelash extensions are exactly as they sound: individual synthetic lashes that are applied to the end of your natural eyelashes to give the appearance of longer, fuller lashes sans mascara. You do have to make sure you're properly cleaning them to not incur any eye infections or lash mites, but with soap and a few swipes of a lash spoolie, you're all set.

The ultimate time saver in the morning has to be a protective style. Having your hair in braids or a sew-in makes the styling process virtually nonexistent, and you're ready to hit the town almost as soon as your head leaves the pillow in the mornings.

While they won't necessarily offer any "protection," hair relaxers are also a peak "high maintenance to be low maintenance" beauty hack. If you prefer more sleek hairstyles on the regular and are particularly concerned about properly blending your sew-ins or wigs with your natural hair, this ones's for you.

If you want to look bronzed and toned every day, getting a spray tan should be part of your beauty maintenance routine. To avoid having to do it every few days yourself, keep a recurring appointment with your favorite artist, and you can even do house calls to bring the treatment to you.