[Anonymous]

Ever since I started studying my appearance has been on a slow decline. At work, I look at myself in the mirror and I look like mother that is sleep deprived due to a newborn being in the house (my son is 5 so no…) but nope…it’s the look of a cpa candidate. I start the day off with whatever make up I can throw on during my 10 minute commute….10 till 5 it looks like I just rolled out of bed…literally. My hair…that’s another story. I want to look nice, I want to look professional, but is that really possible when you’re studying for this beast? Certainly I’m not the only one dealing with this right now. I do make time for the gym but still…dark circles and fly aways have become a trend for me and I dont like it!

[kandisjoy]

Yes, you should still make time to take care of yourself. You should still be able to do your hair and look nice for the day. Maybe a little sleepy but… basically you are taking it too far if your health/appearance is declining. I know that I gained weight from eating at the coffee shop that I studied at, and also from not having enough time to exercise, and I regret it. If you let yourself get super run down, your studying and scores will suffer.

I finally passed the CPA exam once I decided to make time to take care of myself. I made the decision to stop sacrificing my health and sanity for the exam. And then I passed!

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[Anonymous]

Ok. Let me clear things up. I do take care of myself…but when you're tired you're just tired. Still manage to get to the gym 4-5 days a week, still get my hair and nails done…I just look like I'm exhausted…and I know studying for this exam is to be blamed. It's stressful, and when you're stressed sadly it shows. This post wasnt meant to say that I'm sacrificing my health for this exam because while it's important, it's not THAT important. I havent gained an ounce (and I refuse to) but siting down for 20 minutes to put on make up and spending tons of time in the salon or in front of the mirror doing my hair aren't priority in the mornings. I'm up at 4 studying for an hour in the morning to be at work at 7 get off at 5 pick up my son…dinner, work out, study again. I know lots of people know what I'm talking about. 🙂

[Anonymous]

@OP…I know what you meant. I am a guy and usually take good care of myself and appearance. After I started my CPA journey, I care less and less my appearance. It's very hard when your mind is just between work and studying. I don't usually shave on weekends, and my point is…since I will be at the library almost all day, no one is going to notice me anyway….I think it's all about attention shifting…I have gained approxi. 5-8 lbs, all fat, since last July…:-(…but I made the decision before I dived in and this is just temperary…so I can live with that. Once I pass my last part, I will apply my CPA studying habit into weight training……I hope.

[KasiaS]

First of all, kudos for not letting your weight creep up. That was my biggest mistake. I let my stress eating take control and I put on 20lbs during my CPA studies. I'm glad you're smarter than me on this!

The secret to looking presentable during that stressful time is to make your makeup multitask and to make illusions. I used Clinique Even Better Makeup on my face to moisturize, even skin tone, and sun protection. I always had blush, a tube of mascara and tinted lip balm and would put that on the commute in to the office. As for the hair, I put it up almost daily and used a balm to put flyaways in their place. The best way to make even the simplest ponytail/bun look more dressy is vintage-looking pins or flowers in the hair. That's all I did during my studies and I think I looked decent despite the turmoil inside lol

FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)

Used NIU Correspondence CPA Review

[Anonymous]

The time spent getting ready for work could be spent studying (or sleeping IMO). I drop off all my work pants and skirts (jackets, etc) at the dry cleaning.

As for the hair, I am getting a Japanese straightening once a year. I don't blow dry at all, and when the weather is nicer, I leave the house with my hair completely wet. By the time I get to the office they are dry and straight. I dont know what would I do with my hair without it..

As for makeup, I started using the Bare Mineral powder, because it takes 30 seconds to apply.. add mascara and lip gloss and drop of Visine to hide red eyes.

I am doing my nails while watching lectures or tv…

Do you guys have any other useful hints? Please share it..

[Anonymous]

I've all but quit wearing makeup since I started taking this exam. If I know that I'm meeting with clients or have a scheduled meeting then I will wear it. I don't know if it is the stress of it all or just my age but every time I wear makeup I end up with the skin of a 16 year old. I'm way too old for acne. I've spent a fortune trying to find something that I can use but I ended up throwing most of it away. My boss bought each of us 6 button down shirts with the firm name on them and 6 pair of khaki pants so I don't have a choice about what to wear. I just make sure they are clean and ironed. I've let my hair grow out so a ponytail is pretty much standard procedure.

[Tina82]

Kricket – try Clarins Skin Illusion. It's pretty light, little pricier than drugstore but lasts a long time. Plus typically if you get something at a department store it's returnable. Do get free samples to test first.

No weight gain for me so far, however the stress is definitely affecting my looks, ie. looking like a ghost.

Other easy tips, natural oils are great for both skin & hair. Recommended: apricot oil & hemp oil. Both are pretty cheap and lasting. Note for hemp oil have to refrigerate and don't buy too much at once. While studying I sometimes put the hemp oil in my hair before showering. Apricot oil is super light and non-greasy for skin (as is jojoba). I found all these great since I'm mostly inside the house/office with dry air. Trying to double up 🙂

A good massage once in a while is an awesome treat for my super tight muscles and sore body from sitting in a chair all the time.

R - 74;88
A - 84
B - 74;89
F - no study = 67; May 15 = 87 & done

[jomarie]

Makeup?? What's makeup?? Haven't worn any in a while. Hard enough chasing kids out of the house and trying to get some studying done in the am. Luckily my office is really dress down, so I've been wearing jeans and hoodies, except when I know I'm going to meet a client. Then I'll dress up, but still no make up.

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[Tina82]

Darn, I forgot. Home made scrubs. Coarse sugar or salt (sugar is better for sensitive skin). Cover in any oil (olive, hemp, whatever I mentioned above or is in your pantry) add in a spoon or so of honey to smooth out texture. Cheap and works just as good. Regular honey is awesome as a face mask as well.

Hopefully not too much info/disclosure here 😉

R - 74;88
A - 84
B - 74;89
F - no study = 67; May 15 = 87 & done

[Anonymous]

I always pull myself together. You never know, right?

[Anonymous]

I knew some of you were dealing with the same thing!! Thanks for all of the good advice!!

[jokami]

When I am in deep STUDY MODE…. I don't have time to shave!!! I could care less about makeup! And this process starts today all over again! And I have to get my body bikini ready because I just got a free trip to the bahamas Atlantis resort!

B - 62, 70, 72, 79!!!
A - 68, 81
R - 70, 82
F - 84

"The limit to your abilities is where you place them" - Fortune Cookies

[Tootsie]

I stopped wearing makeup a long time ago. I ocassionally wear lip gloss. Working full time and studying for the CPA exam probably have made me look tired and may have given me some white hairs. 🙂 I try to look presentable when I'm at work or out in public. When I'm at home, it's a different story. When I dress up for a special occasion or something, I do wear makeup, straighten my hair, wear a cute outfit, and jewelry. Special occassions are rare in this time of my life.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Marivy22]

I have also experienced some appearance issues. My hair is longer than before, good length for a pony tail (which my husband hate). My eyes are red, and as for make up I just put concealer, powder, mascara, blush and lip gloss (10 mins).

When I started this process back in June, I stopped excersicing, toooooo BAD!!!. At the end on October I found myself with 10lbs. I've lost the weight since then, and went back to the afternoon's routine: jogging or Zumba.

Since I don't drink coffee, soft drinks or juices….(I just drink water), sometimes I feel like a zombie, uugghhh

Good thing that this is for a certain amount of time, we will not look like this forever 😉

Done 😉
Class of 2012!!!!
Lots of prayers and hard work....

[Anonymous]

I have gained 58 pounds during the CPA studying process 🙁 I am on Atkins now. Lost 12 lbs. since started in 3-23-12.

[Author]

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