You may have seen “retrograde” in the title of this article and immediately started running for the hills. I get it. As an astrology enthusiast, I’d be inclined to do the same usually, but I’ve learned something recently. Retrogrades are often an invitation for deeper introspection. They invite us to take a look at what feels out of alignment and Venus’s retrograde (beginning today, October 3 and lasting through November 14) is no different. There’s so much to unpack with this one, but one category that comes up for review during this time is, of course, beauty—your favorites and values in this department.

Naturally, it’s also a good time to re-evaluate what is and isn’t working in your beauty and self-care routine. Astrologers even say that the beauty routine you’ve loved and used in the past may suddenly start to feel “off” during this time. To get a little more insight on what to expect during Venus retrograde and how you can use this time to deepen your relationship with beauty, keep scrolling. I’ve also shared my favorites that channel major Venusian energy during this transit.

What happens during Venus retrograde?

We tend to focus so much on Mercury when it goes retrograde, but Venus is the less discussed cousin that can affect so many aspects of your life, but mainly, your relationship with beauty. Astrologer Karolina Sucre first shared what you need to know about Venus and what to expect from this transit. “Venus rules love, beauty, relationships, pleasure, money, and our values, so when Venus goes retrograde, all of those areas can come up for review,” she says. It’s very much a, ‘Wait… do I even like this anymore?’ kind of transit. You might start questioning what you want romantically, what you’re attracted to, how you’re spending your money, or even what makes you feel beautiful.”

Human design expert and LilFox director of intuitive beauty Mikaela McLean says that there are so many other layers to this that can help you gain more clarity. Human Design is a self-knowledge tool that shows you your unique energy blueprint using your birth time, date, and place of birth—exactly like a birth chart! The only difference is that it focuses on how your aura is designed to function rather than on planetary placements. “In Human Design, you can actually look at your Venus placements for a deeper dive into this concept,” McLean says. “Venus is the seventh planetary placement from the top of the chart and is marked with the traditional female symbol. You’ll have two: a Venus placement on both sides of the chart in black and red, representing conscious and unconscious themes.”