Showing posts with label inner beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inner beauty. Show all posts

Inner Beauty, Outer Beauty & Taking Time for Me...

Last week as I was getting my hair done,

I was chatting with the stylist about random things.

I mentioned that I hadn’t gotten my hair done in months.

It was frizzy, full of split ends, and had strands of gray...

It hasn’t been a priority.

I feel like I have so many other things to do during the day,

and spending time on my hair isn’t one of them.

If someone were to unexpectedly catch me at home,

They’d find me in comfy, stretchy clothes,

with my hair in a bun, sans makeup.

That’s how I live as a stay at home mom.



A few years back, was a different story.

I worked outside of the home,

and so I spent a little more time on me.

My hair and makeup were always done, 

and I wore something other than tennis shoes.


Now as a SAHM,

 I have a hard time justifying the reasons to spend time on me.

And sometimes,

I even feel a little guilty when I spend time and money on my hair, my makeup,

and clothes.



I-fight-that-feeling,

because when I do make time for myself,

before running errands or spending a day out,

I feel great!



The strange thing is that when I have a more natural look,

little to no makeup and casual clothes, my hubby compliments me more.

Proof that the extra time I spend on my appearance

is really something that want to do for ME!



I love dressing up. I love feeling feminine. I love being a woman.



As we talked about this,

My stylist mentioned a program she saw a while back,

letting me know that I was not alone,

women, Christian mothers in particular,

feel guilty about taking care of themselves.



It’s so true, as parents and care givers

it is in our nature to put others first.

When I drop my girls off to school in the morning,

they are bouncing along to their classroom looking fresh and cute,



and me?

I am hiding behind my hat and sunglasses!



She went on to say that the speaker mentioned that

women shouldn’t feel bad about spending time on themselves,

Because if we feel beautiful inside,

it's only natural to want to reflect that beauty on the outside.



I loved that!



Not that a woman has to be dressed up to be beautiful,

but I know that personally,

when I spend a little more time on my outward appearance,

I feel better and that confidence shows.


And when I am happy,

I really want to share my happiness...in all ways possible.

With my smile,

in my writing,

through conversation,

through gratitude in prayer

and even with what I wear,

because I do feel like we can express ourselves through our appearance.


What I am feeling internally, is usually reflected externally.


One way I do this is with color.

We know that the world does use colors to represent moods and attitudes...


Black= authority, power, darkness, depression,
White= innocence, purity,
Red= Love, vibrancy, appeal
Pink= romance, tranquility
Blue= calming, cool, sadness, strength
Green= conservative, easy going
Yellow = cheerful, optimism, newness, refreshed, energy inducing
Purple= feminine, wealthy
Brown= comfort, natural


I have a pair of hot pink exercise pants that I wear on occasion,

and they are so loud,

which is strange, because my shy, quiet personality is so not...

but I call them my happy pants.

I wear them when I feel great,

and at the same time,

I feel like they add a little more color to my day.

The day feels brighter, somehow!



Although, with that being said,

when it comes to taking time for me,

the most important thing I consider is if I have found that perfect balance.

It's about making sure that my house, my chores, my kids, my husband,

and my writing gets taken care of,

while still finding time for me.

I know I can be the kind of woman who makes the time to spend some time

on myself, with out feeling guilty about it,

because being beautiful on the inside doesn't necessarily mean

that we have to neglect the woman on the outside!





“It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.”
    
Maya Angelou


 Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic.
Rosalind Russell



You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Buddha




23: 3 gifts found in Christ - forgiveness, wholeness, peace

24: 3 things blue - our truck, the sky, my baby brother's eyes

25: a grace found, a grace borrowed, a grace inherited - a bible for my daughter, a friend's time, my mom's ability to always find some good 

26: a gift before 9am, a gift before noon, a gift before dark - songs/poem ideas that popped into my head, a clean house, dinner with my family 

27: - getting my hair done :), watching a chic flick and doing my nails with my daughter, an evening walk with my hubby

28: 3 graces found in your friends - wonderful with my kids, they always remember to include me even though I rarely attend, their willingness to overlook each other's/my own faults

29:  a song heard, a soft word, where you saw the light - Happy Birthday to Issac on his 17th Birthday, my daughter whisper when she didn't feel good, a beautiful sunset my husband pointed out to me

Project 31: Be-YOU-tiful

Today is Day 8 for Project 31:
Day 8.  Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)?  Share, please!
I have mentioned in the past that I like all things girly (and artsy). I love loud colors with black, A-line dresses, chunky earrings, and shoes that have some flair. My face makeup is pretty minimal, but I usually play up my eyes. They are my favorite feature and have become my focal point. (That's a beauty tip I learned, after my sis-in-law Nancy kept encouraging it.)


I believe in silliness, without it life would be pretty dull. I have been told for years that my laugh is loud and that everyone knows when I am home, because they hear me laughing. A while back my stepdaughter gave me card that said I always have a smile on my face. I don't know about "always" but it felt good to hear, because I try to be happy even on the "gray" days. I know that my my expression, is the most important thing I wear!
    I try to get "pretty" every day, even on the weekdays when I am just home cleaning house and doing laundry, I'll add lip gloss and a spray of perfume before my hubby gets home. When I look good, I feel good. I try to keep the romance alive in our relationship and I feel like a beauty routine even on the days that nothing is going on is important.
    True beauty is confidence! It's loving the skin that you are in...no matter what people think. I snapped this pic yesterday (after my hubby teased me about my hair.) This is me, with my hair natural. It's a little wavy, but mostly frizzy. I'm working on loving me for me and the 'not caring part', because natural is beautiful and so much easier! 
  • Another, part of my beauty routine is being in a clean environment. I cannot relax or enjoy myself in a dusty, cluttered living space. The only thing in the house that I will allow to have stuff pile up on, occasionally, is our desks. I like a clean house with a fresh smell. It makes no sense to clean and decorate my body, and then to live in a dirty house. That friends, is my opinion of a "don't".
    Last but not at all least, is the old adage, "True beauty comes from within. It's an oldie, but a goody! If you aren't beautiful on the inside, ain't no makeup gonna cover that! I Peter 3:3-4 says, Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 


Any thoughts on beauty that you would like to share? As always, I'd love to hear them!


 


 
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