Envy/Jealousy

How often do we see what others have and wish we had the very same thing? New car? Big home? Great career? When we get the things that we want, it never seems enough, there is still that other thing that other's have that makes us wish we had the very same thing. We spend most of our lives envying other people's achievements. I don't think there is anything wrong with desire (wanting things in life and working to attain it), it's the reason to wake up in the mornings. However, I do think it's sad when we fail to appreciate the things that we do have in life because we're too distracted by focusing on what we lack. We are all guilty of it. And I think this stunts us.

I think part of the key to happiness is accepting and loving who we are. How can we say we love ourselves if we keep focusing on what we lack? Lacking could mean we are not good enough just yet.....

Just some random thoughts I've been entertaining lately. There are some people around me who seem so unhappy because jealousy just eats at them. Wanting things is healthy, it motivates us to go after it. But when it consumes your entire being and everything you do get is just not enough, and it makes you a bitter person and angry towards others, it might be time to reevaluate life. Happiness shows up on a person's face. There is a glow and honestly it's a beautiful sight to see when you see someone radiating from their own inner happiness.

Breath

Life keeps moving at a lightening pace. It's so nice to have a moment just to relax with my eyes closed. Ever notice when we are in a stressful situation or feeling tense about something, we clinch up and hold our breathes? That can contribute to feeling even more stressed. That's why people rave about meditation. It quiets the mind and helps us to only concentrate on our breaths. But meditation takes a lot of discipline. I don't always have the energy for it, but what I do try to remember everyday is to practice deep breathing.

Ever since I have become more aware of my breathing, it has helped calmed me in many ways. Every cell in our body needs oxygen. We breath shallow breaths many times during the day and if you become aware of this, you will see how often you do it. Shallow breaths are just the small intake of breathing we do without even realizing it. By inhaling air and pulling from the stomach you take in more oxygen and this rejuvenates our entire body and mind. You will see how much more relax you become if you do this a few times a day. Keep practicing this and eventually you get to the where everyday life's ebb and flow won't ruffle any of your feather's. It's such an easy concept but difficult to remember. We start life by taking in a breath. Doctor's even tell us to keep our stress levels down. Why? Because we tend to hold our breaths too much when we're feeling stressful. When the body doesn't get what it needs, it becomes sick. So remember part of the nourishment your body needs is also oxygen. That's why daily walks are also good for everybody. It REQUIRES us suck in more air.

Visualization

Images pass through our minds constantly. Our dreams are filled with fleeting pictures. The difficulty comes when we try to hold onto an image and the details of it. I have used visualization exercises for as long as I can remember and it's still pretty difficult for me. It takes practice and a strong sense of calm for me. But I find that it helps when I'm feeling pretty stressed out and just need a small escape. For some people this is daydreaming. Visualization is just step further. It is the step of making the imagery into reality. Not everything I picture actually happens but it helps in trying to help me figure out what it is truly want out of life. It changes constantly and may be why some things haven't turned into reality. It isn't consistant.

Some people have a clear picture of something and pursue it until it happens. Mine drifts from one picture to the other depending on mood, day, and current situation. Studies are showing there is a definite connection with mind, body, and reality. Your present reality is your own making. By always keeping that in the back of my mind, I try to guard my thoughts from harmful fears and picture only positive outcomes. Remember fear only stunts and holds you back.

Thanksgiving

Every year our nation celebrates this great holiday. Most people think of Thanksgiving as a day to just totally pig out. Grocery stores put incredibly enticing things out on display sure to lure you to add whatever they have onto your menu. Pure and simple most of us think of that day as a day of eating, napping, and sports. I have to admit, I look forward to it every year. A chance to reconnect with my family while eating good food and taking an indulgent nap right afterward.

However, this year I really want to take what the meaning of this holiday is straight to the heart. Every night before I go to sleep, I try to remember the things I am truly grateful for and by Thursday, I'd like to seriously contemplate all of the great gifts I have received this year. Whether they were gifts from friends or strangers, I know there were so many things that I received and at the right timing also. It's as if the universe read my mind and somehow manifested it through the actions of others. Little miracles happened all of the time and I can't believe where I am today. I am not talking about physically, I'm talking about mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For example, I'm so thankful for the challenges I've had because it's forced me to really step up and take more responsibility over MY life. I'm also thankful for all of the positive role models we do have in our world present day. People choose to focus so much on the negative aspects that the news presents everyday, but what about the people who bring awareness to worldly concerns? Today, more than ever the attitude for protecting and preserving our planet has grown. Also through technology and voices from people who have the resources, we are able to become aware of the concerns and become helpful to people who live in these small corners of the world that normally would go unnoticed. I would say even though it seems like our world may be falling apart on some days, we as humans have come a long way. Philanthropic programs have sprung up all over the place. We do want to lend a hand to our neighbors. I am grateful for the present and being able to witness the kindness that so many of us have.

The reason why I wanted to talk about being thankful is because I can personally say the more I have taken notice of all the wonderful things in my life, the more positive set of circumstances I have attracted. And you can't just say you are thankful for this and this and not mean it. It has to come from the depths of your being. You have to truly feel how lucky you are to be given something. It could start off small like being thankful you were able to sleep in a bit longer today or that your boss let you go home an hour earlier than usual. Eventually this attitude escalates and the next thing you know, you start to notice how much more you have to be grateful for. Believe me, try this for a week. A lightness will start to come from you. Your burdens become less worry some. You start to have faith that really, everything will work out.

Standard of Beauty

Who creates the standard of beauty for each society? Oprah's episode today was about sharing beauty secrets from all around the world. In the African country of Mauritania beauty is defined as the bigger you are the more chances you have of getting married. They even take dangerous medication in order to increase in size and they practice something called force feeding in the more rural sections of the country. Small girls are forced to eat until they vomit and then eat some more. Amazing.... in the United States women are obsessed with being practically a size zero. Why do women subject themselves to these kinds of torture? To attract a partner? Do some women see in themselves as being so unworthy that they resort to all kinds of things just to be notice and receive some attention? How many anti-aging products do we see when we walk down the beauty aisle in a drug store? Why is growing older such a bad thing?

In France beauty is found in more mature women. I would have to agree. In my opinion, I think beauty is the grace, wisdom, and strength that some women possess. Shouldn't we celebrate the years that we have learned, grown, and experienced from? What good is youth if young girls don't even see how beautiful they are because some "boy" doesn't like them? Beauty is today and at every age. True beauty just radiates out of a woman who loves herself and wants to give back to the world. You have to feel beautiful in order to be beautiful. Smiling at a random stranger and receiving a smile in return feels beautiful. Doing what resonates most with your soul will bring out happiness in you that will show when you look in the mirror. For some, it's painting, writing, singing, or decorating. Whatever you do to lose yourself and find the hours just flying by is beautiful. Instead of following someone else's definition of beauty, why not create your own?

Simplify

As a new mother there are things I no longer I have time to do. It will be even more so once I go back to work after my maternity leave is over. So I have been in the process of getting rid of clutter I no longer need and activities that no longer serve my life. That means the tons of makeup I have collected over the years, must somehow go. Well..soon..or at least not buying anymore! Why did I buy so many when I didn't even use half of them? Now all I have time for is a basic face and a pretty lip gloss. I still want to look nice when I leave the house, just with less gunk on my face and you know what I noticed? I feel stronger and better not wearing as much. It's as if I had to put a mask on before facing the world everyday. I don't need the latest eyeshadow kit or makeup bag. These are just stuff. Stuff collecting on my dresser.

By trying to get rid of certain things in my life, I have made room for more internal changes within. It's as if my authentic self is slowly trying to emerge and it feels beautiful. All that clutter also paralleled with the chaos in my life. How could I direct my energy towards a particular focus if I'm often trying to sift my way through the mess around me? I'm not saying I'm going to be all zen and have only a bed in my home, but honestly why do we sometimes feel the need to hold on so tightly to material things? Comfort? Collection? We constantly need to buy more "stuff" when most of the time it ends up in our trash can and later into a landfill. Every action has a consequence. I'm a total believer in trying to protect our environment especially now that I have a child. We only have one Earth. We don't have to always get new things? How much energy goes into making these things when the old would be perfectly fine? As I have delved deeper into myself, I realize there are more actions I can do that will be better for the environment. I don't need to get new books from Border's. There are libraries and second hand bookstores. The list goes on from there but I won't get into that here.

Since more of my authentic self is emerging I realize often I have gotten dressed or spoken to somebody with fear of what they will think of me. Honestly though, who cares? Because of those fears, I either think too much of what to say and end up saying the wrong thing or I put on this armor on and say something completely off base not reflecting what I feel at all but wanting to protect myself. It's funny because all this time I have being at home with my baby and just contemplating how my life was and how I was, I realize I'm really an introvert. To my friends who might read this, they would probably laugh because when I meet strangers I'm pretty outgoing and friendly. However, I honestly hate crowds. It would explain why I felt the need to totally numb myself with alcohol whenever I was in a bar surrounded by strangers. The outgoing persona is just a way of deflecting others from getting to know the real me. The real dreams, beliefs, and motivation. Blogging has been one of the best ways for me to be able to share the true me.

And now that I realize a stranger's judgement of me no longer matters, I don't have to spend a lot of wasted time on clothing I'm not comfortable in, makeup that masks my face, and attitudes that I don't agree with. And you know what? I'm happier. It's so simple. If we had no fears can you imagine the endless possibilities? If money wasn't a motivation what would you choose to do with your life? Below is a picture of when I was 6 months along. I hardly had much makeup on but didn't care that day because I was basking in my pregnancy and I must say it portrays how I feel on the inside a lot more than when I have a glob of makeup on.

May more love and peace shine from you to those are reading this blog :)

New direction

I am going to completely take this blog into a different direction. Beauty comes from within and oftentimes women forget that. I have taken down most of the entries from this blog because I don't want to just focus on makeup any longer. Although I love makeup, I have always believed that true beauty shines from the inside. In order for it to make it's way outside, we must nurture ourselves and find different ways of going about it. So from now on I will make this blog a focus on that. I am very excited to talk about the things I have learned in the past and things I am still learning about. :)

It's all about the eyes

One of the fastest ways I have learned on how to instantly glamorize your look is by adding false lashes. One of my favorite model who exemplifies this is Heidi Klum. Normally she is a fresh face natural beauty. But when she's on the red carpet or at an event, she instantly pumps her look by putting on the falsies. Now don't get me wrong, I have a very hard time getting these suckers on all by myself, but when I do or have someone else do it for me, the final outcome is well worth it. You don't even need to put a lot of eye makeup on afterwards because your eyes will automatically just pop.

Now some people like this picture below of Jessica Simpson can go too far and make the lashes too big and dramatic and that can make your eyes look scary. You need to find the right length and thickness that fits your face. You can start by putting on really long ones and then trimming it from there. False lashes should enhance your eyes, not over dramatize it, unless it's a look you really want...

False lashes have become so popular now that Jennifer Lopez even sported some "mink" ones on the red carpet once. I admit they looked pretty natural, but the rumor is that it can cost you in the upward $1,000's of dollar's. I say a nice drug store brand will do fine. I once drove to Target with my friend on the day of another friend's wedding and we both bought false lashes and put them on each other. They turned out beautifully. Or you can always swing by the MAC counter and purchase a pair and have them put it on right there. MAC artists are very adept at doing it, so..you can't go wrong there! As they say The eyes the windows to your Soul. So why not dress them up every once in awhile?!

It's a Lipstick Jungle Out There

Ever been on that never ending search for that one perfect elusive lipstick color? I know I've been there many times. My cousin once dumped out my purse just to count how many lipstick and lip glosses I had in there. I think I used to buy a new color every week. Each week, I thought I was getting closer and closer to finding the right color that would fit my skin tone, make me look glamorous, and make me beautiful. I don't know how much I've spent over the years but I have not found the perfect color.

What I've since learned is that, the right lip color had to fit my mood and setting. A romantic night out would not call for siren red lipstick, instead, a soft pink lip color would be the one on duty. Or landing that perfect interview, an earthy soft mauve color would be in my purse that day. I tend to gravitate towards raspberry color with a hint of blue tone underneath. One of my favorite lip glosses that matched this description came from Bobby Brown and has since been discontinued. Don't you hate that? You find a color you oh so love....and the next thing you know, they've taken it off the counter.

With my olive skin tone, I can't have too much of the peach pigment in my lipsticks or I would look like someone who never came out of the 80's. I have learned a lot from my buying so many lip sticks. The trial and errors have shown me which colors flatter me the most and which to definitely stay away from forever! Since I go through lipsticks so fast, I now go to local drugstores and purchase one of the cheaper brands and try them on at home. It's hard to tell what the lipstick will look like if you only try them on at a department store. You have to see how the color will work with your chemistry and throughout the day, the color will somehow conform and change it's shade according to your own lips. One you find a shade that suits you perfectly, you can then try to find it's match with a more expensive brand from a department store. One of my favorites are Lancôme's lipsticks. They provide moisture and is a lot longer lasting than most. The ones you get in their gift bags even show how spectacular they are. I've tried many others and they are either too drying or too gooey. I have never been disappointed in my Lancôme lipstick.