“Beauty comes from the inside.”
We've heard this one too many times to count, didn't we? I'll elaborate a bit and get more specific: "You are what you eat and you become what you think." Both actions have to do with the "inside" - inside your stomach and inside your brain. How we feed these two parts of our body is crucial, as it shapes us in every single way.
I've learned the hard way and I'm still learning. While controlling your "inside" can be a very tormenting process, I thought that controlling your "outside" would be much easier. The beauty industry had already turned into science, offering miraculous solutions to every "outside" problem we can think of. More, some people ( every day people, that is) became beauty gurus and their tutorials go viral. Millions of women watch these all-knowing girls teaching us how to apply make-up, what to use, how to manage our worst bed-heads, when and where to wear our clothes, how to look 11.5 years younger, a.s.o.
I watched too and I have to admit that I've learned a few great tips BUT...and here's the big "but"...these women are between 17 and 24 years old. Of course they look great and they make it seem SO easy. Their complexion is still fresh, their hair is not damaged yet, their bodies haven't gone through the diet war, the birth ordeal and the taxing stress game.
So…I'm waiting for an experienced woman ( read "older") to show me a tutorial on how to look like a 20 year old.
All these young beauty "experts" don't have to do anything to look 20 because they just ARE 20. Excuse me, but when I was 20 all I needed was a shampoo, a comb, a lip-gloss and one layer of mascara and I was ready to get on the catwalk if I wanted to. Today, at 43...well, things change. While I can doll myself up and take a great picture, my morning face is the real barometer that I'm looking at. One hour after I wake up, I can read on my skin the entire story of the day (& night) before: not enough sleep, too much eating, too many cigarettes, worried too much, didn't drink enough water, forgot to put sunscreen on, etc. After I evaluate the damage, I open the beauty chest and start pulling out all the stuff that I think will correct and erase my mistakes. In about 20 minutes I certainly look better, but let me tell you something: the "mistakes" are still there, underneath. But...Viva Sephora! Viva Smashbox and Mac! Oh, my beautiful, nice-smelling accomplices, how I love you! How you help me stomp on Miss Insomnia and Aunt Worry! haha...NOT.
The stupidest thing to do is to swipe the floor, push the dirt under the rug then call the house clean. It's basically what 80% of the women are doing without even being aware of it. They rely on the beauty industry, forgetting that after 30 beauty REALLY comes from the inside. Until we are 30, our bodies are still fresh, can take a “beating” a lot easier, we can regenerate and rejuvenate faster. Damages are not that visible. But then, after 30, just as if a magic switch would be turned on, we begin degrading. Life kicks in, we make bad choices, we forget what's good and what's not.
Most of our mirror-related issues would disappear if :
Stop smoking (or switch to an e-cigarette)
Wear sunscreen even when we take the garbage out
Stop thinking about bad things and focus on the positive.
There you have it, almost in a nutshell. The ultimate to-do list of every woman who wants to break up with the possessive beauty industry.
I was thinking of writing up a beauty tutorial about how to use cosmetics in order to look 10 years younger. I know every trick and every product. I know how to work them because I had a long term relationship with each of them.
But instead, I'll tell you this, and it works wonders for both women AND men:
If you don't drink enough water, your complexion will lose its glow and get dry which in turn will help wrinkles dig into your face. Drink at least 6 glasses of water every single day.
If you don't exercise, your body will become the slave of Master Gravity and Grandma Cellulite (for men it’s Mister Gut and Uncle Lack-of-Stamina). Park the car and walk. Stretch in the morning. Dance. Go to the gym. If the gym is like a torture cell to you, then watch a video at home and follow the fitness instructor on the screen. Ride a bike. Jump on a trampoline. Chase the dog.
If you don't stop smoking your skin will turn grey, the wrinkles around your mouth will live happily ever after and your lungs will suffer from lack of oxygen. Your blood will be poisoned and the natural peachy cheeks will disappear.
If you will eat unhealthy foods ( and I'm sure you know which they are, alcohol included) you will gain weight, have break-outs and you won't be able to wear all the rock-star outfits. If you'll gain weight, you will lose your self-confidence, make love less, be self-conscious and miss all the fun. What we eat creates a domino effect on our lives as a whole.
Eat fruits and yoghurts, take out pork and hamburgers off your menu, give up soda and desserts, stop eating bacon and fries, steam your veggies, drink fresh fruit smoothies, eat raw garlic and celery, stop buying pastries and stop eating bread, muffins and dinner rolls. Try this at least for a month and you will be impressed by the response of your own body.
If you won't cleanse your colon, your body will be filled with toxic waste - your face will look dull, your skin will lose its elasticity, you won't have energy and strength, and you will gain more weight. Clean your colon regularly. There are powders and pills that do the cleansing trick. You will lose weight, regain your energy, glow and zest for life.
If you won't wear sunscreen, your skin will be irreversibly damaged. Brown spots and wrinkles - welcome! Every morning when you wake up, first thing - put on a sunscreen on your clean face. It doesn't matter that it's Winter or Summer, cloudy, rainy or sunny, just wear it. Every day and from morning till night. Your sunscreen is your vital shield. Don't leave it at home, you'll be stabbed by the sun, trust me.
If you don't sleep enough you will become your own living nightmare. I can't even begin to say what lack of sleep does to us. Dark circles under the eyes. Dull complexion. Bad mood. Fatigue. No energy, no focus. Poor blood circulation. Numb brain. Negative feelings. Mood shifts.
If you keep thinking bad thoughts you will become them. Any negative thought sends a destructive impulse throughout your whole body, affecting the proper functioning of each organ.The mind really IS stronger than the body. Negative thoughts can override good decisions, happiness, energy and motivation. Worries and suspicion lead to stress, stress leads to illness of the body and mind. Stop it. It's not that you can't, you just don't want to. So go on a mission to find and hit the OFF button.
When this to-do list will be completed ( and no one said it's going to be easy) the entire beauty industry will collapse under the willpower of the new, healthy looking women and men. Become one of them.
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