The journey continues...

Golly, hardly 2 weeks into the year, and I've already failed my mission.  What can I say except, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  Part of it is that I'm so darned busy!  Part of it is that I've had some really bad self-esteem days, and posting a picture of a natural-bags-under-my-eyes-broken-out-face me just hasn't seemed enticing.  I've more or less been taking the pictures, and I'll post what I have, today.

My sweet friend, Aimee, (see her in the pic below) gave me this timely magazine...65 stars without makeup.   I love gossip mags.  I, personally, loved seeing these ladies in the facial buff.  What boiled my blood though, was that instead of celebrating their natural looks, the magazine takes some cheap shots at more than 60% of them.  The first page of 21 has positive captions...Natural glow, so youthful, no issues, what a stunner.  Then it goes on to cut down Mila Kunis, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Kourtney Kardashian is called a "tired mama" and Katie Holmes is labelled, "Harsh Light." Several other celebrity women are labelled negatively. It makes me so angry.  What kind of message is this sending to the women of the world, and even more importantly, to the young teenage girls who are the demographic readers?  No, you don't look pretty the way God made you.  You have to wear lots of makeup, and be perfectly made up and coiffed at all times.  Our society celebrates the image and the mask, and quite honestly it makes me sick. 

I am absolutely NOT against make up.  I wear it, and I like to wear it.  However, I don't try to make myself look unlike me.  I just wish that our girls weren't being taught that they have to hide their flaws to be thought of as pretty or beautiful.  It also sends a message to our boys that a female's natural beauty is not to be celebrated.   

Getting down from my soapbox, here is me...

 

 Bean insisted I wear the fishy hat.

 

With my Aimee, for a night of Downton Abbey.

 

yeesh.

 

Yay, freshly waxed eyebrows!!

 

A little selfie on a cold day.

                        Today. A day of cleaning and taking down the Christmas decorations. :(

Days 2 & 3

I totally FAILED to get something down yesterday. Apologies.  I know you were just on the edge of your seat waiting for my picture. *wink*  Day 2 was a day of overcoming a truly horrible cough (thank you strep), and trying to keep my kiddos from killing each other.  My new glasses FINALLY came in!  So, that's the selfie you get of me from yesterday.  What do you think?  Be honest.  Yes, one of my eyes is droopy.  Happens when I'm tired or sick.  Hey, no one is perfect.  There's a myriad of things I'm thinking about myself in this pictures.  At least 10 flaws I can find, but I'm trying to refrain. Lord, help me see the good, please.

Benefits to being makeup free:
1. Shaves a good 10 minutes off my get ready time.
2. If I wear contacts, I don't have to worry about my mascara flaking into them, and or smudging if my eyes water.
3. Not having to scrub my eye make up off at night.
4. Not having to worry if I fall asleep before I wash my face.

Let me ask you some questions.  When you look at your own face in the mirror, do you see the flaws that maybe no one else sees?  For instance, I have friends who will say, "My face is totally broken out." I don't even notice it.  I just see beautiful them.  Are we more critical on our own appearances than those around us are?  I have some of the most beautiful friends.  No really.  These women have no flaws.  I've looked.  When they look in the mirror, do they see flaws in their appearance, on their own faces, the way I do on mine?? Thoughts in my head.

I'll add in a picture for today, later.

UPDATE:  Here's today's picture.  I almost forgot.  Not the best lighting, but dang it makes my skin look smooth!

Hugs and Loves
C

A Month Without Makeup

Long time, no read, my sweet readers!  I took a hiatus last year.  I'm back, maybe only temporarily, but I'm back.  To begin this new year, I am challenging myself with a month of no makeup.  What does that mean, you ask??  It means that for the entire month of January, I will not wear any makeup.  Chapstick is allowed.  Have to keep the lips moisturized.  I'm still deciding if I will allow myself to wear gloss?  I'll get back with you.

Why, you ask?  Several reasons.  This year has been a particularly tough year for my self-esteem. I don't particularly like what I see in the mirror.  Having babies is awesome, but it does a number on my skin.  I've never struggled with acne or breakouts...except after I've had a baby.  It happened after Petite, and it's happening now, after Bean.  Only this time, with Bean, it's much worse.  Perhaps, it's because we are breastfeeding longer (I am READY to be done!!) and my hormones are all sorts of whacked out, or perhaps it's because I get way less sleep.  My toddler is 0-90 from eyes opened to eyes closed. ALL.DAY.LONG. She is up by 5:30am every morning.  I digress...

I usually don't feel "pretty" without some makeup on, and even then struggle to feel an ounce of attractive.  I have become the worst version of myself, and often cut myself down in front of my girls.  How can I expect them to have good self-esteem, when I model the opposite?  I have to grow more comfortable in my own skin.  So, I'm challenging myself to just be me, in only my skin, for the next month.  No make up.  Not even to special events. I'll be the one under all the sparkly jewelry. *wink* 

Secondly, I'm hoping this gives my skin a chance to breath and repair.  Not that I wear a ton of makeup to begin with, but I'm sort of looking at this as a cleanse for my skin.  A chance to clean the epidermal slate.

So wish me luck.  My family likes me best sans makeup.  Petite is so excited, she is always asking me to go au naturale. I hope in the next 30 days I can start to see what they see. I will also bravely post a picture each day. *cringes*

Here we go (keep in mind that today I have a raging case of strep throat).  Justifying, I know...