If you’re looking for mantras for beauty that will instantly and suddenly transform your looks into that of a celebrity, this is NOT the right place. However, if you’re looking to use positive affirmations as a way to unlock mantras for beauty that showcase your individuality, read on! These mantras for beauty aren’t intended to make you look like anyone else, other than your best self. They are mantras for beauty designed to help you see the gorgeous, incredible, powerful inner Goddess in you that’s waiting to be released! How do I know these mantras for beauty will do just that? Here’s why:
When chemo starts, it’s not as if every hair on your head falls out simultaneously. The reality is much more gruesome, much closer to exactly the opposite. I used to wake up in the morning to a pillow covered in my own hair, a Hitchcock-worthy sight, and a scalp that became gradually more sparse. Shaving it short wasn’t quite enough to halt the effect; it just meant shorter, itchier hairs on the insides of hats and pillows. Eventually it did fall out entirely, taking with it my eyebrows (which I would later comically forget to paint on for my own prom, leaving a span of years in which I wondered ‘something is off…what’smissing?’). That, combined with the chubby steroidal cheeks and pink glow of my skin, I was only a shadow of my former self.
But after winter comes spring, and my body blossomed slowly over the years to be womanly again. I lost the weight and my hair came back and I am happy to say now that the process of losing -or in the case of makeup, sacrificing- these elements, I had the opportunity to greet beauty anew, much like a young lady does. This time, at an age when I could understand the wonder of it, the artistry of it, and enjoy the process rather than use it to cover guilt and blemishes.
The exploration of femininity from an aesthetic standpoint was a journey aftermy journey that I still treasure and discover continually.
In honor of all that, and the beautiful spring upon us now, we’re diving into a Beauty Mantra series, much like the loved Meditation Mantra series from a few weeks back. This time, however, we’re taking the mantras to the mirror, and turning our beauty routines into a place of inspiration, self-love, acceptance, and celebration. (You can read more about turning makeup routines into zen routines here)
Each day will be a new element of outer beauty to connect with our deepest inner beauty and light. From the spring lip hues to our perfectly pedicured toes, we’ll share beauty as a gateway to our own divinity. After all, if artists of the Renaissance could see the heavens through their worldly muses-their lovers, why can’t we see the goddess that resides right here within us?
Day 5: Hair
Having hair is a tricky thing; you want to care about it enough to nurture it and take care of it and even style it, but you don’t want to be so attached to it emotionally that it defines you, and you become to scared to even cut it. That’s a conundrum cancer patients know well; when it finally grows back, will I be so bonded to it that I can never cut it off again?
The truth is, hair should be fun. It should be free from pressure. It should be more art than personal worth. It should be more carefree than careful. Love your hair, honor it, let it have a personality, but never be defined by it.
At Home Hair Masks:
I personally mix my favorite conditioner or deep conditioner with olive oil and leave it overnight, but you can get fancier!
I also love this 3-ingredient recipe from Me On The Go that works as a hot oil hair mask, and this coconut oil and honey hair mask from SugarSocial that can easily be made from Trader Joe products.
photo: 21/365 if you think that a kiss is all in the lips by Jane Rahman | modified (source) (license)
Day 4: Nails
Why shouldn’t we honor that which we use most? The hands that can touch those we love, that can serve them and serve those in need? The feet that let us walk the globe, that let us run to keep our heart healthy, that let us dance to our own beat?
In honor of them (and because it’s #TBT!) we revert back to an article on the bliss found in an evening at home in solitude, when a warm sea salt bath and a self-painted pedicure can help you connect to your deepest, truest form of beauty and individuality.
See more on this topic here.
Day 3: Skin
I cherish my skin and body because they allow me to feel this life. The unique shape and texture was handed down by generations of warrior women before me. I protect it body from the sun, I feed it from the inside out by drinking water, by eating clean, by soaking it when it is tired and needs my love, by allowing it to be caressed by someone who deserves it’s suppleness– someone that is kind and worthy of all the incredible things I do in this world. I am kind to my skin. I am thankful that it heals when the world cuts through it. I am proud of it’s every scar, and I treasure it with my thoughts and actions.
As an obvious rule, I’m not much into sun tanning. But that doesn’t mean I’m not into a good, golden tan. I just fake it at home with a few drugstore products.
The Top 3 Tips for Perfect At-Home Tan:
- Always go for two layers. Start first with the darkest color you want; I suggest a foam to create the first coat, as they dry quickly and offer great color.St. Tropez is my favorite, well worth the price.The second layer should be a gradual tan product. If your first layer was a foam, apply a daily gradual tanner lotion about ten minutes after applying the foam. If your first layer was a lotion or gel, apply a gradual tanning foam on top. The second layer isn’t for darkening, though it will add color. It’s for evening out the first layer and fixing any clumps and stain spots.
- Get a spray tanner from the drugstore and spray the backs of your hands and the tops of your feet. It’s the first place you’ll spot a fake tan if they’re too pale. The sprays dry quickly and keep you from having to do a limbo-style hand-washing after applying tanner to the backs of your hands.
- Don’t put fake tanner on your face. Just use a bronzer. Fake tanner on the face looks fake.
My favorite products:
St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse – don’t forget to use gloves!
L’Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Tanning Wipes – this makes a quick first layer and is packable for vacation, so you can refresh your color if you need. Be sure to top with a lotion layer still!
Jergen’s Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer – perfect for the top layer, and can be used every day after to keep the tan nice and dark. Plus it actually smells nice!
Also, be sure to drink lots of water, cook with olive oil, and eat avocados, nuts, and salmon! All great, hydrating sources of nutrients for your skin, and will give you an actual glow.
photo: Dan Steely – Sexy Nude Beach Girl (modified) (source) (license)
Day 2: Eyes
With our eyes we see the world, but rarely do we give to the power behind them. That’s not just the power of seduction, the power of a glance or a glare, the power of a wink, or all that we can say in just one look…
What about the power our feelings have over the way we physically see the world? What if we took control of our mind, and so was able to see more beauty in the world? What if we stopped the negative messages about ourselves in our mind so that our eyes could see more beauty in the mirror?
If our eyes have the power to make us fall in love at first glance…then let us fall in love with ourselves and life around us again.
On Trend:
Cat Eyeliner is back (like it ever left though….) and for a refresher with some expert advice, look no further than the hilarious, gorgeous, actually-makes-you-think-you-can-do-it Nikkie Tutorials. PS: even when you don’t feel like going out, watching her videos in bed with a glass of wine is everything.
See it here.
photo: Ashley HarriganF Cat Eyes – myself (modified) (source) (license)
Day 1: Lips
photo by: LA RUBIA GELIDA by Emilio García |
PHOTO ORIGINAL: ROSARIO GALACHO (source) (license)
Lips are powerful things, being the shield to our sharpest sword. We can share love, we can share hate. We can kiss, we can spit. We can share our truth, or we can conceal who we really are, all with the power of our words and our lips. What you do with yours, how you take care of them, and how you present these powerful muscles is up to you. Don’t forget… a just-bitten lip has always been one of the most seductive looks for a reason…
On Trend:
Harper’s Bazaar is touting bright berry tones and intense reds as on trend this season.
See the full report here.