And how does it motivate you?
Important questions to start with…
Beauty. Such a complex, personal word. One with endless elements to explore, and unlimited ways to define and express. Everyday, often unknowingly, we show our feelings towards beauty by the choices we make. Such as our skincare routine, which simply is an expression of our relationship with beauty, and how it motivates us.
When I went quiet, into my hibernation state, a lot of questions went through my mind. Often asking...
What motivates me?
What do I see when I look in the mirror?
When do I feel the most beautiful?
All important questions because these answers motivate behavior which turn into routines, like beauty rituals… how we care for ourselves. For me, my answers were simple. Health. My motivation is health, and I see beauty as an expression of good health. Meaning, I feel the most beautiful when taking care of myself.
In fact, when I focus on my health, I am the most beautiful version of myself.
I even look younger and radiate more. When I struggle, however, I wear it on my skin. Stress, sleep deprivation, nutritional deficits… I wear them all on my skin. Maybe you’re lucky and your skin keeps better secrets.
My skin is the messenger for what’s going on within. If I’m healthy, I’m glowing. And when I’m healthy and glowing, I feel the most beautiful. My skin also talks to me when something’s wrong or missing within. Instead of trying to mask those symptoms, I listen to my body and respond with nourishment. That is how my definition of beauty motivates me.
Since my skincare routine is a reflection of my definition of beauty, I can’t help but wonder how your beauty routine is affected by your beauty standards. So I’m asking you now… What’s your definition of beauty? What do you see when you look in the mirror? When do you feel the most beautiful… When you’re naturally glowing? Or perfectly polished? And how do these answers motivate you?
Our definition of beauty influences how we love ourselves.
Everyone is beautiful, even at our worst, but it’s hard to feel beauty if you don’t see your own. And how you define it affects how you love yourself, connect with yourself, and how you heal yourself. This relationship is apparent in our daily behavior patterns, like with our food choices and in our beauty routines. Is your skincare routine an act of love? Or is it driven by insecurities?
My views haven’t always been motivated by health. When I was younger, my definition of beauty was strongly influenced by the desire to meet certain standards I thought were necessary to look pretty. I hid my least favorite parts, especially my imperfections, and struggled to embrace my natural beauty. I even exercised to the point of exhaustion, aiming for an ideal. I wasn’t seeing my beauty, but instead someone else's. My motivation was an unrealistic expectation that was setting me up for disappointments.
Thankfully, my views changed with time, because they weren’t serving me or my skin health goals. It was when I pushed pause, went bare, and changed my skincare routine did I start seeing beauty differently, my beauty differently. I developed a more natural, individualist approach… Seeing the power in nourishing myself, my body, and my skin. My skincare routine took a healing approach, no longer a symptom management one. Actions of self-love.
It’s funny, I feel the most beautiful now, even as I approach 40 with a few more smile lines around my eyes. My skin doesn’t look like it did in my mid-twenties, but my love for it has changed. In fact, loving my skin and body has had the most profound effect on my skin goals. By listening to my body and focusing on healing through nourishment, I naturally started glowing, and my symptoms naturally went away. We all have different goals, mine is to stay young for as long as possible. I don’t wear any make-up, I love my natural look, and ideally my skin maintains its youthful appearance for as long as possible. Basically I don’t want to age… But who does?!
We all know the age old saying that, “Beauty comes from within.” When I was younger, I just assumed that meant I needed a sweet and loving heart. But I now it see that saying so differently. Natural beauty does come from within…
Beauty is an expression of our how we take care of ourselves.
Are we eating the right foods, drinking enough water, making sleep a priority? Are we taking the time to ensure we’re avoiding as many toxins as possible? Yes, the most beautiful people do have the kindest heart, but taking care of ourselves, our bodies, and listening to our needs largely affects how beautiful we feel.
I can’t dismiss genetics, some people are gifted with great genes… you know who you are, and you are SO lucky!!! I’m not ones of those, I work for glowing skin. My skin is prone to premature aging, especially after having kids. Nutritional needs, both internal and external, are my top priority for keeping my skin full of life. I make choices every day to ensure my body is healthy and my skin is glowing. And if it’s not, then I adjust.
Genetically, you may think differently when you see my mom, that I am blessed with great skin genes, but she takes amazing care of herself and it shows. Probably where I originally learned my motivation, I’ll never forget when she took me to buy my first skincare routine. It was Clinque, all 4 steps. That was a life changing moment for me, I felt like a woman, and I could now do a skincare routine like my mom. She taught me at a very young that taking care of my skin is essential and a priority, as well as taking care of my body. To no surprise she is now my biggest supporter and a Lumé lover! Thanks for motivating me, Mom!
Motivation...
That’s one of my favorite words because it’s the energy source behind our behavior, that driving force, the one that turns behaviors into lifestyle patterns. These patterns have the greatest effect on our lives. Skincare routines and beauty rituals are no exception to this. In fact, it’s our daily, routinely actions that truly affect the state of our body and skin. Remember, it’s the small, everyday things that add up to having the most profound effect. That’s why it’s important to know what’s motivating you because that force will guide you through all your decisions, both big and small… especially how we see our beauty and value it.
We’re always evolving, so it’s a good idea to take a moment and ask ourselves some important questions along the way…
How does your definition of beauty motivate you?
Are your actions guided to nourish and heal?
Are your insecurities driving you?
No judgement here, been there, and I get it, but it’s important to be aware of it. Because like any pattern, they can be hard to break. But we have to break the ones that aren’t serving us anymore, and definitely the ones that are doing harm.
Awareness brings connection, and a deeper understanding of who we are, and what we want.
I wanted to talk about this question first because I think is has a significant influence on our beauty routines, and on the products we choose to buy. Because like I’ve said, it’s the daily behaviors that add up to having the largest impact on our skin. Not just with the skincare products we buy, but the foods we eat, the vitamins we take, and the products we use to clean our home. They all add up to something greater, which is usually motivated by a desire within. Or, we are unaware of these patterns, and the enlightenment can be life changing.
Final thought… If you ever find that your skincare routine is not an act of love, then push pause and ask yourself…
What’s my definition of beauty? What’s my motivation when I look in the mirror? And most importantly, look at your skincare routine and beauty rituals, ask if these decisions, these behaviors patterns are serving you. Meaning, are they making you happy? Do they make you feel beautiful? And never forget that taking care of your skin is an act of love, and you deserve to be loved, and that you are beautiful.
I see your beauty. I hope you feel it.
Talk soon,
Bev xoxo
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