What are you “making up” for? Get real and go for healthy!

I like glamour and fashion. I like all the girly stuff. I’ve got my fair share of image-making bells and whistles in my closets and drawers. But over time, I’ve become more and more disillusioned with the world of cosmetics. Take a look at the following words, with a slightly different emphasis: MAS(K)ara, eyeLINER, lip DEFINER, COVERup, MAKEup, CONCEALer, BLUSHer, to name just a few of the doodads that make wild promises right in their name. That doesn’t even cover all the little treatments, injections, and therapies.

Nowadays I’m more interested in what makes great skin and a beautiful expression in the first place. Seems like a lot of energy goes to “fixing” on the outside what could be an inside job. And I wonder what subtle messages my daughter gets when assuming her naturally rosy cheeks, dark lashes, freckles, and creamy skin need any fixing? If she just took her cues from mainstream media, she’d hardly know to think differently.

Authentic beauty: it’s an inside job

But what do I mean by “inside job”? Good rest. Good nutrition. Good circulation. A clear mind. Emotional and spiritual well-being. Clean living. Seems like when any of these things aren’t present in our lives, it shows up on our faces, and then we feel we need, or we’re conditioned to believe we have to, “make up” for something missing.

Guys don’t have as many messages about “fixing” their appearance on the outside. They just sort of roll on with life, calling it good with a shower and a shave. What would happen if we offered cosmetics to your average man? He’d probably ask, “Make up for what? Cover up what? Conceal, line, define…what for?”

I care about my image, but it’s gotten to be more trouble than its worth to keep up the “making up”. I’m just at a point where I want to take on true, whole health and know that’s what creates my persona. Remember the deodorant commercial with Jack Palance? The one where stares dead-on and proclaims a throaty, “After all…confidence is…very sexy…”? I think it applies here.

Actually, I’m grateful to my “cosmetic conditioning” for pointing out my dark circles, dry skin, clogged pores, crease between the eyebrows, and so on. Those symptoms are all indications that emotional, physical and spiritual health can be improved. There are few things more engaging than a heartfelt smile, a healthy sun-kissed glow and the sparkle-eyed look of inner peace, so that’s what I’m going for now.

Model citizens

So now I’m taking cues from men and women who model true, whole beauty. I bet you know people like this in your life. They’re natural and inspiring; you naturally want to pay attention to them. I do care about looking my best, but when I don a splash of color, I know now it’s for the play of it. Being playful and creative is part of the joy of being human, and costumes can be so fun. But that’s not who I am inside.

I guess I’m just ready to live more authentically and put more care into internal actions that lead to a beautiful look. Feeling good seems to be the best cosmetic. I’d rather slow down and be more tuned in to what’s real about simply being.

Define your beauty. Define your brand.

So what about you? How do you define beauty? Take some time to reflect. What beauty routines have run their course in your life, ready to be released. What’s been taking extra time and money that no longer serves you? Could you stand to stop torturing your hair with sprays and potions, and instead spend the money on a massage? You may have been ignoring an inner whisper to use fewer cover-ups, concealers, masks, and definers, and instead trust the beauty inside you, taking more steps toward radiant being.

Building a personal brand for business is about trust, and does require attention to your image. To be real, we have to get real. Few things are more engaging than a person who feels comfortable in their own skin, reflecting mastery in self-care and ultimately, self-respect. That is an image worth following.

Popularity: 17% [?]