Once again, the time has got away from me and the days and weeks between blogs have exceeded what is probably considered appropriate for one attempting to make her fame and fortune one blog post at a time. Bad blogger!!
I come to you today with, exactly as the title of this post suggests - 5 Beautiful Truths. And they are quite simple. You see, I have been doing a lot of reading, and listening (thank you Gretchen Rubin for that) about happiness. The truth is, I was a strange little child when I was growing up - I was in love with words, books, poetry and quotes...In fact if one was to peruse my Pinterest boards I think you would agree that I still am. I have in my possession about 4 A4 files filled with quotes and sayings and my own now, very hilarious writings and compliations that I started to accumulated from about the age of 9. And out of the hundreds and hundreds of nuggets of advice that I wrote down, one always has stuck with me throughout my childhood and into my adulthood - and that is...
I love this statement. And this leads me into the very first of my Beautiful truths.
1. Be Happy - I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful...
Just to be clear here, I don't mean that being beautiful makes people happier, although this is of course true - but (a little side note here) interestingly their (the beautiful people that is) happiness levels are not increased because they are attractive, but because (and studies support this) an attractive person will tend to marry or forge relationships with equally good looking people and that also, they will do better in school, get better jobs and ultimately earn more money. So if you were born with shall we say, fortunate genetic makeup, yes, you will be happier - but not because of your looks, but because of your increased earnings.. And there it is folks - the secret to happiness is in fact, money.
But what I am actually getting at, is that other studies have shown, despite your appearance, if you exude happiness and an enthusiasm for life, people will find you attractive.
Psychology Today printed an article on How Smiling Affects Your Brain, and cited findings by researchers in 2011 at the Face Research Laboratory (yes this place really exists) at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland that found that, basically, men and women were more attracted to images of people who made good eye contact and were smiling, than those who did not. If you are happy, you tend to smile, and smiling also releases a whole array of fabulous neurotransmitters like dopamine, endorphins and serotonin all responsible for making you feel good. From the physical response of lowering your heart rate and blood pressure to having an 'anti-depressant' effect on the brain.
Decades of research have found the same thing - if you plaster a big smile on your face, your mood is elevated and your stress is reduced. The great thing is, it doesn't have to be a genuine smile - you know that saying, 'fake it til you make it' - well that applies here - you will still get the same physical and hormonal response even if your smile is not genuine.
What I am (somewhat inarticulately) trying to get at here, is that a wide, true smile will make you feel beautiful and look beautiful.
2. Wear Sunscreen
"The long term benefits of sunscreen has been proved by scientists..."
Yes. Yes it has.
These days there is no excuse ladies (and gents) to not wear sunscreen on a daily basis. I didn't start to wear sunscreen under my makeup until I was probably in my mid 20s, and I live in Australia and well, what an idiot. Pigmentation, freckles, sun spots, uneven complexion, brown spots, wrinkles and premature aging can all be significantly be reduced if you start wear sunscreen now! I don't care if you are 45, work it into your routine, it takes an extra 30 seconds and if you are 18 work it into routine now - trust me - you won't regret it. Educate your friends.
A famous study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine tells the story of a retired 69 year old truck driver who drove his vehicle for 28 years without wearing sunscreen. He reportedly got sick of his grandchild always asking what was wrong with one side of his face and the pictures published are truly a great reminder of the long term effect of sun damage - the side of his face that was exposed to the Ultraviolet A rays coming through his car window, over the years, sustained incredible sun damage - to the extent that that side of his face looks almost 20 years older than the other.
And if you are young and think this bit of advice does not apply to you. Take a look at this..
This picture taken with a special ultra-violet camera shows that even if you can't see the sun damage - it's still there!
These days there are amazing products on the market formulated for use under makeup. There is no excuse. (Mother I am talking to you too...)
3. Use serums.
Serums are to the skin like water is to a man dying of thirst. Dramatic - yes, a little. Exaggerated, maybe. The Truth - oh yeah baby!
Serums are the holy grail of skin care. They do not contain the occlusive, heavier ingredients that you might find in your moisturiser, and in fact with serums, most of the 'liquid' is eliminated altogether - but the 'beauty' of this (see what I did there...) is what you are left with is an incredibly high concentration of active ingredients. Any good serum you buy should contain highly potent doses of anti aging goodies - peptides, anti-oxidants, skin brighteners - and without the thicker ingredients that a moisturiser may contain, that form a barrier on your skin, the active ingredients in your serum, can be more readily, absorbed and set to work.
Yes, they are more expensive, but that is because they contain a high concentration of the 'good stuff' and remember, they contain the high concentrations so you only need a small amount, which means they do last a decent amount of time. Getting a good serum is definitely an investment worth making. Serum it up baby!
4. Drink water.
Uuuurghh - more common sense advice, but the research is there and what it tells us is simple - when your intake of the good old H2O is found wanting, your skin appears duller and wrinkles and pores more prominent. When skin is hydrated it is more elastic and plump, consequently is less likely to crack and allow external particles and bacteria to get in and cause blemishes.
But let it be said, that whilst externally skin does look more aesthetically pleasing, with diminished wrinkles and fine lines, it is interesting to note that on a histopathological level, that is, when examined under a microscope - nothing has changed permanently. Boo. The hydrated skin just minimised their appearance. And if you were to allow yourself to become dehydrated again, your skin would show those signs of aging once more.
There was an interesting article printed in the Daily Mail about a woman who conducted her own little research and for 4 weeks drank the recommended amount of water per day and photographed some interesting results.
I challenge thee (slapping metaphorical tiny glove across your cheek) to a similar Water Challenge - can you get as dramatic results as this lady?
5. The Power of the Brow
There are good brows...
There are bad brows...
It simply cannot be denied that defined brows make you look more polished and pulled together - and well pretty. I have, several times, found myself off the 'beaten brow track' as it were, and currently my relationship with my brows remains somewhat tenuous. Yes, I admit I did wrong, I over plucked, I under plucked - but I feel I have finally found a 'Brow Artist' whom I can trust - and together we are picking up the pieces of my past brow faux pas, and with a little tint and a bit of thread - there is a glimmer of hope.
But I will say, judge not too harshly of your fellow women in arms - sometimes people just have bad brows, but sometimes, they have had cancer. And chemo. And through no fault of their own lost all their hair, including their eyebrows. Be sensitive people - if you must judge harshly, do it silently. Be nice. Maybe that will be a special added bonus Beautiful Truth..
Bonus Beautiful Truth
(She drops the mike and walks away...)
Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog.
You can follow me on Instagram @crystellewaters
Check out my Facebook page Crystelle Clear
Love
Crystelle xx
References.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/06/bill-mcelligott-sun-damage_n_1573546.html
http://blog.pocketderm.com/three-photos-that-will-convince-you-wear-sunscreen
http://business.time.com/2011/03/30/why-are-beautiful-people-happier-mainly-because-good-lucks-help-them-get-rich/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/aging/beauty-smarts-serums-jan13
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2480491/How-drinking-litres-water-day-took-years-face.html
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/drinking-water-for-better-skin
No comments:
Post a Comment