True beauty lies within, beauty is only skin deep, it’s what’s on the inside that counts…sound familiar? While all these things are definitely true, most people care about how they look anyway. Everyone has different ideas of beauty, and everyone feels beautiful in different ways. Some prefer to put on a full face of makeup every day, some prefer to wear none, some like coloring and styling their hair, some prefer to put it up…none of these things are right or wrong! What matters is that you feel beautiful, and your confidence will shine through. The one thing that has been scientifically shown to change how we feel about our physical appearance is the way our skin looks – healthy, vibrant skin changes how we feel and how we carry ourselves – and we are here to help!

Self-Care

Setting aside a little time every day to take care of yourself is the first step in boosting your confidence. As women get older, they tend to spend less and less time on themselves, and that shows in the way they carry themselves! Having a healthy beauty routine helps you slow down, take time out of your day (even just a few minutes), and reminds you that you matter. As we frequently talk about, cleansing and moisturizing your skin every day helps keep it healthy, clear, and radiant, and it also helps to slow down signs of aging! Every morning and night (yes, twice in one day!) we recommend cleansing your face to remove all build up dirt and makeup, followed by a toner and moisturizer. Ask yourself – do you know what type of skin you have? Is it oily, dry, or somewhere in between? Do you prefer a heavier moisturizer or do you like something lighter? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you find the right products to keep your skin – and your whole self! – glowing.

Work With Your Body

As teenagers and throughout adulthood, many women struggle with acne and other skin issues that negatively impact their self-esteem. Many commercially available products that are advertised to help tend to be harmful to the skin and can actually make the issues worse! The mentality that we are “fighting” our skin is where the problems start – we don’t want to fight our bodies, we need to work with it to find products and remedies that work in tandem with them.

A very common example of fighting skin is the way most acne treatments work. Big companies create foaming face cleansers that strip the skin of oil in an effort to clear out the pores. While this does technically “clean” your skin, it removes all of the natural oils that your body produces to help keep your skin healthy, which then tricks your body into over producing that natural oil, which leads to even more clogged pores. A healthy alternative to these harmful acne cleansers is to find a natural, gentle cleanser that is mildly astringent (something that causes skin tissue to constrict) and that allows your skin to retain some moisture. Though it is counterintuitive, cleansing should always be followed by a moisturizer to help keep your skin from drying out and producing too much oil.

Makeup

While of course everyone is beautiful naturally, it can be fun to spice things up from time to time! In fact, the act of simply putting on some eye shadow or lipstick is shown to boost self-esteem. For many women, including me, makeup is an easy, fun way to express themselves. The way you carry yourself when you feel good about your appearance does not go unnoticed – your confidence and positivity can spread to those you interact with.

Whether makeup makes you feel beautiful or you feel best when your face is bare, you should always enjoy the happiness that comes from looking good. A healthy skincare regimen, makeup, or even freshly styled hair can be powerful tools in helping boost your self-esteem, and that doesn’t go unnoticed. So go out into the world and shine!