Beauty...as defined by me.

For my first ever blog post, I wanted to share how I define beauty (and why I'm obsessed with it).

First of all, beauty is not having the perfect hair, skin, makeup, or clothes. Perfection is boring. To me, imperfection is true beauty. Different is intriguing. I truly believe that those things that may not be our favorite features are the very things that make us exquisite and beautiful creations of God. He makes no mistakes.

Beauty surrounds us. It's in the way water runs through a creek, the way the wind blows leaves in tiny tornados, the masterpiece of colors painting the sky every morning and night, the ebb and flow of the sea, the pattern of clouds swirled across the sky, the rain falling to the earth, sun rays shining through tree branches. It's in the sound of a baby's laugh, waves crashing to shore, crunching of crisp leaves underfoot in the fall, a roll of thunder, the chirping of crickets at night in the summer, music. Beauty encompasses so much more than physical appearance. Take the time to notice it around you every day. Thank God that you are able to see, hear, and experience all these things. We take it for granted all too often.

Again, I want to emphasize that beauty is not about physical attractiveness. It truly is about learning to love and accept yourself as you are. It's okay that not everything about you is your favorite feature. Accepting that you are not perfect (and never will be) is an amazing, freeing experience. Don't waste your time trying to fit into someone else's idea of what makes a person "beautiful". Embrace what you have been given. Being completely honest, this is something I had a real struggle with for a very long time. There were things about my physical appearance I completely despised, and I wasted way too many moments of my life wishing I could change how I looked. Now that I am older, I have learned that those things I so badly wanted to change are the things that make me who I am. You couldn't pay me to change those things now. I am not perfect in any way by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm definitely not claiming to be. What I want every person to experience is the beauty of loving yourself the way God made you.

Having said all that, I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to look your best or wanting to emphasize your lovely features. This is where my obsession with makeup comes into play. I love to play around with makeup. You can be a carefree beach babe one day, and a sultry vixen the next. Some days I love to wear a cat eye, and some days I like to try out a bold lip. Don't be scared to try something out of your comfort zone!
At the same time, I believe it is easy to become dependent on makeup to feel confident. Don't let yourself fall into that trap! Learn to be confident in the amazing person you are.

This is a place I created to share my love of all things beautiful (but especially makeup and clothes!). I hope you like to read about it as much as I like to write about it!

Alyssa