Oh, please tell me it hasn’t actually been this long since I posted? Oh! How embarrassing! To my three devoted readers, please forgive me. I’ve been very busy. But in spite of my busyness (or blog-laziness, depending on how you look at things) I have been trying out fun makeup, lotions, potions, and various and sundry products of beauty…some of them really weird too! And trust me…I WILL tell you all about them and give you the low down ASAP. However, that being said, I’m going to spend a bit of time talking about non-product related stuff. Because that’s the kind of mood I’m in today. And also because, as I’ve said before, being your most shimmery, sparkly self has very little to do with the products you put on your face and hair. True beauty, that happy, glowy lit-from-within true sparkle, comes from well, within. Let’s talk about it.
For a few months, I was feeling like a big, ol’ jerk. I think I was being pretty nice on the outside, but on the inside, I was doing an awful lot of whining and complaining. My house isn’t big enough, I need a new car, I never have enough money, my kids aren’t behaving perfectly 100% of the time, etc. etc. These were the kind of thoughts I was often hearing in my head as I focused primarily on the negative. Well, you know what starts to happen when you talk to yourself that way? MORE negativity! Negativity feeds on more negativity and it just gets worse and worse. So, while perusing the plethora of new books lining the shelves of the airport book store, I happened upon a book called The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. This is the lady who wrote The Secret, popularized by Oprah and her legions of fans, of which I am one, but I never read that book. Something about this book just screamed at me to buy it, so I plunked down my $12.99 and started reading among the quiet chaos of the Tucson International Airport. Wow! This book is so cool and has really shifted my focus. It’s about gratitude, plain and simple. Every chapter gives you a new thing to look at with gratitude colored glasses, whether it’s your job, the people in your life, your money, whatever. The focus is to count your blessings and truly be thankful to God, the universe, or whatever you happen to believe in for all the wonderful things you have, some of which may not even be apparent to you at first but when you really look deeply, you can see how many things you have to be grateful for. My favorite practice is making a list of 10 things I am grateful for each night and why I’m grateful for those things. Then I hold my “gratitude rock” in my hand (it’s a magic rock, don’t judge me until you try it) and think of the best thing that happened that day and say thank you, thank you, thank you for that thing. I love ending my day this way. I run through all of the great things that happened all day…sometimes it’s as simple as a sweet kiss my husband gave me, or a funny conversation I had with my 3 year old, or something nice someone said to me, but running through all of these little moments before I drift off to sleep is so blissful and such a great way to finish the day. I’m learning each day to really focus on how lucky I am for all that I have. This book is a fun way to be reminded of all of the amazing things we may take for granted, like our health, our jobs, our families. No matter how pretty you are, if you are ungrateful for the good stuff in your life, you really aren’t truly beautiful and living your most shimmery life!
And what is a shimmery life, anyway? Well, the way I see it, if you are appreciating this vast and gorgeous universe, loving yourself and others liberally, being kind, being as present as you can, giving thanks for all that comes your way…that’s the foundation. All of the luxury lipsticks and sparkly eye shadows are just icing on the cake! Check out the book The Magic and see if the fun little practices make you feel a little happier. I bet they will.
OK, I promised I’d also tell you about the weird stuff I’m doing, so I can’t sign off without at least one beauty tidbit. I bought this odd little device that kind of zaps your face and I think it’s making my skin look prettier. Yes, in fact I AM willing to electrocute myself on a nightly basis if it means prettier skin! The Oxyderm Ozone Facial Tool by Tei Spa reduces oil and zaps away blemishes with the bacteria fighting benefits of Ozone. I’m not sure exactly how this thing works, but it really makes my skin clearer and more even toned. It cost me $100 on Isabella.com and seems to be well worth the investment so far. It’s a really mild teeny tiny shocky feeling, and doesn’t hurt at all. You just use it for a minute in a circular motion all over your face.
So I’m doing that, and also eating SUPER healthy (really, like big bowls of kale, blueberries and walnuts on everything, salmon, lots of water and very little wine) and working out as religiously as ever. I also found a cheap lipstick I like…L’Oreal Infallible Lipstick in Beyond Blushing is a nice, springy pink that stays on even after a big meal, a long meeting, and a workout. It’s like $8 and it’s the best lipstick I’ve tried in a long time. So there’s my beauty stuff. Oh, and in addition to The Magic, I’m also reading Duff McKagan’s biography It’s So Easy and Other Lies. The bassist for Guns N Roses has a lot of colorful stories to tell and seems like a really nice guy to boot. He drank so much alcohol that his pancreas burst and he almost died. Let’s all be thankful that we have our pancreases intact. I have a lot of gratitude for my pancreas after reading about that incident. It’s a surprisingly well written, thoughtful and entertaining read.
Thank you thank you thank you for reading my blog and keep on being shimmery!!!!
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