Taking Care

My last post was about a resolution to help boost people's self-confidence and self-esteem.  I listed a few things to help do that.  This post is going to be about taking care of your OWN self- confidence and self-esteem.  If you feel good about yourself, you can be contagious in helping others feel good about themselves too!  Isn't it true that when you are around people who are in good moods, that they tend to boost your own mood?  Confidence is the same way.  

I want to share how I have been working on boosting my self-esteem and confidence on the physical level. I think that if you can feel good in your own skin, you are taking a HUGE step higher in confidence. 

There are BILLIONS of products out in the world that aim to improve your appearance and all you have to do is google "ridiculous beauty products" and you'll see how crazy people get!  The products I'm gonna post aren't expensive and they have all worked for me better than I expected.

I love wearing makeup, but I am also a strong supporter of going as natural as you are comfortable with.  These products have all helped me to become more comfortable with my skin without a heavy foundation or really without a lot of makeup at all, and have gotten me to really enjoy wearing my hair down, because as most people who know me know, I will put my hair up into a bun or ponytail as soon as I get annoyed. 

Here we go! :)

SKIN CARE:

This first product ^^^ is by Mary Kay.  It is an everyday cleansing system for acne-prone skin.  There is a cleansing gel (step 1), a toner (step 2), a moisturizer (step 3), and an acne treatment gel (for sudden those sudden blemishes that you need to get rid of).  I LOVE this product set!  It's so easy to use and my skin feels and looks fantastic after every use.  If you are interested, and you live in Ohio around the Middletown, Dayton area and you don't have a Mary Kay Consultant, my friend Megan is one and I'm sure would love to have new clients!  Click HERE for the link to her Mary Kay page to order if you are interested! 

This next product is also Mary Kay.  It is an oil-free, eye make-up remover.  All the years I've been wearing make-up (since I was 14) I've never used a make-up remover. I rarely washed my face before bed. I'd usually just go to bed with it still on and if there were some still on in the morning, I'd scrub it off with a paper towel.  My Mary Kay consultant was having a sale and so I decided to go ahead and try it.  HOLY CRAP! WHERE HAS THIS STUFF BEEN ALL MY LIFE???  If I wear eye make-up during the day, I take it off with this stuff.  It is so soft on your skin and it doesn't sting your eyes with fumes like some stuff does.  I've noticed that my eye lashes have gotten a little thicker of the couple weeks that I've used it.  Probably since I'm not scrubbing them off with paper towels! Haha!

If you are interested, click HERE for a link to Megan's MK page.


HAIR CARE:

I've just started using this product because it was recommended by my sister.  I recently noticed that her hair had gotten a TON thicker since the last time I had seen her and she said that she used this product.  So I looked it up and all the reviews were fantastic and the results are real.  FAT HAIR makes your hair feel fuller and thicker and makes it stronger as well.  I've been using for about a week, and I've seen immediate results of my hair looking thicker and stronger. It's not drastically different (YET), but I've only used it a few times. Many of the reviews were saying that their pony tails had thickened a good inch over time!!  THATS A LOT OF THICKNESS!


NAIL CARE:

I have been biting my nails since before I can remember, and I've been trying to quit for about that long too! I usually try to get acrylic nails so that I can't bite them.  This gives them a chance to grow, but it also weakens them when the fake nails come off. This plan usually doesn't work because even though they are longer than usual, I can't help but bite my nails again because they are flimsy and they feel gross.  Well, this last time I was determined to fight for my nails.  If I get engaged in the future, I don't want to have to take a picture of my ring with my bitten nails (not attractive).  So when the acrylic nails came off, I took nail clippers to the flimsy ends and cut them short.  Then I started using nail hardener thanks to Kelsea from school who showed me how awesome it works. This is the product I use:

It's been almost 4 weeks without me biting my nails. I've been clipping them once every week and they've gotten way stronger.  I think it's safe to say.... I've finally CONQUERED my nail biting habit.  Which brings me to my Christmas gift that I can finally use whenever I want and actually keep it on because it looks good:  Nail Polish!!

All of these products, (minus the nail polish because it isn't an improver, just an enhancer), have helped me become more confident in my skin.  My skin is clearer, softer and just plain awesomer; my hair is getting longer and looks healthy and thick; and my nails are strong and unbitten which of course, makes everything better (unless you are a vampire. lol).   I would recommend any of these products to people who want to improve their natural beauty.  Better looking skin, brighter eyes, gorgeous hair, and pretty nails are all a perfect recipe to get the jump on self-esteem and image that you may need to feel better about yourself and to also help others feel better about themselves too!  

When you know of a good product that works for you, TELL SOMEONE! They might be looking for something just like it!  

This is my first step in my resolution.  I know some things that make me feel confident, so I want to share them so others might gain confidence in themselves if they wish to try these products! 

Happy 9th! aka my favorite day of every month! Along with 19th and the 29th....   :D

New Years Resolution

         Ok, yeah I know I'm like 9 days late for this, but I'll blame it on procrastination.  No, that's got nothing to do with my New Years Resolution.

         New Years Resolutions are typical and commonly revolve around personal improvement: weight loss, getting fit, cutting out crappy foods, being more grateful, spending less money, etc., etc. 

         Well, I'll be the first to admit that I have goals to lose weight, to get fit, and all that good stuff, but those are things I've been trying to do for years and things that I'll keep trying to improve.  I've decided that those things aren't good enough resolutions for this year (for me at least, if you have a resolution that's similar to those, don't let me stop ya!) This year, my resolution is gonna be something that focuses on, not myself, but on others.  It's time to make the world better and although it's gotta start with me, that doesn't mean it needs to be about me.  

         My New Years Resolution is to do my best to build up the self-esteem and confidence of those around me whenever I get the chance and opportunity. 

         People deserve to be loved and shown that they are cared for and are valued.  There's always a reason that someone lashes out, has an attitude, treats someone badly, or whatever it is that makes the world gloomier than it should be.  If I can do my best to make the people around me brighter, I will.

If you haven't got a New Years Resolution, or perhaps you think this is just a really good idea, then let's go!!! Join with me for 2014 and hopefully every year after, to make people around us feel more loved, more confident, and have a better self-image!

There are SO MANY ways you can help build someone's confidence.  If you need a boost for ideas, here are some that I thought of, and the asterisks at the end of some of the points are side notes at the bottom!

* Ok, this is a huge pet peeve of mine, because I feel like it ruins the authenticity of a compliment.  When I tell someone "I really like your shoes!" and they return with "I really like your face!", it just really makes me want to never compliment them again.  The proper response, regardless of what's popular to do right now, is smile and say thank you and appreciate what was said to you.  If they have to come back with this face comment, or another  compliment that probably wasn't really a thoughtful compliment, I'm not sure they really accepted your compliment. Whatever the case, I'm just telling you that I don't believe it really shows that you appreciate a compliment when you have to have a comeback other than "Oh thank you!" 

**Alright, this one is a proven SCIENTIFIC, (not Si-intistic... Thanks Duck Dynasty) fact!  When you use a persons name in addressing them, it gives them a sense of importance and as you give other people that feeling, you yourself will end up feeling confident as well!

"Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

                                        -Dale Carnegie, "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

*** As I said in the point, be engaged in conversation with others!! When someone knows you are focused on them and what they are saying, it shows them you care about what they have to say.  Also, after you've had conversations with people, when you have another conversation, refer back to other conversations that you've had with them to prove that you really did pay attention.  Doing this boosts their self-esteem and it also helps you to actually really care and get interested in that person's life!  

Let me know if you think this is helpful!! I'd love to take part in your experiences in building up other people.  People need support.  It doesn't matter that America is an individualistic society.  People need other people.  Show those around you that you really do care.  Next time you ask someone "What's up?",  do something different. Stop and ask them, "Seriously, how are you doing? How is life?  Is there anything I can pray about for you?"  I can't stress enough how important this whole thing is guys. So I'll end with this verse:

 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

                                                           Ephesians 4:29 ESV