all natural minus the lipstick

Beauty is a concept that is ever evolving for me. I've struggled many times with feeling okay about the way that I look and feel about myself. Especially during my middle and high school years I felt insecure, overweight, uncomfortable about who I am and the way that I look. Other girls were all pretty, slim, naturally beautiful, great skin, bubbly personalities, and confident in themselves. Everything I felt like I wasn't. There were times that I lost relationships over my own insecurities and missed out on some great experiences because I was scared or unaware of my own potential.

But as the years have gone by, I have learned more about what beauty is and how I feel about who I am. I am realized that I am curvy, but women are SUPPOSED to be curvy. It does not make me better or worse than other people. It makes me, me and it makes me womanly. I have learned that everyone has something they don't like about themselves, its not just me that feels like I'm not even close to perfect. No one is perfect. I've realized that I actually don't wear make-up for other people, but I wear it for me because it makes me more confident throughout my day, but that I also don't need it to feel okay about myself. I just know that when I feel confident, I look better.

The way I look I feel like has a lot to do with what is on the inside of me. Am I doing the things that  I should do? Am I eating healthy foods that make me feel happier? Am I taking care of myself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Am I increasing my relationship with God? Am I being a good friend, sister, daughter and wife? Do I realize that I can do hard things or things that are out of my comfort zone? Do I push myself to try a little harder to be a little better? Do I think on the positive things about life and myself? If I am doing these things, I feel better. And when I feel good, I also feel like I look good.

Happiness is the prettiest look that anyone could possibly have.

I admit that I do not always feel pretty. Those are the times that I start to compare myself to others, to not move forward in my faith, that I just get down on myself. But I have to remind myself that it is a life long process of self discovery and pick myself up and remember what I should be doing with my time, thoughts and energy. I love finding strength in places that I did not expect inside myself, and becoming a strong woman and daughter of God.

So here I am with no make up on, other than my pretty pink lips, and my hair is not fixed and yet I feel pretty because I feel happy!