When I was young, I remember singing the song “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands…” It popped randomly into my mind yesterday and of course now I can’t get it out. I am pretty much a happy camper, it’s easier to be happy and look on the bright side. I remember living in Latin America and a neighbor told me “Happiness is not geographical” and for some reason that always stuck with me and at the time it seemed so profound.
So what does happiness have to do with skincare? Everything. You have probably read all the statistics that if you are happy your skin is happy i.e. smiling lifts the skin like a face lift. Happiness creates dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin happy hormones that make your skin healthier and glow.
We all have times when we aren’t exuding complete contentment. Below are some thoughtful ways to keep healthy. I’ve shared this before but I feel it is worthy of another share.
1. Rescue a dog from the shelter
This is my rescue Beau, he is now 12 years old. I could write a book about this love muffin. He has an instagram account @hbbeau, however I have not been quite active with it.
2. Smile Often. Smile With Purpose. Smile Randomly.
The reactions you receive will make you smile even more. Frown lines are the wrinkles that age us.
3. Floss & Read
Your brain is already wrinkled and your teeth will never wrinkle. Reading = Beautiful Mind. Floss = Beautiful Smile.
4. Use an eye cream.
Your eyes are the windows to your soul. Your eyes speak volumes of who you are and who you will become. Your beauty regimen should never be without an eye cream, eye balm, and eye serum.
5. Exude Confidence.
Even if you are flagging into a downward spiral, always find your inner confidence and harness it. Nothing is more beautiful than a woman that is confident and strong even if she finds herself flanked by unwanted pounds or unwanted company. You are always strong no matter what surrounds you!
6. Inside – Out | Outside – In
What you put into your body will reflect on the outside. What you allow to permeate your mind will define your spirit. What you expose your body to will be the framework for your internal health and wellness.
7. Don’t forget to exfoliate
During the day we are exposed to harmful, unsolicited pollutants. We add product to our faces thus turning our day look into our night look. No matter how exhausted we are after an arduous, exhausting day, wash your face at night and exfoliate at least once a week.
8. Wear Sunscreen
Sun damage is not mutually exclusive to summertime, heat or an overwhelming amount of sunshine. To this day, I am fighting the many reckless years of trying to achieve the perfect Southern California Ban de Soleil look. Try a foundation with sunscreen in it like suntegrity. and I always mix it with a small of rose geranium face moisturizer before applying.
9. Breathe
Use the wonders of essential oils to create needed balance in life. Breathe deep and with purpose. Take the time to see the beauty in everything. Desiderata by Max Erhmann, whom encapsulates this thought perfectly, “ With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”
10. Moisturize Your Hands, Elbows & Knees
We often overlook them with our beauty regimes. We tend to focus on our face and forget our neck and décolletage. And our hands, elbows and knees are incessantly maltreated. They too need to be pampered.
11. Drink Water
As the largest organ, skin needs to drink in the moisture offered by water from the inside out. Skin care should NEVER have water in its ingredient deck. It dilutes the efficacy and emboldens the chance for bacterial contamination. HollyBeth Organics never adds water to any product. I encourage you to review closely the ingredient deck of any skin care product. You will be shocked to see that water is sometimes the first ingredient (and don’t forget that the ingredients are listed from largest quantity to smallest.) My grandmother and great grandmother lived well into their 90’s and both were women that celebrated rugged individualism and took very different approaches to beauty. Celebrate your own beauty, your own approach, and your own skin care tips.