Beauty is a Marathon and Not a Sprint

"Pace yourself". We hear those words often, in many different situations in life, but I remember reading these instructions when I was training for my first 5K years ago. I am not a runner and besides another random turkey trot, I kind of stayed away from the track since then. But I always remember to "Pace Myself".

Earlier this year, I ended up on a blog of a woman describing how to adopt "Oshun Ways" to attract love and beauty into one's life. As you know, Oshun is the Goddess of love and sweet waters and I think every woman's smile will radiate brighter if she just soaks in a bit of that vibe. There was a short list of habits to cultivate such as keeping a clean home, getting rid/ or fix broken things in the home,  being generous and kind to beauty workers etc, but one that absolutely resonated with me was to first preserve one's natural beauty for as long as possible, regardless of the trends. The premise is to be be mindful of trends (sprints) that may seem enticing for the moment but may actually compromise our own natural beauty for the long term (marathon). 

We talk a lot of about "enhancing" our own natural beauty which is a very attractive habit to have, but how can we continue to enhance without hurting our own "foundation"? Pun intended. We all have the friend who wore lashes consistently only to find herself with no lashes after a few months. Or the other woman who wears makeup daily, only to end up with pervasive acne from the clogged pores, and scars and blemishes when they heal. It can sneak up on all of us. I recently got lazy with my skin care regimen and paid for it dearly with blemishes and scars. Scheduling my facial as we speak!

I am that auntie, who purchases all my nieces skincare kits the moment I see them starting to dabble in make-up. I spend the time and coach them in proper removal, cleansing, toning and moisturizing at night. There's nothing more heartbreaking than to see a 19 year old whose skin reflects years of abuse, all because no one took the time to give her the low down on proper and consistent skin care while wearing make-up. 

Adopting Oshun Ways is celebrating all these beautifying regimens but being mindful to preserve what we started with. After all, our confidence radiates when we know we are just as glowy without all the enhancements. When we maintain our own natural pizazz, we are able to stand straighter, and face the world with inner pride and confidence.

If you have a beauty enhancement that you are adopting consistently, always check in and ask yourself will this habit compromise my own natural beauty? Should I take a break? what self care practices can I adopt to counteract its effect? 

Pamper yourselves ladies, treat your body well inside and out,  modify your routine and drink your water. How you feel when it all comes off is key!

No matter what the trend is today, you are in it for the long haul, remember to pace yourself. 

In Love, Health and Presence of Mind

Ronnie_Deco

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