Imperfect Pearls

This is an awesome article, ladies!
I’m all for looking beautiful - I just prefer that it’s in line with wellness. Beauty doesn’t have to be a procedure, eh?
I have cut & pasted from www.beachbeauty.com for your reading pleasure:

Picture this. You’re suffering in your 5-inch heels and fire-inducing lip plumper. Even worse, you’re afraid to sit down and rest your poor feet because that may pop the button off your tight designer jeans. That was me last weekend, and that’s the last straw. I refuse to suffer for beauty any longer, so I came up with some ideas for making beauty less of a pain.

Here are 7 simple things you can do take the “ouch” out of beauty.

Give your feet a break with Dr. Scholl’s® Fast Flats
When I found the Dr Scholl’s Fast Flats at Bed, Bath & Beyond®, I wondered where they’d been all my life! They’re thin ballet slippers that roll up to fit into any purse—yes, even a clutch. And they’re less than $10.00! Use them as backup shoes when you can no longer “stand” your heels for the night. I got them in black to match my cocktail dresses but they come in many colors. They’re great for the long walk to the car or the stroll between destinations. Your feet will thank you!

Nurture (don’t nick) dry, callused feet
Yes, your feet can even hurt in flats. The friction of your skin against your shoes during long walks can cause the bottoms of your feet to become thick and hard, resulting in calluses or blistering. But you don’t necessarily need a professional pedicure or one of those dangerous callus removers that look like cheese graters. Here’s what I like to do.

I pick up one of these drugstore products from the Sally Hansen® Pedicure Salon Essentials line: Overnight Heel Repair, Cracked Heel Repair Crème, or Softening Callus Foot Spray. They’re made with ingredients like cocoa butter to moisturize and aloe vera to heal. And they’re each less than $10.00! Apply one of the treatments to your feet before bed, then slip on some comfy socks to seal in the treatment and you’ll wake up with baby-soft feet ready to put in another day of walking.

Plump your pout painlessly
It turns out you don’t need a tingly lip plumper to make your lips appear more full. The Maybelline® Shine Sensational Collection creates the illusion of depth and plumpness without the irritants. My favorite shade is Champagne. Or try Derm Exclusive® Volume Lip Therapy SPF 15, which has hyaluronic spheres and natural moisturizers to smooth and plump lines. No painful kissing mishaps with these!

Ditch the muffin top-pinching pants
Known as “jeggings,” HUE® Flared Jeanz Leggings look like jeans but feel like leggings. To me, they feel like heaven, because they’re made out of super-soft stretch cotton denim. They don’t button or zip; you just slip them on like leggings. And the best part? Your love handles remain hidden and comfortable under the stretchy waistband. They come in a variety of colors and hardly hurt your wallet at about $30.00.

Make eyebrow plucking a pleasure
Eyebrow plucking can be torture! But here’s a trick to make it painless. Ever heard of Orajel®? It’s an ointment that’s used to numb mouth sores and give babies relief from the pain of teething. Just apply it to your eyebrow area before you pluck, and voilà—you won’t feel a thing.

Smooth wrinkles without needles
The thought of facial injections frightens me. That’s why I use Derm Exclusive Fill & Freeze® Wrinkle Treatment instead. It makes my skin look smooth with fewer visible wrinkles instantly, but doesn’t hurt me—or my wallet.

Whiten your teeth gently
With the three cups of coffee a day I’ve been drinking lately, my teeth could use some whitening. But I dread whitening strips because they make my teeth and gums sensitive to cold and, yes, even to ice cream. Sad. So I got the new Crest® 3D White® Whitestrips® Gentle Routine. Its milder formula is great for teeth sensitive to whitening. The results are a little bit subtler than those you’d get from the advanced strips, but you’ll definitely see a difference. And you only need to leave the strips on each day for 5 minutes. Now that’s painless!

I hope these tips help you avoid the drama that can come with looking good! When beauty bites, take matters into your own hands. You shouldn’t have to suffer.

Your do-it-yourself beauty blogger,

—Debra

It’s a long answer but it’s fabulous…
(it came to me from a forwarded email)

“As I’ve aged I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend…

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the ’60s and ’70s,  and if I, at the same time wish to weep over a lost love… I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances of the jet set. They, too will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore…
I’ve earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).”

Brilliant!