All my life I have been the typical ‘no fuss’ woman who ‘put my face on in 5 minutes’! Then all this changed, I felt that standing up to do my morning beauty routine just wasn’t cutting it anymore, so I decided to pull up a chair, a simple act that led to a miracle!
Unusual beauty tip you might say, but for me it has made a huge difference in how I feel about myself throughout the day.
About 17 months earlier, I introduced self-care into my daily routine as it became clear that my body was constantly showing me that how I was caring for myself simply wasn’t working;
- I was often sick,
- Generally exhausted,
- Quite overweight and
- Struggling to get through most days.
I knew that ‘something’ needed to change, but who would have thought that ‘that something’ included a four-legged object?
Most of my adult life I had only identified myself as a busy working mother with seven kids – yes you heard it correctly, 7!
I was 10 out of 10 for efficiency and meeting other people’s needs. I left myself last on the list and ‘only if I could squeeze something in’.
By being more honest with myself I discovered that I had lost what it meant to care for me as a woman as I only saw myself as the super woman!
The toll of being a super mum resulted in me dragging myself out of bed each morning due to exhaustion. I would force myself into action to organise the family’s morning rush – nothing short of a military exercise! To spend even 5 minutes in front of the mirror was actually a feat. I rallied to do this as a sign that I was coping and that I had ‘put on my face’… or rather a mask to face the day.
So the act of ‘putting on my face’ is where I decided to commit to bring more self-care into my day.
This began with me taking more time to prepare in the morning, which changed my 5-minute standing beauty routine to a much more enjoyable and dedicated process of applying my make-up with more attention. Taking my time and appreciating that I deserved this time for me, naturally impacted how I went about my day. I felt more able to complete what was needed with my family and work without any resentment as I had made the choice to support me first!
Sitting down in front of my magnifying mirror I began to feel a new level of care and nurturing for myself. Over time as I looked at myself, I began to connect to my innate beauty rather than always seeing my perceived flaws, based on how I would compare myself to other women or to any idealised version of how I ‘should’ look – or even what I thought I needed ‘to do’ to feel okay as a woman. To my amazement this beauty actually had nothing to do with what I saw in the mirror or what I needed to do, but more how I felt about myself.
Being seated enabled me to delicately apply my make-up without rush, to apply mascara slowly and tenderly to each lash… and for the first time I could see how lovely my eyelashes are. When I finished I was able to appreciate the fact that I am a woman before I am a mother and that I had created this moment to look into my 53 year old eyes to connect and truly feel how beautiful I am, inside and out!
Amazingly, I am now a woman, an early riser, who allows herself up to an hour and half each morning to prepare for my day, which includes exercise as well as my beauty chair routine. Now that’s a miracle!
Without realising it, I have discovered an essential beauty tip, using an everyday item that actually delivers what it promises.
Who would have thought that the simple choice of sitting down to
apply my make up would have allowed me to reconnect to my true beauty as a woman! To carry the beauty I feel within me into my day, and from this to feel that same beauty in the people I interact with! Pretty amazing beauty tip, from a mere choice to ‘pull up’ a chair!
By Sharon Gavioli, Age 54, Registered Nurse, Birth Educator, Counsellor, Brisbane, Australia
You may also enjoy:
Is True Beauty Really In The Eye of The Beholder? by Adrienne Hutchens
The Natural Yearning and Impulse to Express Our Beauty by Gina Dunlop