Tag: Healthy Beauty

Beauty is Everything…or is it?

 

We live in a society in which we are constantly inundated with beauty. Advertisements constantly tell us what we need to buy to be beautiful and accepted. Instagram gurus are now making thousands, if not millions (see: Michelle Phan) for making tutorials on how to conceal that pimple or rock that smokey eye. Don’t get me wrong, I love make up, and I love checking out all the latest hair trends. But where are the ads that are calling us to become the best version of ourselves? Why is society so driven to create images rather than character?
Growing up, my parents, well my grandparents who raised me, did their best. I look back now, and being a mom, I realize they weren’t perfect, but they gave me all that they had. My grandmother, whom I miss dearly, in a misguided effort to keep me focused, used to tell me that I wasn’t pretty, like my best friend…that I had better focus on my grades. In her effort to keep me from being boy crazy and self-obsessed, she did some damage to my self-esteem that she didn’t realize. I literally thought that I was ugly, well into my late 20s.
Now before you start feeling sorry for me, let’s take a look at this in a different perspective. Because I didn’t think that I was beautiful, it allowed me to cultivate and work on other aspects of who I was becoming. I wanted to be considered generous, kind, helpful and supportive. I wanted to be an accountable and trustworthy person. I wanted to be unselfish, thinking about the big picture and needs of the team vs. me.
Realizing that looks aren’t everything allowed me to look for traits and qualities in others that had nothing to do with their looks. I wanted friends and lovers who loved others, who were generous and hard working. It didn’t matter to me what someone looked like, I wanted to understand their heart, their work ethic and their values.
So based on those values, and hard learned lessons, it’s interesting to interact with people today who are literally obsessed with appearance…yet have empty hearts and selfish perspectives towards others. We are constantly fooled and made to feel inferior by others highlight reel via social media.
Beauty is really about how you treat others, how you value yourself, your true self, and what you contribute to the world around you. Beauty is found in serving in a soup kitchen, or holding an open door for someone else. Beauty is on display when we put the needs of others before our own. We are at our most beautiful when we are seeking a life that serves the needs of others. We are beautiful when we are living out the purpose for which we were placed on the earth. We are beautiful when we choose to do what’s right, even when no one is looking. Beauty comes from building character, and working to become the best version of ourselves…a lifelong work.
So while selfies likes, and advertisements seem to dictate what beauty really is made of, remember that true beauty comes from within.

Stay Beautiful,

Brandise

BeautybyBrandise.com

5 New Year Resolutions You DEFINITELY want to make for 2014

By Brandise Brockington

In a media driven, beauty inundated society, we are pressured to work on our outside appearances, and sometimes, our insides, the true essence of who we are, can be in serious need of T.L.C.

While pursuing a new diet, to get rid of those holiday pound cakes, or starting a new workout regime, add these tips for use in the New Year, and all year long as well.

  1. Pursue Peace:

Our lives can get very busy! Work, Relationships, Responsibilities….all of these can leave us wiped out and stressed out. What can you schedule into your list of busy life demands that fosters your peace? I say schedule, because it has to be non negotiable. Here are a few ideas: a walk on the beach, sing in the shower, get a pedicure, read a book….

  1. Love Yourself:

Sounds easier said than done, but I mean it in a balanced way. Love your strengths, be aware of your weaknesses, and celebrate whom you are and how far you have come. Don’t spend any time comparing yourself to someone else’s journey. I have always believed that true beauty radiates from the inside out, and we can’t truly love others, until we love ourselves.

  1. Forgive:

Yes I said it! When you read this, was there a certain person whose face came to mind? Is there a situation that happened last year, or before, that still boils your blood?   I read once, that forgives is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die. Isn’t that crazy? Forgiveness is for YOU, not them. Forgiveness means you release the offending party in your HEART, so that you can be healthy. It in no way justifies or makes acceptable whatever they have done to you. You may need to find someone to help you walk through this process, but I promise you, in the end, you will be healthy and whole inside!

  1. Laugh Loud and Laugh Often:

Did you know that laughter is good medicine? Have you ever had one of those good laughs, the ones that make you cry? I have a friend, and she is soooo funny! When she calls me, it’s usually to tell some silly thing that happened to her, and we literally are crying tears of joy on the phone! Sometimes, it’s just those moments that are so timely, and extremely effective in relieving stress.   I also remember once having an awful break up. I was so sad. I called that same friend’s mom because I needed some advice on how to cope. She told me to watch some part of my favorite funny movie everyday, even if it was just a few minutes. It helped! It got my mind off of the break up, and I felt better! Laughter is healing!

  1. Focus on the Positive:

Let’s face it; it’s much easier to focus on what’s WRONG. Turn on the news, and the reports are filled with the negative and horrible things that happened today in your neighborhood, and around the world.   We have to put forth effort to find the good, and focus on that. I am not suggesting that we live in a happy bubble, ignoring problems that arise. Make yourself write a list of the 5 things that went RIGHT today. Also, make a jar, and for every good thing that happens to you in 2014, make a note and drop it in the jar. Fill the jar with positive quotes as well. When you are having a bad day, pull something out, and remind yourself to focus on the positive.

Beauty radiates from the inside out. Let’s spend 2014 working on our hearts, minds, and our spirit. Here’s to a beautiful 2014!

BOH Beauty

Brandise is a stylist working from Hawaii to New York. She is an advocate for children and health as she knows that Self-esteem is concern in the Beauty community.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Brandise has always had a passion for all things beauty. Brandise recalls, “I remember playing in my grandmother’s make up as often as I could when I was a little girl. And I have always been the family hairstylist for as long as I can remember.”

Brandise specializes in bringing excellence and simplicity to the complex beauty process. She is adept at bringing beauty to your everyday life, and enhancing that beauty for special occasions.