Most would agree if asked, that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. It just sounds so noble, like you’re an evolved person and not in any way superficial. But I believe that outer beauty is just as important as inner beauty. It has the power to shift your mood and give you the kind of confidence that inner beauty alone can’t give.
But, forget about the white washed, Eurocentric, western ideals of beauty that says that the more white you look, the more beautiful you are. This ideal not only alienates more than half the world and disregards our individuality, the features that make us unique and our mental and physical health.
Both inner and outer beauty needs to be nurtured in order to be truly beautiful and to walk in that confidence. It’s about taking the time to care for ourselves mind, body and spirit. Renewing our minds, honoring and caring for our bodies and igniting our spirits with whatever brings joy. Balancing these three aspects can bring about true beauty from the inside and out.
What does it mean to be beautiful on the inside?
Inner beauty has everything to do with health, wellness and mindset.
Health and wellness
The bible describes our bodies as a temple. A temple is sacred, set a part, even folks who aren’t religious will be respectful when visiting a temple. And in the same way, we should also be respectful of our living temples.
As women we often wear some many hats, taking care of everyone else’s health and wellbeing at the expense of our own. And I am no different, I find myself making endless doctor’s appointments for my son while my checkups go neglected. Why do we have to be dying before we go to the doctor? Regular checkups are key to keeping us on our feet, conquering the world like the bosses we are.
In between regular checkups, nourishing our bodies by eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise is a non-negotiable. No deprivation or pushing your body to its limits necessary. A sweet or salty treat every now and again is oh so good for the soul too. And finding an exercise that you enjoy, then building your fitness and nutrition regimen around that helps to make regular movement a lifestyle, builds confidence and inner beauty better than any expensive moisturizer could.
“Beauty on the inside and out is being the best version of yourself, not changing to fit into something you’re not”
Mindset
A study done by Dr. Anthony Bewley found that practices like meditation and mindfulness have benefits on skin conditions like eczema, acne, dry skin, and psoriasis.
It’s proven that our skin is a great communicator of our feelings and mental state. How we feel on the inside is reflected on our outer appearance. It mirrors emotions like stress, anxiety, depression, excitement, and happiness. Our cheeks turn pink as we blush, and our ears feel hot and red when we feel embarrassed and humiliated. Fear makes the skin look pale, and sadness can often bring dullness and unwanted crinkles in the skin.
“Psychodermatology, explores how the skin reacts to internal stress and how stress-reduction through meditation impacts it. Some studies revealed that when individuals with psoriasis attended guided meditation sessions or listened to soothing pieces of music, they healed a lot faster than others with the same condition (Turner, 2019).
Besides the direct impact, meditation also adds glow and youthfulness to the skin by curing allied health conditions. For example, gastric ulcers, insomnia, regular headache or migraine, hypertension or low blood pressure, and chronic pain are common issues that negatively reflect on our skin tone.
Daily meditation helps in reducing these anomalies and subsequently helps in slowing down the aging process of the skin, making us look younger and brighter naturally.” – Source https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-meditation/
Harnessing our negative thoughts and channeling them into a positive way, can improve the way we look on the outside.
Beauty on the outside
Never underestimate the power of beat face and perfectly styled hair to lift your spirits. When your makeup is done, your hair is done, nails are done (said in my Swizz Beats voice) don’t you feel like a million bucks? Like a rich heiress, gliding across the floor, gracing all the little people with your glowing presence.
I know more than a few women that are so beautiful on the inside. They are so focused on bettering the world around them, giving of themselves and pouring into others that they don’t think it important to spend a bit of time to put on a lipstick or mascara. Sure, in the grand scheme of things lipstick is not more important than serving others, but it does have the ability to increase your confidence, which makes you more effective and widens your impact.
Looking your best can give you the confidence to walk up to a person you don’t know and share your testimony with them. Looking your best can give you the confidence to walk into an interview and walk out with the job. Looking your best can give you the confidence to pursue your dreams. And confidence open doors and commands respect.
Makeup
If you are one of those inwardly beautiful women, I thank you and salute you. And now I encourage you to invest also in your outer beauty. Makeup doesn’t have to be intimidating or even take all day. Master the basics: groomed brows, mascara and lip gloss is all that most need. And if you have some imperfections, then a well-blended concealer can cover dark spots, under eye circles and blemishes. A little effort goes a long way.
Skincare
The perfect face of makeup starts before you even open a bottle of foundation. It starts with great skincare. Find a regimen suited to the needs of your skin and seek the help of a professional dermatologist or esthetician if you need help. The better you care for your skin, the less correction or cover up you need and you can focus simply on enhancing your favorite features. Like makeup your skincare regimen does not have to be complicated. Start with the basics: Cleanser, Moisturizer and Sunscreen.
Haircare
I have found that the simpler I keep my hair care routine, the better my hair looks and feels. Stick with the products and routine that you know work for your hair. If you are looking for inspiration on where to start, my site is filled with recommendations and tutorials for type 4 hair.
There is beauty in uniqueness and we should love and celebrate the things that make us unique and feed our bodies, minds and spirits and see how brightly we shine!
With Love,
