What You See in the Mirror is Often Wrong…

I have discovered an almost universal truth since doing my Makeup Lessons and that is that women are extremely good at pointing out their own imperfections, as they see them. The last part of that sentence is really important, as they see them…

Why are we so good at ignoring what is beautiful and focus only on what we don’t like? The most gorgeous woman will sit in my makeup chair and tell me what is wrong with her face, her pores are large, she has hooded eyes, her skin in uneven, her nose it too big, her forehead too high, her jaw too undefined etc etc. Some women are so unhappy with themselves that they struggle to even look in the mirror at all. Once I have removed their makeup and see them properly I genuinely, always see beauty in every face. When I comment that they have great cheekbones or a lovely eye colour or a fabulous nose many women are genuinely surprised and look at me like I’m a bit mad. The customer is not always right, especially when talking about their own faces.

As we progress through the makeup lesson and they realise that I am not unhinged, they slowly begin to see what I see and not the image that they see. Unfortunately, the beauty industry (except The Makeup Clinic, obvs) is largely based on promoting an idealised and unrealistic version of beauty, pointing out what is wrong with us and not what it right. I think, for what it’s worth, is if we can just stop criticising ourselves so much, and celebrate our own individual beauty instead of chasing a one size fits all aesthetic, we would all be much happier.

Be kind to yourself, actively look for what you like about yourself, accept yourself. If you can sit quietly and listen to that critical voice inside your head saying horrible things to you, notice it, acknowledge it and kindly tell it to be quiet. You wouldn’t talk to anyone else like that and its not okay to talk to yourself like that either. Love yourself, be your own best friend. This is not being selfish, arrogant or conceited, this is Love.

Well, I’ve just outed myself as Big Old Hippy and I’m proud of that. Love yourself (or at the very least stop being actively horrible to yourself) and your beauty will shine through, that is a universal truth.