Monday, November 25, 2013

10 ways to be in a successful relationship with..... Yourself!!!!!!!

"You yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."-Buddha


We all have times when we look in the mirror and say "If I could fix this" or "If only I could change that", but changing your outside appearance won't change how you feel about yourself from the inside out. So here's what I did everyday to help me on my journey to self acceptance.
  1. Go ahead hit that snooze button.
Yes, I am giving you permission to hit the snooze button, but not for sneaking in some extra z'ss. Instead take this time to amp yourself up for the day ahead, repeat positive thoughts and TRY to forget about your boy drama or destructive boss. Enjoy your moment of peace before entering back into the cruel reality of the real world. 

   2. Release your "Inner Buddha"

At least once everyday we encounter those evil little thoughts trying to break down our self esteem, Combat the first sign of negativity with positivity. Replace that negative thought with something you love about yourself, whether it'd be your favorite personality trait or a huge achievement in your life. Repeating them daily can help boost your confidence levels.

  3.Always be nice to yourself.

You are your worst critic, so take time throughout the day just to focus on yourself! Try focusing on your positive traits, strengths, abilities, and let go of all the harsh judgement or comparisons you may have encountered throughout the day.

  4.Take a break from yourself!

Hello, nobody's perfect! You don't have to be right all the time, not everyone is happy everyday, and everyone makes mistakes every once in a while! It's totally normal to hit low points in life, embrace them without judging yourself too much.

  5. Count your blessings.

It's easier to love yourself when you start to appreciate all the things you have in your life. Write down at least one thing your grateful for evryday and take some time each day to reflect on it.

  6. Do more of what makes you happy.

Did you stop a hobby because of what someone else thought about it or because you were afraid of what people may think? Think of a hobby that makes you happy and like Nike says "just do it", or think of hobby that you once enjoyed and start it up again! you never know you might start a career out of it.

  7. Raid your closet

You maybe thinking, what? why? Well you know those outfits that when you wear them you think "I really hope I don't run into that cute guy from across the hall today" yeah everyone has them, and sadly it's time to say your goodbyes. Get rid of all those clothes that don't make you feel like you can take on the world and keep the ones that make you feel amazing. To help cope with your loss replenish your wardrobe with some serious retail therapy.

  8.Make positivity lists!

Make a list of all the things you love about yourself, read them everyday in the morning and at night to help remind yourself how fabulous you really are!!

  9.Stop making excuses!

Do that class you've always wanted to do, go skydiving, ask out your crush. Examine all the reasons why you say you can't do something and try to make it happen. There's no better feeling than knowing you achieved a goal while scratching something off your bucket list at the same time.

  10. And Finally...... Embrace yourself!

Like I said earlier, nobody's perfect everyone has insecurities that's what makes us human. Stop picking apart your flaws and accept them. Remember you're imperfectly perfect, and when you truly accept your flaws everything else falls into place.

This is what I did everyday to help me feel confident about myself again. These 10 things helped me on my journey to self acceptance and I hope they help you too!



DIY Cucumber Ice pads!!!

                          

What's your favorite part about going to the spa? Is it the rejuvenating massages and relaxing aromas, or the invigorating spa facials? Me, I personally  love the facials, and the cucumbers slices are the icing on the cake. I've always tried to recreate spa facials at home but didn't like paying for a group of cucumbers just for them to go bad a week later, and hey whats a facial without cucumbers? Cucumbers are well known for their ability to decrease the appearance of dark circles around the eyes, but did you know that they're also great for your skin? Cucumbers don't only reduce inflammation around the eyes but can tighten pores, improve your complexion and can reduce the appearance of dark marks. Of course I'm no dermatologist but this is what I experienced after using this trick over a long period of time, so I decided to share how to do it with you all!  Recently I was going through old videos on Michelle Phan's YouTube channel when I came across a video about, you guessed it DIY face masks which eventually led me to finding this cool little project.  

Here's what you'll need:
  • 1 full sized cucumber
  • a pack of cotton rounds
  • blender
  •  a freezer safe bag/plastic wrap
  • and some water
How to start:
Your mixture should look like this.

  • First you'll need to take your full sized cucumber cut it into slices, peel it, and remove the seeds from the middle. ( I do this so the seeds don't interfere with my blender. I don't know if you can use seedless cucumbers, I haven't tried it yet so if you do let me know how it turns out!)
  • Next you'll need to fill your blender about halfway with water and add your cucumber slices. I gradually add the skins you peeled off earlier into the blender, as you're mixing everything together.
  • When you're done blending your ingredients, pour your mixture into a bowl, take your cotton rounds and dip them into your cucumber juice. Depending on how much juice you made you can place them on a sheet of plastic wrap (make sure you place a piece on top of the cotton rounds also so they can freeze properly!) and stick them in the freezer until frozen or you can put them into a freezer safe bag but you can only fit about 6 cotton rounds in those at a time.
  •  If you used plastic wrap,what I like to do is remove them out of the plastic casing and transfer them into a bag after they're frozen, because my freezer isn't big enough to hold at least 12 ice pads spread out like that.
  • Finally you're done!! Just thaw them out whenever you need an extra boost after a long night of studying. Beauty tip: I also like to use them as a toner! Thaw out one cucumber ice pad and instead of placing them on your eyes, use it all over your face! Let it all the juices dry so the nutrients have a chance to sink into your skin, and then rinse off the residue. Over time you should see a change in your complexion and a noticeable decrease in dark marks. REMEMBER everyone's skin is different. So this may or may not work for you, always be cautious about what you put onto your skin!! 
These Ice pads last forever and now you don't have to continuously repurchase cucumbers anymore!! P.S. This also helped me with my acne! I'm not sure how, but it did! Let us know if you tried this out and how it worked for you! Tweet us your stories and follow @beauty_breaking on twitter! It's always exciting to hear from you guys!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Acne is more than skin deep, How to really love the skin you're in.

"It's time to stop focusing on our flaws and appreciate what you love about your body" - Emily VanCamp

Acne, (definately doesn't look like this picture) we've all suffered with it at some point of our lives, some earlier and longer than others.  While some people eventually outgrow their acne outbursts, others like me aren't so lucky. I've been struggling with acne for as long as I can remember, and through the years I've tried almost every product there is in existence claiming to help cure or at least manage your acne with barely any results. Anyone whose gone through the same thing as me can agree it can be very emotional trying products everyone's raved over and have experienced miracles with, just to come out with a face filled of empty promises and a bigger dent in your pocket. Acne is basically a pre-packaged deal, an expensive bundle of emotional torture and self acceptance. It can make you feel extremely insecure, like you don't want to go outside for the fear of judge mental whispers or remarks and can create insecurities you didn't even know you could have after hours of examining you're face in the mirror each day. I went through these emotions pretty much everyday, I tried to avoid face to face contact because I was afraid of what people would think of my acne. Soon, as ridiculous as this may sound, acne started to run my life. My confidence levels shot down like temperatures during an east coast snow storm. I isolated myself from everyone other than my close friends. You may ask yourself why would I do that and wouldn't that make things worse? I did it because I wanted to avoid all the looks that came as a bonus in my pre-packaged acne deal. Plus makeup couldn't hide the emotional scarring from years of failed attempts and ruthless bullying. So to me I was doing myself a favor. One day after waking up to yet another breakout I did something completely crazy. Instead of reaching for my acne creams and concealers I threw them away. No, not far in the back of my cabinet (you know out of sight, out of mind) but in the trash. I threw away all my acne pills, foundations, concealers, powders, bronzers and blush, with the exception of a $60 blush I got from London, (Come on,  it was from London!) everything was gone!! I was tired of covering up the one thing I was most ashamed of and to be honest it was  really a great feeling knowing I didn't have to anymore. In a moment of clarity I couldn't help but think "What did I just do?" and "Great, I can't turn back now". All kinds of emotions went through my head. I didn't know what was worse, the fact that I threw away what had to be over $200 worth of makeup, or the fact that I had to accept the fact that I had to go outside bare faced. Nothing but me and my acne, and a little bit of mascara but that's besides the point. It was time to take back my life, I was officially on the journey to love who I was, flaws and all. The first couple of days were undoubtedly the most uncomfortable days of my life, going outside with everyone looking at me and pointing made me feel like some kind of freak show. And for the first time in a long time, I felt vulnerable and exposed, but I knew I had to accept it to move on in my journey to self acceptance. Before I knew it,  I began to switch the way I thought about people and things. I really started to understand that people are gonna judge you no matter what even if you somehow manage to successfully cover up all your acne or if you think you picked out the best outfit and makeup to match. There's always something, whether it's the way you walk or the way you present yourself. Sure not everyone is like that, but let's admit it we've all had a moment where we thought "why even wear socks with sandals? Are you hot or are you cold? make up your mind." No, probably just me. Anyway my point is people are gonna talk so like the famous Bonnie Raitt once said: "Let's give them something to talk about." and for the first time instead of running from all the criticism I embraced it, I had no choice but to try and it worked, I finally started to accept myself and my flaws. After about 2 weeks of no makeup, eating clean (and by eating clean I mean incorporating more salads into my diet instead of just on my burger. Baby steps guys, baby steps..) taking the right vitamins(the gummy ones are the best), yoga and a lot of soul searching I went from asking why me? to why didn't I do this sooner? You see, I finally realized I have nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure I'm no Victoria's secret model, but in a world with a population of over 7 billion people obviously not everyone will look like one and that's OK. Everyone has flaws you just have to accept them and ignore what everyone else thinks. Sure you may have acne and yes people are gonna judge you because you don't fit the mold of what society says is  "beautiful"  but remember you're doing or have done what most people can't do and that's accept yourself as is. Showing people you're not afraid of what they think is more powerful than any name anyone can call you, and showing yourself  that if you can expose the one thing you're most self conscious about then you can do anything. So go ahead, go outside and rock those socks and sandals like you were the one who invented the trend, and remember everyone has insecurities, don't judge others, and learn to embrace your own. So my challenge to you  is to try the #bareitallchallenge. Let's see how long you can go with no makeup that includes: foundations, concealers, powders, bronzers,and blush, no eyeliner, no false lashes, or eyeshadow, and no you can not fill in your brows. Although a little mascara won't hurt, only A LITTLE!!!!! and none of those "no makeup makeup" looks count, that is definately considered cheating. Track your progress with us by tweeting us your pictures and stories under the hashtag  #bareitallchallenge and follow @beauty_breaking on twitter! Are you ready to bare it all?

Monday, November 18, 2013

Exposed: The truth behind bullying

"Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke." -Benjamin disraeli.
When you think of bullies what comes to mind, is it the picture of an older kid hustling someone else for lunch money or degrading words viewed on a computer screen? We all know bullying comes in all shapes and sizes, and with all these anti-bullying campaigns you would think we would be somewhat close to stopping it. Yeah we we're so wrong, and here's why. Recently I took a trip down memory lane by visiting my old high school. Walking through those doors for what felt like the millionth time I was struck by a brush of nostalgia. The smells of puberty polluted the air accompanied by the sounds of teachers yelling and students talking about grades and girls (but mostly girls) Ahhh don't we all just miss high school?? Anyway, Walking through those crowded hallways felt like going on a safari through the jungle. There we're groups of kids segregated into cliques crowded at different points of the hallway, like packs of animals waiting for the kill and anytime a girl walked past the "cat calls" started, like a pack of lions in heat. As I continued to dodge all the couples and their inappropriate displays of affection I was abruptly stopped by what I call a mean girl. Now everyone knows "those girls" the ones with the perfect body, perfect hair, the perfect boyfriend, need I say more? After an intense 30 second stare down in the intersection of a fairly crowded hallway, the girl politely asks "Are you gonna move or what?" At this moment I'm probably thinking the same thing as you. My first instinct was to reply with "oh no this (insert word of choice here) did not!!!" but the logical side of my brain was telling me "Calm down you could get arrested." So I moved with no intention of ever seeing her again and went along with my way. With that being said, I finally reached my destination alive. I had a meeting with one of my old teachers to pick up some papers for a friend. As I sat down to talk to her I couldn't help but notice a kid sitting in the back corner of her room, curious I asked who she was. Not even my teacher could provide her name. So being the nosey intruder I am, I introduced myself, we talked for the remainder of lunch and when it was over I walked with her through the crowded hallways experiencing high school all over again but from her point of view. As we we're walking she told me stories about how she was relentlessly bullied because of her weight and acne. kids would refer to her as "thunder thighs' or "Porker". She continued to tell me that no one would hang out with her because of the way she was dressed. This girl was literally exiled and tortured to the point of where she just started eating alone. I couldn't understand she was smart, funny and sarcastic (in a good way)she was thoughtful (she offered to buy me lunch) and creative. She was wearing this stunning scarf she knitted by herself and even offered to make me one. This girl was a prime example of being beautiful inside and out, yet she was the main target of inconsiderate, hateful bullies. We eventually had to part ways for obvious reasons, but meeting her completely changed me. I knew what it was like to be bullied, but never have I seen it through someone else's eyes. Although I just recently graduated high school somethings never change, and like always reputation was everything. No one would hang out with her because of the fear of getting judged or labeled,and ruining that all star reputation of theirs. I'm not gonna lie I did the same thing. I never put the other persons feelings in perspective and unfortunately neither do a lot of other people. Being on the receiving end of this kind of situation does suck (Trust me I know), but if I could get through it you can too. When I walked through those doors this time I realized everything was the same and it was, it was me who changed. I never noticed anyone getting bullied because I didn't want too, when in all actuality it was happening all around me by people I used to be friends with! (Yeah,it was bad), but by meeting this girl I began to really see how we as humans judge each other based on appearances and not who we really are. We may look different but we're really all the same. We all have hopes and dreams,we have emotions, we laugh and cry we have faces and a body whether it'd be broken or altered, we're living breathing creatures, so who are we to judge another person based off of pure appearances? Take a moment and look at this picture to the right
What do you see? The obvious answer here is 3 different types of eggs. Here's where it gets a little weird. I want you to take a second and pretend we're those eggs. On the outside we're different. Different textures, colors, and even sizes but when you crack each egg open what do you get?? Yolk. No matter how different the outside is the inside remains the same. What I want you as the reader to take away from this is we're all human and no matter how different we may look or act on the outside we are all the same. So what gives you the right to judge? To all my girls out there struggling from a situation like this one know you're not alone, and things will get better. Trust me reading this it may sound like another empty promise but it will get better and I want you to follow me on your journey and we can go through it together so you know for sure you won't ever be alone. Stay strong and continue to redefine what it means to be different. Want a sneak peek of our next article?? follow @beauty_breaking on twitter!! Tweet us suggestions, comments, or stories we love hearing from you!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Welcome to our site!!!!

Before we get into the good stuff how about we tell you a little bit about ourselves. First of all welcome to our blog!! Where you never have to worry about finding the right shade of foundation or if your leather pants will look good with those red stilettos hiding in your closet. So sit back in your fluffy printed pj's, grab some ice cream and join us as we redefine different and expand what it means to be "beautiful" together. Are you ready to bare it all?