My bucket list

So what's on your bucket list? Far too often I find myself flipping through magazines mesmerized by a seemingly normal activity or place advertised on a another page and can't help but think "yeah, I want to do that one day"or "someday I'll visit that place." Then along with everyone else we add it to our bucket list, just to never think about it again. Over the past few years I've managed to rack up what seems like a book filled of things I want to accomplish before I... you know, kick the bucket, or go to the big...before I die. Sounds a bit morbid doesn't it? So I've set out on a personal mission to turn my book into a story, to turn my bucket list into a to-do list and start checking off my life goals before I die. First Let's start out with my trip to Texas, this is where it all started. About 2 weeks ago I set off on a journey to the lone star state, and not just for a much needed vacation or for the amazing delicacy that I call deep fried Oreos, but for business. Almost immediately after my plane landed I met up with some friends, we spent hours telling jokes, and reminiscing our most embarrassing moments but more importantly we took time out to exchange ideas on how to further the future of our blog while still maintaining the message we've worked so hard to portray. One of the topics we all seemed to agree on, was trying to show people around the world that anything is possible no matter where you come from. That's when the idea of putting together our bucket lists came to light. The very next day we all met up in the most suspicious of all places. Not our hotel, or a restaurant, or in any part of the city for that matter, but in a small neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood where everyone knows you by name, there were no big malls, fancy buildings, taxis, or sidewalks crowded with people. Actually there was pretty much no sidewalks at all, it was just the bare minimum, and farms, a lot of farms. I was obviously out of my comfort zone we we're definitely not in NYC anymore. But being there was quit possibly the most humbling experience I've had in a while. Okay off topic, when we got there we met some amazing people and tasted some amazing authentic southern cuisine that I'm still not sure exactly what it was but I know it was delicious. We then met up with a lady who showed us around town, we visited these shops run by small business owners, people like you and me. There I was given the chance to try deep fried Oreos and even make my own which by the way was a disaster. What was so amazing about this place was we weren't just given experiences but we we're given the chance to make memories that last a lifetime. She then shared with us a list of things that we had to do before we left Texas, and that's when we thought "hey what a perfect time to tell her about our bucket list idea." Yeah, bad idea. All the sudden her along with what seemed like the rest of the town gave us a list of attractions, foods we had to try, and historic sites, things that made Texas such a beautiful place for families to visit and for tourists to explore. We we're so overwhelmed and honestly didn't know where to start. So we sat down and created one big a cumulative list of everything we wanted to do, including the new ideas we we're just given. We we're in Texas for about 2 weeks, and in that time frame we managed to organize a couple of interviews, work on new post ideas, and not to mention we went to a big time rush concert!! They're no backstreet boys but I still love these guys. Most importantly we we're reminded of why we started this business in the first place. We want people to realize you can do anything even if right now you maybe thinking otherwise. We wanted to give you someone you can relate too, and share our stories to help you do the same. Now I know you're probably wondering, "well where's the bucket list???" and for the sake of saving space and time, and not losing your interest, we're going to be posting it in parts. (Just a reminder these are in no particular order) but the next couple of posts are going to be dedicated to revealing to you what's on our bucket list, sharing our adventures, and keeping you as involved as we possibly can. We plan to document every trip, every opportunity, and every story keeping you as updated as possible. So what we want to know is what's on your bucket list? Tweet your stories to @beauty_breaking using the hashtag #mybucketlist who knows we might even do some of them!!

Blog update, what's up next?

 A lot has changed since we published our last "all about us" post, so we figured it was about time to give you and all our new followers an update on what to expect and what we're all about. When the idea of creating this business first came about the biggest obstacle we faced was trying to figure out how to combine the two things we're most passionate about without being labeled a hypocrite or unintentionally creating bias. Most beauty campaigns stray away from anything that can alter your appearance in any way, and they emphasize that Using make-up or loving fitness is usually defined as a desperate plea to fit in with the unrealistic standards set by society, and to who ever is passionate about either of these topics can sometimes face the criticism from a variety of people claiming that's not what a role model for natural beauty should be interested in or be promoting for that matter. And sometimes they're right but most times they're wrong, but what happens pretty much all the time is that these girls then get penalized for doing what they love. What we wanted to do was change that, we wanted to show people you can do what you love without the fear of being judged or being labeled a hypocrite.Besides who are we to judge what makes a person happy in the first place? We wanted to show teachers, athletes, make-up artists, moms, lawyers, cops, army veterans, and anyone else you can possibly think of that they are all beautiful no matter how old you are, how much you weigh, what your job is, who you love, or how you look. We wanted to shed light on the bullied and help victims who've suffered in the hand of bullies to realize how amazing you really are and to show them no you're not alone. We realized from the beginning that most beauty campaigns are one sided and mainly focus on body insecurities, and that not every woman can relate to this message. We all have different insecurities that's what makes us human, that's what makes us who we are. But we live in a society where if you're a little bit different then you're automatically looked at as unattractive or as an outcast and we wanted to change that. We wanted people to see that having tattoos doesn't make you any less of a role model or that having a skin disease doesn't mean you can't be a model. We're all people, we have flaws, and insecurities, it's about time we show the world we're okay with that. Show off your confidence without the fear of being called arrogant.We're here to help you be proud of who you are, what you've achieved, and how far you've come in life, to help you showcase how amazing you really are, whether you have a learning disability or a physical disability. We want everyone to see how much you mean to the world even in a society that says otherwise. What makes us different is that we know what it's like to have those feelings, to be bullied, to think you'll never get anywhere, we've been there. And we're here to help you realize you're more than those harmful words, you're human and we're here to show everyone how awesome you all are. We wanted to pick role models to represent our blog. Role models that embody all the insecurities that everyone suffers from (and definitely no retouching photos) instead of having a spokesperson with the perfect body, or skin that most people just can't relate too. As for the blog, we have posts planned about real people by real people. Stories from survivors, leaders, and life changers. Women who talk about their career choices, their insecurities, their life choices, and more. We also wanted to include the beauty aspect, we love playing around with clothes and makeup so expect product reviews, and collaborations with other beauty bloggers. You can also expect exercise related posts to posts showcasing street style in NYC to documenting my life, my travels and experiences around the world to letting you guys see what goes on behind the scenes of putting all this together. We also want to keep you, our readers involved as much as possible so don't be shy to connect with us on Twitter. We would love to hear your stories and opinions!! Your support means the world to us and whoever is apart of this community, our community. So thank you guys for everything and I hope you're as excited for this journey as we are!!

Secrets. What do you keep hidden inside?

"The best way of keeping a secret is to pretend there isn't one" -Margaret Atwood

We all have them. We hide them for years, lying about them to prevent people from finding out. Nobody can know about them not even your family. What am I talking about? Obviously I’m talking about secrets. Everybody has them whether you’re keeping your best friends crush hidden or protecting a code for a top secret mission. They can be big or small, but the most important thing about a secret.... No one can find out. And today that’s all about to change.

  Let's start off with asking yourself "what is my deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secret?" You’ll find out mine later on in this post. But for now what I am going to talk about are some of the things that we all keep hidden inside, things we keep wrapped up so tightly that exposing it to the world seems almost impossible and just thinking about it can be extremely uncomfortable. So where to begin??? Starting this blog has helped me reach out to thousands of different people and during these countless number of not so much interviews but conversations I found we all have 1 thing in common. Secrets. We all have something we don’t want the other person to find out. But our  “secrets”  aren't as secret as you may think. Don't worry I'm not gonna expose some secret government mission or even worse the names of my best friends past crushes but I can say during a pretty special "interview" I held with someone who will remain nameless this past summer a particular question I asked gave me a pretty unexpected answer. I asked her what was she was most afraid of people finding out about her. At first she was hesitant, I mean who could blame her but She eventually caved in, leaned over to me and whispered “I’m afraid that I’ll never fall in love. That I’ll never find that one person who will truly accept me for me and all the flaws that follow.” I was shocked and curious as to why she kept such a natural feeling locked up in an I guess you can say “emotional prison” her response was almost as shocking as the first one, she leaned over a second time blocking her face from the spectators surrounding our table and said “I feel vulnerable when I show the slightest sign of weakness, I get embarrassed when I share how I really feel, and that can make me feel exposed.”  I couldn’t believe that her deepest darkest secret was something everyone could relate too, Something that we all think to ourselves atleast once in our lifetime. So why was she so embarrased of anyone finding out? I continued with these different "interviews" and during each one I asked the same question. What are you most afraid of somebody finding out about you? A seemingly easy question right? Wrong. I was surprised  with the variety of answers I received. Some, some were just plain strange while others were inspiring and well I'll let you decide for yourself. These quotes are from real people and don't worry I've been given full permission to share these with you, and the rest of the world. but for good reason. I’m not trying to embarrass or make anyone feel vulnerable but what we

(including the people who I originally interviewed) are trying to do is help you realize something that we all have trouble coming to terms with. And that is, we ALL have secrets big or small and we all have something that we’re afraid to let the other person know. But today, like I said earlier that’s all gonna change. We want you to know what we keep hidden inside and to know that we’re not embarrassed of sharing it with the world. Well at least most of it. Here are quotes from average people like you and me from around the world, who are doing just that. Sharing what they keep hidden inside in hopes of helping someone else going through the same thing, and showing them that it’s ok to feel this way and you will overcome it, or anything put in your way.   "I'm in love with someone who can't and will never love me back.", "I hate college, if my family ever found out they'd be so disappointed.", "I'm a woman, a mom, and a wife, everyone told me not to join the army but I did, and I regret nothing." "I'm not as strong as people think I am, sometimes I need someone to lean on."  We’re not as different as you may think, now are we? These quotes are just a few of many from people like you and me who have truly inspired the uprising of this campaign in so many different ways. After hearing, writing, and reading these quotes and their stories over and over again I realized that these secrets taught me life lessons that can alter your line of thinking. Before meeting these women I never looked at someone and wondered what their life story is and definitely not what secret they've been holding since elementary school or high school but I've started to realize one important thing and yes here it goes again. We're human, we all have emotions we all have stories, thoughts/opinions and secrets. Underneath this tough exterior we all think some of the same things, we all want people to know something, things we just can't say. or thoughts that just remain a thought and not an opinion.  We've interviewed people who shared their thoughts and some of what they said are thoughts that cross our mind almost every day, like.....  

"We take so much for granted, you never know when one day it'll all be gone."  "The fighting, bullies, and lies, we all deserve better. The world deserves better."  "I hate when people complain on social media."  "I hate when people judge other people. People they've never even seen before." "I hate when people say you’re not good enough, when someone tells you you can't do something."  "Losing a family member can make you feel like its the end. Like its over. But its not. Life does and will continue."  "I fight for my grandmother, my aunt and friends, I fight for myself and others. We fight because we are survivors." "I love my family, my friends, they're my support, my rock."  "I love when people are honest and can see a little bit of good in everyone." "I love who I am, and to all the haters f*** them."  These are all quotes from normal people, People willing to share a piece of their life to help someone else. this person could be someone you would never give a second glance too, like a cashier at your local grocery store, your next door neighbor, or even a family member. Everyone has a secret, are you willing to share yours? So the big question everyone is probably still wondering about is what do I keep hidden inside. What’s my big secret? Well that you already may know (hint, hint)....  Now my big question to you is, what are you most afraid of someone finding out?

Love your body series is here!

"Exercise in the morning before your brain knows what you're doing."

If you follow us on twitter you would know I've mentioned the #getfitforfebruary challenge almost as much as I mentioned the Backstreet Boys, and we all know that's a lot. Since the new year has officially begun I thought I'd share with you all what the heck I'm actually talking about.
I along with many other people have created New Years resolutions and let's be honest about 85% of them just won't happen. Seriously, Keep my office space organized? Let's be realistic here.....But there is one I have vowed to follow since I first discovered the wonders of fast food and chocolate, 2 of my most guilty pleasures. And it is to eat clean and get lean. Has a nice little ring to it right? I've always found this particular resolution the hardest to keep since well lets just say if I had to choose between cooking a healthy meal and ordering a pizza. I would pick the pizza and add some healthy toppings to make me feel less guilty. Yes it's that bad. This year though it's gonna be different because 1) I discovered this you tube channel about a year ago called Toneitup, if you're not familiar with these unnaturally beautiful ridiculously fit ladies I'll leave all the links at the END of the post just to give you an idea of what to expect and to keep you from prematurely leaving this post. Anyway every year these 2 ladies put together a series of workout routines for the next 6 weeks leading up to valentines day called the #loveyourbody series. It's free to sign up and you have the chance to win pieces from Victoria's secret's sport collection and more! Sounds great right??? If you're already excited to get started great! If not, hear me out. I'm a strong believer (if you couldn't tell already) in women loving who they are and whatever size you are, but I also believe that working out shouldn't be about trying to make yourself look like an airbrushed fitness model or a Victoria's secret model at that. It should be about you feeling healthy, happy, and strong in your own skin. With that being said this challenge is meant to do just that. Make you feel healthy, happy and strong by the end of these 6 weeks. Now of course you won't get a 6 pack at the end of these 6 weeks (hey who knows, you could I'm no nutritionist so it could happen) but what I can tell is you will feel more (for lack of a better word) accomplished for doing something you never imagined you could do. Even if that means just being able to do a set of workouts without taking a 20 minute "bathroom" or "stretch" break in between. So if you are now somewhat interested, what I'm asking from you, yes you reading this is to join me along with thousands of other women on not only a fitness journey but a life changing event where you'll meet new people and receive an unmeasurable amount of support to reach your goal.  Today is one post out of many check-ins through out the month letting you guys know I am sticking to my once unreasonable goal. All the info will be down below so check it out AND don't forget to follow @beauty_breaking on twitter and hit that beautiful blogloving button at the top left hand corner for constant updates, pictures, motivation, and brand new challenges!! the first video below is an introduction to the 2014 love your body series, and the second video is a little example from what they did last year, enjoy!

You can sign up here, once you click this link it should bring you to their website where you can view this weeks love your body workout routines and you can sign up to continue receiving weekly workout routines. Good luck everyone and wish me luck I'm gonna need it....
http://toneitup.com/2014/01/thursdaysunday-schedule/     

Backstreets back, alright? (A very random post)

CAUTION: If you're not a fan of the Backstreet boys this post is probably not for you, but feel free to stay out of curiosity or check out our other posts. I guarantee you will be entertained either way. That's a promise.
If you follow us on twitter it's no surprise that we (mostly me) are obsessed with the Backstreet Boys. So when I heard about the ABSolutely  fABuolous new video they released, I couldn't help but to release my inner preteen and scream like a fan girl at her first one direction concert.  If you need a better visual, this picture pretty much sums it up.

After I calmed down I thought I'd rave to you guys about how amazing this video actually is.
But first can we all just take a minute and appreciate the ab action we got going on here.....
 

You're welcome.

Back to reality, this video doesn't just showcase "The best of Brian", but the simplicity of the video and how it was put together helps maintain focus to the lyrics of the song, which are surprisingly beautiful and moving, Which also brings me back to why this post isn't so random after all. Here's a little snippet from the song:

"Gloves are off ready to fight.

Like a lion, I will survive.

Will I? Will I?

You gotta stand for something 

Even if you stand alone, don't be afraid 

it's gonna be alright."

The song was originally dedicated to their kids and you can tell with a lot of the lyrics. But it's the Backstreet Boys, and to me they somehow manged to take these seemingly one-sided lyrics and turned it into a message that everyone can relate too, all while showing off their toned bodies. Enough with the over analyzing, it's time to show you exactly what I'm talking about! So grab some comfort food(I prefer a nice hot brownie),  you can't just watch a music video without it, right?  and enjoy. I hope this makes your week a little bit better, Have a great Tuesday everyone!!!!!!!!!

     

Exposed: Feminism is it good or bad?

"Women belong in the house.....and the senate"

Feminism. I never really understood why feminism is such a controversial topic, but after some research the answer maybe closer than you think. When it comes to feminism people have many different views and opinions on the topic. Whether you're a strong supporter against gender discrimination or you think it's all an over-exaggerated mess, it can sometimes feel like there's no in between so you have to choose your stance based off of two extremely different views with extremely different morals, and that alone can cause controversy. But is that really the reason behind all the talk, I wanted to know what exactly did it mean to be a feminist, and with a lot of help from Google this is what I gathered.First let's start off with a definition shall we.  Feminism - A collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. Basically a feminist promotes the equal rights of women in a lot of different ways. Which to me sounds pretty good right? But what I really wanted to know was the dirt, what was behind all the controversy? After what seemed like weeks (it was only 2 days) I finally started to unravel the wraps surrounding Feminism and I really started to understand the bigger picture here which is Feminism maybe a lot worse for women than it is good. Now don't get me wrong I'm all for the uprising of the women army but I'm starting to see how feminism is causing more problems in this war known as the "Battle of the sexes". Recently feminism has become a big part of society partially due to social media and technology, and has continue to grow because of the increase of explicit images portrayed in music videos, and songs. But with the growth of all of these campaigns and movements we've started to loose one important thing. Ourselves. Our happiness, our sense of morals and logic. Feminism revolves around educating the public about different issues, and eliminating gender discrimination. But in that same breath we've started to create more insecurities in women and controversy without even knowing it.Women deserve to be happy, to be strong and confident, and if you're happy being a housewife what's wrong with that? See, although I do agree with a lot of things feminism stands for, there are some things I just don't get. Just because a woman chooses to be a housewife, or chooses to not go to college doesn't mean they should be criticized or labeled as any less of a person. Sure you may not agree with their choice and yeah there are other options out there, but why even protest a decision if they're happy with their life? Who are we to judge what makes another person happy? Feminists are all about (like the definition said) "establishing and defending equal rights political, economic and social rights for women" So based off of that definition alone a woman choosing to be a housewife is just outlandish and insane. I honestly don't believe the problem here is feminism itself, because feminism does hold some really great values. I mean you can't disagree that there are distinctive gender roles and double standards between men and women in society. For example Where a man maybe considered a constructive boss, a woman holding the same position would be looked at as just bossy. They also educate the public and create domestic violence awareness which is always a good thing. But there's also a very fine line between adults trying to create equal rights among two genders and kindergartners arguing over whose finger painting project is better. It's really easy to confuse promoting equal rights with just promoting another gender. Me, I wouldn't consider myself a feminist. I believe that every woman should feel confident and beautiful, no matter what you look like, where you work, or what you believe in. I also believe that we're all human beings, we may be anatomically different but were still humans when it comes down to it and people need to realize that. Both men and women have insecurities about some of the same things like weight and appearance. We all have hopes and dreams and occasionally struggle from time to time. So my point is although feminism is a controversial topic it's not all bad. Some people are probably pulling apart every word I've said so far and that's OK. I want to hear your opinion on this rather touchy subject. So leave your opinions in the comments down below. I'm definitely not as educated as some of you guys are after all I did only spend two days doing research on this topic, so I can't wait to read your opinions and hear your definition of what feminism means. (also can someone please touch on the miley cyrus feminist role model thing, I definitely don't get that.) Anyway comments are now open for debate and don't forget to follow @beauty _breaking on twitter for more sneak peeks, tips, tricks. You know what we're Just a little bit of everything.(Picture above credited to the recently released Pantene commercial, I highly recommend checking it out!)

Are you a Biased beauty?

"You have to let go of who you were to become who you are."-Stacy London

Imagery- Using descriptive or figurative language especially in literary work.
Imagery to a writer is like a basket to a ball, one just can't exist without the other. Writers use imagery to help transform a long passage of just words into a vivid scene unraveling in your head, by using hidden descriptive words or phrases to help paint a mental picture. But some words don't need support from fancy figurative language to create this mental image because the meaning alone says it all. When you first read the words Makeup, Fitness, and Style, what picture do you paint in your head? A pretty face, A bombshell body, or modelesque clothing? Although our views may be different, these three topics all have one thing in common. They all have something to do with appearance or the way we present ourselves to other people. But the big question here is, Is this really a bad thing. If you've read any of our previous posts (if you haven't then you definitely should do that, only after you finish this post) you would know that last question we asked you pretty much contradicts everything we've written about so far. We try to show women you don't need makeup or the perfect body to feel beautiful and that your clothes don't define you as a person BUT wearing makeup, working out, and splurging on those sexy red stilettos you've had your eye on for years doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. After some much needed soul searching and by soul searching I mean watching a marathon of "What not to wear" on Netflix, I began to realize something. The building block of every great outfit isn't in the makeup, the body, or even the outfit itself. A great outfit starts with confidence. Everything else is just an accessory. It's kinda like layering an outfit. Before you add any accessories, or clothing, you need to start with the basics or the "essentials" and then you can keep adding layers and layers until you feel happy about the way you look. In this situation when I say "essentials" I'm obviously referring to your confidence while all the accessories or clothing is referring to your makeup, body, or clothing. What we said in our previous posts are still true. You don't need makeup, a perfect body, or a professional stylist to feel good about yourself, because feeling good about yourself isn't about appearance but accepting that you are who you are and realizing that that's a wonderful thing. When you truly embrace who you are, wearing makeup isn't about hiding your insecurities but enhancing your natural features. Working out isn't about achieving the perfect model body but maintaining good health and your clothing isn't about setting trends but showcasing an amazing personality. Your personality. My main goal in creating this campaign was to help women everywhere no matter who you were or what you looked like feel confident in their own skin without creating bias towards another person views or interests in the process. I wanted to show you can support a positive self body image, wearing makeup, working out, and dressing up all at once with no bias or judgement. But remember there's a fine line between am I doing this for myself or am I doing this to please someone else. If you want to wear makeup do it because, one it makes you happy, two to enhance your natural beauty and not to combat your insecurities or to try to impress someone else, (Unless you're at a job interview, then please dress to impress) Exercise because you want to feel and look healthy not because you want to look like some Victoria's secret model, and pick clothing that makes you feel confident when you wear it, not just because that's whats in this season. When you start doing things for yourself and not other people you become your own person and suddenly all the judgement and disgusting comments become insignificant and irrelevant because you accept who you are and you value yourself inside and out which not only radiates to everyone around you, but can also help you in the dating department. So instead of listening to all the negative insults embrace the positive compliments. Stacy London said " Your self-esteem won't come from body parts. You need to step away from the mirror every once in a while and look for another reflection like the one in the eyes of the people who love you and admire you." And she's right people view you differently than you view yourself, so when you can get opinions from the people who admire who the most maybe, just maybe you'll be able to see yourself in a different light and finally start to accept who you are inside and out. Starting some time this month we will be posting more fitness tips and tricks to help you feel happy and healthy again. We're also getting ready for the #getfitforfebruary challenge starting this January (I hope you're ready for that!) So follow @beauty_breaking on twitter for more sneak peeks challenges and updates, Can't wait to hear from you all!!        

Break the mold of what it means to be beautiful!

I've been really excited write about this touchy subject. It affects women everywhere at any age and is the center of most women's insecurities. I'm talking about society's definition of what it means to be beautiful and let's be honest it's everywhere. On T.V.' s, computers, magazines,billboards, it's even spreading to our food! I don't care how good the model looks on my cereal box, as long as my cereal is fresh then I'm happy. It's on every women's mind every second of the day whether you're counting calories so you can fit in that little black dress or touching up makeup to keep up the illusion of a flawless face. It's an epidemic a disease and we're the primary carriers spreading it across the country like the plague.
Society is filled with misconceptions of what the perfect woman should look and act like and hasn't changed since what seems like the stone ages, and to make matters even worse social media and technology has become a huge part of society today. It's become strong enough to shut down businesses (R.I.P. Blockbuster) and has somehow managed to threaten the existence of books a staple in society since the beginning of time is now an endangered species. So when this mold was created (semi-unintentionally) by celebrities, models, commercials, etc, it stuck around like glue. Let's take a moment and think about what your definition of the "ideal woman" would be. Is she tall and skinny, curvy or toned with perfect hair and glowing skin, is she a glamorous celebrity, or none of the above? Now take a second again and pretend you're a man  (yes you read that correctly) you're given two women to choose from to take out on a date. One, is the always stunning and hilarious Rebel Wilson, the other the extremely talented and beautiful Nicole Scherzinger. You could only pick one to take out, so who would you choose? If you said Nicole than congratulations you just proved my point but if you picked Rebel than let's just say I wish there we're less hypothetical guys and more real guys in the world like you, but let's face it most guys will choose Nicole scherzinger for her perfect body, looks , talent, and.... money. It's the same situation for when a women that looks like let's say Nicole goes for a job interview against another women who looks like let's say Rebel. They're both equally qualified for this job based off of experience and the deciding factor comes down to first appearances, Nicole would probably get the job based off of looks alone. As wrong and superficial as it may sound it happens more than you know, it's happened to people I know and to people I barely even talk too. I know some of you reading this disagree with me and that is absolutely fine, but in my opinion we live in a society that bases everything off of first appearances or more like first glances and that itself can create insecurities in women of every age and that's one thing you can't deny.So what if we don't fit this mold of what's considered to be "beautiful"? What if we don't have perfect glowing skin or a Victoria's Secret body. What if we're not blonde bombshells and believe that being sexy doesn't include walking outside in shirts that could be a bra? What does that make us? Ugly or different, an outcast to society or a role model to young girls? To society we could be all of the above. You see, you have true genuine people who will accept you for who you are but then you have people who will judge you based off of what you wear or how you present yourself and don't even try to get to know the person behind the skin disease instead they see someone who looks or acts a little different and all the sudden you're a freak show. But in a world with a population of over 7 billion people you can't expect us all to be perfect. We all have flaws and we shouldn't be punished for something perfectly normal for a person to have, and you shouldn't punish yourself just because you look a certain way or because you prefer to listen to Backstreet boys instead of One Direction. Sure you're different but that's what makes us human no one's perfect so why are we trying so hard to be? By now I'm sure you understand how society depicts women through social media, but what we have yet to cover goes far beyond appearances. What am I talking about? I'm talking about jobs. Yes jobs.Women are well known for dominating the world of fashion and makeup. Some branch off to become teachers or nurses but when a woman breaks what's considered the new norm people make it seem like the universe was thrown off it's natural balance or the world is coming to an end. With this new era of women empowerment it's becoming more obvious that these gender roles have started to die off. To me one of the most inspiring sights to see is a woman working in a predominately male job space and still holding her own. I went over to pay our local firefighters a visit for the holidays and after hours of extremely detailed stories derived from their own experiences we sat down for our own version of a thanksgiving feast a day before thanksgiving. It was beautiful although we all were squished around a relatively small table for a relatively big group of people. As we ate, I couldn't help but realize the amount of women working in that house were almost but not quite equal to men .Whether they we're firefighters, paramedics, or just working behind the scenes the number of females there was a lot bigger than what I expected to see. It acme to me as a bit of a shock because normally when I think firefighter I naturally think of these hot guys in uniform off to save the day (Guilty I know.)  but in a way I wasn't surprised with the gender distribution going on here. Now more than ever women are taking opportunities that would've never been given or even offered to them because of their gender. And to see women go off in the military or volunteering as a firefighter and sacrificing their lives for ours is groundbreaking and the most inspiring sight to see. These women are people I look up too and hope my future children will too and hopefully not these celebrities people showcase as being the perfect role model even though I think that's unavoidable. Women aren't just showing up more in these professions but everywhere you can think of. Either as photographers or D.J.'s, some have even branched out into corporate offices taking spots usually only offered to men. I personally would've never guessed that would happen just by looking through what women we're put through in the past. Writing this post hit really close to home because if you don't fit this mold of what society has created of being "beautiful" then you risk the chance of being bullied or if you do decide to work in a predominately male job space you risk being hazed by male employees or coworkers. Surprisingly a lot of people throughout the world go through these situations on a daily basis and they can lead to a catastrophic ending that could've been prevented in the first place. I also wanted to touch base on a few modern day problems that the average woman faces everyday so people can start to understand what other people go through and can sort of put yourself in their shoes. I wanted to show girls this mold isn't permanent, we can change how society perceives the average the average woman but it all begins with YOU. If you believe all these comparisons that society's laid out for you on a silver platter, how can you prove to people you're beautiful the way you are if you don't believe it yourself? I know trying to believe it is hard especially if you're trying to find someone in this materialistic world you can relate too can be even harder. Especially if you try to do it all alone, that's why were here. To provide a non-biased site centered around you the way you are no matter how weird or different you maybe. Here all the judgement from the outside world fades away and is replaced with strength, encouragement, and love. We are human beings every single one of us we maybe different on the outside but in the inside we're all the same. And it's time to embrace that and were here to show you how. So now that the deep cheesy part is over don't forget to follow @beauty_breaking on twitter and tweet us your stories under the hashtag #breakthemold. Remember when you begin to love yourself everything else just falls into place.          

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!

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?

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!

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?