Hi everyone!!

I hope you had a fabulous week and you’re gearing up for Christmas? This week I will be sharing my thoughts on something I believe we need to take a moment to consider whether you’re a guy or a lady. We all have products we use and a cosmetic regimen we follow either on daily, weekly or monthly basis. In recent times, have you noticed – now more than ever before – that everywhere you turn, there’s some cosmetic product that claims to do something more amazing than what you already have? Everywhere you look most especially online, marketers are advertising products nonstop. It’s almost like you buy a product and before you’re halfway through it, something new comes out with huge claims and we are instantly sold. We end up with a plethora of products we don’t know what to do with and feel guilty throwing away. I have asked myself if we as a generation are just going through a phase driven by the consumerism mentality or is this a never ending maze where we just keep reaching for the next best thing.

In comes the dilemma of natural products and remedies versus chemically enhanced products.There are two extremes I notice a lot where a person is overtly into all things natural as opposed to another who uses every new product that comes on the scene. If you love cosmetics, you know you’ve tried some of those homemade, do it yourself recipes you find online. Just think up a random ‘How To…’ and look that up on YouTube; I can guarantee you will find someone somewhere willing to share their opinion on it…from how to reduce under-eye bags to carrying out a complete spa/detox treatment without leaving your home. The list is endless and can sometimes be exhausting.

A few years ago, I became consciously aware of the amount of chemicals in everything from processed food, groceries, hair products and cosmetics from a colleague of mine. She used minimal to zero makeup, had radiant skin, looked half her age, she had an active lifestyle, and positive energy all-the-time. I wanted to know what her secret was so we met up a couple of times and talked about life, food, beauty and cosmetics. I gleaned so much from her and changed my lifestyle;I have stuck to it for over 2 years now. I am listing some of the pointers she shared with me that have transformed my life for the better. I’m positive they will transform yours as well😁

Lifestyle Tweaks for Great Skin, A Better Body and a Regenerated You

Strive for a Healthy Mind, Body and Mental Balance. This is such a broad topic; balance in these areas mean different things to different people.

You Need to Sleep. Don’t wait until your’re tired, exhausted and running on empty before you hit the sack. Your body deserves as much attention as the items on your to-do list. Some medical practitioners are specific on the number of hours of sleep needed; I believe that the number of hours a persons needs in order to recharge and bounce back varies by the individual.

Give Yourself A Break. Realize that you cannot be everything to everyone in your life. Every now and then, take a day off just to focus on yourself. Go for a walk, get a pedicure, listen to your favorite music and laugh at your old pictures. Nobody wants to be around a ‘Kanye West Meltdown’ waiting to happen.😂😂

Determine to Eat Healthy-Er. Don’t wait until your body starts to fail to turn things around. Start changing your eating habits that aren’t kind to your body.

Stay Hydrated with the Good Stuff. Your skin is more supple and ages at a slower pace when you are constantly hydrated. Get into the habit of getting water instead of a soda or making a veggie smoothie when you get home after work instead of reaching for a beer; and try to cut down on the number of happy hour cocktails you would usually get.😎

Tweak Your Old Habits. Unless a person has a medical emergency that requires an about face lifestyle change, I get a little apprehensive about drastic changes.  I am all for small tweaks and baby steps because this is indeed going to be a lifestyle. There is a reason why those instant face lifts, crash diets and  microwave results don’t tend to last very long and if they do the side effects aren’t pleasant.😷

Waste Not. Make a personal decision to use up all products you currently have before stocking up on the next best thing😘

These pointers listed above do not in anyway ban the use of cosmetics nor disqualify the use of natural and organic homemade remedies either. I don’t know what life would be without cosmetics..the word ‘dire’ would be an understatement to describe the state of the universe 😀 😀 A lot of times people try to fix something on the outside that’s only a symptom instead of looking within to the root cause of an insecurity. If we take care of our bodies and stay nourished on the right things; I believe we would need minimal enhancements thereby reducing our exposure to only God knows what chemicals are in those serums 😀 ha ha!

Until I come your way next time, Ciao!!

Periwinkle Starr