Eyes of the Lord Are Upon Me

I really haven't forgotten you, dear Readers! It has been a pretty crazy past couple of years (I had 6 strokes, a little over two years ago, in case you hadn't heard) and my focus has been on caring for myself, therapy, getting back on track in my relationship with God, my other blogs (especially Stroke Of Grace) and some new book projects. But I haven't totally abandoned you here!

When I was trying to decide where today's post should fit, this seemed the ideal place. Since the strokes (or maybe it is just being 41, already, or some combination!) I have developed perpetual, deep circles under my eyes that I can't hide and just won't go away.

The camera actually doesn't do these monster justice, as they are puffy and much darker than the camera picked up. This gives you a little idea of what my concerns are.

So I started researching natural dark circle remedies today. I have read a ton of articles (none I have had time to implement yet) and here are a few ideas I repeatedly have read.

- Drink LOTS of water / stay hydrated! (I'm already pushing water like crazy, so not a lot of room for personal improvement there.)

- Plenty of rest. One page stated this was that lack of proper sleep was the "number one cause" of under eye circles, while another stated that this was a major misnomer and that while prolonged restlessness might contribute to bags, exacerbating a condition you are already prone to, lack of sleep is actually a rather mild factor in under eye circles. (I sleep more hours than I am awake in almost any given day, so if sleep is an issue for me, it would be tied to quality not quantity!)

- Crushed mint or chilled tea bag over closed eyes for 20 minutes a day.

- Resting with cucumber slices (one page suggested soaked in lemon juice for 3-5 minutes first) over your eyes each day.

- Rubbing potato juice gently into under eye skin.

- Oral and/or topical use of more vitamins, specifically A, C, E, and K.

- Avocado and/oil almond oils applied gently to under-eyes.

- Cotton ball, dipped in milk, rubbed under the eyes.

Of course there are many more suggestions out there, but these were the most common. I haven't decided what I will try yet. Do you have any tips or suggestions to share?

For reference, these were my eyes (one paralyzed into a crossed position) December, 2011.

Minimal eye circles, and not dark, even though I had just experienced excessive brain trauma a few weeks prior!

Today, on the Hope for the Broken Hearted's Facebook page, she posted,
"When you are worn down by people that will never be happy or satisfied with you because of their own issues...when you compare yourself with others...when you believe the lies that the enemy whispers in your ear that "you aren't this or you... aren't that", or "you'll never"...you need to realign your heart and your sense of self-worth with this undeniable truth...God loves you just the way you are...there is nothing you can do or not do, that could make Him love you more or less than He does right this minute and His love will be the same throughout eternity. Listen to His voice and no other...if God is for you...and He is... then it doesn't matter who is against you! Choose to let His love wash over you and heal your hurts so you see yourself through His eyes of love." along with this great picture reminder:

 

Mineral Mascara!

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Come visit me at www.InnerBeautyGirls.com to place your order today. Don't forget to use your 12% secret discount code (posted here earlier this month) for an even more affordable shopping experience!

Lace

It's the start of a new year. Many are making resolutions and plans for a fresh start. I must admit to doing my own soul-searching and reflecting, but in looking forward, I'm also looking back. 2009 was a hard year in many ways, but I'm thankful for the struggles God carried us through and rejoicing in the victories He has had in and through my life over the past year. If you want to more about these beautiful lessons, I would love to encourage you to visit God-Sized Dreams and Choosing Joy on my InfertilityMom blog.

Looking even further back, beyond this past year, even the past decade, I'm thankful for the beautiful gift of loving family and a heritage of faith. A tangible reminder of these gifts is the hand-crocheted lace I find around my home; a fragile framed doily crafted by my great, great grandmother, now hanging on my wall, a doily lovingly made by Rick's grandmother gracing a side table, a dresser scarf that belong to my grandmother to put a smile on my face as I stand before my mirror each morning...

Lace is a lot like life, fragile and complex and in need of a skillful Hand to craft it into full beauty. Sometimes stains come along that seem to mar what was beautiful, but when cared for with love, these scars become a beautiful part of the legacy.

So, beyond the turn of a calendar page, what's prompted these reflections today? Please allow me to introduce you to the new Affordable Mineral Makeup™ shade named Lace! This light, pearlescent shade of pink is a dainty color that's great on eyes. To make it brighter, it can be applied wet. A 5g jar can be yours for $7.79 at www.affordablemineralmakeup.com/innerbeauty.html

Lace

Joy

What brings you joy? I'm not talking about material happiness, like a new car or even your favorite drink from the corner coffee shop, that might bring a glow for a season, then fades into emptiness and wanting more. I'm talking about that deep, abiding joy that can be there even in the midst of dark circumstances.

Maybe you are unemployed, single or facing some life challenge and think, "Once I find a good job" or "get married" or "regain my health" then this empty place in my heart will be filled. It was like that for me through infertility, thinking that having children would bring lasting joy.

But you know what? Three living miracles later, I'm very thankful for them and they do fill my heart in so many amazing ways, but none of them were "the answer" either. This is not to say that I am not overwhelmingly aware of the blessings these answered prayers are in my life and I am so humbled and grateful to be in this season. It's just stating the reality that my children didn't fix every lonely and broken longing of my heart as I sometimes dreamed they might, just as marriage or a new job or whatever answer you are aching for cannot fill you with full joy either.

The only true joy I've ever found came in the form of the Baby born in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. Through infertility, the Baby mocked me from the manger, for if even a virgin could give birth, I was in sad shape to not be able to conceive or carry even with cutting edge medical assistance. But it was in looking beyond the manger, to the Father in Heaven who gave His Son and knowingly took up the anguish of a grieving parent so that He could call me His adopted daughter, that made the manger a beautiful place in my heart.

It was in watching that Baby grow, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, who willingly exchanged my sin and shame for the His own life, taking on death to buy my eternal life, that I realized the source of deepest, lasting joy.

There are many things that bring me happiness in this life, my husband and sweet babies certainly at the top of my list. In preparation for Jesus' birthday party, I also delight in beautiful sights, smells and sounds that fill our home. But true joy is found only at a manger, a cross, an empty tomb, and in the hearts of those who believe in the certain hope of all we cannot see.

The (in)Courage blog is offering a whole month of Joy-themed posts that I'm really en-joy-ing. One that especially resounded with me last week was Still Happy? about the "golden thread of joy" that can weave through our lives even in painful seasons. And if you are struggling to hold onto joy in the midst of unhappy circumstances in life, I invite you to visit my Harvesting Hope™ blog for an encouraging give-away!

To add to the fun and celebratory spirit of the season, I would also love to invite you to check out the newest limited edition shade from Affordable Mineral Makeup™ whose name, Joy, inspired this post. "Joy" offers an array of pearlescent pinks, light green with a touch of lilac and is great on eyes. A 5g jar is only $6.99 at www.affordablemineralmakeup.com/innerbeauty.html

Joy

In this season when the whole world celebrates CHRISTmas, I would love to hear one tradition that brings you happiness in your home. For me it is wrapping our "Baby Jesus" (from the hand carved wooden nativity set that was in my childhood home) in toilet paper. Sounds odd? As a 3-year-old I was worried that the Baby was cold and so I swaddled Him "just like Mary" did. It's a quiet, yearly tradition that makes me stop and think in the business of the season and continues to remind me of the amazingly humble yet powerful Gift that brings me Joy.

Limited Edition Holiday Mineral Makeup

Affordable Mineral Makeup™ has come out with another great product, available in limited quantities, and just in time for the holidays. In fact, it's name is Holiday and this delightful shade offers various tones of gold shimmer with a touch of crimson shimmer and shine, great for cheeks, eyes, highlighting. Get a 5 gram sifter jar for just $7.04 at http://www.InnerBeautyGirls.com while supplies last!

Holiday

Healthy Makeup Application

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend exploring all the posts here at our Virtual Spa. I would like to take a moment now to put on my "mineral makeup consultant's hat" and share a few tips about makeup application and brush usage. I'll warn you upfront that this post will include some pretty unusual vidoe clips, but I hope you will learn a lot and enjoy the process. :)

After questions about how to select or apply makeup and proper color selection, the next most frequent set of questions I tend to get are about makeup brushes. I've posted a few articles about brushes in the past and wanted to build on that a bit more today. Most beauty experts recommend natural animal hair brushes for the highest quality application. Due to allergies, I personally will only use synthetic bristles. There are many great brushes available through my Affordable Mineral Makeup™ website as well as other sites. A fairly generic explanation of brush basics can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEx8Y2CIDcY.

For mineral makeup foundation application, I feel that nothing works as well as a Kabuki style brush, though some people are happy with the results they get when applying with a large, fluffy brush such as the one quickly demonstarted in this video clip.

There is an interesting video clip about Kabuki brushes that I have decided to share with you after debating back and forth quite a bit. The reason I hesitate to post it is because I cannot endore either the producer of the video nor the makeup brand he mentions in his clip. Yes, he...

This was honestly quite unsettling for me to watch the first time because I've never seen a man apply makeup (and we are InnerBeautyGIRLZ here afterall) but I'm going to go ahead and stretch myself to share it with you because the information and techniques he shares are some of the most clear and informative I've seen. So I hope you can glean the good from this video and enjoy learning about the two main styles of Kabuki brushes along with application tips and techniques for each. Check out Dome or Flat Top Kabuki? at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ7BwLgDBek

More information on selecting makeup brushes in general, with some specific attention given to eye makeup application can be found on this clip. You may also enjoy Tips for Eyeshadow Application, again with the understanding that I am not endorsing the makeup brands promoted in the video clip.

You may wonder why I am so passionate about only using pure mineral makeup brands such as Affordable Mineral Makeup™ (AMM). Believe it or not, it is not because I am a representative for this company that I talk about it so much. On the contrary, I decided to become an AMM rep because I already strongly believed in and regularly promoted treating my skin (the largest organ of my body) with care and avoiding as much chemical exposure as possible. I have a poor immune system and a lot of allergies and chemical sensitvities and AMM is one of the purest lines I've found, free of chemical additives and fillers like Bismuth, talc, cornstarch or other ingredients that can harbor bacteria or cause allergic reactions. I am happy to promote it because it is a quality product at a price I can justify affording.

You may not struggle with the same sensitivites I face, but I still challenge you to think about what you are putting on your skin and to look for the healthiest options possible. Even many mineral makeup brands on the market are still chemically-based makeups with some added minerals in hopes of marketing to the natural makeup crowd. Simply be aware that the name "mineral" in a makeup line does not automatically make it a healthy makeup alternative. Be an informed consumer, read the ingredients lists, and be sure you know what you are putting on your face and why. Affordable Mineral Makeup™ fully discloses all of our ingredients and the purpose for each one on our website. Check out the Compact for Safe Cosmetics as a great resource to learn about the health risks of various cosmetic lines.

of Eyebrows and Editing

I happened upon this cute story on Mary DeMuth's So You Want to Be Published blog. It caught my fancy at the first description of "eyebrows wandering haphazardly across my forehead like a village of lost caterpillars." Being both a writer and a beauty advisor, this little tale of waxing and tweezing seems especially clever to me. As you read it, I challenge you to think beyond editing and writing, to the perspective of God as our very professional "Editor" who has full mastery of our native language and helps us to wisely choose the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heats. Enjoy!

So You Want to Be Published: AFP: B.J. Hamrick on tweezing and writing

P.S. Be sure to read Thusrday's post here on the InnerBeautyGirlz blog to hear all about the Virtual Spa Weekend Coming May 1-3!