Beauty tips...

... from an "almost-39-but-not-quite" year old woman...

I have been blessed to be surrounded by beautiful, and Godly women! When I say beautiful, I mean inside beauty... Their beauty regime includes slathering on lots of love, spraying on some joy, dabbing on some peace, spritzing on kindness, a shake of genuineness, a sprinkle of patience, and a touch of reality.

But one of the most beautiful women I know is my mother. She is beautiful inside and out. She's a Godly woman -- the epitome of a Proverbs 31 Woman. She keeps a spotless home. She sews. She cooks. She paints. She creates. She works hard. She cares for her family. And, she's a prayer warrior, and let me just say ... when she says she's going to pray ... she does. She might be walking around her home, sitting on her bed, on her knees, or flat on her face. But she's praying. I've seen it. In fact, I'm one of those very people she prayed relentlessly for. And Hunter is living proof of her years and years of prayers (not just hers, though ... many people prayed for Hunter, too). I knew that whenever I was down, sad, broken hearted, or even rejoicing ... I could call my mom, and she'd stop what ever she was doing and pray for me over the phone.

But I also think my mom is beautiful on the outside. She was born and raised in Lima, Peru. Her mother was Peruvian, and her father Italian (she got his nose!) ... My mom is -- well -- I'll let you guess how old she is... But I don't think she looks her age. She takes very good care of her skin. She washes her face every day -- morning and night. She removes her makeup every night before she goes to bed, splashes her face with hot water, she moisturizes with SPF creams, she uses minimal makeup, she drinks a lot of water, eats a lot of vegetables, takes vitamins, and exercises. And -- she's healthy as a horse, and has the stamina of a 16 year old. She runs circles around me! This is a picture of my mom and Hunter three days after he was born ... Go ahead ... guess how old she is!















And, while I'd LOVE to be just like my mother ... I'm not. I don't have time to stand over a sink and wash my face morning and night. Or to splash my skin with hot water to tighten the pores. But, I have come up with a lot of "shortcuts" inspired by my mom, friends and co-workers, "accidental discoveries," and even my son! So here are a few beauty secrets of mine. Some of them you probably already know or do. Some of them, you might think are really good ideas, and might implement them, or toss them. And one of them, you might think "boy, I can't believe she shared that with people!" But either way, here they are ... do with them as you see fit!

Tip #1: As I said before, I don't have time to stand over the sink and wash my face. But, I do keep a tube of Mary Kay's Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser in my shower, and wash my face every morning when I shower. Mary Kay has nice products, and they last forever, but they can be pricey ($18 for this cleanser) -- so I'm not necessarily recommending the Mary Kay cleanser -- just keeping any cleanser in the shower and using it is what I'm recommending ... But, I do highly recommend NOT using plain old soap. It's too drying for the skin.

Tip #2: I totally believe in moisturizing your face. DAILY. With SPF. End of discussion. But, I will share a product I discovered and love. Normally, I prefer Oil of Olay's Total Effects 7X Visible Anti-Aging Vitamin Complex - With UV Protection -- but unless you've suddenly come into some of that "Texas Tea -- Black Gold -- Bubblin' Crude" (Carol???), this product can run you about $18!! So, in an effort to save a bit of money, I stumbled upon the Generic CVS brand at $13, and it is a better moisturizer! Make sure you smooth it down your neck and even on your chest.

Tip #3: I use very little makeup -- no foundation, only moisturizer, eyliner and mascara. Occasionally, I'll use some shadow when I dress up, but I don't normally have time to doll myself up every day. But I've discovered two products I love ... I use Mary Kay's Signature Eyeliner in Sable, and its smudge proof. It lasts all day -- under my eyes -- where it belongs -- NOT ON MY FACE! No smudging or running. And I chose to use the color Sable, because it's not as harsh as black, but not as washed out as brown. It's a great mechanical pencil that lasts forever. As for mascara, I will only use Max Factor's 2000 Calorie Mascara Number 2 or 3 -- it's hypoallergenic, water resistant, and smudge proof -- and they claim it volumizes lashes up to 200% -- and trust me, it comes pretty darned close! Very long lashes!

Tip #4: I take my makeup off every night. I started off using an expensive department store eye makeup remover. Then I tried various other brands. But what I've found works the best is Pamper's Lavender Baby Wipes -- one side of the wipe is smoother than the other, and it's gentle on the eyes, and takes EVERYTHING off. It's fast, convenient and one tub of wipes costs a whole lot less than a small $10 bottle of makeup remover that is either too oily, doesn't work, and doesn't last long. AND -- it works at getting a quick stain off of your shirt when the baby spits up on you.

Tip #5: Deodorant. I use it. So should you. But a long time ago, I discovered Secret. It's strong enough for a man, but made for a woman - literally. In fact, this deodorant works so well, my husband uses it. Shhhh -- that's a secret!

Tip #5: Dry cracked heels and elbows -- I hate that! And recently, I discovered that Aquaphor Healing Ointment works wonders on those two tough spots! And again, this product is very expensive, and the CVS brand works just as well. And, I only need to use it occasionally.

Tip #5: I struggle with dry skin. STRUGGLE. Cracked, flaky, itchy, ugly dry skin. I've used every imaginable lotion on the market. Including Bath and Body Works stuff. But I accidentally discovered a lotion that leaves my skin so soft ... And I have my son to thank for this tip! I started using this product on my son, and noticed that it was leaving my hands silky smooth. So I started using it on ME too, and I love it ... Huggies Lavender and Chamomile lotion. It is gentle, leaves my skin silky soft, and smells good, too!

Tip #6: Want to keep your pearly whites, well -- white? My Pastorman's wife recently went to the dentist and the dentist told her to use a toothpaste by Arm & Hammer. She shared this with me, so I figured I'd give it a try. Well -- it cleans your teeth very well, leaves them smooth, AND whitens them! Actually, toothpastes aid in removing stains ... not literally "whitening them." Did you know that toothpastes may contain one or more of the following ingredients as an abrasive for cleaning teeth? Alumina, hydrated silica, dicalcium phosphate, salt, pumice, kaolin, bentonite, calcium carbonate (chalk), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), calcium pyrophosphate. Interesting.

Tip #7: I used to work for a company that put on really big conferences. I did the money end of the conferences, but one year, we did a huge symposium in Kansas City for HUD. It was held in the Kansas City Convention Center ... and heavens! That place is huge!!! It covers 8 blocks, has three levels, and we used every single square inch. In fact, we needed golf carts to get around! By the end of the week, I had managed to break one toe, and bruise several others. Owww! But one of the experienced conference planners gave me a strange tip that might be useful for whenever you plan on being on your feet for a long time ... She recommended spraying antiperspirant on your feet. It helps prevent blistering, and energizes them, and gets them going for a good long time. And at the end of a long day on your feet, you can roll the can back and forth under your foot for a quick massage. Weird, huh?

I had another tip, but I can't remember what it was ... anyone have a tip for my memory?

Hopefully, I'll look as young as my mother does when I'm her age... And, if you have any beauty tips, share them with us in the comments!

I was just tagged by Carol and Heather to do a Meme, and it's going to require some thinking. As if I don't do enough of that at work -- LOL!!! So, I'll get to it this weekend, and post it on Monday -- will that work?

Have a blessed day in the Lord, and don't forget to bask in his love.