View this post on Instagram

 

“A skin care routine is important to keep your skin in good condition as you age.”

“Good skin care is essential to avoid wrinkles.” “Taking care of your skin will help your skin look and feel young and vibrant.”

“If you start a beauty routine at an early age, it will keep your skin glowing; it prevents acne and treats wrinkles.”

It’s what I was told my entire life. But I didn’t listen nor care much at all. I was too busy being young, beautiful, and fabulous.

Wrinkles were the last thing on my mind at 20-something.

There were many nights I was too tipsy or tired to even remove the ridiculous amount of makeup caked on my face let alone cleanse, tone, and moisturize.

It wasn’t until I hit 40 that I took notice of the changes in my appearance when I looked in the mirror. Up until that point, I never thought much about the way I looked or how I was taking care of my skin.

All of a sudden, everything changed about my appearance. Who was this person staring back at me in the mirror?

I had dark circles around my eyes. I had lines forming around the corners of my eyes. My neck appeared stretched and loose.

I realized I looked and felt tired and old.

Oh, hell no!

“If I could only find the fountain of youth,” I thought to myself as I quickly pulled out my laptop to surf the World Wide Web for the latest beauty trend that would hide my age-related flaws quickly.

I found tons of products promising visible results in as little as one week. Products that would help me look and feel the best version of myself. Products guaranteeing I would look younger by reducing, masking, and preventing signs of aging. Products that would fight my wrinkles leaving me with firmer and tighter skin. And anti-aging treatments that would give me flawless and younger-looking skin.

My obsession became intense. I bought every product on the market that was going to make me look and feel young and beautiful.

When we look good, we feel good—right?

But can a cream, moisturiser, or exfoliate really take away years from my looks? I wanted to believe that a product would make me look good so I could feel good. I wanted to believe that it was going to magically take away signs that I was getting older.

I am an advertiser’s dream come true. I believed every claim of youthfulness that was promised. I was so naïve that if someone tried to sell me a stick off the ground and tell me I’d look younger if I waved the branch over my face, I’d buy it.

So I tried them all. Except for the stick thing. No one actually tried to sell me that. But I would’ve if it would have done the job.

I wanted it so badly, so I believed everything I read. I spent thousands of dollars on beauty products just so I could feel good about myself.

I was completely disappointed with the results. Nothing worked. In truth, no product ever gave me the fountain of youth I was looking for.

It felt like I was tricked into thinking I could find youth and beauty in a product.

I did, however, discover the importance of having a daily beauty routine. Our skin absolutely needs care and nurturing. In reality, our skin will age regardless. A beauty routine is not to fight age. It’s to look happy and healthy as we age. Wrinkles and all.

So instead of looking good to feel good, why not start with the inside first?

The fact is when we feel good, we look good.

How do we start within?

There are two ways to look and feel beautiful at any age. Acceptance and confidence gave me the youth and beauty I was so desperately seeking.

Acceptance that I was in fact getting older and I would show signs of aging no matter what I did or didn’t do.

I began to accept every wrinkle, every laugh line, and every crease around my eyes. They were all signs of the beautiful life I lived.

Confidence in the way I looked. I didn’t try to hide the changes I was experiencing. I held my head up high and built confidence within. Youth and beauty really begin on the inside. They radiate from within and shine through in the way I live my life, the way I look at myself in the mirror, and the way I view the world around me.

And that is what makes us look and feel young and beautiful.

Nothing is going to turn back time on our looks. We can’t possibly look 20-something when we are in fact 40, 50, or over 60 . And honestly, why would we?

It doesn’t mean we have to give up on youth and beauty. We can look youthful and beautiful at any age.

When I changed my mindset on youth and beauty, it changed the way I saw myself.

Now when I look in the mirror, I see beauty, resilience, boldness, radiance, savviness, and elegance.

I am young and beautiful.

~

Please consider Boosting our authors’ articles in their first week to help them win Elephant’s Ecosystem so they can get paid and write more.