By Jessica Broverman, Editor
We have all gone to certain lengths for our appearance. Whether it be getting a haircut or applying makeup every day, we all have been there. This not only is a part of how we as a society view beauty, but also how we see our personal beauty due to the media. It is far more of an advantage to embrace our natural beauty, rather than change it.
A large concern that should be taken into consideration is the fact that we are destroying our skin, hair, pores and many other parts of our bodies with harsh chemicals. Have you ever looked at the ingredients for your favorite concealer or that fantastic smelling conditioner? Those beauty products contain all sorts of chemicals.
Most conditioners contain a product called cyclopentasiloxane. Cyclopentasiloxane is one of the main ingredients for hair conditioners and is a silicon based cyclic compound. So instead of using brand name conditioners, you could be using a healthier alternative like coconut oil instead. Makeup also destroys your pores and can even cause wrinkles over time.
There are many all natural brands for makeup or you could even go without cover up and just use a light eye shadow and blush. I recently discovered how expensive beautification can really be when I decided to experiment with acrylic nails. I went to a nail salon located in Sarasota, F.L. to get them done at the cost of $70.00, including the tip. A week and a half later, I realized just how much this would cost me in the long run and how it wasn’t worth it. My first visit was $70.00 and it would cost me no less than $35.00 to get them done every two weeks. That would be over $850.00 a year just to keep my fake nails looking nice, while my real ones get destroyed underneath.
I could never calculate how much time it takes to primp for daily occurrences like school and work, amongst special events like weddings and so on. That is just another reason to keep your beauty regime simple and basic. Putting on a primer, then the actual cover up, and also your bronzer if you lack Vitamin D like myself. Then you put on your eye shadow, mascara, eye liner, and for some you might also pencil in your eye brows. Lastly, you’ll have your blush, lip stick or gloss. It is truly exhausting and completely unnecessary to cover your face in so many different things, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and half to put on.
Pain is also a large factor when it comes to beauty. Many women and men go to great lengths to look a certain way, but sometimes you need to find your own personal limit. Though waxing is one of the healthiest ways to remove hair from your body, it can be very painful. Shaving for some people is also very uncomfortable due to ingrown hairs and razor burn. Plucking eye brows, waxing your upper lip, and shaving your legs are all things that we either do regularly or have tried once. Whatever you may prefer, no man or woman should ever feel pressured to go through pain for others to view them as attractive.
If your reason behind putting on makeup and flat ironing your hair is what makes you feel good, then do it. Just be sure to be healthy and safe when doing so. Don’t do anything that you aren’t comfortable with. Especially if someone else is the culprit of your thought process as to why you are using these techniques in the first place. How you view yourself, make up or not, is what makes you beautiful.
