Guest Post: You Are Beautiful.

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. "

~ Audrey Hepburn.

The word 'beauty' means different things for different people.

When tackling the subject of beauty, I am always very wary of it, as it is difficult to find a fine line with feeling beautiful and looking beautiful.

I think that with the amount of lotions and potions stocking the shelves in shops these days, and the amount of celebrities raving about certain make up products and even cosmetic surgery to make them look flawless and 'beautiful', can confuse matters towards the way we feel about ourselves, and we forget the real beauty in life.

This may sound a little hypocritical as I am a self - obssessed make up junkie, always eager to buy the latest trick to get rid of any blemishes, and always trying out silly diets that promise to lose a stone in a week, I am guilty of being drawn into this crazy little world of insecurity. It is a vicious circle, the more you believe in it, the more you worry about your imperfections, the more you let it bother you and buy into this self-concious society that we live in these days.

I just wanted to write this guest post for Elizabeth, as I think some of us (including me) have lost the meaning of true beauty. I think we are all guilty of forgetting beauty is skin deep, and our imperfections; with mine being a triple-chin, big nose and flat hair (to name but a few!) we forget that these so -called imperfections are what make us different from each other, unique in our own little way. Surely we should be embracing what God gave us, be it short height, freckled skin or curly hair, why do we intend to change it so much?!

I try to make myself feel happier about the way I look and feel, and those horrible days that even the biggest tonne of make up doesn't help.

1. Write a list of everything you LOVE about yourself. Now, come on, theres loads! Dont put yourself down! Maybe it is your eyes, your hair colour, the way you dress, how positive you are, your sense of humour? Write it all down and read it over and over again until it sinks in. I know this sounds a little silly and obvious, but it really does work. I promise you will feel tonnes better having done it.

2. Treat yourself to a face mask, a bar of chocolate and pop on your favourite DVD. Gather your friends or family around you and forget about your appearance and focus on enjoying yourself and smiling. Show it off, everyone loves to see it!

3. A follow up to that last point.... smile more often! Even if you are having the worst day at College, everythings gone wrong, a smile is the best thing you can ever wear. You can fool others around you you are not fazed, and soon enough you will convince yourself things are not so bad when you wear a smile :)

4. Its very easy for someone to say to you 'don't be so insecure about your looks', ' cause its hard when you are unhappy with your appearance! Ask your close family or friends things they love about you. Remind yourself of these things when you are feeling insecure about yourself. Remind yourself of all of your achievements and all of the compliments you have been given, forget the insults! Look in a mirror to look at all of your finer features, and think about how different they are to others. Dont dwell on this, cherish you were born as a unique human being and of all the lucky things you have to be grateful for.

5. Lastly, when I am feeling particularly rubbish about my appearance or myself in general, I take all of my make up off when I get home. I take my hair down, change into comfy clothes. I put my favourite music on my iPod full blast (its usually a choice between Pink and Bon Jovi for me) and dance around your room as if you haven't a care in the world. A little crazy, yes. But very, very therapeutic!

Hope you found this a little interesting or even helpful. I suffered from low self - esteem regarding my appearance and weight a few years ago which was a low point for me. I just wanted to say that you are all beautiful, put aside the make-up and hair products for one moment. Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. And remember, no one can control how you feel about YOU. Happy girls are the prettiest.

Thank you Elizabeth for giving me a great experience to guest blog for you, You are a lovely lady with one mighty fine blog :) xx

Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart.
Now, I'm sure you're wondering who on earth wrote this beautiful piece of the internet?
That would be Zoe-Lianne from http://zoeliannex.blogspot.co.uk/
I wont lie- when I read her post ready to put up, I may have felt a little emotional. She's written such amazing words right here.
In fact, you should all go tell her how much of an amazing girly she is.
Zoe's blog is definitely one of my favourites, you'll regret not reading it :)