I've been asked if I have or had fillers done? The answer is no. If I have or had botox done? Again, the answer is no. If I have had any type of injectable procedure or surgery on my face? Once again, no, I have not and that is just my personal choice. Having said that, to clarify, I'm not writing this blog entry to lecture, or ridicule anyone that does have these procedures done regularly or who has tried it - Actually far from that.
I just find it such a shame how much our society fears the aging process, especially the pressure that has been placed on women. I have to say it is society's fault 100%. It is constantly in our faces, completely amplified due to the growth of social media and accessibility we have in being "connected online". So, we should look "perfect" right? and be "desirable" for as long as we can but for who? for others? or for ourselves?
Ultimately, we all WILL age. That's just the way the life cycle goes but why not age naturally, gracefully and learn to not be so hard on ourselves? Self-acceptance is a journey I had to really work on for many years but the older that I get, the more I find myself happier and comfortable in my skin due to this inner work. I seem to care less about putting on makeup every time I have to head out. There are several times a week now I don't bother with putting on makeup and that especially began when COVID-19 lockdowns hit and we all had to work from home. There really wasn't a need. However, I have found that my skin has replenished itself on its own when I don't wear makeup. Having seen this positive difference in my skin, I now just let it breath on its own a couple days a week - makeup free. I was reading over some of my past blog entries, in specific, "Inner beauty is in. Outer beauty is out" from 2013:
So what about aging gracefully, naturally and without altering your genetic, ancestral features - why not embrace your "FAB JEN-etics"? :) I'm not saying don't buy anti-aging products at all or don't take care of your skin. Actually, the more we age we have to take care of our skin MORE. I just hope to see a change in marketing, in the words that are used and the belief system. There are some brands that have done a great job at sending great messages about loving the skin that you're in such as Dove's real beauty campaign. We really do need more of these types of messages but it seems like we need a major transformation in normalizing the aging process. It's not about "anti", or avoiding/controlling it, it's about accepting it, managing it by using products that are appropriate for our skin at our particular age and learning to be more accepting of aging. After all, each year we do gain wisdom - I would hope :)
So what do I do to keep youthful? I've been asked this time and time again. As you now know, I've never had any type of injectables done but it has been essentially just taking care of my skin with particular products which I will share. In addition to what I put into my body, I don't drink heavily but I will enjoy a glass of wine or cocktail here or there. I don't smoke at all. I SLEEP and always make time for this but I also don't oversleep. I also try to stay active some sort of way, I take multivitamins and have stepped up the calcium intake to 1000 mg. In addition, for the past 2 years I've added collagen, Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides to my diet and put it in my coffee every morning. I have seen a very positive, visible difference in my skin, hair and nails and so have others, including my hair stylist. She always asks "did you do something to your hair? Because it's much stronger and healthier".
So what do I use on my face? I use serums - specifically Vichy V mineral 89 and Olay Wrinkle correction Serum that has B3 and Peptides. I like a light moisturizer that doesn't just float over top the skin, that doesn't make me look oily and that doesn't make me break out like Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. When I say that these products has given my skin life, they have with a glow over the past year. Finally, I make it almost a daily practice, if not daily to use Gua Sha and a Rose Quartz Beauty Roller first thing in the morning to reduce puffiness, increase circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage. I wake up earlier when I can and take time for me for at least 20 minutes to apply the serums, the moisturizer, and just massage my face with my fingers, and apply the Gua Sha and the Rose Quartz beauty roller. These are the products that I use faithfully:
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This is me with minimal makeup on. This selfie was taken December 2022 in specific but this blog entry is my insight and thoughts on where today's culture is going and I strongly feel a change is needed. I also hope to remind you that you are fabulous!
Do what is right for you and not for others. There is no such thing as perfection, be you, be unique don't conform to a cookie cutter version of what society calls perfection. And also, be more loving and kinder to yourself this year. - Stay FAB. XO Jennifer aka The Prof |