Beauty Today: All Smoke and Mirrors?Written by Danna Schneider
Did you ever notice that bar is continually being raised on exactly what physical characteristics define beauty? As I sit in front of TV, I am bombarded by beauties with pouty lips, perfect bone structure, flawless skin, more "voluptuous" upper regions, size 2 waists, and hair that resembles spun silk. Take these same beauties and plop them back in time 20-30 years, when advent of modern cosmetic technology had not even begun to reach its full potential. Do you think they would have had those same attributes you find yourself longing for when faced with these images? My guess is probably not, or at least not to same extent.True, genetics play a role in physical beauty, but with likes of Total "extreme" makeover reality TV (The Swan, Extreme Makeover, Dr. Beverly Hills) and abundant publicity, we see that beauty and cosmetic improvement can now be achieved by a few thousand dollars and a good plastic surgeon. Not only that, but cosmetics in general are now so technologically advanced, you can dramatically improve your appearance by personal makeup application and home treatments (for best, proven product http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com ). There are now do-it-yourself cosmetic treatments such as home microdermabrasion kits, chemical peels, "botox" creams and gels, teeth whiteners, hair removal treatments, cellulite treatments, professional hair straighteners and colors, self tanners, lip enlargers, acne treatments, and list goes on and on. Cosmetics marketers and science have joined forces to give women everything they ever wanted to be their most beautiful, and feel better about themselves. Women are benefitting by so many companies competing for a piece of these fairly new markets by lower, more competitive prices.
| | RitualsWritten by Jean Johnson
RitualWhat rituals do you have in your life? We all have them. Do you always add cream and sugar to your cup before you pour in coffee? Do you never leave house without making your bed? Do you have a cup of tea before retiring? Do you always comb your hair and freshen your lipstick before going into a meeting? Do you brush after every meal? Rituals. Of course trimming tree as a family; turkey on Thanksgiving, red flowers on Valentine’s Day are more noticeable rituals. We all have them - big and small. Rituals. Rituals are important in our lives. They give us unity, consistency, harmony, connectedness. As world becomes a more stressful, chaotic, disconnected place ritual can bring us back to ourselves and our families. We can create less stress, more communion, more harmony in our lives by creating our own rituals. Big or small. Rituals. I have a “writing ritual”. When I get up and am ready to write I make a cup of tea (Equal goes in cup first), I go into my office and turn on my little desk fountain, light candles, turn on some quiet music, sit in my big chair, pick two Angel and one Goddess cards, and select my colored pen for day. I then write five items in my gratitude journal, read a daily meditation and begin my journal. I usually begin by writing down my Angel and Goddess cards and what those words mean to me today. Then I’m usually off and running. Other writers have other rituals. But this ritual relaxes me, it reassures me, and it gets me started. I feel grounded and nurtured by doing this. Ritual: a ceremonial act or actions; a customarily repeated act or set of acts. Rituals are soothing . . . something we can depend on. For women with harried, hectic lives a few minutes of a daily ritual can be a few minutes that unravels and unwinds. A ritual can be anything you desire . . . from meditation to washing and creaming your face. You already do rituals . . . notice them . . . slow them down . . . breathe while you do them . . . enjoy! And create new ones. You don’t meditate? Get up fifteen minutes earlier and start. You don’t wash and cream your face at night? Buy some wonderful soap and moisturizer, get a pretty towel, and start. You’ll not only feel better, you’ll look better. In movie Soul Food they had a ritual of Sunday Family Dinner. Lots of families used to have that, but busy schedules have all but eliminated it. In Soul Food, after mother died, so did ritual, and family fell apart. To reunite family they recreated ritual - and it worked.
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