The Shift to Thrift.

Beautiful Thrift: Beauty on a Budget.

“To the people who love you, you are beautiful already. This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings but because they so clearly see your soul.

Your shortcomings then dim by comparison. The people who care about you are willing to let you be imperfect and beautiful, too.”

Victoria Moran, Lit from Within: Tending Your Soul for Lifelong Beauty

My daughter, who had always had a beautiful skin and not a spot through her entire teenage years, arrived at her late twenties and developed acne along her jaw line. Over the years she’d spent many hours and dollars at the beautician and used expensive skin products. Months of visits to the beauty salon and the use of advised expensive potions could not fix the problem. Finally a visit to the dermatologist diagnosed the problem, told her to ditch all the expensive products she’d been using and advised her to use simple products purchased for approximately ten dollars.

Potions and perfumes will empty the purse and clutter the bathroom of many women. Of course we all want to be beautiful, but here’s the thing, Life is not a fashion parade or a beauty pageant and beauty does not come in a bottle or a Botox injection. Beauty, like style, is a matter of how the inner person is reflected and is expressed to the world through outward appearance. Authentic beauty is real and shines through a life filled with real experiences both tragic and magic.

I often think of the beauty expressed in the lines in Desiderata; Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Youth must fade but when the vigour of youth is replaced with grace and wisdom, which only years of real living can deliver, the pay off does not seem so bad. Wrinkles and grey hairs will come and we should realise they are not the enemy, they have been earned and are actually the trophy for survival through the ravages of life, and that is something in which to take quiet pride.

The best place to start a beauty make over is to become your own personal cardiologist and get to work on that heart and make it beautiful! The heart which bears no malice, forgives self and others, seeks peace and looks for the best in every situation will not let the face down.

Much of beauty is a result of good grooming. Good grooming means shiny hair, clean teeth, fresh breath, zero unpleasant body odour and cared for hands and feet with no dirty broken nails or cracked heels.

A good haircut is essential, so find a hairdresser who understands how to make the most of your hair. For over 30 years, I had my hair, streaked, foiled or dyed blonder. This was often an expensive process by the time I had the treatment and purchased the products to care for the treatment. When I was considering retirement, I decided that my hair would be well cared for but natural. After three quite short haircuts, all of the “processed” hair had been cut off. Now when I go to the hairdresser, they tell me that my hair is in good condition and healthy. Maintaining hair in tip top condition with regular trims and a flattering style is essential; spending hundreds of dollars at the salon is not!

Your smile is your best feature so take good care of teeth and practice dental hygiene. Dental treatment can be expensive, says she who last week needed to have her $3000 crown extracted. Long story! There was no other option and we need to see what options are available after healing is complete – But remember, the whole point of everyday thrift is that there is money available for the important and bigger expenses. And your smile is important!

Find a simple and natural skin care regime which works for you. Remember there is no need to purchase the most expensive products. Keep skin cleansed, moisturised and sun protected. Be consistent about skin care, cleansing off make up and grime from the day and applying moisturiser before going to bed, no matter how tired you feel. Minimise and reduce your beauty regime to a few products and a few steps which become second nature and be consistent in caring for your precious body. Wear a brimmed hat when outside to protect face from the harsh sunlight.

Be like a cat and stretch each morning to keep the body supple. Touch your toes in the shower. Practice good posture. Work with what nature has gifted and make the best of your natural beauty. Keep life and beauty products simple, natural and ethical.

NO ONE else has your brand of beauty. Believe in yourself! Bloom in your space!

The following quote has also been credited to Audrey Hepburn, but whoever penned it has just about summed up beauty.

Time Tested Beauty Tips by Sam Levenson
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!”