When it comes to dressing the female body, there are so many things we have to take into consideration besides our basic shape and personal coloring. Building a practical functioning wardrobe isn't as easy as best selling beauty authors make it sound. Why are we all having trouble paring down our wardrobe until it contains only 10 perfect pieces? Besides being downright impractical, it's because they are not taking into consideration our inner essence. The clothes we choose to wear must feel right, not merely look good and it's sometimes hard to figure out exactly what our own perfect pieces are supposed to look like.
Not all clothing is suitable just because it seems to flatter us. Certain clothes just "feel right" when we put them on, while others don't and we can't figure out why. Learning how to read these internal, subliminal messages is not easy to do, though vitally important. Clothes are speaking to us when we put them on and deep inside our inner most being, we're speaking back. There's a running conversation (sometimes arguing) going on subconsciously between us and our clothes, without us even realizing it. What we decide to do temporarily or permanently, based on that internal conversation has profound effects on our image, and the way we choose to present ourselves to others.
So let's take a journey together, an inner journey, temporarily laying aside our perceived physical limitations for now and search our hearts for answers. For the missing parts, the deeply hidden pieces we need to solve this complicated, and sometimes emotional puzzle. We'll start by purposely quieting ourselves and asking probing questions such as, "Who am I? Why do I dress the way I do? Who/what has influenced me most in the way I've chosen to dress myself? Books? Friends? TV? The Bible?"
Who Am I, Really?
How would a stranger describe me? What do I imagine they see, when they look at the way I carry myself, the way I dress and present myself? Do I care what others think? Who am I secretly dressing for anyway? Seriously, who am I really dressing to please? God? My Husband? My Pastor? Myself? The neighbors? The World? Who? Whose opinions matter the most to me? Whose disapproval do I fear or dread?
Am I free to dress in whatever way I desire ? Or am I trapped by the opinions of those all around me, whether they be friends, or family or strangers? Who or what is holding me back from dressing myself in the way I would feel most attractive? Have I carried hurtful knick names and childhood baggage with me well into adulthood? Hurtful memories I should have abandoned a long time ago? By the way, have I even considered God might have an opinion about the way I choose to dress myself?
Now that we've expanded our thinking in that we're now considering that God Himself may desire to be involved in the practical matters of our lives .... actually when was the last time any of us took the time to earnestly consider how God Himself would dress somebody?
Very God, All Powerful, Great and Mighty who created them male and female. What types of clothing do you think He would recommend we wear for our current lifestyles? Beautiful yet practical, where would He have us shop? Walmart? The Mall? Thrift stores? Yard sales? Or would He prefer that we all design our own clothes? Do you think He would recommend we all dress the same? Is there only one type of flower? Think about it...
Have we even considered the flowers and how beautiful God made them, the way Jesus told us to? If we would open our eyes to the world around us and recognize the intricate work of our Creator, if we would consider nature, we would see that our Creator loves beautiful things and has created beauty all around us. Why did He go through all that trouble to make things beautiful? For Himself, or for our pleasure? Shouldn't we then also make extra effort to dress ourselves beautifully for our husbands and to bring pleasure to those around us?
Think About It
Take time to dig deep and to answer the earlier questions we asked because they will reveal your true heart and bring to the surface issues of approval you may be struggling with. If you answer honestly, you will discover things inside of yourself, that are subtly influencing your life, you may never have known were in there. Bring it all out into the light and deal with it. Pray about what you find. It's time to shake off those opinions and controlling attitudes of others, it's time to deal with the ghosts of the past that have been preventing you from becoming who God created you to be. When it comes right down to it, God's opinion matters the most and after that, for sure our husband's opinion is the next most important.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
If you only wear certain feminine styles around the house but would never be seen out in public dressed that way, means you care for the opinions of the world and have given them a measure of control over your life. On the other hand, if you're all buttoned up at church, but on "your time" you let it all hang out, flashing cleavage and private things, means you're a hypocrite living a double standard.
It's time to be honest with ourselves and uncover those pesky demons controlling our lives. Why do we do feel insecure and hesitant? What's holding us back from dressing the way we've always wanted to, joyfully celebrating our God given femininity?
Dressing 101:
Now this exercise may seem silly and amateurish but bear with me.
Basic information: If you were born a woman then common sense dictates that as a woman, you should wear and will be comfortable in womanly attire. Simple, right? Well no, not necessarily. Today life has become confused in so many ways, particularly in this area of appropriate clothing.
So let's put our heads together and do some serious thinking on this subject..........
Think: Consider a big, husky, muscular man.... is it ever appropriate for him to wear a dress? No. Never? No. Even if he finds them comfortable? No. What about a thin man? No. An attractive man? No. A short man? Still no? Why? Because dresses are the appropriate attire of a woman. Everybody knows that! And not only that, but it would be shameful for a man to wear a dress. What's highly appropriate dress for a woman is utterly disgraceful for a man.
Let that sink in.
Now think: if a man can't/shouldn't wear a dress then who are dresses for? Women. Right! Then why do we sometimes feel embarrassed to wear them ? We have already established that it would be embarrassing for a man to wear a dress, but why are women made to feel embarrassed or strange if they decided to wear a dress to anywhere but church? Somehow dresses have become inappropriate, and in many parts of our country utterly disregarded in that to the majority they serve no real purpose at all, anymore. Now one must have an "occasion" to wear a dress.
OK, so far, we have established that men under no circumstances may wear a dress and that the majority of women today see little value in them. But can I tell you that wearing dresses can be powerful! Think of the feminine power we woman have when we wear a dress. We declare to the world, and to the feminists that our God made us female and we're proud of it! So there! We're proud of who God created us to be and have no desire to look like men. We can flaunt our femininity and there's nothing they can do about it! So far those who have attacked the family and God's idea of marriage haven't made wearing dresses against the law!
Besides, its fun to wear a pretty dress. Die hard feminists and men will never know that pleasure. It may seem like a small thing, but think about all those beautiful dresses and that no man, no matter how rich, noble, or attractive, can ever under any circumstance wear a dress! Lately in modern society they may have crossed the line with the long hair and earrings, but dresses still belong exclusively to women! There is something comforting and soothing when we see women wearing dresses. However men can only enjoy the beauty of a pretty dress if a woman chooses to put one on, if not, they will be deprived of that pleasure.
You see, that pleasure ( wearing dresses) has been forbidden to men but has been granted to us. From the time we were little girls we could slip on a dress whenever we wanted to, and feel wonderfully feminine, wonderfully female, just the way God made us. Many of us remember the time when girls only wore dresses in school, since pants were not allowed. The changing world system, run by the prince of the power of the air, is still trying hard to blend the sexes together, contrary to our Creator's wishes. But deep inside we all have a God given conscience that tells us that just as men marrying men is wrong, so is men wearing dresses just plain wrong. Even those who don't know God understand that.
OK, so if it is never appropriate for a man to wear a dress then how much more should a woman desire to wear one? Dresses belong to women. Just like long hair and long finger nails, dresses have been given to us! So why aren't we wearing dresses then, since we've already well established that dresses belong exclusively to us? What are we afraid of? The world's opinion? Being unstylish? What has happened to our thinking that we're not satisfied with womanly clothes anymore, so much so, that we're even stealing from our husband's closet in our unnatural quest to imitate masculine attire.
Manly clothes may cover you up, and you may feel covered and modest while you're dressed with a huge manly shirt over jeans, but it isn't attractive. It isn't pretty. It isn't feminine. It isn't womanly. Yes we're seen as modest, and covered but also manly, sloppy and unkempt. Ladies, we can be just as modest wearing a pretty dress if we are careful to choose ones that are modest and flatter our figures, ( meaning no cleavage and not too short )
If there aren't any in the stores that suit you, then sew your own. No sewing machine, no problem! I knew a woman who sewed all her clothes by hand. Yes, that's right, by hand! She just sewed all the seams using a small running stitch. Yes it will take longer than using a sewing machine, but you'll still achieve the same goal, of creating your own pretty dress, custom tailored to your figure. You can do anything you want to if you're determined and motivated. Just lay out and cut your pattern and while sitting with your husband in the evening sew up a seam. Before you know it, you'll be done. Don't be in such a hurry. Enjoy your life. Sewing is fun!
Woman, Do You Know How Beautiful You Are?
Yes, you! You're beautiful! Do you really understand the way God sees you? He has created you to be the beautiful flower in your home. Maybe you've never understood this concept before. God created you beautiful! Don't go looking for all your imagined flaws, God is the artist and He created you beautiful! He looked and said, it was all very good. Including you! Your husband also chose you because in his eyes you are beautiful. What does the rest of the world matter? God and your husband are pleased with you. You bring your husband great pleasure when you make the effort to be beautiful for him. And this pleases God, very, very much when we follow His plan to bring pleasure to those around us.
Your husband has been created, figuratively, as a sturdy green plant. Plain and unadorned on it's own, just like the green grass, but you, the woman has been created to be the beautiful, delicate flower, that adorns and compliments the green plant and completes it. You bring the beauty. Yes green plants are pleasing to look at, but their beauty alone can't even touch the beauty we derive from flowers.
Flowers come in all shapes and sizes. I've never met a flower I didn't like or couldn't find some beauty in. So ladies, it doesn't really matter what size we are or if we think we're attractive or not, God sees us as beautiful, so do our husbands. Do you see now that's all that matters? Remember what we discussed earlier, (when we asked ourselves those deep questions in the beginning), we figured out that only God's opinion mattered and then after that our husband's? Those two unmovable anchors are who we dress for, even before we please ourselves.
So Ladies go to your closet and try on all of your dresses. Feel the power of your God given femininity. Look in the mirror.... you look like a woman... embrace that feeling. Dresses can only be worn by women, never forget that. As you're trying on all of the dresses you have purchased through out the years and now live in your closet, separate the good from the bad. All dresses have not been created equal. Just because it's not a pair of pants, doesn't mean it's good.
All Dresses Have Not Been Created Equal
Remember to tune in to your inner conversation. When you try on that long drab grey, clingy knit dress, realize that even though it's long, and you feel a sense of modesty because it's long, in reality it's deceiving you, giving you a false sense of modesty. Because in fact what it's really doing is clinging to your form in the most provocative way, exposing private things that should not be seen in public. Look in the rear view mirror, you'll be shocked! Disgard that deceitful dress and don't let it remain in close quarters with your good and honest dresses that would never deceive you that way. Those types of dresses were created to be worn by the children of darkness. Let them have them. That's why you never felt quite right when you put it on.
So let's remember the Lord when we dress each new day and let's shake off this world's influence. Wives, start living to please your husband once again, the way you did when you were first married. Let's embrace our femininity as children of the King. Now we live to please our Heavenly Father who created us and after that our greatest joy should be to please our husbands who married us.
God Bless!
An Elegant Lady understands the value of time management, so consequently she has learned to carefully guard her time, but never in a selfish, or controlling way. If others need her assistance, she's more than willing to set aside her own plans to help and comfort others with whatever they have need of.
Something she will not do, however, is to willingly hand over her precious time to various, modern time wasters. Ever watchful of her own heart, she will not allow herself to fritter away hour after hour in mindless daydreaming, fueled by unnecessary blog addiction.
An Elegant Lady maintains control in every area of her life. She uses the Web skillfully, as a tool and not as a means of escape in order to put off unpleasant tasks. She's already fought and won that battle with that ancient fiend, that old time waster, called Procrastination. He's been on this Earth for a very long time and preys on naïve souls who have no clue he's even out there, ever ready to devour their precious time. But it's very rare these days for that demon to even come anywhere near her dwelling. No, not since she took her stand and decided to face him head on. Through an act of her will, she firmly stood against Procrastination once and for all. And so utterly did she overcome him, that he was put to an open shame, right in front of his pushy pals Fear and Dread. And so now they too stay as far away from Lady Elegance as possible, which is just fine with her.
This brave, Elegant Lady rises up each morning with strong, unwavering faith in her God. Through Him she overcomes every dreaded obstacle one by one. She is never intimidated by hardship, on the contrary she is positively invigorated by challenges. Through faith in God, she smiles confidently at the future and meets life head on. She doesn't give in to pressure. She is no coward.
This is a strong lady in disguise. Her enemies are always taken aback by her feminine appearance and are usually quite surprised to find that inside this soft spoken lady, is a women of great strength, utterly filled up with a powerful, overcoming love that will undo any foe, whether it be human or spirit. Inside of this Elegant Lady are reservoirs of Godly wisdom, and a river of patience that never runs dry. All of her strength she attributes to being fully and completely empowered by her God. Her Lord, Master and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because she is faithful, when she calls on Him, He answers quickly and saves her from every enemy that comes against her. Whether seen or unseen.
An Elegant Lady has absolute, criteria for every website that's a part of her life and will not allow herself to be caught up into the common trap of mindless, obsessive, 'unnecessary information' seeking, that has nothing whatsoever to do with her life.
Many People You Admire Have Learned The Value Of Time management
A secret only the Elegant Lady knows about herself, is that she is very disciplined in how she uses her time. That's how she's able to accomplish so many things in a day or a week, leaving friends, family and neighbors quite amazed by her accomplishments. Inwardly they think she's just different and unique, never fully realizing they have within themselves the same capacity to be just as productive as she is. And if they would begin today to trade the three hours (more or less) they spend mindlessly surfing the web, it would yield them plenty of time to accomplish their own amazing things. Learning skillful time management is available to everyone and if well learned, it will change your life.
Meet Me In Thirty Minutes...
THINK: Should I spend the next thirty minutes reading just one more blog, or should I hurry and clean the main bathroom until it sparkles and shines? What's more rewarding? What would benefit others? What do you suppose our Elegant Lady would do with that same thirty minutes that you mindlessly, fritter away?
This is the standard Miss Elegance has chosen for herself. Her strict rule of thumb is this: periodically she will ask herself questions concerning websites she has frequently visited in the past. She will ask...have any of these blogs effected any change in my life? Whether spiritual or physical, have any of them affected me at all?
If the blogs on your daily reading list have made no difference in your life in any way shape or form, then may I suggest you stop wasting your time reading those blogs? You don't need them! They're not contributing anything to your life. Think about it, there are much better, more productive things you can be doing with your time, rather then mindlessly reading blogs.
Don't Forget To Declutter Your Mind
Just like we have to declutter our homes, we also have to declutter our minds. Too many ideas can overwhelm us and shut us down, to the point where we feel helpless and sometimes frozen in that we can't seem to make up our minds any more and can't figure out what we want, or even knowing where to start. We can't seem to get clear direction like we used to. Our minds have been assaulted with too many choices, too many ideas. Doesn't matter if they're good ones or not. Sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much.
Ladies, think back over the last year and the websites you've spent your time reading. Have they effected your life for good, these blogging pals you've spent your days with? Or have they been merely entertaining you, a daily distraction keeping you from tending to the more important things in life? What would your impression be of any woman who played video games all day long, while ignoring piles of laundry and a sink full of dirty dishes? Aren't we doing the same thing reading blogs all day long disguised as helpful teaching tools when in fact they are merely entertaining us?
Carefully consider, has their advice/chatter changed you in a tangible way? Can you can see/feel a difference in yourself or your surroundings that you can directly attribute to their influence?
There is a lot of information on the Web and we must be selective or else we may lose whole days on the computer accomplishing absolutely nothing of any value.
Think: Have you exchanged any bad habits for good ones? Yes? Then keep reading that particular blog or blogs because they're reaching your heart and they're influencing you towards good in a tangible way. Have you incorporated any successful decorating ideas because of their tutorials? Is your house looking better? Is it cleaner, because of what they're teaching you about housekeeping? Then keep reading that blog, because its filling a legitimate need in your life.
Many Elegant Ladies Have Different Challenges
There are some Elegant Ladies who may be chair bound or temporarily forced to bed rest but are still able to indulge in some computer time. An Elegant Lady will use this temporary down time wisely. No matter what circumstances she may find herself in, an Elegant Lady will always use her time wisely and make the best choices in any situation.
No need to waste hour upon hour being entertained when there's so much mental work (decision making) that needs to be done. Mental work is just as important as washing dishes and sweeping floors, and should never be neglected. Don't allow that evil fiend Procrastination to keep you from making decisions. Stand up to him next time he shows up and fight back, with your will. What is clutter anyway but piles and piles of indecision.
If You Have Access To The World Wide Web, Be Sure To Use It Wisely
When you sit down to your computer, THINK: In my life and my family's lives, what needs improvement? What's not working? Take the time to think about these things. Look around. What needs to be changed or improved? Be specific and Do those things first! Don't get caught up in the endless downloading of information that contributes nothing to your life.
Take Action!
Brighten Up That Dark Room!
Let's say for instance, you have a depressingly dark room in your home that you wish could be happier, brighter. Just determine to find an answer! Don't ignore the problem and get caught up in various distractions. Do something about it. Take action! Do you need to paint the room a lighter color? Maybe you could bring life into the room by bringing in something living, such as green plants or a bird? Is your furniture too large and heavy, or old and stuffy? How about pulling out your sewing machine and sewing some bright, clean feeling, slipcovers? Maybe the room needs some invigorating high contrast items. What about some black and white photography with white mats and dark brown or black frames?
Maybe the sparkle of mirrors or glass will do the trick, by reflecting whatever little light is in there. Ditto for mercury glass and polished silver. You might try bringing in more lamps and keep them turned on all the time, even in daytime, so that the room never feels too dark and oppressive. You might think about introducing white somewhere and also try bringing in brighter colors, say in flower colored pillows or how about using the pretty flowers themselves, real or silk?
There are many, many answers out there that will solve your particular problem, so prayerfully search the Web. Focus your energy on figuring out what the room needs, instead of turning off your brain, and ignoring the problem, while you seek to escape reality by reading blogs that are of no value to you. Determine to take action and then go in there and tackle the problem! Be sure to arm yourself with wisdom and knowledge, and pray first. Ask God to lead you to the right information and keep you from getting bogged down with all of the distractions that are sure to come your way, purposely sent to keep you from your goal.
What Is Holding You Back, What's Bothering You?
Maybe you don't have a dark room, and your house is really clean but you're not a very good cook, so meal times in your home are always stressful because you never really took the time to learn how to cook. Since you're the one who's in charge of meal preparation, wouldn't it be wise to spend some time becoming skillful in this area?
If you have acknowledged that this indeed is your problem, then determine from now on to use your time wisely and instead of distracting yourself by watching 'how to apply make up' videos for hours, find websites devoted to teaching the art of healthy cooking. DO NOT spend your time learning how to paint roses if you can't cook a decent meal. Get it? First tend to the things that are wrong and need definite improvement in your life. Do the important things first!
In the end, you may indeed learn to paint beautiful roses but what good is that, if every day dinner time at your house is extremely stressful, because you're serving your family meals that are far from satisfying, and may be a source of contention between you and your spouse?
Ladies these things matter. Don't fritter your time away on unimportant stuff. When you sit down to the computer, check your to do list first and THINK!
God Bless!
Hello girls and lovely ladies!
Are you surprised by the title? Does the idea that you might actually be wearing "UN-feminine Makeup" throw you off, just a little? Maybe you're like me and have always thought that all makeup is feminine. Is there really such a thing as unfeminine makeup? Well, after careful thought I'd have to say..... yes! I know you're all probably shocked by that... I was too!
You may not completely agree with me, since these are just my own heart felt opinions, and for sure I'm no authority, so all I ask is that you keep an open mind and prayerfully consider what I'm about to say.
It All Started One Day....
It all started one day when I went browsing through You Tube. After looking around a bit, I found a video on professional makeup application, by a 'professed expert'. This expert happened to be a man. What was weird right from the start, was that instead of demonstrating his makeup techniques on a girl, he applied the makeup on himself. Now since men don't wear makeup, I found this very strange. I don't know if he is homosexual or not, but it was a little uncomfortable, to say the least, to see a man applying makeup on himself!
I kept watching anyway though, because by now I was curious to see what he would do when it came to applying lipstick. Would he actually apply the lipstick on himself or not? And guess what? He did! And you know what? He didn't look gaudy or anything like that, actually he still looked like a man!
And that's the whole point of this blog post today, is that he applied full makeup on himself, and he still looked like a man! He didn't look like a woman after using multiple products. For sure, his skin was much smoother and free of redness and blemishes, but he definitely still looked male.
So how is that possible for a man to apply women's makeup in the way we're all taught to today and still look very much like a man you ask? Well, it's because he used bronzers and tanners, nudes and natural tones. Natural blush tones, natural lipstick and clear gloss, natural eyes shadows and bronzers in brown tones. He looked like himself only better and enhanced.
Look At The Big Picture...
That all sounds good doesn't it? He looked like himself only better.... But then the reality of what was really happening suddenly hit me! It's that this 'natural makeup look' is just another tactic to blend the sexes together and blur the differences between male and female. The idea, you see, is for male and female to look almost the same, with no visible distinctions. This tactic is precisely targeting the woman, so that she ends up losing more and more of her femininity. Gradually she's becoming more plain and manly. More athletic with obvious muscle definition, rugged, strong and tan. In other words, more male.
To get an idea of how far things have progressed, picture a person with a short cropped blond haircut, professionally shaped with highlights, tanned skin, natural make up in brown tones, tiny classic silver hoop earrings, crisp white shirt with jeans, brown leather belt and boots. Listen, today this picture is considered to be classy and tasteful. The problem I have, is that this classic recipe could be applied to either male OR female. If a man OR woman followed this advice, according to the fashion gurus either one could claim they look classic, put together and tasteful. How can that be? How is it that both the man and the woman can wear exactly the same things now, and it all feels normal to us? See... they are successfully blending the sexes together and I believe - purposely.
Christian Women Need To Resist Worldly Trends....
I think that we Christian women need realize what's happening. Don't blow these things off as if they're only superficial and unimportant. It's more than clothes and makeup, our enemy is aiming deeper. We need to come together with one heart under God and resist this trend and strive to retain our God given feminine identity. There's no need to look like a man. If we don't fight against this trend and stop imitating the world, after a while we'll begin to feel like men, act like men, and live like men. There's seeds of rebellion being planted and smug self sufficiency manifesting, in direct contrast to the commandments of God. This self sufficient woman is not keen on submitting to her husband or anyone else for that matter, not her boss or even God. For sure, she's not content to stay home and take her place as a keeper of her home, which she feels is beneath her.
We Are Strong Women---But Only In The Lord...
We are strong in the Lord, and can fight back and resist this trend, peacefully. First we'll have to wake up, ourselves, to the reality of what's actually going on and then alert others who maybe haven't noticed this subtle war being waged against God's creation when He made them male and female - and called it good!
So bottom line is this: we'll first have to remain alert ourselves while at the same time, pushing back against this trend and anything else that may be in the works coming at us through TV shows and magazines, (the usual suspects) that are along these same lines, while firmly holding fast to our God given femininity. How do we do that? Well there are many ways, but one of the ways is by only wearing the kinds of clothes a man could never wear. You could begin by trading in your jeans for a pair of feminine trousers if you're not comfortable in skirts or dresses yet, then pairing those slacks with a feminine top, long enough to cover what needs to be covered, for modesty's sake. That's a good start, but like I said, something that's overlooked not being discussed very often is the way we are choosing to wear our makeup. This is something that's easy to change if we really wanted to look more feminine. More female.
In The World, But Not Of It...
We all try so hard to feel accepted, and continually struggle to fit in with what happens to be in style, according to the world's standards and not by God. And lately, the world's standard is more and more towards a barefaced manly look, similar to the girl's makeup (or not) in this picture below. She may or may not have makeup on, but this is the ultimate goal, and that is to look like we have no makeup on at all, even though we do!
As feminine women, we should always try to apply our makeup in ways that a man could never get away with. Could men wear pink glossy lipstick? I think not. They could wear plain chap stick, or a clear gloss though, couldn't they? They could wear tanners and bronzers too, couldn't they?
Barefaced, manly look.
So how do we go about looking more feminine through the way we wear our makeup? Well, I believe that first and foremost we should use color in our makeup. If we want a natural look, then we should use soft pink or soft peach blush according to our personal undertones, and if we're darker skinned and need red, then wear red! If you feel you need to use a bronzer, then be sure to top it off with pink or peach blush to create feminine rosy cheeks. Wear soft color on your lips. Not plain gloss or bland, nude lipstick, but definite color!
Look Like A Girl...
Learn to use soft, colorful pastels to brighten your face. Stop trying to look tan and manly. Every woman can be feminine no matter what her coloring is, or her skin type, or her shape or build or if she was told by the 'fashion authorities' that she is the "athletic type." Don't let them put you into a mold and shape your identity. If you're a woman, you are feminine, first and foremost! That's all you have to know. Being a woman IS your style!
And Another Thing...
I can't tell you how many bleached blonds I have seen who insist on bleaching their hair to almost white and then tanning their skin to the point where it begins to resemble shoe leather. There will come a time when their skin won't bounce back the way it used to, the way it did when they were younger. Hence all those bleached blonde, older exercise gurus out there, with sculpted bodies that have been obsessively exercised to the point where their joints wore out, needing knee and hip replacements, displaying old faces even though in years, they're not really that old!
So What's The Answer ?
Girls, you can still achieve a natural look by using pretty pastels. Now I'm not talking about extremely bright colorful makeup, unless that looks good on you. If you have a deeper complexion and brighter pinks and deeper peaches look good on you and brighten up your face and make your skin glow, then wear them! We shouldn't shy away from color just because the trends say plain and 'natural' is in.
Doesn't this girl below have a soft, rosy glow? That's the pretty, feminine , dewy look we should all strive for, unless we have darker, deeper coloring. Then we'll use brighter pastels to get the same pretty colorful, washed effect.
Pretty, Feminine Look
So who looks more feminine to you, the girl in the first picture, or the one above? I understand that many of us come from different countries and are in different circumstances and conditions, so today I'm specifically speaking to girls and women who have easy access to make up and wear it on a daily basis. We can choose to apply our makeup any way we choose. We can also choose to use whatever colors we like. So I'm saying if you have a choice in the matter, at least give soft, pretty colors a try. Get rid of all your browns and aim for a soft, feminine, peaches and cream, dewy complexion. Replace heavy browns with lighter prettier tans and use pastels whenever you can.
Also, take care of your skin, that's just basic 101. Wash off all your makeup before going to bed. Moisturize daily. Drink water to keep yourself hydrated, eat more fruits and vegetables, homegrown if possible. Take vitamins. You have heard this all before, but do you do it? These are little habits that can have a big impact on how your skin looks and feels, especially as we age.
May it be that we all age gracefully, as daughters of the Most High God, Jehovah is His Name, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You may think you have the worst skin in the whole world, but all skin can be improved by sincere prayer to God, and with disciplined, consistent, daily attention, and also by putting a stop to things that abuse it - specifically going to tanning beds, excessive exercising, sugar addiction, smoking etc.
Jeans? You don't need them !
In closing, may I also add that we really need to give up our jeans, except for gardening, or painting, and things like that, but that's a whole 'nother' blog post we'll just have to save for another day!
God Bless!
An Elegant Lady has learned to seek God's grace daily. She knows that this will enhance her personal attractiveness much more than any of the available rich beauty treatments that are so popular with women. She learned a long time ago, that true gracefulness, though often imitated by the world, can only come from 'the God of all grace'. Each day, she allows God to love others through her, remembering that in the beginning, He created us all, for love.
An Elegant Lady will do her best not to offend others. She'll give attention to the small details others may overlook, such as making sure her breath smells clean and fresh when she knows she'll be in close contact with other people. If her meeting was scheduled ahead of time, she'll refrain from eating garlic the night before, for that very reason.
God's grace will softly shine through An Elegant Lady, effectively beautifying her in an intangible way. You can't really put you finger on the source of her beauty, which encompasses much more than her outward appearance. Those who know her best, acknowledge that something beautiful is definitely there, radiating out through her.
After spending time with An Elegant Lady, people sense there is something different and unique about her. Something very beautiful is manifesting through her that seems to soften and beautify all of her features. There is a brightness about her, an eternal hope that shines through her no matter how aged she may be. That peculiar something can't be purchased or bought in a bottle, since it comes from Heaven itself and has nothing whatsoever to do with this place we call Earth.
An Elegant Lady looks for ways to keep her family warm in the winter. She makes sure there is at least one warm, cozy throw on the couch, or on her husband's favorite chair. She'll either keep them neatly folded up in a basket, or casually draped, according to her personal style. As with so many other things in her home, most of the throws are handmade by her.
An Elegant Lady loves flowers and uses them everywhere. She knows their beauty can never truly be recreated by man, so she'll use the real deal whenever possible. However she has no problem using silk, imitation flowers, or floral paintings to beautify her home when she finds something she likes. There are many beautiful things in this world, but there is nothing that can replace the beauty of flowers.
An Elegant Lady is frugal, and sees the hidden value in an inexpensive pack of seeds. She'll take those seeds and plant a small flower garden for the sole purpose of cutting them and bringing their beauty indoors.
Flowers: the most beautiful things on Earth, almost free! God provides the sun, rain, and miracle, that makes them grow.
An Elegant Lady's bedroom will be a place of beauty. She will take whatever resources she has and will work until the beauty in her heart is manifested outwardly. For some this may happen quickly, for others it may take years, but the inward beauty will be manifested somehow, and a beautiful vase of flowers (real or silk) will start that process.
An Elegant Woman will keep soothing hand cream readily available. Near the kitchen and bath room sink, by the computer, and on her nightstand. An Elegant woman will always strive to keep her hands soft and cared for.
All these little things matter and if they are not neglected, will come together to make you into the woman you've always wanted to be. One small habit at a time, is all it takes.
An Elegant Lady will seek out knowledge to discover her skin's true undertones. Does she look better in peach or pink? Coral red or blue red? In order to feel feminine, an elegant lady must understand her blush colors, and skin undertones so that she will be able to use makeup skillfully, thereby enhancing her features.
Basic color knowledge isn't hard to understand and is necessary in order to enhance our appearance, since makeup application in the wrong tones can actually do more harm then good, and instead of enhancing the complexion will call attention to lines, wrinkles, redness and blemishes. Just the opposite of what we are hoping to achieve.
An Elegant Lady has learned to unreservedly love God, and receive His love back. This is where true beauty and elegance, really begins.
An Elegant Lady has nothing in common with those women who subscribe to the cropped, wash and go hair styles, void of beauty, designed specifically for women who live their lives in a hurry. She, on the other hand, won't run away from her grooming chores or rush through them, but fully embraces each and every one of them until they become part of her personal habits. Disciplines she will adhere to, well into old age.
Besides, she enjoys being a woman and working with her hair until it looks and smells lovely. She would never intentionally neglect this pleasantly feminine, grooming chore.
An Elegant Lady relies on her tried and true shampoos, and conditioners. Every so often she will even take the time to make her own fragrant rosewater to rinse her hair with, causing its lovely floral fragrance to fill the room, effectively turning an ordinary bathroom into a spa. Since this chore of hair washing must be done frequently, she will seek ways to make it as pleasant as possible.
These feminine rituals, add something to family life that only a woman can bring to the table. One day, her daughter will imitate what she saw her Mother faithfully doing all those years, later on, when it's time for her to step up and take her rightful place as queen of her own home.
Without women embracing these wonderful rituals men would have a very hum drum, plain soap and water existence. Husband's are attracted to the 'femaleness 'of women and the little things we do in order to look pretty for them, really brightens their day.
*The worst thing a wife can do, is neglect her appearance and let her grooming chores slide by, as if it doesn't matter. Men take it extremely personal when their wives stop caring about their appearance. In their manliness they assume their wife's love has grown cold, else why would she ignore his need to look upon her beauty, and also what will it say to his friends that his wife has let herself go?
These things matter to him, whether he knows how to verbalize it or not. We can't just live for ourselves. An Elegant Woman will consider her husband and children, in how she chooses to live her life. Overall laziness in attending to personal grooming chores, is not an option for the truly elegant woman.
An Elegant Lady makes sure her hair not only looks pretty and neat, but also that it smells clean and fresh. Pretty hair without cleanliness is void of elegance. Hair that's attractively styled, but deceptively hiding stale odors, is not fitting for any woman striving for elegance.
An Elegant Woman will grow flowers somewhere around her house. Whether that be in the landscape, window boxes, or porch planters, the Elegant lady will use God's gifts to beautify her environment.
An Elegant Woman understands the restorative power of the bath. It's beautifying effects are realized not only on her skin, but also on her mood.
An Elegant Woman strives to look attractive for her family, and fully understands that most of the joy in life is realized when we live to please God and others, and so we do these things for them and not for ourselves. Therefore the excuse, "I don't feel like it, it's just for me anyway, so it really doesn't matter what I do"- becomes irrelevant.
Never underestimate the power of flowers, to beautify any environment. An Elegant Lady knows this. Think of someone whom you consider elegant, are there flowers there?
There are so many different facets to an Elegant Lady's life, but the beginning of true beauty, the beginning of true elegance is to fear the Lord and seek His will for our lives. Without His love inside of us, there is no real beauty, no real elegance, only cheap imitations that can never last. If you desire to be perfect, seek the true beauty, the true elegance, it is a free gift to all women from God our Creator, through Jesus Christ the Lord.
God Bless!
An Elegant Lady is continually learning, she is always seeking ways to improve not only herself but also the lives of those around her.
An Elegant Lady is compassionate, especially towards the poor and needy, those who through no fault of their own are suffering in this life. She will search for ways to bring them relief, and considers no deed too great or too small in order to be of service.
An Elegant Lady understands "atmosphere". More often then not, she will have soft music playing in the background. She continually seeks for a soothing, peaceful spirit to dominate in her home. Though this is not always possible, through experience she has learned how to quickly end conflicts, quiet noise, and restore peace. Her own cheerful attitude towards others, has a calming effect.
An Elegant Lady has learned to take care of all parts of her body. She understands that her teeth must last a lifetime. So she has learned to pay careful attention to the effects different foods have on her teeth and their potential staining capabilities. She has given up chocolate and coffee for this very reason.
An Elegant Lady keeps her mouth clean. She would never, ever smoke. Not only is it unladylike and causes bad breath, but it is life shortening. A lady is careful that her breath stay clean, fresh and odor free at all times.
An Elegant Lady perfectly models moderation and teaches her children to do the same. Yes, you may have a couple cookies, just not the whole box. Yes, you may bake your family a pie, but then you must discipline yourself and them, to eat only one piece.
An Elegant lady will not be like other women who deprive their families of treats because she can't control her own portions and so makes the whole family do without. No, she will control herself and also teach her children the rule of moderation, and how they can all enjoy the pleasant things in life without over indulging.
An Elegant Lady will not exercise for hours everyday just so she can over indulge her food cravings. She will teach herself portion control, whether that be green beans or pie.
An Elegant Lady takes pride in her cooking skills, she will practice recipes over and over, until finally she can dish it out to perfection.
An Elegant Lady energetically creates a clean, cheerful atmosphere for her family to grow and thrive in. Through trial and error, she has established a comforting, familiar rhythm to her household that rarely changes. Part of that rhythm is the daily, weekly and monthly schedule she has prepared for herself, which she adheres to religiously.
An Elegant Lady loves things that are alive. She will always have something living inside her home, whether that be a loyal dog, a cuddly cat, a happy bird, a colorful fish, or even a living green plant. She will always choose something living to bring energy and life into her home.
An Elegant Lady will bless and thank the Lord, her Creator all day long, looking up to Him for inspiration and guidance and instruction, continually acknowledging Him for His goodness towards her and not only her, but every living man, woman and child.
She believes in God and that He is a good God, greatly to be praised, and that blessing Him continually will bring favor, and a good blessing on her home and family.
An Elegant Lady would never let a day go by without nourishing her spirit, by feeding it the word of God. She has a beloved Bible that she reads from daily. Many pages have been permanently stained by her tears.
An Elegant Lady makes nightly dishwashing a pleasant ritual. She will light a candle, play favorite music or Bible tapes and smile as she hums along with the music or memorizes scripture. She will keep a soft rug by her kitchen sink to sooth her feet so she can work longer. She takes pride in carefully hand washing her dishes using hot, soapy water and drying them with her white, lint free, tea towels until everything, including the sink, sparkles and shines.
An Elegant Lady will go through the trouble of sewing lace to the edges of her tea towels, they seem prettier and more elegant to her that way.
An Elegant Lady is a teacher of good things. She speaks evil of no man. She does not meddle in things too high for her.
An Elegant Lady is slow to speak, and study's to be quiet. She will not argue endlessly with her husband, even about very important matters, but will take it to the Lord and trust Him to sort it all out. She teaches her children to respect their Dad, and to show thoughtfulness and kindness in word and deed. She herself, is a living example of God's grace.
An Elegant Lady loves how washing sheets makes everything feel fresh and clean, and always looks forward to the weekly chore of putting fresh linens on her family's beds. From time to time, she'll hang them outside to dry under God's sterilizing sunrays, whenever the weather permits.
An Elegant Lady would never leave her room in the morning without first making her bed and has consistently taught her children to do the same, until it became a habit.
In the evening while her hard working husband is relaxing, an Elegant Lady will bring him cold drinks and his favorite snack.
An Elegant Lady is not a TV watcher. She does not seek to be entertained, but derives great satisfaction from working with her hands, whether that be knitting, sewing, quilting, or crocheting, an elegant lady will never be idle.
An Elegant Lady is a hard worker. You won't see her sitting around idle, mindlessly watching TV or listening to music, while there is a sink full of dirty dishes, loads of backed up dirty laundry or endless chores to be done. This wise Lady will continually be engaged in some sort of productive activity.
We can all be elegant in our own way. It'll take work and we can't do it alone, since for most of us elegance doesn't come naturally. The Lord will help those who specifically ask Him in prayer. It is God's will that we live a life of elegance and dignity, enhancing the gospel we have believed so that others will be drawn to the Truth through us. We can either attract others or repel them. Let's be used by God to do good in this world, and to leave our mark on those who we come in contact with.
God Bless!
