A Beauty Pageant As One of the Ways to Explore Women's Abilities

Women are called the most beautiful creature in this world. That is why they are related to many terms of beauty, physically and mentally. Physical beauty includes the beauty of body and face, while mental beauty includes psychological condition, intelligence, and attitude or behavior. As one of the ways to explore women's abilities, beauty pageant combines physical beauty and mental beauty as requirements for women to get the genuine beauty.

Nowadays, you can easily see various types of beauty pageants, such as Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss USA, etc. Basically, all of beauty pageants have the some purpose, which is choosing the most beautiful woman who has some certain requirements. The requirements are usually called as 3B stands for brain, beauty, and behavior.

The first B is brain means that a woman should have good intelligence and has a broad knowledge. The second B is beauty that means a woman should have physical beauty, including the beauty of face, body, and all physical appearances. The last B is behavior that means a woman should have good personalities, attitude or behavior, and how she behaves and treats others.

Even some beauty pageants in some countries also require another one B that means brave. A beautiful woman not only should have brain, beauty, and behavior, but also should be brave to express herself and her mind to the world, since there will be many obstacles she will face when she is chosen as the most beautiful woman.

Actually, beauty pageant can be one of good ways to explore women's abilities. This event can show the women's existence and as a good way for women to reach self-actualization. They will make efforts to increase their abilities, broaden their knowledge, and care of others. They will more realize that to get the genuine beauty, they not only need physical beauty, but also other eternal beauties like intelligence and behavior.

Joining beauty pageant also can measure your abilities since you are going to meet many other competitors who also have good qualities in many ways. It can be a good motivator for you to always improve your abilities, not only to win the competition, but also as training to compete fairly. And of course, by joining this event, you are going to get many new friends, and it can be extra benefit for you.

Finally, as one of the ways to explore women's abilities, beauty pageant should be supported. Joining this event, even if you win the competition, can be pride for you as a woman. But however, you should always realize that the basic of this event is how to be a real beautiful woman who has the genuine beauty.

Beauty Equipment For a Mobilized Beauty Salon

A beauty salon always helps anyone look his or her best. In addition, when the price is affordable that makes it even better. It has all the beauty equipment to give the best beauty makeover from head to toe including the skin. The enhancements that beauty salons offer, make women as well as men look and feel their absolute best.

Recently there has been a new type of beauty salon emerging, the mobile beauty salon. A mobile salon goes to their customers homes with specialized beauty equipment instead of their customers coming to them. Let's face it, sometimes there aren't enough hours in a day to do what you need to do especially getting your hair and nails done so having an expert that can come to you can be the answer to a prayers. Mobile salons are also great for people that are handicapped and cannot make it to a storefront beauty salon. They are also perfect for special occasions such as a bride getting her hair and makeup done on her wedding day.

Today many beauticians specialize in mobile salons. These salons tend to be a bit more expensive due to travel costs such as gas, maintenance of the mobile salon and the upkeep of the beauty equipment. These beauty operators have specialized beauty equipment that is mobile. The salon equipment is a lot lighter to carry than the standard beauty equipment. Mobile salon equipment is specifically manufactured with extra storage space to carry items used the most when making home visits. This type of equipment is also more high tech than storefront beauty salons thus decreasing the risk of the salon equipment breaking down while in use in a customer's home.

Most mobile salons also have an online storefront where customers can view their services, types of salon equipment used and an area to make appointments. It's always best to book your appointment at least a few days in advance. This way the beauty operator has time to prepare their salon equipment.

Customers can now get all the beauty treatments they normally would get in a beauty salon in the comfort of their own homes thanks to mobile beauty salons with their mobile beauty equipment.

If you are thinking about starting your own mobile beauty salon research online about mobile beauty equipment and the pricing. You may also want to think about the best territory for your mobile salon.

Get an Appealing Look With Natural Beauty Treatments

It is a natural human nature to look appealing and attractive in the eyes of others. For this purpose, we don't hesitate to experiment with different beauty products and beauty tips and as a result most of the times we end up with different skin problems. When it comes to gaining beauty in the safest way, natural beauty treatments are the only panacea. There are many cosmetics in the market, which offer you instant results. But as a matter of fact, they ruin your skin's natural balance due to their high amount of harmful chemicals. But natural beauty treatments don't contain harmful chemicals, which can be harsh to your tender skin.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to beauty treatments. Many people think that face is the only place of concern. But the fact is, from the hair tips to your nails... each and every body part plays an equal part in your beauty. There are basically five types of skins: oily, dry, normal, sensitive and combinational. And each type of skin needs different skin care remedies. The products, which suit your friend, may not suit you at all, for the simple reason that you two have different skin types. So, before choosing any beauty product, make sure that it suits your skin type and combination. Many people think that they have to spend a good amount of fortune to be beautiful. But the reality is some simple kitchen ingredients are perfect for the complete natural beauty treatments.

The benefits of natural beauty products are countless in comparison to the synthetic beauty products. First of all, most of the natural products are made without animal testing. Most of the natural products don't use chemicals or anything synthetic, as a result these products have zero side effects. Even though, some beauticians use some chemicals in their products to preserve them for a longer period, but the quantity is so small, that it can not harm your skin. Natural products are bio-degradable which means that they are environment-friendly. For these reasons, many beauty experts have recognized the needs of natural beauty treatments. There is a wide range of different natural beauty products out there. But you only need to choose the ones which suit your skin type.

Among all the natural beauty treatments, aroma therapy is the most popular one. It is a form of an alternative medicine, which is used to heal different skin and health problems. Several renowned spas around the world practice aromatherapy to a great extent. From body massage to facials... aroma therapy has some unique relaxing agents. Aroma therapy is basically of three types: Aerial, Direct and Topical. Topical aroma therapy is used for beauty treatments. Besides that, the ingredients which are used in any aroma therapy beauty treatment include nothing but natural products like essential oils, herbal distillates, carrier oils, vaporizer, phytoncides and fragrant oil extracts. Aroma therapy uses some basic natural elements and for this reason it is absolutely side effect free.

From your hair to your nails... natural beauty treatments offer beauty solutions for each and every body part. Gone were those days, when we used to think that beauty treatments are essentially a girl's domain. These days, boys and girls are equally aware of their appearance and continuously wonder how to enhance it. What can be a better way to achieve beauty other than these natural beauty treatments?

A Beauty Pageant As One of the Ways to Explore Women's Abilities

Women are called the most beautiful creature in this world. That is why they are related to many terms of beauty, physically and mentally. Physical beauty includes the beauty of body and face, while mental beauty includes psychological condition, intelligence, and attitude or behavior. As one of the ways to explore women's abilities, beauty pageant combines physical beauty and mental beauty as requirements for women to get the genuine beauty.

Nowadays, you can easily see various types of beauty pageants, such as Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss USA, etc. Basically, all of beauty pageants have the some purpose, which is choosing the most beautiful woman who has some certain requirements. The requirements are usually called as 3B stands for brain, beauty, and behavior.

The first B is brain means that a woman should have good intelligence and has a broad knowledge. The second B is beauty that means a woman should have physical beauty, including the beauty of face, body, and all physical appearances. The last B is behavior that means a woman should have good personalities, attitude or behavior, and how she behaves and treats others.

Even some beauty pageants in some countries also require another one B that means brave. A beautiful woman not only should have brain, beauty, and behavior, but also should be brave to express herself and her mind to the world, since there will be many obstacles she will face when she is chosen as the most beautiful woman.

Actually, beauty pageant can be one of good ways to explore women's abilities. This event can show the women's existence and as a good way for women to reach self-actualization. They will make efforts to increase their abilities, broaden their knowledge, and care of others. They will more realize that to get the genuine beauty, they not only need physical beauty, but also other eternal beauties like intelligence and behavior.

Joining beauty pageant also can measure your abilities since you are going to meet many other competitors who also have good qualities in many ways. It can be a good motivator for you to always improve your abilities, not only to win the competition, but also as training to compete fairly. And of course, by joining this event, you are going to get many new friends, and it can be extra benefit for you.

Finally, as one of the ways to explore women's abilities, beauty pageant should be supported. Joining this event, even if you win the competition, can be pride for you as a woman. But however, you should always realize that the basic of this event is how to be a real beautiful woman who has the genuine beauty.

What is an Exotic Beauty?

Many women would do anything to look like the most gorgeous woman in the world; however most women do not fit into the mold of society's standards of beauty. A woman who is an exotic beauty is physically magnetic to both men and women because of the illusion naked beauty that she exudes with her clothes on.

Women who are intoxicatingly beautiful are physically attractive to both men and women. In other words, women want to look like them by copying their makeup style or purchasing the clothes or shoes that beautiful women wear. Men, obviously want to have sex with them physically, but since most of them cannot they want to psychologically have sex with women who have exotic beauty by hanging her picture in his locker, office, or bedroom.

The word exotic means different or presumes that the object or person comes from a foreign region of the world. The concept of exotic beauty is culturally relative because depends on how the mainstream culture of a specific society define beauty. Therefore the Blonde bombshell beauty would be an exotic beauty in Nigeria where dark skin and plump hips, thighs and buttocks are preferred. But in America, the blonde bombshell beauty sets the standard for classic beauty that is illustrated via the media in various Marilyn Monroe type art and the entertainers who emulate her type of beauty.

As a psychologist, I am going to offer a more subconscious definition of exotic beauty that taps into the collective consciousness of universal beauty that most humans share that involves our basic instincts of mating and attraction. An exotic beauty is a woman who arouses and stimulates the raw, unconditioned, natural base of human sexuality. When you think of an exotic beauty you probably don't think of a woman with perfect eye shadow, lipstick and blush wearing a beautiful dress and designer high heel shoes. If you take a quick moment to think about an exotic beauty what will probably come to mind is a woman that society has trained you to think of as being overweight, unattractive and far from what most Americans think of as being representative of classic beauty.

The exotically beautiful woman who comes to mind is probably naked, with dark long, flowing hair, brown skin, voluptuous breasts and nipples that advertises nourishment to a baby and comfort to her lover; round, generous hips, buttocks and thighs that cushions and envelops her man; and soft full lips that beg to be kissed. Exotic beauty is sexy and enticing without clothes and shoes and it surpasses cultural expectations and standards of beauty. Many people are usually embarrassed by their attraction to women who exhibit exotic beauty because they have been conditioned to find their beauty source in products and mainstream media propaganda.

An exotic beauty is a woman who captures the essence of femininity by emphasizing the natural physical assets of the female form. Women who are profoundly desirous will usually have facial or body features that resemble a multitude of ethnic groups of women from around the world.

Beyond The Beauty Trap

If you ask one hundred women, "Do you want to be beautiful?" most of them will say they do. But, if you ask them, "So what do you think of beautiful women?" Most will have some pretty strong opinions. They will tell you that beautiful women are "thin, confident, perfect, well-dressed, and that they get what they want." They will tell you that it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to look beautiful. They will also say that beautiful women are usually born that way. These statements are all myths -- they are not true, but we tend to believe them.

And lurking just beneath the surface, the myths get even worse. When questioned more closely, many women will also report that beautiful women are "vain, self-centered, egotistical, selfish, and basically, not very nice." I have asked tens of thousands of women of all ages and social groups these questions and share with you that this is what many women experience. They also think that they would have to be perfect. And until they are perfect in every way, then they cannot be beautiful.

If we think this way, we are in a trap! We think we want beauty, but the concept carries a lot of baggage with it. And if it's as bad as some think it is, we should be avoiding it! The unfortunate result is that very few women have been able to be happy or satisfied with their appearance. Yet, we live in a world where others judge us and we judge ourselves on how we look.

Most women don't want to be vain. In fact, the fear of becoming vain -- or being perceived as vain -- keeps many women from seeing and experiencing their beauty. This becomes very understandable when you look up the word "vain" in the dictionary. It is defined as, "having no real value, idle, worthless, useless, foolish, silly." With this definition, I can see why no one would want to be seen in these ways.

Another definition of vain is "having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments." If a woman thinks that she is worthless or has little real value, then any small amount of personal pride is "excessive and undue," and can make her uncomfortable.

Pride is a very tricky word. It has two completely different meanings and they are quite contradictory. One definition is "inordinate self-esteem; conceit" and the other is, "a reasonable or justifiable self-respect." So, let's think of false pride as, "conceit" and true pride as, "self-respect."

Now, the plot thickens. It's not just becoming vain that we fear. Women are afraid that others will think they are vain and so they either keep putting themselves down, or trying to prove that they are good enough. So, in several different ways, vanity is related to fear.

Vanity comes out of feeling worthless or unworthy to some extent and trying to prove you are not. So, every step toward finding your true worth is a step away from vanity.

Both vanity and false pride seem to come from trying to pretend that you are something that you are not. Let's give this up! Every single woman I've ever met had her own beautiful qualities. Very few women realize their beauty fully and some have not realized their beauty at all. They are all just at different stages of learning their worth and beauty.

Realizing our beauty is not something that we were ever taught to do. And we were never shown how to do it. To top it off, we live in a world and society that teaches us that it's bad to think too highly of ourselves. We are also told that we can never be perfect, but that we should be perfect. So it should be no surprise that women have so many mixed emotions about these issues. Beauty, the way society has defined it so far, is a pretty impossible goal.

The real problem with the common notion of beauty is that we often see it as something comparative and competitive. This is really a very silly idea that we don't apply to the rest of nature. We don't go to the zoo and discuss, "Which is more beautiful a giraffe or a zebra?" When we go for a hike in the mountains we don't analyze or evaluate, "Which is more beautiful an oak tree or a pine tree?" But for some odd reason, we apply this strange thinking to our appearance as women. Let's stop it.

Women have to realize how much of a lose/lose situation this is. No matter how much you perfect your appearance, there will always be someone out there who is thinner, prettier, or younger, etc. All women lose at these limiting, either/or type of comparisons. Let's leave competition for sports.

I used to say that we've needed to redefine beauty. But if you look in the dictionary, you'll see that "beautiful" really means, "generally pleasing; excellent." I'll buy that. "Beauty" is defined as "the combination of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit." That really is sounding better, isn't it?

If we can go along with the idea that all flowers are beautiful and all mountains are beautiful, why can't all women be beautiful? We shouldn't have to stretch our imagination too much to include ourselves with the rest of nature!

It's really a matter of harmony. Just as there is already beauty and harmony in forests and deserts, there is already beauty in people. They just need to realize it. If you went on a walk with someone who did not see beauty in the woods, would you change your opinion? I don't think so.

Harmony is a pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts. It's knowing that, as part of nature, you are put together well. That's exactly what I've seen in studying thousands of women (and men, too.) We are put together very congruently. Nature is very consistent in giving giraffes long necks and zebras get stripes. There are patterns in women also.

The pattern in you is there whether you see it or not. Just because a flower doesn't see it's harmony, doesn't mean it's not there. Fortunately, unlike a flower, you have the ability to discover your harmony. And when you do, you'll be able to have the experience that you're already beautiful. Then your clothes don't make you beautiful, they enhance the beauty you already have. Your make-up doesn't make you beautiful, it brings out the beauty you already have.

Finding your true beauty will never occur until you stop trying to be anyone else. Just be you. But, you have to look for and discover the beauty and the harmony. Ever since I discovered the patterns in people, people have become beautiful to me.

The approach of finding harmony in yourself does not create vanity because it is not about undue or excessive pride. It's about finding your true worth and value. Remember, we said that "true pride" is self-respect. Every woman's goal should be to find her true value. It's an area in which most of us have no training, but it is possible and thousands of women have learned to see the harmony in their natural pattern.

Discovering your harmony leads you to finding your true value and builds your confidence. Confidence is the quality or state of being certain. Confidence stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance. You can learn to find strength in being you.

Plastic Surgey: The New Beauty Norm?

This is a good topic to discuss especially now since the popularity of all the make-over shows. I have always been curious as to why people, mostly women, have this idea that they are expected to look a certain way in order to "fit in" with society.

We all would like to believe that quaint saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but how true and meaningful is that phrase when the beholder has been brainwashed, so to speak, into subscribing to the belief that beauty is the artificial look we see on glamour mags, in TV commercials, and even in some children's books? For some time now, that image has consisted mainly of white women and the "white standard of beauty".

I decided to take this question of plastic surgery and the search for beauty and see how it can affect some women in the African-American community. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, African-Americans make up only 6% of plastic surgery patients. Why is this? Do African-American women have a more positive self/body image or is it that many cannot afford it? And for the 6% who do have surgery, to which standard of beauty were they trying to aspire?

I chose to start my search for the white standard of beauty in 1960. I chose that year because at the time, a TV show was airing that sought to teach moral and societal lessons through fantastical tales. Two episodes of this show were very telling and prophetic, and they both dealt with how society viewed beauty and the expectations placed on women to be "beautiful". That show was, The Twilight Zone.

Beauty in 1960... Rod Serling offered us a tale of beauties and beasts in episode #42 entitled: Eye of the Beholder. Here's a brief synopsis of the show I found at The Twilight Zone Guide: Janet Tyler anxiously awaits the outcome of her latest surgery. Janet, who's abnormal face has made her an outcast, has had her eleventh hospital visit - the maximum allowed by the State. If it didn't succeed, she will be sent to live in a village where others of her kind are segregated. As her bandages are removed, she is revealed to be very beautiful. The doctor draws back in horror. As the lights come on we see the others, their faces are misshapen and deformed. As Janet runs from her room crying, she runs into another of her kind, a handsome man named Walter Smith. He is in charge of an outcast village, and he assures her that she will eventually feel she belongs. He tells her to remember the old saying: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Although the show was filmed in black and white, we can clearly see that Ms. Tyler is Caucasian. The doctors appear to have darker skin, nevertheless, the idea here was that the viewers empathized with Ms. Tyler because she was the classic blonde, slender beauty commonly seen in 1960's fashion magazines. As the show closes, the narrator speaks: "Now the questions that come to mind. Where is this place and when is it, what kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm? The answer is, it doesn't make any difference. Because the old saying happens to be true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out among the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson to be learned...in the Twilight Zone."

1964: The Standard Continues Episode #137, in Season Five, is called, "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You", and was adapted by a short story called "The Beautiful People". In this episode, we meet Marilyn, a young woman who is about to go through a rite of passage in her community. This rite is called "The Transformation" and it requires citizens to choose among several models of bodies into which they will be transformed. The message here is that this society only sees one standard of beauty and that one will not be happy unless they look and act just like everyone else. Opening Narration: "Given the chance, what young girl wouldn't happily exchange a plain face for a lovely one? What girl could refuse the opportunity to be beautiful? For want of a better estimate, let's call it the year 2000. At any rate, imagine a time in the future when science has developed a means of giving everyone the face and body he dreams of. It may not happen tomorrow--but it happens now, in the Twilight Zone."

Once again, the beautiful people are all white and we don't see any women or men of color. What was this episode trying to tell black women about beauty? The closing narration: Portrait of a young lady in love--with herself. Improbable? Perhaps. But in an age of plastic surgery, body building, and an infinity of cosmetics, let us hesitate to say impossible. These and other strange blessings may be waiting in the future--which after all, is the Twilight Zone."

Beauty 40 Years Later

Some aspects of beauty standards have changed, but not much. We do see more black models and beautiful black women, but when you look at the majority of the more famous ones, (Tyra, Halle, Janet, Vanessa Williams, Beyonce, a few of whom have had plastic surgery, on their noses and other body parts), you can see straight away that they have many Caucasian attributes: small, pinched noses, lighter complexion, lighter eyes, straight, lightly colored hair. It is rare that you will see a model with very dark skin, a tight afro, wide, round, larger nose, and full, large lips. Flip through any issue of Vogue or Glamour and look for that image I just described. Then look for the first image I described.

So, are black women trying to aspire to the white standard of beauty when they seek plastic surgery?

According to Cynthia Winston, assistant professor of psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., We really don't know much about how blacks are influenced. Most of the research focuses on perceptions related to skin color. Foe most African-Americans, perception can be shaped by their environment. For example, an African-American woman growing up in an all-white neighborhood in Nebraska may be more likely than an African-American woman raised in inner-city Detroit to compare herself with white images of beauty.

(Source: African-American Women & Plastic Surgery: Self-Improvement or Self-Hatred? By Angela D. Johnson, Sept. 2, 2003)

Now What?

I suppose, it all comes down to how one feels inside about themselves. But there is this viscous cycle of doubt that women constantly face so it's often hard to reconcile your inner voices with the outside images thrown at you everyday. Many women buy into the trends and fashions that dictate beauty. TV shows and print ads abound with images of sexy women. Fitness clubs persuade women to join not so they will lower their risk of heart disease, but so they will aspire to be beautiful on the outside. No one tries to sell things that will help them on the inside.

In the end, you can look at all of this and say that there will always be standards of beauty and those who aspire to live up those standards, and those wanting to make a profit off those standards (cosmetic companies, ad agencies, modeling agencies, fashion designers, plastic surgeons, psychotherapists). The media portrays what people want to see and apparently, it's sex and "beauty".

What Does the Bible Say About Beauty?

The Bible has much to say about what makes things beautiful in God's sight. It covers all areas of beauty as defined in Webster's dictionary thus: "1. That quality or aggregate of qualities in a thing which gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit; physical, moral, or spiritual loveliness. 2. A beautiful person or thing, esp. a beautiful woman. 3. A particular grace, ornament, or excellence; anything beautiful; as the beauties of nature." We would do good for ourselves and others to see the things that are beautiful in God's sight.

It is interesting to note that the word "beauty" is not found in the New Testament and that "beautiful" is found only 4 times in it. "Beautiful" is found 19 times and "beauty" is found 49 times in the Old Testament. "Beauties" is found once and "beautify" is found 3 times in the Old Testament.

The Bible does refer to several women as being beautiful. It warns men not to allow the beauty of a woman to lead them into adulterous activities. The real beauty of a woman is not external, but rather it is an inner beauty that shines out of her beautiful spirit of love and kindness. This kind of a woman would never do anything to seduce a man to commit adultery or fornication with her. She is encouraged to live a life of devotion to God and His ways. Such a woman will not dress in such a way as to be referred to as being "sexy." She will not accent parts of her body to call attention to herself. See 1 Peter 3 for instruction on how this is to be done in a family setting.

The Bible tells us about the "beauty of holiness." See 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. This is the way we are to "worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." See 2 Chronicles 20:1-29 to see how the Israelites won over their enemies when they praised "the beauty of holiness." Psalm 29:2 tells us to "Give to the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Psalm 96 gives us the reason we should "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:" and "fear before Him, all the earth." The most beautiful thing that can happen to a person is to "worship God in spirit and in truth." 2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us what to do to perfect "holiness."

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we are told that God "has made everything beautiful in its time." Timing has much to do with a beautiful life of holy living. Most of you have probably never heard of this before. In this chapter we find 14 contrasting activities that are "beautiful in its time." If the timing is wrong, the action is very destructive to everyone involved. The beauty is changed into ashes.

Only God can make an ugly thing beautiful. He can take a person that is lost and undone and make that person into a vessel of honor. How He does this is beyond our natural ability. Just because a person is ugly-spirited now, does not mean there is no hope of ever being changed into something beautiful. The Bible and history attest to this. The testimonies of God's redeeming love and grace are all around us.

In the Song of Solomon 7:1a we read, "How beautiful are your feet with shoes, O prince's daughter!" On the other hand, Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15b tell us "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" God is more interested in our feet being "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" rather than our beautiful shoes. Man looks on the outward appearance and God looks at the heart. See Ephesians 6:10-19 to see how the whole armor of the Lord makes for a beautiful sight in God's eyes.

In summary, the things of God's creation, whether physical or spiritual are beautiful. The things that dishonor God are ugly. God is in the business of turning ugly things into beautiful ones. See Isaiah 61 to see what God's intentions are for our lives.

Short Sleeves Insights - Is Beauty Really Only Skin Deep?

"Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to see it." The words of Rumi bring up a good question. Is beauty something we just see or is beauty something that we feel? My thoughts about what beauty really is have changed over the last few years.

I was always looking for beauty, some outward mark of excellence, that I could identify with and copy in some way. Certainly physical beauty is the first trait we all seem to want, whether it be looks or brains or both. Physical beauty is the quest of the ages. I searched for beauty in the people and places that surrounded me. I wanted to be associated with beauty. In that way, I felt some of it would rub off on me. I didn't feel I was beautiful.

It seemed my concept of beauty changed as I changed, so that things that attracted me at one point, were no longer the beauty I was seeking. I found that my experience of beauty changed as my thoughts about beauty changed. It was not a constant. Its shape, size, function and appeal changed with my thoughts. What is the definition of beauty anyway?

As Rumi pointed out beauty surrounds us, in fact, it is us. I didn't feel I was beautiful, but I was searching in the wrong places to find the feeling. I wanted others to verify my beauty and when they didn't, I accepted my lack of beauty. Believing that this power existed outside of me, that's where I Looked. I found everyone looking for the same thing. The thing we all have, but have hidden in our illusion of duality. I could see it in the garden or a mountain or the sea, but it didn't seem to be part of me.

Now understanding that my thoughts create my reality, my world, I can feel beauty everywhere, including within myself. I accept the fact I was created by beauty, so I am what my creator is. My thoughts feel beauty in my words, actions and accomplishments. I feel beauty in nature, in friends, in events, because that is what I think. It is my prayer. I see beauty in the contrast I face in life, for that is what I focus on. The beauty of growth from a situation that shows and express pain, brings understanding to all the contrasts I encounter.

Beauty is feeling, just as prayer is feeling. If I know it is already present in everything, it's easy to experience, to express and become the thing I desire.

My desire for beauty is relentless, just as my desire for love is unending. I want to know myself for who I am, so I can grow into a grander version of beauty and love.

Beauty Products Are Readily Available On The Internet

Beauty products are designed to make a woman beautiful and protect her skin from aging. Beauty products are also designed with aromatherapy purposes. Beauty products are produced by various cosmetic industries and promoted through the media. Men's beauty products are now a focus of many of the great cosmetics companies because men are buying these products in droves.

Beauty Products

Not all natural beauty care products are the same so reading the labels is essential to know what type of product you are buying. There are also alternatives to the chemically induced makeup products. Natural beauty products are made from minerals without the addition of synthetic materials or fragrances and are much better for skin than mainstream beauty products. These products use plant extracts such as frankincense and fenugreek that have for centuries been used in delaying the signs of ageing. These products deliver a high dose of age defying vitamins, vital phytonutrients, and powerful anti-oxidants. If you are a chemically sensitive person then opting for natural beauty products could be the answer for you.

Cosmetics

Beauty products and cosmetics have been used since the Egyptians and Ancient Greece and Rome. Beauty products are not essential, but they are a luxury that most of us can afford. Beauty products range from skin care products such as soaps, bath salts, creams, exfoliating scrubs, and face and body packs, to hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair colours, and various perming solutions, to overall body-care products such as moisturizers, cold creams, deodorants, nail care, and accessories for bubble baths. Whether it is acne or pimples, white patches or brown, wrinkles or dull skin, there are beauty products on the market that have a cure for everything.

Skincare Products

Skincare products are, by some distance, the fastest growing segment in the cosmetics market. Skin care need not be as difficult, time-consuming or as expensive as some would have you believe. Herbal remedies, herbal skin care, herbal beauty products are not frowned upon, as they are safe, and have negligible side effects. There are also nutritional supplements geared towards maintaining healthy skin and hair. Skin renewal slows down with age because collagen and elastin -- the Power Duo of young skin -- start to break down. To have natural, youthful and flawless beauty is easily obtainable with the vast array of beauty products available. These beauty products leave your skin vibrant and firm with a sensual smooth feel.

In summary beauty products are not only the kinds of merchandise like make-up, extreme-vanity ridden materials, but the category of beauty supplies also includes simple grooming necessities that everyone needs from day to day. Beauty products now days are designed for men's and woman's skin care, skin protection, and skin revitalization. Large varieties of beauty products are introduced on a daily basis. If you are working or having a small baby, or don't have time to go to beauty parlours, then don't worry, online beauty products are there for you. You can easily research and access both major beauty product retailers and specialist retailers over the internet. The majority of beauty product suppliers allow you to purchase there goods online and offer money back guarantees.

What is an Exotic Beauty?

Many women would do anything to look like the most gorgeous woman in the world; however most women do not fit into the mold of society's standards of beauty. A woman who is an exotic beauty is physically magnetic to both men and women because of the illusion naked beauty that she exudes with her clothes on.

Women who are intoxicatingly beautiful are physically attractive to both men and women. In other words, women want to look like them by copying their makeup style or purchasing the clothes or shoes that beautiful women wear. Men, obviously want to have sex with them physically, but since most of them cannot they want to psychologically have sex with women who have exotic beauty by hanging her picture in his locker, office, or bedroom.

The word exotic means different or presumes that the object or person comes from a foreign region of the world. The concept of exotic beauty is culturally relative because depends on how the mainstream culture of a specific society define beauty. Therefore the Blonde bombshell beauty would be an exotic beauty in Nigeria where dark skin and plump hips, thighs and buttocks are preferred. But in America, the blonde bombshell beauty sets the standard for classic beauty that is illustrated via the media in various Marilyn Monroe type art and the entertainers who emulate her type of beauty.

As a psychologist, I am going to offer a more subconscious definition of exotic beauty that taps into the collective consciousness of universal beauty that most humans share that involves our basic instincts of mating and attraction. An exotic beauty is a woman who arouses and stimulates the raw, unconditioned, natural base of human sexuality. When you think of an exotic beauty you probably don't think of a woman with perfect eye shadow, lipstick and blush wearing a beautiful dress and designer high heel shoes. If you take a quick moment to think about an exotic beauty what will probably come to mind is a woman that society has trained you to think of as being overweight, unattractive and far from what most Americans think of as being representative of classic beauty.

The exotically beautiful woman who comes to mind is probably naked, with dark long, flowing hair, brown skin, voluptuous breasts and nipples that advertises nourishment to a baby and comfort to her lover; round, generous hips, buttocks and thighs that cushions and envelops her man; and soft full lips that beg to be kissed. Exotic beauty is sexy and enticing without clothes and shoes and it surpasses cultural expectations and standards of beauty. Many people are usually embarrassed by their attraction to women who exhibit exotic beauty because they have been conditioned to find their beauty source in products and mainstream media propaganda.

An exotic beauty is a woman who captures the essence of femininity by emphasizing the natural physical assets of the female form. Women who are profoundly desirous will usually have facial or body features that resemble a multitude of ethnic groups of women from around the world.

Beauty Products Are Readily Available On The Internet

Beauty products are designed to make a woman beautiful and protect her skin from aging. Beauty products are also designed with aromatherapy purposes. Beauty products are produced by various cosmetic industries and promoted through the media. Men's beauty products are now a focus of many of the great cosmetics companies because men are buying these products in droves.

Beauty Products

Not all natural beauty care products are the same so reading the labels is essential to know what type of product you are buying. There are also alternatives to the chemically induced makeup products. Natural beauty products are made from minerals without the addition of synthetic materials or fragrances and are much better for skin than mainstream beauty products. These products use plant extracts such as frankincense and fenugreek that have for centuries been used in delaying the signs of ageing. These products deliver a high dose of age defying vitamins, vital phytonutrients, and powerful anti-oxidants. If you are a chemically sensitive person then opting for natural beauty products could be the answer for you.

Cosmetics

Beauty products and cosmetics have been used since the Egyptians and Ancient Greece and Rome. Beauty products are not essential, but they are a luxury that most of us can afford. Beauty products range from skin care products such as soaps, bath salts, creams, exfoliating scrubs, and face and body packs, to hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair colours, and various perming solutions, to overall body-care products such as moisturizers, cold creams, deodorants, nail care, and accessories for bubble baths. Whether it is acne or pimples, white patches or brown, wrinkles or dull skin, there are beauty products on the market that have a cure for everything.

Skincare Products

Skincare products are, by some distance, the fastest growing segment in the cosmetics market. Skin care need not be as difficult, time-consuming or as expensive as some would have you believe. Herbal remedies, herbal skin care, herbal beauty products are not frowned upon, as they are safe, and have negligible side effects. There are also nutritional supplements geared towards maintaining healthy skin and hair. Skin renewal slows down with age because collagen and elastin -- the Power Duo of young skin -- start to break down. To have natural, youthful and flawless beauty is easily obtainable with the vast array of beauty products available. These beauty products leave your skin vibrant and firm with a sensual smooth feel.

In summary beauty products are not only the kinds of merchandise like make-up, extreme-vanity ridden materials, but the category of beauty supplies also includes simple grooming necessities that everyone needs from day to day. Beauty products now days are designed for men's and woman's skin care, skin protection, and skin revitalization. Large varieties of beauty products are introduced on a daily basis. If you are working or having a small baby, or don't have time to go to beauty parlours, then don't worry, online beauty products are there for you. You can easily research and access both major beauty product retailers and specialist retailers over the internet. The majority of beauty product suppliers allow you to purchase there goods online and offer money back guarantees.

The Beauty Walk - Nature's Anti-Depressant

Nature's Anti-depressant

Have you ever taken a walk in the woods and felt a deep sense of peace and beauty envelop you? Have you ever walked by the ocean and sensed the power and majesty of its beauty filling you with inspiration? Have you ever hiked a mountain and when you reached the top felt awe as the expansive vista before you took your breath away? Nature is a great resource for re-connecting with your beauty. The nature of your nature in nature comes to life as life blooms naturally around you. We are beings of nature; it is our natural state to commune with the elements, to see ourselves as a part of the whole and at one with all that is. Aligning with the beauty of nature is aligning to your own nature, your sense of well-being and natural beauty as well.

When we move our bodies, and our bodies are made for movement, we allow exciting feel good chemicals to course throughout our bodies. Endorphine's are our bodies natural anti-depressants, they are stimulated by movement and positive emotions, they pick you up and lighten up your mood as you get your inner engines burning. Activating endorphins through physical movement and/or positive emotions and thoughts, can shift your burden of depression in no time at all.

The amazing thing about the Beauty Walk as a means of fighting off depression is this; not only are you releasing the feel good chemicals in your body, you are also infusing your Self with the beauty and magnificence of life around you.

The Beauty Walk

The Beauty Walk is exactly what you imagine it to be, it is walking and moving and breathing in the bounty of life that surrounds you. Becoming one with it all. For the truth of every human being and every particle on this planet is that we are all made of the same rich radiant substance of the Universe. All that is of beauty outside of you is also within you. You can never be separate from your own source of beauty.

With depression we tend to sink into ourselves, shutting off the light within us, and shutting out the light of the world around us. We feel disconnected and dis-engaged. Taking yourself on a beauty walk is a way to reconnect to the abundance of life and re-engage in the world. Just noticing the rustling of the leaves in the tree and thinking of how wonderful that sound is, as if the tree is speaking to you, or watching a bird fly over head, with strength and speed as it soars in the sky, that bird is alive and moving with purpose, take that energy inside of yourself, as if you are drinking up the experience and make it your own. Like the bird, you can move with strength and purpose. The beautiful blue of the sky, the light of the moon, the vibrant colors of flowers, these are all part of nature's profound beauty and perfection of life, just as you are, just as every human being is. Take in the profound beauty of nature and equate yourself to it, mingle with it, become it and allow it to become you too. This beauty is on the inside.

One of the greatest discoveries of my life, and possibly the greatest thing I do for my self, my body, mind and spirit is to take my 'Beauty Walks'. The Native American Indian's have an expression that I have loved since the day I first discovered it, I saw it on a bumper sticker once and I have been looking for that bumper sticker ever since. It said "Walk in Beauty". How wonderful is that?

I have been a walker for many years, it is my favorite form of exercise, it is the way I meditate and formulate my creative endeavors. It is the way I de-stress and release the garbage that rummages through my mind. Walking is a great way to ground yourself and circulate energy. It is rhythmic and it is the easiest most natural form of exercise. I have a background in natural health and healing, I have studied and practiced the healing arts of color, sound, touch, aromatherapy, nutrition and energy therapies for years. I understand that a healthy mind, body and spirit lead to a greater sense of joy, well-being and peace throughout our lives and I use the tools of these various healing modalities to infuse my own life as well as those of my clients. I have also known that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", an expression we all learn as children. To see beauty is to be beauty, this is something we have all heard but how often do we remember it?

I don't know when it happened exactly, it was a gradual process but at some point, I realized I was combining all these components together and turned my daily walks into what I call 'Beauty Walks'. I am proud to say it; I actually tell people I am going on my Beauty Walk, as hokey as it may sound, because I know it is an inspired action. I have shared this inspired action with many girls, women and men hoping to inspire them too, offering them a tool to feel more health and wholeness in their daily lives. I share it because I am inspired every time I take my beauty walk and the key element to the whole process is infusing my self with beauty, it is a totally sensual experience. I will add that I believe I am becoming more and more beautiful as a woman and a person inside and out because of these walks.

In my own experience of the Beauty Walk, I will admit that the first ten minutes or so are about decompressing. All the stuff of the day swirls through my head, my issues and disappointments, tasks I need to finish, things I am uncomfortable about etc. All of it surfaces until I get into the rhythm and start noticing what is around me.

When you physically take your Beauty Walk, I invite you to notice the beauty, even in a city, within all things around you wherever you may be. Notice architecture, colors of homes and buildings, see if you can find the beauty in a person walking by you. Open yourself to being a mirror of beauty and be the beauty that you see. You can use this to inspire your own form of exercise or use it as a meditation to ground, center and beautify yourself at anytime.

Beyond The Beauty Trap

If you ask one hundred women, "Do you want to be beautiful?" most of them will say they do. But, if you ask them, "So what do you think of beautiful women?" Most will have some pretty strong opinions. They will tell you that beautiful women are "thin, confident, perfect, well-dressed, and that they get what they want." They will tell you that it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to look beautiful. They will also say that beautiful women are usually born that way. These statements are all myths -- they are not true, but we tend to believe them.

And lurking just beneath the surface, the myths get even worse. When questioned more closely, many women will also report that beautiful women are "vain, self-centered, egotistical, selfish, and basically, not very nice." I have asked tens of thousands of women of all ages and social groups these questions and share with you that this is what many women experience. They also think that they would have to be perfect. And until they are perfect in every way, then they cannot be beautiful.

If we think this way, we are in a trap! We think we want beauty, but the concept carries a lot of baggage with it. And if it's as bad as some think it is, we should be avoiding it! The unfortunate result is that very few women have been able to be happy or satisfied with their appearance. Yet, we live in a world where others judge us and we judge ourselves on how we look.

Most women don't want to be vain. In fact, the fear of becoming vain -- or being perceived as vain -- keeps many women from seeing and experiencing their beauty. This becomes very understandable when you look up the word "vain" in the dictionary. It is defined as, "having no real value, idle, worthless, useless, foolish, silly." With this definition, I can see why no one would want to be seen in these ways.

Another definition of vain is "having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments." If a woman thinks that she is worthless or has little real value, then any small amount of personal pride is "excessive and undue," and can make her uncomfortable.

Pride is a very tricky word. It has two completely different meanings and they are quite contradictory. One definition is "inordinate self-esteem; conceit" and the other is, "a reasonable or justifiable self-respect." So, let's think of false pride as, "conceit" and true pride as, "self-respect."

Now, the plot thickens. It's not just becoming vain that we fear. Women are afraid that others will think they are vain and so they either keep putting themselves down, or trying to prove that they are good enough. So, in several different ways, vanity is related to fear.

Vanity comes out of feeling worthless or unworthy to some extent and trying to prove you are not. So, every step toward finding your true worth is a step away from vanity.

Both vanity and false pride seem to come from trying to pretend that you are something that you are not. Let's give this up! Every single woman I've ever met had her own beautiful qualities. Very few women realize their beauty fully and some have not realized their beauty at all. They are all just at different stages of learning their worth and beauty.

Realizing our beauty is not something that we were ever taught to do. And we were never shown how to do it. To top it off, we live in a world and society that teaches us that it's bad to think too highly of ourselves. We are also told that we can never be perfect, but that we should be perfect. So it should be no surprise that women have so many mixed emotions about these issues. Beauty, the way society has defined it so far, is a pretty impossible goal.

The real problem with the common notion of beauty is that we often see it as something comparative and competitive. This is really a very silly idea that we don't apply to the rest of nature. We don't go to the zoo and discuss, "Which is more beautiful a giraffe or a zebra?" When we go for a hike in the mountains we don't analyze or evaluate, "Which is more beautiful an oak tree or a pine tree?" But for some odd reason, we apply this strange thinking to our appearance as women. Let's stop it.

Women have to realize how much of a lose/lose situation this is. No matter how much you perfect your appearance, there will always be someone out there who is thinner, prettier, or younger, etc. All women lose at these limiting, either/or type of comparisons. Let's leave competition for sports.

I used to say that we've needed to redefine beauty. But if you look in the dictionary, you'll see that "beautiful" really means, "generally pleasing; excellent." I'll buy that. "Beauty" is defined as "the combination of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit." That really is sounding better, isn't it?

If we can go along with the idea that all flowers are beautiful and all mountains are beautiful, why can't all women be beautiful? We shouldn't have to stretch our imagination too much to include ourselves with the rest of nature!

It's really a matter of harmony. Just as there is already beauty and harmony in forests and deserts, there is already beauty in people. They just need to realize it. If you went on a walk with someone who did not see beauty in the woods, would you change your opinion? I don't think so.

Harmony is a pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts. It's knowing that, as part of nature, you are put together well. That's exactly what I've seen in studying thousands of women (and men, too.) We are put together very congruently. Nature is very consistent in giving giraffes long necks and zebras get stripes. There are patterns in women also.

The pattern in you is there whether you see it or not. Just because a flower doesn't see it's harmony, doesn't mean it's not there. Fortunately, unlike a flower, you have the ability to discover your harmony. And when you do, you'll be able to have the experience that you're already beautiful. Then your clothes don't make you beautiful, they enhance the beauty you already have. Your make-up doesn't make you beautiful, it brings out the beauty you already have.

Finding your true beauty will never occur until you stop trying to be anyone else. Just be you. But, you have to look for and discover the beauty and the harmony. Ever since I discovered the patterns in people, people have become beautiful to me.

The approach of finding harmony in yourself does not create vanity because it is not about undue or excessive pride. It's about finding your true worth and value. Remember, we said that "true pride" is self-respect. Every woman's goal should be to find her true value. It's an area in which most of us have no training, but it is possible and thousands of women have learned to see the harmony in their natural pattern.

Discovering your harmony leads you to finding your true value and builds your confidence. Confidence is the quality or state of being certain. Confidence stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance. You can learn to find strength in being you.