BUT DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!

I live in Arizona. My home town, in Flagstaff, is absolutely gorgeous with four seasons and pine trees, mountains and lakes. About eight months ago, we moved to Scottsdale. Let me tell you, the winter months are nice with the 70 degree weather, but next week it's supposed to be 100 degrees!!!

Me and my husband are both gingers. For those unfamiliar with that lingo - Gingers are red-headed, fair skinned, freckled, and magically turn into lobsters after 20 mins in the sun. I especially love the lobster part. NOT!

Though this is not me, you get the idea that if this face has no sunscreen...... DUN DUN DUN!!

So now, it's lava hot outside. Time to get by the pool! But don't forget the sunscreen! Here's some of my favorites!

**NO AD Sunscreen is my absolute favorite for the body! It's not oily, it stays on all day and its kind of moisturizing! I also have SUPER sensitive skin, so this doesn't break me out. I recommend this if you're hiking, or hanging out at a baseball game. Kinda your everyday wear for body.

**My next favorite is Banana Boat KIDS. It's perfect for my sensitive skin, and it stays on all day even in the pool!! This was a no-fail when my Mama slapped it on me as a kid.

**Dermalogica makes the best face sunscreen on the planet! It doesn't burn my face or my eyes when applying, and it doesn't give me zits or acne! It's very moisturizing, and you're not left with a greasy, yucky feeling on your face. If you're a ginger, or even a very pale person, I REALLY recommend getting this. It will change your face in the sun forever!!!!

Right now, as I'm typing this, I'm laughing at myself because A) I hate putting on sunscreen, and B) My kids get annoyed at me because every time they get in trouble, I try to talk to them and teach them a lesson in it. So kids, here comes the moral of the sunscreen lesson today!! HAHA

It's really important to wear sunscreen because it is an investment into yourself. Do you really want to deal with that lobster skin for 2 weeks? The pain, the discomfort, the peeling.....ewwwww. Not so much. My dad didn't wear sunscreen for years and years and years. Poor guy is now dealing with skin cancers and junk all over is forehead. I know he hates it and wishes he could go back and wear the dang sunscreen.

EWWWW!!! GO AWAY!! (don't worry I found this image on Google)

Even God thinks we should wear sunscreen! The only thing different is, I think God would have it as SON-SCREEN. I talked about what beauty is in the last post (read it here) and what it was like to be beautiful on the inside and out. Believing in God and having Him as a part of my life is really important to me. Jesus is the SON-SCREEN for my heart and soul. Without faith in Him, I'd get burned up by the junk and crap of the world that desensitizes us. And I don't want those ugly dark spots all over my heart!! Just like I don't want ugly spots on my skin!! I can't tan, so I have to maintain my healthy glow, by maintaining my inside. That's where MY spark comes from! I glow from the inside, out.

Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!!

Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him."

Have a great day and weekend everyone!!

To a healthy glow,

Lenea <3

What is Beauty?

Hi, it's me!

Welcome to the very first posting of my very first blog! I love to write so this is going to be fun!

                    (To all my school girls! I love and miss you!)

I've been thinking about starting one of these things for awhile now. Everyone and their dog has a blog these days, so it's been interesting trying to convince myself. I've also been concerned about the content: what am I going to write about? What is going to make my blog any different from any other beauty blog?

Of course I'm going to keep you all updated on the latest, greatest, most amazing makeup and tips! Who loves SEPHORA, MAC COSMETICS, NARS, and MAKE UP FOR EVER?! I will also be giving you as much VIP access as possible to the photoshoots and gigs I do. Watch for videos, tutorials, and behind the scenes footage!!

On the other side of things, I also want to share with you my own personal journey of continuing weight loss and finding true inner beauty and peace. For those of you who know me very personally, you know that I enjoy a truly awesome relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you don't know me, please don't be alarmed by it. I'm not here to shove religion down people's throats. My whole purpose in life is to live it out as a testimony to what God has done for me and through me, and to share what I've figured out along the way.



Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and its better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - Marilyn Monroe




As a professional makeup artist I've been asked a few times what my definition of "beauty" is. Here's what good ol' Webster has to say...

beau·ty

   /ˈbyuti/ Show Spelled[byoo-tee] noun 

1. the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

2. a beautiful person, especially a woman.

3. a beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.

Interesting right?! It's like those cliches, "It's all in your head", or "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". BUT IT'S SO TRUE!! Except God, I don't believe there is one person, entity, or magazine, that has the final say on what is beautiful.

A couple days ago I was talking to a woman about her goals with makeup and her "beauty" regime. She expressed to me that she didn't think she was beautiful, or that she deserved someone investing time into her. This crushed my heart! Thankfully, she is a fellow believer and I was able to tell her that her thoughts about herself could destroy her. I reminded her that she was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and there was no way she could be ugly. Even Webster states in his definition that it is a "meaningful design...in which high spiritual qualities are manifest".

But Lenea, what does "...high spiritual qualities are manifest", mean?

It means that God don't create no junk! God created us women to be beautiful INSIDE AND OUT. Spiritual qualities are inside of us; our personality. I don't know how she managed to do it, but my wonderful wonderful mother pounded cliches in my head!! The one I heard the most growing up was "Garbage in, garbage out!" But it makes perfect sense if you think about it! Would you wipe oil and trash all over your face? No way!! You'll break out in zits!! Garbage in, garbage out! So why should we women continue to speak garbage or bring garbage in our life? Lying to yourself by saying that you're ugly is going to do the same thing. Your view of yourself dwindles to nothing. You feel like nothing.

Let me tell you a universal secret. SHHHHHHHHHH!! Whatever you put voice to in this universe happens, good or bad. If you continue to tell yourself you're a failure or ugly, you probably will not amount to anything. It's your OWN choice! I've had to learn this lesson over and over and over!!! I'm no size 4 model, but I chose to grasp the confidence that I am made in God's image and that I can do anything I set my mind to. (See Philippians 4:13) This has made me an all around happy, confident, and beautiful woman inside and out! Wonder why I'm usually happy, joking, and smiling? BINGO.

To some of you, this is probably pretty preachy, but I don't mean it that way. I just hope to see women become stronger, more confident, and POSITIVE THINKERS!!!! Come on girls, let's pull our big girl panties up!!



This is a great song!!

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers (and sisters!!), whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.    

I love you all!

To Higher Spiritual Qualities,

Lenea <3