Allow Me to Clarify: You're Beautiful Just The Way You Are!!

Recently, I've noticed a disturbing trend. Some of the most popular makeup gurus on Youtube are making videos that say makeup makes them beautiful. That they feel pretty when they have a full face of makeup on.

Well, I'm here to tell you that that's simply not true. Each and every one of us is beautiful in our own way without makeup on. To prove my point and to prove that I'm not afraid to be seen without my makeup, here I am!

See? That wasn't so bad!

My point is, is that we as a culture have made makeup something completely different from what it historically set out to be. The ancient Egyptians used to makeup to 1) protect their eyes from the strong sun and 2) to highlight what was already beautiful about them. Native tribes around the world used (and continue to use to this day) body paint when heading into war or to mark important days in their lives. Not one of the originating cultures of cosmetics ever thought that makeup was the only thing that made them beautiful.

And I think that's the state of mind we have to get back to. We should view makeup as something that accentuates are natural beauty, something that makes our best qualities stand out. Never should you feel like you're hiding behind a mask of makeup because you aren't pretty.

Makeup is an art. It can be used to transform a person into someone else. But don't force yourself into believing that your original identity isn't good enough. If at any time you look in the mirror and can't see yourself beneath the makeup you're wearing, take it all off and start over. Because somehow, somewhere, you lost yourself and forgot that you don't need something artificial in order to be attractive.

So the next time you go to apply your makeup, stop for a second and really look at yourself without your makeup on. Take in how gorgeous you are without a full face of makeup on. Don't let makeup hide areas you're insecure about, but rather use to show off features you're proud of. Because no matter how much makeup you apply, true beauty radiates from within and you're only as pretty as you feel inside!

Lipstick is for people, not animals!

I really am a huge animal lover. I've been a proud dalmatian owner my entire life, am thrilled to watch animal documentaries (like Whale Wars, which I think is incredibly cool if not a bit scary), and want to be reincarnated as a dolphin.

Sadly, animals are often not treated with the respect and care they deserve. Even in today's modern, forward-thinking society, there are STILL cosmetic companies that torture animals by testing new products on them. This is a terrible practice that should definitely be banned (a la Legally Blond II) because animals do not react to most cosmetics the same way humans would. The ingredients that wouldn't hurt a human could cause a test subject puppy to develop infections, irritation, sickness, or even worse things. How sad is that?! And it's not like these animals are lining up voluntarily to have makeup applied to them. Oh, no! Cosmetics are forced upon these animals and because their natural instinct is to resist, this leads to pain and injury to the animals.

Think about it: you're a little, innocent rabbit and when some big researcher comes and sticks an eyeliner pencil right next to your eye, you're going to jerk your head away, right? Because that thing is scary and your natural instinct is to get the heck away! But no matter how much you squirm, that researcher is still going to test the eyeliner on you and that could lead to a pretty severe injury on your part.

I'm sorry to get so graphic on you, Beauty Brains, but I really don't think people understand the terrible conditions test animals are kept in and forced to live in. If you have any sympathy in your heart for helpless animals that have cosmetic products tested on them daily, you'll join me in supporting PETA's Caring Consumer Project which aims to eventually eliminate all animal testing.

You'll be happy to know that there ARE companies out there that do not test their products on animals. Thankfully, PETA publishes an annual list of these fantastic companies and it can be found here (as well, of course, as a list of companies that have continued to test products on animals).

Some stand-out cosmetic companies that are on PETA's No Testing list that also truly produce some of the best makeup and beauty items on the market are:

Almay
Bare Escentuals
Bath & Body Works
Bobbi Brown
The Body Shop
Bonne Bell
Bumble and Bumble
Burt's Bees
Caswell-Masey
Clarins of Paris
Clinique
Conair
Crabtree & Evelyn
Dermalogica
Dr. Bronner's
DuWop
Eco Tools
e.l.f. Cosmetics
Essie Cosmetics
Estee Lauder
got2b
Hard Candy
Hello Kitty
Josie Maran Cosmetics
Juice Beauty
Kiss My Face
La Mer
Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
L'Occitane
LUSH
MAC Cosmetics
Mary Kay
Merle Norman
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
OPI
Origins Natural Resources
Orly International
Palmers
Paul Mitchell
Physician's Formula
Perscriptives
Queen Helene
Revlon
Skyn Iceland
Smashbox Cosmetics
Stila Cosmetics
Too Faced Cosmetics
Urban Decay
Victoria's Secret
Wet n' wild
Yes to Carrots

There are many more companies listed on PETA's website and perhaps, even more out there that are not currently on the list. I strongly urge you to look at this list and the one of companies that are still testing products on animals so that you can make the right choices when it comes to buying items that make you feel pretty.

Makeup doesn't have to be superficial. You can make the choice to shop ethically and feel gorgeous both inside and out.

This post is in honor of my gorgeous puppy, Xena.

She means the world to me and I can't imagine some sick researcher ever wanting to hurt a precious being like her. (Old picture! Notice my brown hair. Lol. Clearly, my love for Xena has not changed!!)

I LOVE YOU, XENA! And I pledge to stop supporting cosmetic companies that hurt innocent animals like her. Can you, reader, do the same? (All photos are my mom's!!)