it began with clinique

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I was in sixth grade when my great love affair with makeup and beauty began. It was that time in a young girl's life when she begins to become interested in the finer things of life...like not wearing a ponytail & scrunchie everyday. My lovely momma took me to the Clinique counter in Macy's to get my makeup done and as the stylist whipped out her purple and gold eyeshadows to make my blue eyes pop, my life was irrevocably changed.

I think my mother has regretted that day ever since. Especially when I qualified for the VIB card at Sephora (I spent $500 in a calender year!?!)

Throughout the years, I've struggled with low self-esteem and self-confidence, but even when I was feeling my lowest, I could always count on the fact that I could make my outside beautiful to remind me that had internal beauty as well. The scariest thing was when that didn't work. I didn't have a whole lot of interior beauty to bring to the surface.

So what changed?

I vividly remember one day when it was especially difficult to just get out of bed; I threw on jeans and a t-shirt without much paying attention and dragged myself through the day. I had a meeting that day with a very smart lady named Kate; I mentioned that I didn't feel at all beautiful anymore. She looked at me for a minute and then said: "Can you tell me what your shirt says?"

Imago Dei. Image of God.

"Image of God. Yeah...Juliana, you're a theology major. You know what that means. You even told me you just taught that at a retreat. Why did you stop believing it?"

Long story short, those words--why did you stop believing it?--stuck with me that entire year. Makeup and fashion and hair became once again something that I could use to reflect my inner beauty; It wasn't about making myself beautiful on the outside to make the internal better; it was about enhancing what was already given to me. Once I started to recognize my own worth and dignity as an image of God, I could love myself again. And the Sephora bill went back up--you just can't keep me away ;)

So, that's a little bit about my flirtations with the fashion world and beauty in general. And I'm really excited to start sharing my tips and tricks with y'all!

Love eternally,

Juliana

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the waring of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -1 Peter 3:34

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Juliana

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