Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Discussion on Jealousy

Greetings devoted Shine and Sparkle Report Readers (and new readers too!)

I thought it was time for another introspective post.  The subject is jealousy*.  The green eyed monster.  A deadly sin.  The creator of haters and a cause of low self esteem.   I think that the global society formed through ease of transportation and fueled by the fires of the internet, is a great thing.  We can share beauty tips, life milestones, and food we just ate in nanoseconds.   But as a result, people are getting a skewed view of what life should be like.  This can have potentially damaging consequences to peoples’ mental health.  This is why I thought it was worth a post to my lovely readers.  Understanding jealously can help reduce it, and make everyone happier! HOORAY!

Hey! I actually have a source for my post picture!  It is "Jealousy" by 7Roses1BrokenHeart. If she/he wants me to remove the picture from my blog, don't hesitate to ask.  I think it's a perfect picture for this post =)


What is Jealousy?
Also known as envy, a good way to describe jealousy (thanks thefreedictionary.com) is “a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another.”  In simpler terms, jealousy is feeling negatively about wanting what someone else has.

What are some causes of Jealousy?
While jealousy is as individual as the person feeling it, there are several types of jealousy I have been noticing recently of other peoples:

-personal relationships
-physical appearance
-material items

We want what others have in these areas.  It doesn’t have to be people you know personally we can be jealous of completed strangers.  We can be jealous of people online.  We can be jealous of celebrities, people in magazines/advertisements, and even fictional characters.
Side note: Trashy reality shows tend to do very well when it shows celebrities who “have everything” reveal that weaknesses/problems worse than our own.  This is because it makes us not feel jealous of what they have.  Interesting right? *coughkardashianscough*

What feelings result from Jealousy?
Most often, feeling jealous leads to either
1) feeling negatively, even depressed about oneself for “not measuring up”;
2) projecting jealous as “hate” towards the source of jealousy.

How can we over come Jealousy so we can Shine and Sparkle?
These tips are things that have kept me from focusing too much on things that many people find to be major causes of jealousy.  Hopefully, they can help you too!

-Nobody is perfect:  As in my reality show example, nobody is perfect.  If you see someone who has something you want, just know that it doesn’t mean that their life is any better or valid than yours.  “Be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small, and learn from your mistakes.” 

-Count Your Blessings:  Rather than focusing on what I don’t have (and as the media proves, there is ALWAYS more to be had), I focus on what I do have.  Whether it is family, health, friends or guinea pig, take a moment to appreciate them.  Rather than thinking about how you wish you had different physical features, think about what you do really like your nails, hair, eyes, sense of fashion, whatever it is, take a minute to love that about yourself.  Though we can always have more stuff, think of that one item that you just couldn’t live without and cherish it.  Now here’s the kicker—somebody else is jealous of all the things you just thought of.  “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.”

-We Are All Different and that is Okay:  One thing about the global media, is it tries to tell us there is a right way to live our lives.  It tries to tell us what an ideal life is like.  It tries to tell us what is beautiful and what is not.  It tries to sell us things to achieve this image that they set in front of us.  In reality, THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY to do things (you know, minus hurting others or yourself).  Follow your heart, pave your own way, and celebrate your individuality.  People might look at you funny, people might judge you.   Those people are not really worth knowing.  “Your friends are the people who know everything about you, and love you anyway.” 

-Beauty is a Canvas, not a Requirement:  This being a beauty blog, you might think that I am another person who is trying to tell you the “right” way to do things.  Instead I see it as giving suggestions and sharing my experiences that you may find helpful or not.  Take everything others tell you  and run it through a “does this work for me” filter.  That filter will serve you well.  I see make-up, fashion, and beauty as a canvas for expressing myself.  It is not so much a way to fit in or be accepted as it is a way to make the outside express the way I feel on the inside.  Looking the way I want brings me happiness, as however you decide to look should make you happy as well. 

So these are just some thoughts on jealousy that I have had recently.  Jealousy is toxic and not conducive to being happy.  I want all my readers to be happy! Hopefully this post was helpful for you to….

Shine & Sparkle!


* I do not claim to be a professional in this subject and if you are having feelings of depression, suicide, or violence towards others I seriously suggest speaking with a trained professional psychologist.  I did major in psychology which is why I find the subject interesting, but I also focused on animal behavior...so if you want to know how squirrels remember where they hid their nuts for the winter, comment below or something.  Otherwise, leave serious things to the pros.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

DIY Mango Tumeric Face Mask!

Hello Lovely Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

The beginning of April means spring has sprung.  Flowers are blooming and the warm weather means lighter make-up application and general desire to be glowing looking.  What better way to do this than clearing and brightening up your skin?

The quick mask recipe* I'm about to give you is all natural and really effective.  Your skin absorbs good nutrients in a mask, so why have all the chemicals in a fancy and expensive product when you can be more effective with natural ingredients right?  I have found that making my own masks is far more effective than most masks I can buy.  I used this mango and turmeric mask as my weekly mask and instantly saw a calming of my break outs and a more even skin tone. 


As usual, like my last image, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if whoever owns it throws a hissy fit.  Otherwise, please enjoy Squiggles being emasculated with a towel turban (at least I made it blue).

Ingredients:
- 1-2 tbs of ripe fresh mango (organic is best!): Mango fruits have pigments called carotenoids,which can improve color and brighten the skin.  Also rich in antioxidants and pore cleansing properties.  Needless to say, Yey mango!
-2 tsp olive or coconut oil (or both!):  Oils have moisturizing properties, help balance oil production of the skin and are generally great for it!  Both of these oils have anitoxidants (which we know are great to fight aging).  Coconut oil also has some antibacterial properties that can also help fight acne.
-1 tsp turmeric powder:  This powder can help even out hyper-pigmentation of the skin.  It also has anti-bacterial properties that can reduce inflammation and acne.  This might not be a staple in everyone's spice cabinet, but it should be! It's also super healthy to ingest and is used in a lot of Indian foods such as curry.  DO NOT use curry powder...that would burn like crazy...zomg...
Warning: Too much of this can temporarily stain the skin a bit yellow.  To remove staining, use some oil (olive or coconut are my favorites) to cotton pads and gently use to remove the staining.  Alternatively, do the mask on a day you wont be doing much.  A couple washes should take care of it no problem.

Assembly and Application:
1) Mash ingredients together. Want to use a fork? A blender? be my guest.  Whenever you make a mask it's not an exact science.  Just make sure the consistency is thick enough to not fall off your face.  If you have a waterier mask, don't worry, just use a thinner layer or add more dry/thick ingredients.
2) Cleanse and pat dry your face.
3) Apply mask all over your face.
4) Leave the mask on as long as you want (no harsh chemicals here, longer the better!) but I suggest at least 15 minutes.
5) Remove mask with warm water and cleanse again (if you find the turmeric has stained).    
6) Eat the rest of your fresh mango.  It is good for your insides too! 

Optional Ingredients:
Go nuts with your DIY masks.  Make your own.  Here are some other ingredients to consider if they are hanging out in your kitchen.
-Oatmeal: Very soothing and calming to your skin.  Best turned into powder though blending--it's hard to get oatmeal to be a powder with a fork.  Mortar and pestle it if you are old school.  Heck, you can use a mortar and pestle to make all your masks if you get down like that.
 -Plain yogurt: Also very calming, moisturizing, and excels at relieving sunburn. Woo.  Some people say it is anti--bacteriala and anti-fungal which is good to help acne, though make sure the source is hormone free.  Dairy hormones can make it worse =(
-Green Tea: Everyone knows about green tea's anti-oxidant and toning powers, so I'll just let you think about making a cup of tea and adding a bit to your mask.
-Honey: Moisture, acne-fighting, glowing goodness.  
 
 Let me know if you have any favorite mask ingredient combos I should try out.  I'm thinking of trying out a cucumber honey recipe next.

Shine & Sparkle!

* As usual, just note I'm not a doctor or professionally trained.  I just spend a lot of time researching things and experimenting on myself and friends (even though I do have a guinea pig).  Please consult with your doctor, especially if you are taking medications or may/are pregnant.  This is the internet you know.