The Only Beauty Tips I'll Ever Give My Daughter

As time goes by and Moriah grows up and begins to ask questions about (what the world thinks is) beauty, I'm afraid I won't have any good answers for her.  I won't be able to teach her the best way to apply eye shadow.  I won't be able to instruct her in the finer points of having eyebrows waxed in this shape versus that one.  I won't be able to tell her what shade of lipstick is in for that particular season and whether or not to try to match it to her nail polish.

No, for all of those things and so many more, she will have to, if she is so inclined, go ask someone else.  And then she can teach me.  ;)

But I do have a beauty tip for her.  Well, two, to be exact.  The first is this:

1. Smile.  

There is nothing--absolutely nothing--on the whole of this wondrous planet we call earth that can improve the appearance of a face as much as a smile.  People notice a joyful face.  They respond to it.  They are attracted to it.  I know this, because that's how I got myself a husband.  ;)  I'm utterly convinced that very few people will notice how skillfully someone applied their lip liner, but they will notice in what direction those lips curl.  And if they're curled up in a smile--a true, genuine, caring smile--beauty will bloom on that face.

The second tip I'll share with Moriah is an ancient one, taken directly from a venerable text full of wisdom for every life situation:

2. Beauty comes from a gentle and quiet heart.

1 Peter 3:3-4: "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, 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."  If the inside of a person is ugly (selfish, bitter, angry, proud, etc.), no amount of "beauty" products on the outside can compensate.  Focus on the heart first, I'll tell her.  Make that beautiful, and the rest will fall into place.

Well, that's it!  That's about all the wisdom I can give her about beauty.  So if she comes to me and asks me which brand of mascara I recommend, I'll have to tell her that I have no idea...but we can do some research online to find a good brand.  If she wonders whether she should get a perm or not, I'll refer her to her daddy who can tell her the pros and cons of using chemicals on hair.  If she wants to have fake nails put on, I won't be able to help her with that, but my sister can.  If she asks me what I think about her coloring her hair, I'll tell her she can do as she wishes, but that I made the choice to let my hair naturally go gray and thus receive my crown of splendor.  ;)  If she wonders about Botox injections for wrinkles, I'll let her know that I never could figure out what was wrong with laugh lines.  And I'll remind her that I got mine, in part, because I smiled at her.  :)

There is one more little thing I'll be sure to tell her, every time the subject of beauty comes up.  I'll say to her that she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...and nothing can ever change that.