Beauty Lessons Mom Taught Me

My beautiful mom, when she was my age!

With Mother’s Day this past weekend, I found myself thinking about all of the “moms” in my life, and how lucky I have been to have grown up surrounded by so many strong, smart, bold, and absolutely beautiful women.

I am blessed to have three amazing women in my life that have been there for me especially so as mother-figures for me. Of course, my very own, very wonderful, and incredibly loving mom who was my very first teacher, my first role model, and my first friend. Life has also brought me my  spunky, loving, and one-of-a-kind step-mom (Pallavi) who has been with me now for well over half of my years on this earth and who shares my love for all things “beauty”. Last (but not least!), when I got married last year I gained another “mom” in my mother-in-law, Ann! So, when it comes to Mother’s Day– as I’m sure you can imagine– I have definitely got my plate (quite) full! I wanted to have some fun in honor of Mother’s Day and share some of the little (and big!) beauty tips and “secrets” that these three mamas in my life have shared with me over the years– so let’s get to it!

"always respect yourself"

1. The most important beauty “secret” that my mom ever taught me is to always respect yourself. She taught me to look in the mirror and compliment myself instead of focusing on any perceived “imperfections”, and to not talk negatively about my body– but to instead talk positively about all of the awesome things my body did for me! One of the most important ways that she taught me this was by modeling it for me. I don’t remember ever hearing my mom all herself “fat” or seeing her upset by what she saw in the mirror– I didn’t even realize that people did that until I got much older! Thank you Mom, for working hard to give me a positive sense of self, and for always modeling how to appreciate my own unique beauty to me.

 

Then (1996) vs. Now (2016)

“Did you put on your sunscreen?!”

2. “Did you put on your sunscreen?!” is something that I can still hear my mom yelling after me (in my head now– ha!), and I have to admit… although I hated standing by the trunk waiting for her to find our sunscreen bottle, I am now grateful to her for always protecting my easily-sunburned-skin all those years, and for instilling in me the virtues of SPF! All these years later, and apart from my daily SPF I still find myself digging through my trunk every now and then to find the sunscreen…

"adding in a smoky black liner to any look will instantly glam it up"

3. Kohl. Kajal. Eyeliner. One of the biggest beauty tricks that my step-mom taught me was how adding in a smoky black liner to any look will instantly glam it up– and yes, I attribute my love of a good black liner to her! As my step-mom is Indian, she grew up wearing “kajal”, which is an easily smudged black eyeliner that is traditional to India and which is worn by both women and even men. I still remember the first time she let me “try on” some eyeliner as she was getting ready to go out when I was 11… and as you might remember from previous posts, my love for it has only grown since then ;)

 

Then (2008) vs. Now (2016)

"a little bit of perfume can always go a long way"

4. My step-mom also taught me that a little bit of perfume can always go a long way. I still remember my very first bottle of perfume that we bought together, and how special it would make me feel whenever I would use it before a special occasion, or sometimes even just before school. It still makes me laugh when I think of some of the hilarious ways that we tested out together for applying perfume from mySeventeen Magazines, but (perhaps most importantly) she always taught me to only apply just enough!

A fun little selfie of me and my mother-in-law from my wedding reception :)

"always keep something for my lips in my purse or bag"

5. My mother-in-law taught me to always keep something for my lips in my purse or bag– and I have to say, it just makes everything better when you can apply a fresh coat of lipgloss or even just some lip balm during a busy day when you’re out and about! It’s the little things in life like this that can often go unnoticed when we are so busy, but taking that extra time to pamper ourselves a little can have such a big impact. Now I try to never leave the house without a little something for my lips on hand, and maybe it’s just because I’m a total “lip junkie”, but I can honestly say that it always makes my day a little brighter and a little better! I love how these little beauty rituals and routines always remind me of the beautiful women who first instilled them in me. Nowadays, I often find myself giving beauty tips and tricks to my mom and step-mom, and I hope that they too are reminded of me and how much I love them when they think of the little things I've shared.

Note from Lisa: I met Abby when she was 6 -her mom and I became fast friends. In fact, I'm sure I was with her a time or two as she was rummaging through the trunk of her car to find that darn sunscreen for her kids! (I was probably over at my car doing the exact same for my kids!)

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