What Makes You Feel Beautiful For?

“What makes you feel beautiful for?” 

That question is something that we all have a different answer for. I know it’s a cliché, but I do believe that physical beauty is subjective and is something that is unique to each one of us. The reality is, I am imperfect. We all are. I can honestly say that although I try to be as presentable as possible when I go out, I won’t always look chic, or have perfect, made up face and hair. Some days, I’m fine with just my hair gathered up in a ponytail with my comfiest jeans and shirt when I go out. Believe it or not, I feel perfectly fine with that.

Me in between my sister Lourdes on the left and my cousin Lucille on the right – who are both beautiful to me in the ‘real’ sense of the word!

Now that I’ve become more mature as a mom, wife and as an individual, I realize that the power to feel beautiful comes from within me. To me, nothing warms my heart and makes me feel beautiful than a warm hug or a cheerful smile from either one of my little boys, or a surprise, tender kiss from my husband. Even our pet cat Oscar makes me feel beautiful whenever he stares at me and then suddenly jumps on me and lazily lays on my lap! 🙂 

True, I have my moments of weakness.. but who doesn’t? Everyday, we’re bombarded with images of perfectly svelte supermodel bodies, of what’s the “latest” in fashion so we buy more stuff, or of how to avoid fashion faux pas (that God knows we all commit on a daily basis)… I mean, as busy moms who hardly ever have the time to go to the salon or shop for the latest “cool” clothes. I’m sure I’m not alone in my thoughts that busy moms (or any busy person no matter what her/his career is) face the same challenges. These things and more.. make us feel anxious or less confident about the way we look. Thus, feeling “not beautiful enough”.

Enjoying the beautiful red rock mountains!  (Sedona, Arizona- February 2010)

But only when I’ve learned to stop and thought about what really matters to me – the love and affection of family, the loyalty of friends who mean a lot to me, or in those moments when I show kindness and compassion to someone and know that I made a difference in that person’s life and vice versa, noticing the beautiful in simple things around me, gracefully accepting my own flaws and imperfections. To me, those are who and some of the things that inspire me to embrace my unique beauty and make me feel beautiful for.  So even when I don’t look perfect in the outside, it’s about how I feel in the inside. And I know that I’m beautiful, no matter how I look any day. I truly believe that it’s very important to see the beauty in myself so I can inspire my own children to feel the same about themselves. 

That’s why I was so excited to share Dollar General and Dove’s partnership in helping us celebrate Real Beauty!  Both brands believe that examples of unique beauty are all around us and deserve to be rewarded!  So for this reason, they are offering a nice deal on Dove and Vaseline products between now through 10/19! Just stop into your local Dollar General store to instantly save $2 when you spend $7 on any Dove or Vaseline products in-store! 

So, what makes you feel beautiful for? Do you also believe that beauty is a state of mind? Please share!

*Hip Mama’s Place Disclosure: “This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Global Influence Network for Dove and Dollar General.  I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are 100% my own”.

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  About the Author: Jocelyn Cañasa-Brown is a working mom of two boys and is a recognized blogger and mom influencer in the Washington, DC area. In her spare time, she designs and creates her own handmade jewelry, maintains her jewelry store on Etsy and is an active moms group organizer and leader both online and offline. Hip Mama’s Place was nominated for Parents 2011 Best All-Around Mom Blog and named one of the Highest Rated Blogs and Sites on Nickelodeon ParentsConnect for the Washington, DC area. Follow Jocelyn on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.