Your Body is a Temple--- another take on the meaning

I was reading a talk the other day by Elder L. Tom Perry and this part stood out to me: 


"The Lord sets a high standard for us in telling us to consider our bodies a temple. I have had the privilege of accompanying the President of the Church to many temple dedications. Before a dedicatory service the President always wants to inspect the workmanship of the new temple, which is of the highest quality and beautiful in its design. The grounds around our temples are always the most attractive place in the communities in which they are constructed."

(photo by Abby Alger Photography)

It got me to thinking... when people think about their bodies being a temple, they focus a lot on keeping it holy by keeping things OUT. They don't drink alcohol or coffee, they don't get tattoos, and they don't allow  inappropriate touching from other people. And this is all fantastic.  


But when you go to a temple, what do you notice: all the bad things that aren't there OR the BEAUTY that is there? We rarely walk around the Salt Lake Temple grounds and comment on the lack of weeds, no, we comment on the beautiful flowers and trees. 


How does this relate to us and this blog? Well I don't believe God intended us to be frumpy and grungy. I don't believe he wants us to give so much to others that we neglect ourselves. I believe that he wants us to look and feel our best so that we can better serve others. If we are to truly treat our bodies as temples we would take the time to beautify them. 


The effort put into the upkeep of our beautiful temples does not take away from the efforts the church makes to spread the gospel.


Related... 


I was listening to a parenting book (to prepare me for my preschool internship) this morning and it goes through some mistakes parents make a lot. One of them I found rather interesting- Too many parents are too selfless for their children. They ALWAYS put their children first and their own needs second. They take their child to a movie despite extreme fatigue, they go out and buy new ingredients for a requested meal that wasn't planned for, or they are late to their own meetings so their child won't be too early to school. So what do children learn? To ALWAYS put others first. So when they get into middle school they have low self esteem and parents don't know why. They say "I did everything I could! I always put them first!" Well that's their problem. They child thinks that "self" does not matter and that we must always think of others, never ourselves. 

At Be the Best You! camp, their biggest focus is on service. The girls do a big service project every day. But they learn how to take care of themselves. They teach them to "spend time getting ready and taking care of yourself then as soon as you step out the door, forget about yourself and serve everyone." 


So go ahead- buy some makeup! Spend time curling your hair! Don't feel guilty for taking time for yourself, in fact, schedule time for yourself! 
(and really with all the discounts I'm offering you on high quality make-up... there's no reason NOT to make yourself beautiful. If you don't know where to start, schedule a facial with me and earn even MORE free product!! Leave a comment and I'll get in contact with you!)

Mask-ara: Don't Hide Your Eyes

(Are you ready for my first product review?? I'm here to review mascara!!)


“The eyes are the mirror of the soul”
“I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart.”


Ask any person what their favorite physical attribute about their significant other is and a good portion of them will tell you "his/her eyes!" So why do we see those people with such thick and long lashes it actually takes AWAY from the eyes? All you can stare at are those thick black lines sticking all over their eyes.... WHY? Lashes are NOT the star of the face- the EYES are. Eye lashes are there to bring attention to your eyes, not steal the spotlight. Read on to find out how to use mascara properly, not as a mask. 


I have tried SO many kinds of mascara. I, Aimee, have spent $20 on a tube of mascara once, trying to find the perfect match for my lashes. I've never even spent $20 on a pair of jeans so that's got to tell you how much I think of mascara (and this was before I started selling make up). 


The number one thing you need to know about mascara is that the girls in the commercials are wearing FAKE EYELASHES! So sorry, but your natural lashes will never look like theirs. I made that mistake and have been trying for years to make my eyelashes look twice as long and twice as thick which in turn ends up making them look spidery and overdone. 


Do not try to make anything you have look like someone else's! Enhance YOU don't change you! This is the secret to making ALL make up look good on your face. 


So with mascara... coat it on your lashes, don't go overboard with the twisting and the shaking trying to make your lashes look thicker or longer. It makes them look spidery! 


OK I'm finally going to review products:


Mary Kay Lash Lengthening Mascara $10:
I don't love it. It doesn't add anything to my lashes. Yeah, it makes them look longer, but not darker or thicker- it mostly just pulls them up and they look funny. However, I do use it as a second coat and it helps smooth out the first coat of mascara and gives it a more natural look. I love to use it on my bottom lashes, it defines them but doesn't make them stand out too much.


Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara $15:
This is a good mascara- not my favorite. For me it's because I have such dark skin, I like to have my lashes very black. This is a really good mascara. It's water resistant, good color, good thickness.... a great mascara for almost anyone!


Mary Kay Lash Love $15:
If you look at the picture in the Look Book you probably won't like the way it makes your lashes look. But that's because it's highly edited... It doesn't give this mascara any justice. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this mascara. I do a few strokes on top of my lashes, a few on the bottom... then finish up with a few swipes of lash lengthening mascara and I have my perfect lashes!! I don't use this on the bottom lashes because it's just too thick for me. 


One thing I love about Mary Kay Mascara is that it is not water proof- but water resistant. It stays put through a good cry but washes off great in the shower so I haven't found a need for make up remover unless I don't shower at night.


Mascara Tips:

• Do your mascara before your hair and keep your hair pulled back and away from your face so it doesn't fall it and smear your mascara
• Use an eyelash curler before applying mascara (curling instructions below)
• Don't "pump" the wand when trying to get mascara on the wand. This incorporates air into the tube and dries out the mascara.Twirl the wand in the inside instead.
• Gentle and limited wiggling from left right help prevent clumps and helps the lashes look longer and thicker. 
• Start applying mascara at the base of the lash- that's where you will get the most lift.
• To remove extra mascara clean an old mascara wand (make up remover then soap and water) and then run that over your lashes while the mascara is still wet

Eye Lash Curler

• Heat it with a blow dryer for about 5 seconds so it's warm. It's it's hot, let it cool for a few seconds
• Clamp the top lashes as close to the base as possible and hold for 10-30 seconds (I realize that's a big range of time. 15 seconds is probably adequate) 
• There's no need to curl the bottom lashes
• Repeat on other eye. 
• Replace pads every 2-3 months. 

Mascara is the simplest way to make your eyes stand out. Remember to enhance what you've got- don't try and change it!

$5 Eyebrow Wax!!

Today's Groupon is a $5 eyebrow wax or $27 Brazialian Wax at The Spa Club check out their website.

To order the Groupon, click here

$5 to get a start on your new beautiful look- totally worth it!

And they have 3 locations: One in West Jordan, one in Foothill, and one in Fort Union so you can get it whenever you want!