Inner/Outer Beauty Activation Package

A few days ago I was hit with some wonderful inspiration around creating an offering that would provide a solid foundation for activating both inner and outer beauty. You know I'm all about how we want to match up our outer enhancements with a beautiful inner self that shines through no matter what!

SO my inspiration has resulted in the Inner/Outer Beauty Activation Package!

It's 3-fold. This is what I will do for you:

Firstly, I want you to know what is blocking your ability to shine confidently. What's holding you back from stepping fully into what you are being drawn to? What hidden doubts, secrets, worries and fears lie right beneath the surface waiting to be seen and resolved? I will do an intuitive tarot reading for you shining the light on these things so that you can finally take the steps forward that you've been wanting to for so long.

This reading will be the basis for what comes next. What comes next is the assembly of your special MOVE Makeup Inner to Outer Beauty makeup set. You'll receive your confidence building basics - full-size foundation, concealer, and veil. More importantly though, you'll receive a specially customized eyeshadow set designed to address the blocks that came up in your reading. If you haven't read my article about how eyeshadow can be used for empowerment, go do that now (http://www.bestkeptself.com/whats-your-color-eyeshadows-for-empowerment/).

Lastly, you'll receive an essential oil blend that I customize just for you to enhance and anchor in your reading and to inspire within you new courage to shine confidently.

The investment for all of this is $97.

I'm excited about this. I'm excited to see who takes me up on this offer and truly if *anyone* takes me up on this offer. I'm excited to see how the inspiration to create this package leads me to the next thing for me.

I have no idea if I will offer this again. I have no idea how many of these I will actually accept doing. I don't have a fancy page created for this offering or even a listing in my store or jazzed up picture (I'm working on that though ;-)). I've just felt inspired to do it and this is how that inspiration is manifesting <3.

Thank you sistar for your awesomeness! If I can serve you with this, message me (on mobile you might have to copy and paste info@leahpatterson.com) and we will get started!

Why I've always hated mattes and why you should too...

Ook ok ok..that’s harsh. I haven’t always hated mattes and truth be told, I don’t hate them now. BUT I admit that they are colors that I’ve had to grow into. My default for mattes had always been - why bother? If you can barely see it, what the heck is the point??

I’m particularly referring to eyeshadow here. I actually love a nude lip because it looks refined and interesting - not dull and like lip balm. Which is kind of what I would equate browns and beiges and other neutral matte tones to if I’m being honest. Super dull, lip balm like eye color. Again, I would say to myself and everyone else - why bother.

I’ve grown a bit since those times and now I can appreciate a sweet neutral eyeshadow in a muted tone, but I will be honest, the shimmery brown is almost always going to win out over the basic brown if I’m given a choice. I sparkle. Period.

So you can imagine my initial chagrin when I realized that OMG, my people like mattes. They actually adore mattes, even aghast prefer mattes. And neutral barely there eyeshadows.

Just recently I posted two new eyeshadow set hopefuls for the upcoming MOVE Makeup #BohoFit collection and what I found was that I got more thumbs up for the neutral pallette than for the bold one. After I cried a little inside, I became fascinated with the possibilities of what this might mean.  And I saw a great opportunity for growth blooming from something seemingly random.

Why are some women more attracted to neutral, muted tones than they are to bright bold ones?

I’m going to step out on a limb here and say that this has something to do with

1. Our conditioning and
2. Our uncomfortableness with proclaiming our innate beauty.
 

Now you might try to stop me right here and say no Leah - this is about not looking like a clown.

I’m going to challenge you though and say really? Is that really what it’s about? Because we have countless examples these days of how bold color can be worn in classy, professional, ‘I am an adult boss babe and I command respect’ ways.

So no, I don’t believe it’s really about that.

This is what I believe is really going on.

We are afraid.

We are afraid to be seen because being seen means possibly being judged. And being judged means possibly being confronted with deciding for yourself whether you accept or reject the judgement.

And sheesh, that’s just work.

Much easier to just to go on wearing those barely there, acceptable sparkle-absent blahs and not making any waves. Not nearly as fun or vibrant or life inspiring. But easier? Yes, definitely easier.

 So of course, you know I must challenge you. The new collection will be released towards the end of the next 3 weeks. There will be a beautiful neutral eyeshadow set reminiscent of the regal royalty of Queen Pharaohs. But there will also be a phenomenally fabulous bold pallete created for the Gypsy Queen of her own domain.

My challenge to you is to challenge your own default. If you are inclined to think you like the neutrals more than the bolds, bring a little gypsy into your life this go around. Even if you just choose one Gypsy Queen Color - embrace it and wear it with aplumb and audacity. (Don’t worry, I will be giving you lots of assistance in pulling this off!). See how you feel. Pay attention. Embrace the awkward phase and ride it out to the confident one.

While you are waiting for the collection to be available, go check your makeup bag. I’m sure you have one or two bold colors that you’ve never attempted to wear. Take a tiny risk and apply it to your wrist. Notice how you can’t take your eyes away from it. Leave it on just for a bit and imagine all of that attention being on you. And welcome it in.

Big changes happen when you aren’t hiding anymore ;-).

If you are feeling super inspired to be bolder but you don’t know where to start, check out my new guide, 3 Beauty Rituals to Phenomenal Self Care. Confidence is a big deal and it can start with something simple. Get access to the guide here!

7 Days to Clear Skin Challenge Recap!

Did you miss the 7 Days to Clear Skin Challenge? It was sooooo great and I had suuuuch a good time compiling all of the information for everyone who participated! Once the challenge got started, doing the Facebook Live videos in the group daily was such a treat as well! And the best part is that everyone who participated saw great results and are really pumped to keep up with their new skincare routines.

That is probably the best part for me – that I was able to give of the knowledge I’ve acquired through all of these years and it actively helped people. It’s a wonderful feeling when you know what you’ve shared has been useful!

So what did we cover in the skincare challenge? Well the premise was that in just 7 days, you can set your skin on a path towards healing, thereby bringing about that beautiful, glowing and clear skin that we all love seeing. It really is possible!

At the beginning of the challenge, I gave out a specific *simple* and basic skincare routine for everyone to follow. It consists of basic skincare items that will bring your skin back into balance. Many times when your skin is out of whack it needs a dose of basic care, so going back to the bare-bone basics of skincare is key.

Each day, in the emails and Facebook live videos, I talked in detail about different aspects of the skincare routine we followed. That way everyone participating understood *why* I made my recommendations and could begin the process of understanding exactly what their own skin needs are.

And as an added bonus, I conducted a 1-card Empowerment Reading for each day of the Challenge. Skincare can absolutely be a source of empowerment and what I reiterated each day was that, although caring for your skin at first can seem surface and even vain, it truly can be a bridge to loving and valuing yourself more, especially when you are DIY’ing it. So the Empowerment Readings helped to focus in on that aspect of the skincare work – helping everyone to see how to use this challenge as a source of empowerment as well.

It really was a blast and I’m sad for you if you missed it!

But the great news is that I will be doing a follow up free class this coming Wednesday on two vital steps to beautiful skin - scrubs and masks. We didn’t really get a chance to dive into those during the challenge, so that’s why I’m devoting a whole class to them :-). I would love for you to attend the class and learn why these two steps are so important and what you can use (from commonplace to exotic) to customize them for yourself.

I so hope you will join us!

Even though the class is free, I still need for you to register so that I can send you the special viewing link! Register here:  http://www.leahpatterson.com/2steps     

I'm looking forward to Wednesday! As always, if you have any questions, type them out in the comments or just send me a quick message :-). 

3 Simple Tips to Get Gorgeous, Radiant Skin

I have a question for you today.

What keeps you from having the gorgeous skin that you want?

Is it a lack of knowledge of what to do? Is it a lack of resources to address the problems?

In most cases with most people, it’s neither of these. In fact I’d even say that in our society today, we have an overload of information, so much that it can be really difficult to figure out what will work for you.

As far as a lack of resources, the majority of skin care products are fairly affordable and there is definitely no lack of choices. Again though, all of these choices often lead to overwhelm, putting off, and stagnation.

And what do we get in return? More breakouts, more dryness, more redness, and inevitably more unhappiness.

We can change this! This is fixable dear! All it really takes is creating a plan and sticking to that plan. We don’t hear this advice in all aspects of life for nothing. We hear it because it works. It is *the* way to make change and *the* way to then evaluate change. If you never get to consistency, you’ll never get to change because you’ll never know what works and what doesn’t for sure.

This sounds easy, but I know from personal experience that this is anything but. So today, I’m going to help you make that plan.

One thing that most people struggle with is dull skin. Regardless if their skin is oily or dry, the skin can look dull, ashen, and lifeless. This can seem like an insurmountable issue, but in truth, the remedy is super simple. It just requires a plan and consistency.

The issue in this case is exfoliation. Exfoliation is the process of mechanically or chemically removing layers of dead skin cells. For lovers of a natural way, mechanical exfoliation can be carried out with corn starch or baking soda and chemical exfoliation by brown sugar or certain fruits. The dullness, in most cases, is caused by dead skin cells that just need to be removed – simple as that.

However, there is a plan that you need to follow.

1.       Exfoliate twice a week in the beginning to jumpstart your skin’s response.

2.       Too much exfoliating is a bad thing, so be sure to only exfoliate twice a week.

3.       Do this for ONE WHOLE MONTH. In two weeks, you’ll most likely begin to see changes, but you need to give it time. It takes 28 days for your skin to be completely new.

Commit yourself to doing this and trust me, you’ll see results! The key is keeping yourself accountable. Focus on how beautiful your skin will be looking at the end of those short 28 days and let that be motivation to keep yourself following your plan!

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These are just some of the steps to take to clear your skin and rid it of acne, dry patches, and redness. If you are interested in learning more, I invite you to download my free 5 Steps to Gorgeous Skin Info Guide! It covers all of the essential 5 steps that will get your skin back in shape. Just enter your email address below and receive it in your inbox!

Enter your email address below to receive your guide!

What is a Holistic Skincare Consultation?

Are you thinking you might need a skincare consultation but you aren't quite sure what goes into one? In this video I talk about exactly how I can help you in a consultation. Any questions? Post them in the comments or email me! 

Schedule a Holistic Skincare Consultation here! 

Mind, Body, and Spirit for the Dancer - New Project!

It’s been a soul searching kind of month :). So many things have come up! I’ve had to deal with lots of disappointment and with the realization that some of my dreams weren’t really mine and really needed to die. And that process has been hard. It’s been a constant job to maintain my happiness and hopefulness. On all levels, mind body and spirit, I’ve been struggling to stay afloat. 

But through this tumultuous month, I’ve also realized great comeback moments. I’ve been reminded constantly of my value AND of how I shortchange myself. I’ve seen first hand how my own perspective clouds a situation and creates an entirely different false reality. I’ve had so many opportunities to practice my word for the year Courage. There have been so many ways, all in the space of 20 something short days, to put every aspect of my will and belief in myself to the test.  And when I have looked and have operated on faith and have trusted, help has been everywhere. And the whisper of intuition and the Universe has been in my ear, on my mind, and in the words of other people to me guiding me to the light that comes after the little deaths. 

I want to tell you about one of those conversations today. If you’ve been with me for a while, you probably know how important a holistic approach to life is for me. You might be familiar with my particular struggles with mental illness and you might also know that I believe taking care of your mind body and spirit is necessary for a happy, healthy soul that can overcome mental illness’s hold over one’s life. You also probably know how important being a dancer is to me - how vital to my life it is and how much I’ve worked and sacrificed for it. 

Well in my work that spans the worlds of mind, body, and spirit, I’ve often had difficulty figuring out how to bring my dance life into that work. It felt like there wasn’t a place for dance in my holistic beauty, health and wellness training. I felt like I just wasn’t sure how the two meshed. 

I toyed with the idea of creating a community of dancers that all cared about learning more on holistic beauty and wellness and for a time I did that - but kept feeling like it wasn’t gelling. And so I let that idea go for a time. 

Then a week or so ago, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful kindred spirit who brought all of it back to me and showed me the way to do it. See, I used to have a non-profit organization years ago where I taught all about holistic living, natural health and wellness. My focus then was lower income communities because I felt like they were the ones getting left behind. What this kindred spirit helped me to see is that there are a lot more people being left behind and I, with my unique background, could serve one particular group very well.

 Dancers. Yes, I could serve dancers who inevitably deal with so many mind, body, and spirit issues.

I looked back on my time traveling and performing every other week and boom - I saw it all. Being rail thin and thinking I was as big as a house. Feeling inferior to other dancers for no reason other than skin tone or hair type or body type. Starving myself and being on the extreme side of strict to fit a certain aesthetic. Dealing with horrible skin breakouts from stage makeup and bad eating habits. Syking myself in and out before performances, auditions, and competitions. Asking God, the Universe, anyone what I was was supposed to be doing in this dance world and feeling lost and unanswered.  

So many things that I know other dancers deal with day to day. 

I realized that I have a unique voice that can speak to them and I realized just how much I would have benefited from a voice like that when I was in the thick of it. 

And so this is my new project. Am I am ecstatic about it. I’ll be perfectly honest. I don’t know how it’s going to unfold. I don’t know how I’m going to manage it with everything else. But I do know that some things that I thought were so important just aren’t anymore. I’m letting them fall away no matter how scary that is. I’m getting done with NOT looking forward to the things on my to do list. The old adage that life is too short and too precious is true no matter how you look at it. 

So the fact that the thought of this fills me up with excitement and a rush that I can’t explain in words is THE thing that drives me and is THE thing that is important. Feelings like this are what we live for. Feelings like this are what make everything else possible. They are the fuel for the impossible. 

I had to go through a lot of little deaths, disappointments, stark clear moments, and deep dark places to get to the light again. Getting to the fuel sometimes requires that, but if you let yourself flow through it all (that’s what I call operating on faith), I know you’ll find yours.