Beauty Notes! Best Advice Ever from Mom

From old school beauty hacks to lifetime lessons, mothers know best! Cheers to the best 9 beauty notes and quotes taught by mom.

She braided our hair and held us from the second we came into the world. She does so much and expects so little in return. She is powerful, she is graceful and she is everything you aspire to be. And despite everything we put her through when we were growing up, she is always there when our worlds come crashing down. She is the first person you want to tell your good news and the last person you want to lose.  
 
With Mother’s Day being right around the corner and after spending months trying to find the perfect gift, I have also spent an enormous amount of time thinking about everything she has done for me. Being out on my own and living in my own space has me remembering all the little things she taught me as I was growing up; subtly preparing me for whatever I would need to know in my life without her. Looking in the mirror each morning as I get ready for my day, I am flooded with reminders of little tips and tricks for how to help my inner beauty shine through.   
 

Accessorize like Coco Chanel

Oftentimes as I was out the door to catch the middle school bus, I would hear my Mother say “Coco Chanel.” Now to anyone else this may be confusing, but it would illicit annoyance but relief later in the day. My mother has always been the more fashionable or fashion savvy than me, I usually always referred to her judgment on outfits - even if at the time I didn't agree with her criticisms.
 
Coco Chanel was always a favorite icon of my mother’s and mine and she had a rule: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” Though I was a big fan of bracelets back in the day, I would oftentimes wear one or two too many. This rule my mother instilled in me helped me look less like I just walked out of the Hot Topic store, and more Haute-couture.

Tired eyes? Grab Some Green Tea and a Spoon

This was one of my mom’s favorite tricks and one that I now use constantly. From those long nights studying in the library to the big nights when I am out with the girls, I will wake up with dark bags under my eyes. My mom’s trick for relief was to take two green tea bags - steeped in cool, not cold water - and place them on her eyes for 5-10 minutes. If she had less time, she would take two spoons that were chilling in the fridge and place them on her eyes for 2-3 minutes.
 
Though you look a bit ridiculous doing either of these two things, the results are almost magic and the tiredness and the uneven skin tone seems to just disappear.
 

Coconut oil…Is Not Just for Making Cookies

Coconut oil was and is one of my mother’s favorite butter or margarine substitutions, but she also taught me about how many different uses it can have for beauty.
 
If your hair is feeling a bit lackluster, dry or dull, coconut oil can help! Taking a decent amount in my fingers, I run it through all of my hair until it is completely covered. Then - as I am typically in the shower - I let the steam help open up the hair follicles and allow the moisture to really nourish my hair and my scalp. After about 5-10 minutes, wash it out and my curls have never been so hydrated.
 
For the face and skin, coconut oil has been a go to makeup remover in my family for years. Given that it is naturally antibacterial and free of any harsh chemicals, coconut oil is one of the most gentle and most effective makeup removers I have ever tried. Taking a cotton pad, I saturate it in coconut oil and proceed to gently rub to remove my makeup without having to scrub really hard in delicate and sensitive areas like my eyes. The natural soothing aspects of the coconut oil leaves your face makeup free and moisturized - and it is such a time saver at night.

Organization is Your Best Time Saver

My mother is the organization queen, but this tip comes directly from her mother, my grandmother. For many years my makeup and skin care has lived either in a makeup bag or in a box, so sometimes finding the right products in the morning or at night can be a bit challenging. When I moved into my current apartment, I placed these bags and boxes on my counter in my bathroom, my grandmother asked me where my organizers were so she could set everything up so I could focus on other areas of my place. When I looked at her confused, she told me to drop everything and we made our way to the store.
 
Follow this link to find the makeup organizer that has changed my life and made finding my most used products incredibly simple.
 

Makeup Should Complement Your Outfit

Now my mother grew up in the 80's. Though she was surrounded by acid washed jeans and neon in every color but she didn’t fall into that trend. As she lived fashion forward, she doesn’t possess any photos of herself that look even remotely 80’s ish.
 
However, when she would show me photos of her friends, I saw that all that neon - though popular - was impossible to coordinate with fashion. Because of this, I always dress first, makeup second.
 

The Best Foundation is a Good Skin Care Routine

I have incredibly pale skin, and so does my mother. Finding foundations that are actually my skin tone can be all but impossible and I had a lot of acne and splotchy redness on my cheeks throughout my late teens and early 20's. One day while I was at the store with my mom, she asked me what I was using on my face to wash it and as I listed off 27 products that probably were all working against one another instead of with each other, she spent the rest of the trip finding me a simple, easy to follow routine.
 
Though makeup can cover up, your skin will thank you in the end when your natural pigment shines through. It also makes it way easier to get ready in the mornings, lol.
 

You Gotta Have “Beat Your Face” Time!

The term “Beat Your Face” may sound violent, but it’s my mother’s loving and “hip” way of bonding over flawless makeup application!  In life, we can apply the same tools by using our time, resources, and skills to fully commit. Having something half done or done poorly will only affect your psyche negatively. So go ahead, turn on the full glam, and beat your face like you’re Kim Kardashian on the red carpet! 
 

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

What looks good on them won’t look good on you and that’s okay. I will be totally transparent that this is a lesson I am still learning. My whole young adult life I was small. I was a double zero in pants up until I was a junior in high school and I was just always very thin in frame because I was so active. When my metabolism started to slow down and I progressed through and passed puberty, my body curved up. Though I am healthy and by no means plus sized, many of my friends are at least a foot shorter than me and skinny as all get out. Though I would never want to be that size again, it is hard to come to terms with the fact that the clothes they wear that I like I will never be able to wear.
 
My mother took me shopping for my college graduation and took me into a store and bought me a bunch of dresses I thought I was going to hate… until I put them on. Though they weren’t what I was wanting, it made me feel like how it felt to see what my friends wearing.
 

The Best Accessory is a Smile

As cheesy as it sounds, this is something my mother would always say. Being a woman, it is incredibly easy to get caught up in all of the craziness in the desire to look and be perfect at all times. But even when my mom went through the hardest challenges, she always had a smile on her face.
 
Despite every challenge, my mother showed me that the best thing I can do to shine and show the world my inner beauty is smile, be happy and live well.
 
Mothers teach us so much, and give from their heart until they have nothing left to give. Because of this, my mother didn’t just change the way I look at physical beauty, she showed me how to be beautiful inside and out.
 
Thanks mom!
 

What’s your favorite lesson, heirloom, or advice from mom? Comment below!