Post 90 minutes work-out glow if I could say so myself. 💁🏽‍♀️✨ 

I’ve a little story about this photo.

I took this photo about a week ago and almost immediately I wanted to throw my phone against the wall. My head was just screaming- Gross! You seriously need to put your face together before you see anybody after this. So almost immediately I went in to remove my blemishes, even out my skin tone, (swipe left for references) just making my skin flawless. But I still wasn’t happy. 

My #insecurities got the better of me and that feeling stuck with me for the rest of the week and I didn’t like myself at all. I always tell girls around me to fuck what everyone thinks and here I am judging myself so hard… That almost after every yoga session I avoid mirrors, and after every work out sess, the second thing I do is to quickly conceal the redness on my face.

Growing up, I’ve been sub-consciously raised to cover up my flaws. I have a pimple, buy some pimple cream. I have a blemish, buy concealers I don’t need that may not work to even out the redness on my face to please people I don’t know and don’t necessarily like to like me.

It’s been deeply ingrained in our minds and souls that things like blemishes, discoloration, and shine are to be banished from our faces—that showing our natural skin is something forbidden unless perfection. However, I’m not against wearing makeup. I love makeup and if you know me, you know I’m obsess with the glow/highlighters. But I hated how I felt about myself without makeup because I am beautiful without makeup. Makeup shouldn’t be my identity.  I can leave the gym with a tomato face because I just did an amazing work out. I earned that glow on my face.

When I am out with my girls and they tell me about their insecurities, I just want to punch them and say, don’t you dare talk this way about friend! She’s amazing! She’s smart and she’s beautiful! Mind you! So… why can’t we do that for ourselves? Instead of being so self-critical, show some love, be kind. Try another angle. This is your face. The only face you have, to face this big troubled world. 

Granted, this was taken on the #hujicam and there will be days I need a filter or more makeup than others while some days I don’t. But I need to #bekindtomyself #bekindtoyourself too. There will be days that we fall off the bandwagon and there will be days we feel like a million dollars. I need to learn to be ok with my scars and a red face post-work out selfie, going #makeupfree. #lovingmyself isn’t just all talk. It’s a mindset, it’s #selflove, its wonderfully you, it’s a lifestyle.