Finally seeing it...

 "Seems like the only one who doesn't see your beauty is the face in the mirror looking back at you"

~ Taylor Swift

Ahhhh, that Taylor Swift, she's a wise one...

She got me thinking.

I'm pretty funny about mirrors. I rarely look directly at myself in them, even when I mean to, like checking for lipstick on the teeth, or if everything is in place...I'll walk out of the bathroom & realize I completely forgot to check!

Why is that? What is that all about I wondered...

Then I realized ~ up until recently when I looked in the mirror I still saw my 12 year old self.

 The shy awkward girl with the out of control curls & the big glasses.

Now I know that's not how I appear to other's, but that's who was showing up!

I had to take a real long hard look at myself.

I couldn't, or wouldn't, allow myself to see my beauty today until 

I accepted my 12 yr old self & her journey as BEAUTIFUL

Sure, we all go through some awkward phases while growing up & it helps form our adult selves, but if I can, I'd love to save young girls from years of feeling like that ugly duckling & help them see their amazing beauty now!

It hasn't been easy to get here, but I can honestly say to the lil me

"You are beautiful"

B is for...

One of my goals this year is to help women see & own their unique beauty.

I struggled with seeing myself as beautiful while growing up

& only recently have I truly been able to say

"I am beautiful"

without hearing the voice inside my head disagreeing with me.

Its one of the main reasons I was inspired to start Ch'Armz.

I wanted to give women the freedom to show their style & express who they are without being self-conscious about their arms.

Clothing has amazing powers!

Now hear me out, I may sound crazy, but I grew up mesmerized when looking at pretty dresses, colorful outfits & shiny jewels. 

And when all combined together to create a look, the wearer of this magical outfit floated!

You could tell she knew she looked good, felt good - she was a BEAUTY!

I wanted to achieve that feeling, I wanted to float!

And until I could claim my own beauty from within, I let each emerald green sweater, each vintage floral dress, each flowy silk top help me believe I was beautiful while wearing it.

When I found my style, I gained my confidence. 

I could enter any situation knowing if I was dressed well, I could handle it.

Slowly but surely the exterior bravado began to sink in & I could see my beauty.

Would I have gotten there without fashion? Maybe eventually...

but it was much more fun playing dress up along the way!!

So, in this new year ahead I hope to inspire women to have fun playing dress up, trying on new styles & finding their BEAUTY along the way!