Search for skincare information online and you will quickly discover there is no shortage of advice. It seems like everyone and their BFF has a precious gem of hidden skincare knowledge to share. And we’re right there with everyone, often helping our customers find the right product, or giving advice from time to time. But we've discovered that beneath all the helpful hints and product advice is the single most important piece of skincare advice we could ever give. And that would be to be true to yourself.
Being true to yourself leads you to draw guidelines around what you are willing to try in the pursuit of perfect skincare. For e.g. some of us may be more inclined to try procedures such as Botox or fillers, whilst others among us might be content to stay within the realm of non-invasive products. But whatever your choice, as long as the choices you make feel right for you, that’s what really matters.
What It Means
Advising readers to be true to themselves can be a bit challenging in that there is no clear-cut definition of what it actually means. So to help us get a handle on this, we will look at the definitions. The first comes directly from the Cambridge Dictionary:
"Behaving according to your beliefs and doing what you think is right."
As you can see, the Cambridge Dictionary definition is quite concise – but only in a general sense. It doesn't tell us much about how to apply the definition to skincare. For that, we turn to a second definition offered by the Mind Body Green (MBG) website. They define being true to yourself this way:
"When you are being true to yourself, you are completely honest with what you feel, deeply value, and desire."
It is clear from the MBG definition that being true to yourself goes beyond what you believe to also include how you feel, what you value, and what you desire. This gives us a bit more clarity about what it means to be true to yourself when making skincare decisions.
How We Feel About Beauty
One of the core principles that defines the Poethique philosophy is the belief that beauty can be achieved at any age. Indeed, we believe a person can be just as beautiful at 80 as they were at 20. Beauty is not age specific. So being true to ourselves really starts with asking how we feel about beauty.
Our perceptions of what is beautiful dictate much of what we do in terms of skincare. Being true to ourselves involves embracing the 'beauty at any age' concept regardless of cultural norms. Each of us defines beauty for ourselves.
What We Desire out of Skincare
Being true to ourselves moves from how we feel about beauty to what we desire out of skincare. For example, do we desire to use only natural products that nurture and heal? If so, that might be rooted in an underlying belief that natural ingredients are better for the skin.
Do we desire an effective skincare routine that doesn't cost a fortune or require a commitment of several hours each day? If so, that desire influences our purchase decisions. We shop with budget and time constraints in mind.
Tying all of this together is doing what we believe is right for our skin. This is the toughest part of all about being true to ourselves. Why? Because there are so many competing ideas out there. Everyone has that sage piece of advice that they believe applies universally. But that's never the case.
Each of us is an individual, unique person with a different path to beauty at every age. We each have to travel that path while remaining true to ourselves. That is the secret to true beauty, both inside and out.
Sources:
- Cambridge Dictionary – https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/true-to-yourself
- MBG – https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/true-to-yourself
