Beauty in the eye of the beholder

It's no wonder that we have unrealistic beauty standards. Look at this:

Congrats to the photo editing team at Victoria's Secret for successfully airbrushing out all signs of emaciation.

And don't even get me started on most mascara ads.

~~~~~~~~~~

On that note, I thought I would post images of beauty and the features I admire:

This first photo is not safe for work -- it's of model Crystal Renn. I could fill this blog with images of her, as I find her absolutely stunning. And my beauty icon (I DIE for those eyebrows). She was formerly a high fashion model but depended on eating disorders to keep her there. She walked away from it to get healthy and is now a very successful plus-size model.

OK, just a few more pics of her.....

In a stark contrast to Crystal's soft, feminine look, here are some beautiful photos of athleticism and strength.

Hilary Swank in an awesome ad/mag shoot

This chick is a javelin thrower from Paraguay... who knew! I wonder if modern medicine has perfected leg transplants yet.

Gymnasts and ballerinas astound me with their musculature and power. The balance and technique require lots of amazing, tiny muscles that my body can't comprehend.

And Gabrielle Reece is just.... I would honestly kill for this body

Others I'd like to mention (aka aspects of my friends I totally envy!):

- Erin's blue eyes, great teeth and rockin' body

- Kate's thick hair, long lashes and hourglass shape

- Micaela's runners legs and long 'n' leanness

- Bridgett's gorgeous hair and pretty hands

- Andrea's radiant skin, lovely curls and bedroomy eyes

- Ana's adorable smile, graceful neck and great legs

- Angie's perfect skin and cheekbones

I could go on and on and on and on about my beautiful friends..... and if you want me to, just ask :-)

Why, God, Why?

I am STILL somehow stuck in a blog rut. I thought separating out my beauty stuff over to my new beauty blog would be helpful! But apparently not. I guess the details of my every day existence seem too mundane for the likes of y'all.... whomever you are out there.

Will pull through somehow, someday!!!

THE update:

I signed my life away at Aveda the other day. Oooooo!!! It's very very exciting and very TERRRIFYING at the same time. I'm thrilled at the prospect of getting a formal education in something that's been a long-time passion, but also scared at all the risk involved in delving into a new industry, especially one as fickle and inconsistent as beauty.

A few things:

I have to wear all black all the time: full-length pants, solid black tops and close-toed shoes. This means my wardrobe needs some serious updating. I have two pairs of black pants - one that's a little tight (ehhh) and one that's 3" too long on the leg (regulars are way short and talls are too long...). I have maybe two solid black tops that will suffice. And as for pairs of shoes - there's ONE I could last in all day. OY. I forsee a couple of bucks being spent on clothes to last me my 11 months of school. Huzzah.

I messaged my stylist, Kim at Cole's Salon Eagan Station, via Facebook and told her the good news. I also asked if she had any names I could contact to inquire about potential jobs upon graduation.... WELL, Kim said that Nikki (a girl I went to HS with who has worked reception at Coles for years) had mentioned me to their manager, as had Kim, so now the manager is all excited to meet me! I haven't even STARTED school yet, and I'm already desirable. What an awesome feeling!!!

OK, that's all for now!