As a young girl I had always been drawn to beauty and fashion. Seventeen Magazine was my beauty Bible back in those days. I lived to pick my outfit for school each day, which involved schlepping up and down the stairs daily trying on multiple combinations to seek the desired approval for my taste in fashion. My mother was a great advocate and source of encouragement with her advice. She was a hairdresser and cosmetology teacher in the high school vocational program in Nassau County New York. She helped me discover my own unique sense of style with clothing hair and make up. Thanks to her I had that “ total look” thing going on at an early age. I was a fashionista even before TJMAXX usurped the slogan. But my mom’s best advice is something I carry with me to this day and share regularly with my own clients in the hair salon. I have followed suit and have become a Hairstylist/Fashionista as some have labeled me. Here are some of my mom’s earliest pearls of wisdom regarding the beauty advice she gave to me.
When you’re 20 you have the face that God gave you!
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” …. “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good.” Genesis 1:27,31
Youth has always been a coveted goal. Everyone wants age defying beauty. But true beauty comes from the inside out. By age twenty you have made it past the awkward teen years and are starting to develop into the person you want to become. You will spend the next twenty years trying to maintain your fresh youthful appearance.
When you’re 40 you have the face you made!
As a teenager my mother was constantly correcting me. She told me to “stop frowning and don’t cross your legs at the knees. A lady always crosses her legs at her ankles, it’s more demure especially if you’re wearing a short skirt. You will get varicose veins from crossing your legs at the knees.” She would also say: “It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. You’ll stretch your facial muscles in a negative way. If you don’t want wrinkles when you get older you better stop frowning and smile more.”
Smiling can be hard to do if you’re mad all the time. That was me as a teenager. I was selfish and unhappy. I later learned in my twenties that happiness and joy are two different things. Happiness is based on happenstance and that is always changing. So, I smiled when I was happy and frowned when I was not.
It was only when I discovered a personal relationship with Jesus, I learned how I can be joyful even if I was unhappy about my circumstances. That’s because Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and once you have it, it can never be taken away from you. Now that is something to smile about!
When you’re 60 you have the face you deserve!
Wow that’s harsh! However it is sad but true that if you go through life miserable and constantly frowning, your smile line takes a downward turn and you get deep furrows between your brows. Then you look like an unhappy person and there is nothing beautiful about that.
My mom also told me not to smoke when I was young because I would get a lot of undesirable lines around my mouth. I didn’t really listen to her smoking advice in my teenage years. I thought smoking was cool, in fact I actually smoked “Cool” cigarettes. For those of you millennials who are unaware of what these are because you’re smart enough to not smoke, “Cool” was a menthol brand of cigarettes back in my day.
Shortly after I had moved from New York to Florida, I was in the DMV changing the address on my driver’s license and I saw a very wrinkled woman with her lips pursed and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. The lines around her lips were incredibly ugly! I Finally understood what my mother meant when she said when you’re 60 you have the face you deserve.
It’s Never too late to Begin Again!
Here’s a cliche many people are familiar with : “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” So if you’re unhappy about your life or your appearance, don’t fret, there’s still hope. In this day and age there are a multitude of cosmetics and beauty treatments like Botox and Restylane, or even plastic surgery that are readily available to erase years off your appearance and restore a more youthful look. However, the value of a smile still holds true! “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” (Proverbs 15:13)
The key to Joy and the ability to Smile
Through a personal relationship with Jesus you can have your best life ever. It’s a free gift and all you have to do is accept it. Then you’ll receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the helper or the counselor who takes up residence within your soul. That’s when real change begins. You can begin again with a new and better life by saying a simple little prayer in your own words recognizing that you’re a sinner, which means basically that you’re sorry you missed the mark of God’s perfection. And if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) Jesus died so you can really live and have a new and abundant life. That’s all it takes to be spiritually born again as a new creation in Jesus Christ.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
Isometric Exercise for a Beautiful Smile
Another beauty tip I received from my mother was doing an isometric facial exercise that would help my smile. She would tell me to say OOOHHH – EEEHHH, OOOHHH -EEEHHH over and over again for several minutes at a time and when ever she caught me frowning. (The letters O and E are pronounced with the long vowel sound and the H just accentuates the length of time.) She said it was good for the facial muscles and helped avoid sagging skin. I have not researched the truth of this but it seemed to make sense to me. When I looked in the mirror and frowned I noticed my face droop a bit. But, when I practiced that exercise in the mirror, my facial muscles tightened right up and I looked a whole lot prettier.
For further information on some of the foundations for my belief in the power of new beginnings through a personal relationship with Jesus or if you have prayed that simple prayer, please let me know so I may encourage you further in your walk with the Lord. Also If you desire information on a personal physical makeover you can email me.
Nancy has styled my hair for 25 years. She is incredible! She has always been professional and courteous. Not only does she do an amazing job with all types of hair (she has cut all my family’s hair for years), but she really listens to what the client wants. I highly recommend her salon for all your hair needs. She and her team are amazing. Their salon is impeccably clean and especially now with everything happening with COVID-19, I appreciate the lengths they are going through to keep us safe. They are going above and beyond to keep the salon clean and sanitary. They are absolutely fabulous!
I am thrilled to see Nancy sharing her amazing gifts with the world! I say gifts in plural because as you’ll soon find out, Nancy is multi-talented. Nancy has been taking care of my hair and giving fashion advice to me for 20+ years! I have been the recipient of her talent in the hair and beauty realm and there is simply no other like her. But what makes Nancy even more special is her strong faith. Nancy knows the scriptures, loves the Lord and she is not ashamed to share her knowledge and testimony. Every time I visit her to improve my outward appearance, I always leave feeling spiritually nourished as well! I feel richly blessed to know her and I am super excited to follow her on this new journey! I know we will not only be physically elevated, but spiritually uplifted as well!
Nancy is my hairdresser and a great source for spiritual renewal. I recently lost my mother and was dealing with her sudden death. I reached out to Nancy she texted me comforting scriptures and prayers. My last haircut and color she recited the Lord’s Prayer and explained it’s meaning and how it relates to me and my new beginning. Nancy is a fabulous hairdresser and a great source for spiritual renewal.
Nancy, so glad you’re doing this! Since I’m a longtime client (and fan), I can hear you saying it, which makes it even more enjoyable to read. I smiled when you mentioned Seventeen magazine–definitely a cultural touchstone for many of us! I’m going to practice my O’s and E’s now… 🙂
Nancy is my cousin and growing up I always admired the beauty and class that both Nancy and her sister Robin had. I often had talks with her Mom “Aunt Anna” about beauty advice. I still remember being in Levitown NY getting lessons on nail care. To this day I still do my own nails as a tribute to Aunt Anna. I know her Mom is so proud of the person Nancy has become. Btw I still admire Nancy’s beauty – and now that I’m older I can see the inside & outside beauty of her. XXOO Love you always.
Nancy has been styling and beautifully coloring my very fine hair for over 20 years. When I first went to Nancy, it was on the recommendation of my, at the time, teenage son. He was so impressed by Nancy, that he thought I would be too. Well, he was right. Nancy is extremely talented and professional. Over the years I’ve come to know her spiritual side. Her inner beauty is what makes her most special.
I have been a friend and client if Nancy for many years and am so glad she is putting her talents of writing, encouragement and beauty know-how in a blog to share with others. She has a good sense of humor and as many New Yorkers in a tell it like it is manner. She has a way of being encouraging and truthful. I hope many will become followers of the blog for the biblical truth and the practical beauty tips.