What is natural beauty?

Natural beauty could be defined in many ways by many people. I am always curious to see what people say is a definition of natural beauty. Is it the exact location of a woman's eyes, nose and mouth in correlation with eachother, or it is a woman complextion, or maybe her state of mind? Her essense? What is natural beauty? In every culture it is defined differently. I would love to see images of natural beauty and add the ethnicity of the woman. Everyone has time to share a little beauty, what is yours?

“Beauty”, as they say “is in the eye of the beholder”. Or at least, so the famous saying goes. Whilst it is certainly true that everyone has their own opinion on just exactly what natural beauty or even just beauty might be, it is certainly possible to point people in the right direction or to at least shed some light on what the idea of beauty is, or at least entails.

Beauty of nature

This is just a quick guide to providing you with a slight inkling of what natural beauty might be. It is in no way a one hundred percent straight and true definition, because anyone with any ounce of sense or intelligence about their person can understand that with something as ephemeral or intangible as beauty, there can be no one true definition. Actual definitions stand as something else entirely; for example, Beauty is commonly defined as being a quality or “thing” that is present in something (not just restricted to people, but things/places and the like as well) that exhibits upon the mind a intense pleasure or satisfaction, perhaps similar to the sensation of organic bedding, but – you know – from a mental aspect. Essentially, when a quality of something makes you feel good.

Natural Beauty.

On the other end, Natural is commonly defined as being – somewhat obviously – a thing that pre-exists or is formed by nature itself, or even something which pertains to the nature of the universe of planet (evidently, this would be used in reference to geographical locations or such). So, if you were running by a logical definition, then mayhap you would look to the above two definitions to help clarify matters. In essence, you might find that Natural Beauty would be something that occurs via nature – something that need no art or craft in order to enhance it – and something that is rather mentally pleasing to look at in some way, shape, or form.

The truth of the matter is probably closer to that the term “natural beauty” is bandied about by an increasing number or sources (the media, word of mouth, articles all over – maybe even this one), that it might seem like it is done so ad infinitum (or perhaps ad nauseum) and loses meaning. However, the colloquial acceptance of the phrase has come to mean someone that can look beautiful without doing anything to enhance their own appearance. Forget the supermodels that spend hours upon hours applying makeup, tans, fake nails, fake hair, fake personality, being told how to stand and who to talk to; someone in possession of natural beauty does not need any of that to look the way they do, they just effortlessly pull it off.

Enhancing Beauty?

That aside, whilst natural beauty may not require enhancement, those who are “naturally beautiful” commonly opt for makeup and other “beauty enhancers” in a similar vein, but not in a manner akin to the aforementioned supermodels, who tend to over-apply everything in abundance. It never hurts to gently enhance that which is already beautiful to make it even more so, is the ideology behind things here. Instead of opting for the harsh, man-made items that are commonly found at the disposal of people who seek beauty on terms that are unrealistic to most, it is not beyond the means of mortal man (or woman) to enhance one’s own natural beauty…well…naturally.

Natural beauties instead go for a more muted approach to their appearance: less makeup, lighter styling, or simply just methods that blend in more with the “natural” order of things. For example, man-made and horribly fake-looking things are out and natural products, remedies, and beauty-enhancers are in. It is even possible to look at it in terms of natural products are the product of choice for natural beauties, at least with regards to how they look after themselves. Their products (hair, face, or otherwise) will tend to heavily feature all-natural ingredients and extracts and all combine to create a relatively simple – yet nevertheless still beautiful – effect. Included in this might be the decision to not use hairspray, but an organic shampoo/conditioner, combined with a simplistic-but-effect hair style; something for everyday use that still looks great. After all, appearance for those with a natural beauty tends to be what feels good and what is functional over anything more elaborate; lending credence to the adage that those who feel good often look good as well.

Batural beauty

Going natural, however, is not quite as easy as it seems because there is no clear definition of 'natural'. Although many manufacturers may use the term on their product labels, this doesn't necessarily guarantee as much as you might think. A product may boast that it is 'natural' simply because it contains one or more plant-derived ingredients. However, this is often in addition to the synthetic substances in its base formula. Hypoallergenic products are often no closer to 'natural' either. Their label only means that the manufacturer believes the product to have less chance of causing allergic reactions than other products. Because there are no regulatory standards for this claim, it often only indicates that the manufacturer has left out a problem-causing ingredient. Similarly, products claiming to have been allergy-tested, dermatologist-tested or sensitivity-tested carry no guarantee that they will not produce an adverse reaction.

I was out with friends recently and during dinner; the term “natural beauty” became a hot topic for debate. Natural beauty has been defined in many ways by many people and yet, there is still not one clear definition of what it is or should be. Everyone has a different opinion of what it means, or what they perceive it to be.

Are you the natural beauty whose physical features are aesthetically appealing to the eye or are you the one who uses products only acquired from nature? Are you the one who finds beauty in all things just the way they are or do you believe that anything can be improved upon?

Natural beauty

What then really is the definition of natural beauty? I tried looking up the term in the dictionary, but could not come up with one clear-cut explanation so I looked up both words (thank goodness for Google) and this is what I came up with: Natural Beauty is the inherent sense of the right quality or qualities that gives pleasure to the beholder. In other words, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” whatever you interpret natural beauty to be, then it is.
For me, I believe it is the essence of our fundamental nature as human beings, that in itself it’s truly a beautiful thing. It comes from within; it’s evident in your outward physical appearance. It translates into the way you carry yourself, in your style of dress, your hairstyle, your strut, your everyday mannerisms…it is your individuality. What you feel on the inside will manifest itself on the on the outside letting your natural beauty will shine through.
Now, that’s not to say we can’t all do with a little help every now and again. I have always been in to all kinds of beauty products especially anything to do with natural beauty ever since my mother used Shea butter on my skin when I was growing up. And now, that I am a mother of a young daughter, it is very important to pass down to her the same message of beauty my mother instilled in me.
Also having a line of organic skin care products helps me to teach that message not only to my daughter, but to everyone. I love to be able to make products that are natural and can enhance our natural beauty.
So, what do you think? What does Natural beauty mean to you? Do you fit your theory of a natural beauty? How has that term shaped your very existence? As always Id love to hear from you – send me an email  or leave me a message on Facebook
I bang on all the time about “natural” beauty and “natural beauty” products. Turns out, there is no legal definition for the word “natural” so it’s important that I clarify what I mean by this. When I purchase beauty products I look first at the ingredient list and try to select products with the highest quantity of naturally-derived ingredients and the lowest quantity of synthetic ingredients. At the same time I look at other factors like the length of the ingredient list (the fewer the better) and try to avoid the usual nasties like sulphates, parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and any chemicals containing “eth” in the name. Then finally I look at the performance of the product. Does it live up to my expectations? This process is a little subjective at times, but for a little more objectivity I don’t use any products that contain an ingredient rated 7 or higher in the    It can be challenging to balance all of these things and there is a lot of grey area. However I don’t beat myself up about it, sometimes it just comes down to a judgement in the moment of purchase. I might change my mind later, or bin the product.
The second component of natural beauty to me is making the most of what god gave you and doing what you can do to enhance it (read don’t cover it up with loads of war paint). I take offense to the stripping, bedazzling, and painting of female private parts. On a lesser scale I take offense to fake nails with brightly covered pictures painted on. My beauty icons are the Hepburns (Audrey and Katharine), Lauren Hutton, and Christy Turlington. Smart, fun, and sexy. They are also women that you can really look up to. Did you ever notice a woman looks more beautiful when she smiles, and can be downright intoxicating when she laughs? That’s because it’s at those moments when her inner soul bubbles up to the surface. Unfortunately you rarely find these sorts images captured on film and presented in fashion magazines. Instead we’re bombarded with the images of stick-thin pouty teenagers. It’s a real travesty on the part of women everywhere that there is such a narrow version of beauty portrayed in magazines, media, and internet.
Going natural, however, is not quite as easy as it seems because there is no clear definition of 'natural'. Although many manufacturers may use the term on their product labels, this doesn't necessarily guarantee as much as you might think. A product may boast that it is 'natural' simply because it contains one or more plant-derived ingredients. However, this is often in addition to the synthetic substances in its base formula. Hypoallergenic products are often no closer to 'natural' either. Their label only means that the manufacturer believes the product to have less chance of causing allergic reactions than other products. Because there are no regulatory standards for this claim, it often only indicates that the manufacturer has left out a problem-causing ingredient. Similarly, products claiming to have been allergy-tested, dermatologist-tested or sensitivity-tested carry no guarantee that they will not produce an adverse reaction.

    

Natural beauty

I get tired of seeing unrealistic images everywhere presented as real. Some images show women with necks that are longer than necks can be and waists that are thinner than waists can be and skin that is more even in tone than anyone’s skin can be, ever, and present this as real. I don’t think that sort of retouching is bad in and of itself. If you want to make models look like Barbies for your art, make models look like Barbies! That could be fun art or cool ads. The problem is that it has become so prevalent, it is misperceived as realistic. A physically impossible standard has been created and is the norm in advertising that is everywhere.
It’s sad not only for the women who feel shitty about themselves because they don’t measure up, but also for the dudes who believe the lie, too. I’m sure not many women feel bad for guys who harshly judge women’s looks and bodies. I didn’t used to–how could I feel sorry for someone that made me feel bad about myself? Now I’m at a point where a dude can’t make me feel bad about myself (at least not in that way). With my insecurities removed from the picture, I can see the sadness on their side of the situation too. Dudes in that mindset of wanting to obtain the physically ideal female are going to feel just as shitty and unfulfilled as women wanting to be the physically ideal female. They are striving for something equally unrealistic. Being judged sucks, but guess what? Adopting a mindset that is constantly criticizing and judging sucks too. That isn’t a happy, content place to be mentally and won’t lead to deep, loving relationships.