Exciting Update: New Blog, New Location

I know, I know. You're probably wondering why in the world I'm switching blog locations so soon. I have a valid reason, I promise!
I've been doing some research on blogging, and the different platforms and the pros and cons to each. I decided that Wordpress offered more of what I was looking for which is to expand,and have a little more control over what I'm after! :)

Anyways, this is a good thing I promise! So, that being said, here is my new location:

pearlsofgreatprice.net

Please go and follow to stay informed on updates! Thank you so very much (:


*I'll be shutting down this location in the next couple of weeks, so make sure you have the new link in place!

Defining Beauty

I want to write about on something I've really been seeking God on lately.  I think it's definitely something you can relate to as well. It is this:
As a girl, I want to be beautiful. I want to look pretty, and my very best at all times. I care about how others think I look. Do you or have you ever felt that way? You probably have at some point. I really think God has put that desire(no matter how small) in each and every girl. Yeah, I think some care less than others about what they look like, but it's still there.
I don't think it's wrong to care about wanting to be beautiful. I don't think it's wrong to put on some makeup to enhance the features God's given you or to dress up, and put heels on- as long as it's not distracting.
I know God doesn't desire us to be constantly caught up in how we look and constantly looking in the mirror to see if our eyeliner's on point, but  I do think He's given us an awareness, and a little longing inside each of us to be "beautiful". I think it's apart of who girls are. Keep in mind though that we shouldn't have our identity in that.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  

 1 Peter 3:3

Society has put "beauty" on such a pedestal. The importance of it has really increased as time has gone on, and what strikes me even more is that the definition of beauty has changed over time. It's like, what even is beauty anymore?! And even more, why does it matter so much to us if we're beautiful or not? I think it's because we do find our identity in our outward appearance. Ouch.
So, back to what I was saying before. It's okay to want to look beautiful. If you feel like putting a new color eyeshadow then go for it! If you want to wear some lipstick that day, then girl, put it on! - with the end goal that you want to be a light for Jesus. Let your desire be to further his kingdom in every single thing you do. Yes, even in the way you dress, and how you put on your makeup. If that is your desire, God will automatically shine through you.

 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 

Peter 3:4

Don't feel like it's wrong to dress up or wear makeup, but also realize that your identity and your true beauty doesn't come from what you're wearing or what you look like. Okay, if you know me at all, I love experimenting with makeup and being stylish with my clothing and accessories. My favorite thing in the world to do is shop and pick out new beauty products and clothing pieces. I love picking out different colors, and styles. Is this wrong? It's what I do with that passion, and how I use it that determines that. Again, what is my goal in it?
I know people who are absolutely beautiful! But unlike the barbie doll face you're picturing right now,they have the Lord flowing in and through them and they literally glow. I've found that I'm naturally drawn to people who are so full of the Lord. I immediately want to get to know  and be with people like that all the time. Their eyes hold the joy and fullness that no other made up eyes could possess.
Find what beauty means to you. Define the beauty you see in others. Is it that their face has the perfect everything or their eyes sparkle with the absolute fullness of joy. Then, go after what you want your beauty to consist of.

So Long, Acne!

 
 One of I think the hardest things for teens to go through is the much dreaded acne stage. It's just about the last thing we need as teens to go through and be criticized for. I used to struggle with acne pretty badly myself. My skin isn't very oily, but yet I was finding I was breaking out quite a bit.
Over time, I developed and discovered ways of maintaining clear and glowing skin! How exciting is that!
Well, here are some changes I made, and some things I started doing to reduce and nearly entirely get rid of my acne(with the occasional monthly breakout).

• Stopped Using Acne Reducing Products 

  That's right. I stopped using special acne reducing creams completely, and started using just warm water. I noticed that whenever I would use acne products, I would break out even more. It seemed to make it worse more than anything. Once I started using water, my acne cleared up pretty much immediately. 
  Now, my dilemma was how to get off my makeup with just water. I found the solution too: I  used warm water and went over my face several times, then for my eye makeup remover I used a concoction I heard about using a mix of olive oil and water(I've now upgraded to coconut oil). At the end of the day, my face was clean, clear and makeup-free. 
  

   

• Frequent Pillowcase Change 

You might not think about it, but it's for sure something worth thinking about. Your pillowcase can get really gross really quickly. I mean, let's think about what our pillowcase deals with:  we drool, we might have skipped a shower that day, and our head and hair is just naturally oily. Your face rests on all of that. That's pretty much a prescription for a breakout when you wake up in the morning. I found that when I changed my pillowcase every night, my face stayed pretty much entirely clear as opposed to having a wave of breakouts from a pretty well used pillowcase. If I'm having a consistent breakout, it's usually because I forget to change my pillowcase.

• Don't Touch The Face!

This one is kind of common sense, but I thought it was worth bringing up. Your hands carry so much bacteria, germs and oils that it isn't even funny. I used to touch my face all.the.time. I couldn't let my poor face alone! I used to do it so much that it became a habit. I'd be doing my school, and just feel for more acne- which was creating more acne and it became a vicious cycle. So, I saw this wasn't a good situation, and whenever I caught myself touching my face, I sat on my hands. Hey, whatever works! It may come to you just telling yourself that you are not going to touch your face. 
 

I really hope this comes to serve you in the future! Remember, you are indeed a Pearl of Great Price, and you are valued by the Most High King - yes, acne and all.

Help others out, and comment your skincare tip below!

The Consistency Key

Recently, I've been thinking about how people nowadays seemingly give up so easily. Whether it's with a diet to lose weight, working out a relationship or a new job that wasn't what they thought it would be.

For me, I find that when something doesn't feel comfortable or it's just too hard, I immediately try to reverse those feelings rather than push through,and be consistent with what I've already started. 

I think a step in the right direction is to make the decision that if you start something, you'll give it a certain amount of time to allow yourself to settle in, find your niche, or get in the routine and be disciplined with that diet or that workout plan. It's inevitable that some things are just gonna take time to feel "right", but I guarantee you consistency will aid in just the results your looking for.

 This past summer, I worked for Subway as my summer job. It was just opening,so I was apart of the very first crew hired. We weren't able to get hands on training just the way things worked out, so I, along with the rest of the crew, were put out front to serve customers without a clue of how we were supposed to make a single sandwich.

We were given little sheets of paper discreetly taped up to the sneeze guard to follow as we served the summer customers. We took probably twice as long as we should have trying to make sure we put the right amount of roast beef on the Subway Club or remembering to put double cheese on the Chicken Bacon Ranch - all while there was a line winding all the way around to the entrance.

It was busy, the toaster kept me sweating all day, no one knew what they were doing, and we didn't have very happy customers. All that to say: I hated it. I wanted to quit for all of the first two months of my summer. I thought to myself that this had to be on the list for the top 10 worst jobs in the US.

I continued to work really hard as the summer went on. I didn't give up because it was hard, and as time went on, the crew and I developed a system to whip up those sandwiches like no one else.

As the summer went on and the crew and I became more comfortable with what we were supposed to be doing, and we made up ways to make our fast pace job fun. We were on top of everything, and knew exactly what we were supposed to be doing. We worked together to make it a better place, and made sure our customers left with a smile on their face.  And yes, I even found my niche.
It all worked out eventually because I had continued and given time to what I had started.

Whether you're an employee at Subway or a lawyer for a firm, you can make the difference you want to see. If you don't give something time, how do you expect to ever get to where you want to be? Most of the time you're not going to see results immediately, but if you're consistent with working towards what you want to see happen, you're well on your way.

November Edition Wishlist

I love clothing(I just thought I should state that before anything else was said). While I have several different styles and combinations I like, my taste tends to revolve around some specific looks.Pastels(any I can get away with, with my skin tone) and anything with class and elegance is Emily Heaven. That being said, Lauren Conrad is my hero.
I thought it'd be fun to create a November Edition wishlist to not only put together a collage of my current favorites for my personal enjoyment, but give you a peek into some of my ideal items.

1. LC Two Buckle Ankle Boots
2.Cream Ruched Comforter


3.Perfect Party Tulle Skirt
4. Makeup Forever HD Foundation
5.Neutral Ruffle Tunic
6. Aveda Tea
7. Nude Trench Coat
8. Bellevue Pullover
9. Lace Filigree Headband

Don't forget to comment below your favorite item!

My Discovery:Color Me A Season

I find it shockingly incredible when I put on one article of clothing and look as though I'm on my deathbed, then go to put on another piece of clothing of the same color with a slightly different shade, and look like I'm glowing. What gives?!
It used to really play with my mind. Sometimes my skin would  look like it just got squeezed out of a tube of toothpaste, and other times, like I downed some magic potion,which made me glow from the inside out.
I definitely do have those mornings where I roll out of bed and I can tell it's gonna be a bad skin day, but sometimes my countenance can all depend on the shade of a certain color I'm wearing.
For me, colors that have visible yellow undertones in them make me look like I'm having the best skin day of my life(lets just take a moment and appreciate those days). I tend to look drab or pale in colors that are darker or have blueish undertones.
If you're a redhead like me, you most probably have yellow undertones and therefore are apart of the group who has the hardest time finding clothing within our color range.
Having yellow undertones, I shop for clothing keeping an eye out for "spring colors".
I find that colors such as peach, warm mint, spring green, yellowish blues and anything that has a warm tinge to it warm my face.
Colors such as cranberry, black, hot pinks or dark reds are the colors I stay away from. Oh, and white too! Why? Because they aren't my colors.
I also keep the color of my hair in mind while shopping for clothing.Some colors can also compliment not only your face but your hair color. Depending on your color of your hair, you can get away with certain colors that aren't in your color range. 
Having red hair with strawberry blond highlights, I can get away with colors such as dark greens, navy blues and gray which aren't considered "spring colors" - but that's only because my hair balances out the color I'm wearing that isn't necessarily within my range.
I had not a clue of what an "undertone" even was until my Mom educated me on the matter.

When she first demonstrated putting a dark colored color near my face compared to a spring green, I really saw the difference. As if that didn't convince me enough, she showed me that when I stretched out my hand palm up, I could visibly see the yellow in my skin.
I also watch what jewelry I wear. Yes, even jewelry enters into this. Any gold colored jewelry is my go to.The gold sits well on my warm yellow tinted skin color as opposed to silver that fights with my skin tone.

Corals and warm pinks are great for yellow undertones!

My Mom and I have been able to stay within our color range (her having yellow undertones too) and refer back to what colors we could wear with our handy dandy "Color Me A Season" fan - which is now ancient looking.
Scarves are also great way to shed some color near my face and brighten me up. I love scarves, by the way.

If finding the right color of clothing seems to be an issue for you, you can find what season you belong in at makeup counters, or online at http://www.colormebeautiful.com/seasons/ or  http://www.colormeaseason.com/

Hope this is helpful for you! Comment below with what season you're in!

Keep Your Chin Up

So, today was rough. I felt completely stressed to the point of tears. A lot of major things seemed to fall on one day- today. I have to say in the moment it's hard for me to just take a deep breath and put things in perspective. To realize that it's not the end of my life(let's be honest, girls can get pretty dramatic sometimes and believe just exactly that), and that I will make it through the rest of the week.
Does that feeling of complete emptiness ever hit you when you go through those rough days? Like every effort you make is to no avail? Oh, and that popular lie that sneaks it's way into your mind saying "you're the only one going through this."
Let me encourage you a little:Keep your chin up.
Remember it's just a day, and that it's not going to determine the rest of your life. Take comfort in knowing that you, along with everyone else, is going through or has gone through the same exact thing.
To add to today, I was really discouraged today with something I was looking forward to. I was very disappointed with what I thought was going to be the bomb. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was to me. My expectations weren't met, and when that happens it tends to effect me quite a bit. All that to say: It was a very frustrating and stressful filled day.
At about dinner time, I pulled into the driveway, and made my way up the freshly snowed on steps, and stepped in the entry way of our house. Because our home is a split level, I made my way up yet another flight of stairs. As I reached our main floor my senses were filled with the aroma of a burning vanilla candle. I looked to my right where the gas fireplace was ablaze, and the flames quietly going about their business. I looked straight ahead, and my Mom was there to greet me with a warm hug. I was instantly filled with such a sense of contentment. In that moment, I was focused on what I did have, and all those horrible feelings I felt prior seemed to dissipate. What was one bad day after all?
God has blessed me beyond belief, and yes, some moments I don't see it, or I don't  feel it one iota, but that doesn't negate that fact that He is for me. He uses everything for a reason...the good and the bad days. It's in whether you allow Him to do the work in you that determines everything.

So, having a bad day? Focus on that comforting vanilla candle, or that inviting warm fire or yes, even that warm hug from your Momma. It's amazing how a little change in your thinking can go a long way.