Natural Beauty – Brave and Beautiful

I am Brave and Beautiful – an important message for every woman around the globe. Colbie Caillat started it with her song and video called TRY. My friend Megan of Brassy Apple wanted invited women from all over to share what they looked like without make up to help move the movement forward. Colbie’s song says, “Take your make up off. Let your hair down… Look into the mirror at yourself, Do you like you? Cause I like you… “

Megan and my dear friend Cobi of Peacefrom6pieces have been the team behind this project. Their worldwide vision included creating their own video inspired by the song TRY. The talent of Robbins Creative made it possible for them to pull it off. You have to click play and see the beauty and bravery displayed and you might even recognize a few faces in there. I know and love each of the women in the video personally and I love how beautifully this turned out.

Along with 101+ other blogging women from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, ages, shapes and sizes we have decided to be Brave and Beautiful! You can join in this movement too by sharing what you look like without makeup on. You don’t need a blog either! Just tag your photo with #IamBraveAndBeautiful on Instgram and search the hashtag to see who else has joined in. (ALSO, if you tag it with a second hashtag – #ColbieTRY we just might be able to get Colbie Caillat’s attention since she was the inspiration behind it all!)

I love feeling pretty, who doesn’t.  And sometimes when I’m in a slump putting on make up can help me feel more confident and ready to face whatever the day may bring.  I love playing with fun eye shadows, but I’ve never been a heavy make up wearer, (you can see my full make up routine here) probably from all my years wearing stage make up (dance and theater).

90% of the time I’m a wake up and go type of gal (cause I like to sleep until the last possible second – I’m the master of putting make up on in the car)… this is me, Au Natural!  I am my fathers daughter and I look JUST like him (well except the colored hair and eyebrow plucking, ohhh and the dark circles under my eyes, he get’s more sleep than I do).  I’ve always enjoyed looking like my dad, he’s the best person I know.  But sometimes being mistaken for a guy (yes it’s happened more than once) hurts, then the make up comes out again for a few weeks.

This year (in my mid/late 30’s now) I noticed I no longer look “like” my dad but I’m actually the AGE of the dad in my head, the one I remember from childhood (every time I see him now I think “when did he get older?”).  I have the same wrinkle lines around my eyes, and smile lines around my lips (and we wont go into the neck wrinkles) and of course my forehead is well lined from all my eyebrow raising (a signature look for me, like Scarlet O’hara)….  I HOPE that most of my lines are from laughter and smiling.  I enjoy enjoying life.

For me I feel the most brave and beautiful in my role as a mother.  Yes my body will never be the same after 5 kids, and I won’t be signing up for any nude posing… EVER. But each change my face and body has gone through marks something wonderful in my life.

I admit, even as a grown woman I feel the pressure to be thin and look smokin hot, even the comparison to other women I know. I’ve been known to photoshop my arms a bit thinner (the part of my body I hate the most) and brighten my teeth a little whiter. But for the most part I’m a “this is what you get”. I accept myself, If I want to be thinner I’d have to eat less and work out more, neither of which I enjoy, so it’s not gonna happen. I think it’s important to find happiness at whatever age/stage and size you are, cause nothing is more beautiful than confidence.

Don’t stop here. Get clicking around – its a blog hop! Below are more brave and beautiful women bearing more than their natural beauty. They each have a little bit of their heart to share with you. Some get very personal. Some share stories. For some this was very hard to do yet they gathered their courage and did it anyway. We hope as you click around (and YES pin these different posts!) you will feel the importance of it, the empowering effect it has and that it encourages you in some way.
>>>>>>>Important info! Blog Hops often have glitches the first day. If the link has an ERROR, simply click on the HOME button for each site, or google the blog name next to the link, and you should see their brave and beautiful post there. Links will be updated as soon as possible.<<<<<<<<<<<<

1. BrassyApple 2. Peace from 6 Pieces 3. Is this Really My Life 4. Among the Young 5. Love Me Dani Marie 6. Sweet Charli 7. Kim Orlandini 8. XO, Ashton Tilton 9. She Calls Me Mama Leisha 10. Raising Memories – Canada 11. A Little Tipsy 12. Amy Cornwell 13. A girl and a glue gun 14. My Craftily Ever After 15. Maybe I Will 16. WhipperBerry 17. Paging SuperMom 18. All Things Thrifty 19. Ashlee Marie 20. The Project Girl

21. One Little Momma 22. Entirely Eventful Day 23. Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl 24. Tips from a Typical Mom 25. Utah Sweet Savings 26. Flats to Flip Flops 27. One Krieger Chick 28. What Meegan Makes 29. Simply Kierste 30. Live to be Inspired 31. HoneyBear Lane 32. Pretty Providence 33. Ma Nouvelle Mode – in FRANCE 34. MomEntity 35. Serger Pepper – in ITALY 36. Kiki and Company 37. Girl Loves Glam 38. Thrive

39. The Potters Place 40. Crafting in the Rain 41. Cooking With Ruthie 42. Delineate Your Dwelling 43. The Pennington Point 44. Bakerette 45. The Happy Scraps 46. Shannon Baird Photography 47. Tried and Tasty 48. Lionesses at the Gate 49. Fry Sauce and Grits 50. Lolly Jane 51. That’s What Che Said 52. Sugar Bee Crafts 53. Your HomeBased Mom 54. Happiness is Homemade 55. The Crafted Sparrow 56. R&R Workshop 57. I Should Be Mopping the Floor 58. Sassy Steals

59. Let’s Eat Grandpa 60. Being Spiffy 61. Sumo’s Sweet Stuff 62. Ginger Snap Crafts 63. Bless This Mess 64. Apronista 65. Dreaming About Someday 66. Frenchie 67. Tastefully Frugal 68. Four Marrs and One Venus 69. Your Sister Circle 70. Over the Big Moon 71. See Vanessa Craft 72. Infarrantly Creative 73. Family StoryTelling

74. Albion Gould 75. Life as Mrs. Larson 76. Tried and True 77. Play.Party.Pin. 78. Bite of Delight 79. Ink Happi 80. ObSEUSSed 81. U Create 82. My Mommy Style 83. Find it Make it Love it 84. The Contractor Chronicles 85. Novae Clothing 86. Mommy Makes Things 87. At Home with Sweet T 88. We Like to Learn As We Go 89. House for Five 90. Organize and Decorate Everything 91. Sassy Southern Gurl 92. The Creative Mom 93. Keep Moving Forward with Me

94. The Benson Street 95. Mom 4 Real 96. Sowdering About 97. illistyle 98. The Crafty Blog Stalker 99. A Fiery Red Life 100. Cupcakes & Crowbars 101. One Sweet Appetite 102. My DayLights 103. Restless Risa

104. Sypsie Designs 105. Vintage Mother 106. Like Mother Like Daughter 107. 30 Handmade Days 108. Queen B and Me 109. Apples by Ashley 110. Boutique Cafe – in CANADA 111. Just My Little Mess 112. Bombshell Bling 113. Sarah Tyau 114. Taradara Make it 115. Capturing Joy 116. Ivory Lime Photography 117. Jenkins Kid Farm 118. Free Time Frolics 119. Bella Storia 120. Dana Ohlsen Photography

Ready in join in?Snap, hashtag and share! Tag @BrassyApple and @cobilynn_ if you can too!

Also follow our Bravery and Beauty PINTEREST board for more inspiration!