beauty {101}

7th grade starts in just a few days

&

I knew the question would be coming...

"Mom, do you think it would be ok if I wear make up this year?"

Her daddy and I talked it over

 {I knew it would take a bit of talking, he would keep her little her whole life if he could}

and we decided she was ready to dip her toes 

in the world of cosmetics.

Enter our morning at Sephora...

Oh, it's a world of all things colorful and fragrant

and right up her tween alley.

We had the greatest artist 

who totally understood

sweet, fresh, 

and clean.

We spent nearly an hour there

after her appointment

and took our time perusing 

the store for their suggested items.

We also came across a few other

great products that we couldn't add this time, 

but trust me, 

we'll be back!!

I am a complete sucker for 

amazing packaging

and Philosophy has some of the cutest things I've ever seen.

They even have a line called 'Amazing Grace'.

Gracie got the biggest grin on her face when she came across 

the whole line with her name plastered all over it.

We brought home a combo perfume/lip gloss from that line.

Of course we had to stop and have a bite to eat...

Mediterranean, our favorite!

I took the opportunity over lunch to talk about true beauty

and some of my own beauty tips.

I didn't want today to be just about her pretty face.

1.  SMILE!!

It's free - be generous

2. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

You can have a runway model with a frown and a bad attitude and she won't be all that stunning.

You can take a 'Plain Jane' with a cheerful heart

and a great smile, and suddenly she's gorgeous.

3. PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES

4. TRUE BEAUTY COMES FROM YOUR HEART

5. MAKE UP WON'T MAKE YOU BETTER - it only enhances what is already there

We also covered the other beauty basics:

You can never rink enough water,

exercise keeps you healthy and strong,

use spf {after 20-30 minutes to get your daily vitamin D and a little sunshine on your shoulders},

nails are important - learn how to give yourself a mani & a pedi

and so on and so forth.

We returned home to a dad who was all ears and eyes and a bit of humor too...

We had one of those days where I was so grateful

to only have one girl to focus on.

I think she was too, as this is what she spent her afternoon doing - 

A little middle school sass thrown in for good measure

She has thanked me at least ten times

and told me how much today meant to her.

I couldn't agree more.