Brave and Beautiful

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I am Brave and Beautiful - a beauty movement that is sweeping the globe. Colbie Caillat started it with her recent song and video called TRY. My blogging friend Megan of Brassy Apple wanted to push this movement along and invited women from all over to share what they looked like without make up and I joined in!! 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 her friend Cobi of Peacefrom6pieces have been the team behind this whole 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.

101+ other blogging women and I, from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, ages, shapes and sizes 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!

Are you brave and beautiful? I am, here I go!

This is a headshot I got back just last week. I love it.

Photo credit: Randomly Candid

About a month ago, Megan asked me to join with this group of bloggers to take off our make up, and share our real selves. I have to say, I put off agreeing to this, because:

Was I brave enough? 

What would people think if they saw me without my make up?

How would I feel about seeing myself without make up?

I am one who wears makeup to the grocery store. Only my family, and a few neighbors ever see me without my make up. I even got permanent eyeliner a year ago. I don't wear a ton of make up on my face, but almost ALWAYS like to have my eyes and brows done. My brows are crooked. I like them straight!

The week before participating in this challenge, I even had a mascara party, promoting mascara that actually increases the length of your eyelashes! I was so excited to look like I have longer lashes than what I was born with. Why is this??? Why do we as women strive to look some way other than the way we were born? Is it the media? Would we do it anyway, even if we didn't have magazines to look at, and see images of perfection?

Okay, so the make up was one issue, but the wrinkle I have in the middle of my forehead is another! I take it out in EVERY photo I post of myself. I ask my photographers to take it out when I have my pictures professionally taken. I NEVER post a picture of myself with that wrinkle intact. I knew my participation in this challenge meant I would be sharing not only my make up-less face, but also my wrinkle with the world. 

Wow, it sounds like I have major self esteem issues! I don't. I am pretty happy and secure with myself. In a few months, I will turn 40. 40, that feels like a pretty high number! But, I like and am more comfortable with, "me," at almost 40 than I was at 20 or 30. I will wear it proudly.

Here goes, wrinkle and all!

Thank you Linsdey at CFC Design for the headshot!

Even up to the day of the video shoot, I was thinking I might cancel. Did I really want to do this? Was I brave enough? I thought it would be a bunch of ladies meeting at a park, under a pavilion, sitting at tables and taking make up off in little mirrors. No, the setup was lovely, and I felt a little like a princess in an enchanted world! We were in a beautiful meadow, and there were mirrors and chairs all over the place. We were asked to wear white, and I felt this was rather symbolic, in that no one stood out based on their clothing.

The bloggers arrived one by one, and we all started chatting a little bit, and getting to know each other. All these women were beautiful. But you know what? They were more beautiful and even more relaxed after they took their make up off. We were all in this together! It felt liberating! Did you watch the video above? Wasn't it beautiful!?! I am honored to have been able to participate in the filming. Thank you Megan!

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 Bee 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 Kids Farm 118. Free Time Frolics 119. Bella Storia 120. Dana Ohlsen Photography

Ready in join in?Snap, hashtag and share! Tag @BrassyApple and @Peacefrom6Pieces if you can too!

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

Attachments area Preview YouTube video Colbie Caillat - Try Colbie Caillat - Try

Come find me on instagram and faceboook showing my face, sans make up to all my friends and family! Are you brave enough to participate?

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa