The Beauty Issue's first birthday!!

The Beauty Issue turns one.

I’ve been thinking for the last couple of weeks how I could celebrate the milestone of the first anniversary of THE BEAUTY ISSUE.

What could I do to mark the occasion in a memorable way that would mean something? At this time of year, there are many gifts and giveaways on offer for people just like you.

If you follow other websites within the beauty industry you may be watching each day with anticipation the countdown of the 12 days of Christmas. It’s a lovely idea.

But no I thought, despite Christmas, like anyone having their first birthday the gift should somehow be memorable. A milestone in itself. A gesture of sorts.

With any milestone reached or the arrival of a birthday comes reflection.

It would be difficult to reflect on the last 12 months without feeling a sense of foreboding as to what the future will bring. Not for each of us personally, not even for my fledgling business, but as a global community.

There have been many times this year, where the trouble in the world hung heavy in the air and in my mind as I wrote about all the ways to stay healthy, look your best and find a balance between ageing gracefully while kicking back on societies judgemental opinion of how we, especially women should age. At times it seems like a trivial pursuit of beauty.

Regardless of your religious inclination. It’s the end of the year and for most, a time to reflect on the year that was and to look ‘hopefully’ toward the year ahead.

Looking back on 2014.

When I look back on the year, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. How can any of us make a difference when the strife in the world seems almost insurmountable. I remind myself that it is the small things we do, day after day that makes a difference. If you spend any time on the internet it’s easy to believe that there is a real lack of beauty in the hearts and minds of many.

A small gesture. A big impact.

But this week, amongst all the horrific news, one small gesture, just a simple hashtag #illridewithyou made headlines all over the world.120,000 tweets in just a few hours. It gave me a sense of hope. The bold and courageous side of humanity could indeed rise up and show it’s glorious and beautiful face despite the rage and despair that makes the world feel like an ugly place. One small gesture restored faith and provoked peace and compassion instead of hate.

All this reflection leads me to the anniversary of THE BEAUTY ISSUE and making small gestures which lead to a big impact on the lives of others.

Water. Another small gesture, with a huge impact.

Yesterday I was reminded of the necessity of drinking more water. It’s a small detail that makes a huge impact on your health. I often talk about the importance of drinking at least 8 glasses of pure water a day. Many, many beauty websites and magazine articles extoll the virtues of drinking water to keep your skin plump and healthy.

While it is true you do need to drink a lot more water than you are probably drinking, it may surprise you to know, it will not turn your dehydrated skin into something more plumped up. I wish that was true. But it just isn’t. If you want to plump up the surface of your skin or keep it hydrated then a very good moisturiser and a well-protected lipid barrier is the key to this particular problem.

The quality of your water.

However, not to deter you. Drinking 8 glasses of pure water a day will improve the function of every living cell in your body, which means the living layer of your skin will perform better and so will your brain, your heart, your kidney’s, all of you, in fact, will be better with increased hydration.

Of course, we take all this pure water for granted. Many will say you should only drink purified bottled water direct from the source of some spring high in the mountains, but close enough to where you live so you can access it. Right?

What a luxury our access to bottled water is and even easier when you consider all we need do is simply turn on the tap and, viola’ a reliable and safe source of water. We are indeed lucky.

Have you ever thought what your life would be like if the most basic of human needs and rights was taken away from you? If you were only 13 and had to walk 3 hours everyday just for a few litres of filthy water for your whole family?

And your beauty products?

Most moisturisers and cleansers have some amount of water added. It is pure clean water and the cream is made under the purest, most hygienic conditions possible. It is what we have come to expect. We trust in this fact. We rarely think twice about it. Until perhaps today.

Now, this water is special and it’s called Charity water.

With all this in mind and to commemorate the first birthday of THE BEAUTY ISSUE, I am on a mission to raise $3000 for Charity Water an organisation doing its bit to provide clean drinking water to those less fortunate than you and I. Those who never take water for granted. The link to my fundraising efforts can be found here.

I would be over the moon and full of gratitude if you were able to make a small donation to help me reach my goal. Your small gesture could provide clean drinking water for one person, but the ripple effect of your donation is more powerful than you could ever imagine as the film on my fundraising site will show you. I hope you can help and if you can help. Thank you. Thank you and THANK YOU!!! You are making a small change in the world and what better time than now.

Thanks for celebrating with me and for a great year!

This is my last post for the year. Over the Christmas break, I will be taking a short holiday from my usual writing. Next year I’ll be back with so many more stories, insights and reviews to share with you and a few surprises I’ll keep up my sleeve until we meet again in 2015.

I hope you have found the information on THE BEAUTY ISSUE useful, perhaps sometimes insightful and maybe occasionally amusing. I am forever grateful for your readership.