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rebecca taylor

off the shoulder top // garden eyelet skirt // earrings // circle bag 

When Olay invited me to be their guest at Beautycon over the weekend I was a little hesitant as I said yes. I never imagined going to the weekend long event. I am not a beauty blogger and I am the last person to give any sort of makeup tutorial. I  didn’t think I belonged there. My knowledge of makeup is either stage makeup from my days of dancing or my current minimalist everyday look of only wearing mascara. I do add some blush, maybe a nude lipstick, concealer, and recently tapped into darkening my eyebrows a little when going to an event or a special night out. I didn’t know the difference between highlighting and contouring until a few weeks ago. Makeup is not really my thing, but skincare is. I figured at the very least I could go home with a few skincare products and enjoy a few fun vendors.  I gratefully accepted Olay’s invitation knowing this would be an experience, one that I would not have sought out myself. And I want to say yes to as many experiences as possible.

Leading up to the weekend I was not sure what I was going to get myself into but I was excited to find out. I figured it would be insane, and hey, maybe I learn how to contour or improve my hair curling technique. I went in with an open mind. If someone wanted to paint a unicorn on my face or bouffant my hair big enough to be closer to god than bring it on! What I didn’t expect upon going was to really grasp, or at least admit to myself, 3 important life lessens. It seemed to be a theme among the panelist with these 3 key notes.

Surround yourself with good energy

. I can feel people’s energy and if it is less than positive than I am out. As Zendaya put it– protect your energy. I spent the last few years working on myself and my happiness to not even tolerate doing anything or being around people whose energy is not positive and light.  You have to do things that make you feel good inside, be around people who make you feel good inside. If the bad energy is coming from me, which it certainly does on somedays when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I try to take a few moments away from myself. I do this by meditating, working out, taking a nap, reading, anything to distract my thoughts. My energy, my vibes are important to me and I only want things and people in my life who lift up my energy, not bring it down. It’s about being kind to people who are around you no matter who they are or what they do. Kindness goes a long way and gives out great energy. It will make you feel good and open you up to receiving more good energy and things in your life.

 

Get rid of toxic people in your life

Life is too short to care about people who make you feel less than happy and good about yourself. When starting this blog I had no idea that it would show me who my true friends are and who are the good people in my life. The ones who want to support me and love me unconditionally. I notice the friends who have never supported me through this. I have noticed the people who treat me in ways I would never have the heart to treat them. People who I thought were my friends but they are not. People who I have held onto for way too long that are toxic and do not belong in my life anymore, who are just not good people in general. No longer do I want to be around negativity and toxic people. Some of these people it was a hard pill to swallow knowing they do not treat me as well as I treat them. For the past year god has planted people into my life and kept the people who are truly there for me and got rid of the people who no longer belong in my life. During the panels celebrities from Lucy Hale to Paris Hilton all talked about the most important thing they have learned in life is to be around people who genuinely care about them. I think the hardest part the guilt that comes with it. In the end you know that these people do not care about you, so do not waste your energy on trying to get them to. Focus that energy on the good people in your life.

Be Yourself

I will admit I care a lot about what people think of me and want everyone to like me. It’s an insecurity and I really take it to heart when I hear something about me that isn’t true or that is hurtful. Be yourself can be interpreted in different ways and mean something different to everyone. From not caring what others think of you, to going after what you love, to dressing the way you want, and to living your life by your own rules. Throughout my life Be Yourself has meant different things to me but right now it means to no longer playing small. I have a tendency to play small or downplay my accomplishments and skills to not hurt other people’s feelings. I don’t fully express my own feelings or stand up for myself, even though I do have a sharp tongue, I still stay quiet not to upset those around me. I am learning to tell my truth, speak, stand up for myself, and not apologize for who I am or what I love to do. Being yourself, whatever that means to you, is setting yourself free to live a happy life.

Who knew I would take away so many great life lessons. No one, unfortunately, painted a unicorn on my face or bedazzled by hair but what I got from Beautycon was so much more. It gave me the courage to say rid myself of a few toxic people and bad energy.

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