From the Inside Out: Courtney, Perla and Kristen

For those who are just joining in on the natural beauty project blog posts, I’m going to be sharing the same words from my previous blog posts so you can catch up! ;)
 
Welcome back to the Natural Beauty Project: From the Inside Out! I am BEYOND excited to share photos of absolutely BEAUTIFUL girls from the inside out! These girls are choosing to embrace their natural beauty and find their confidence in WHO they are! I’m so thankful to have so many BRAVE girls who wanted to be a part of this project of mine! :)
 
One of my favorite things about taking these photos was the fact that I saw each and every girl for who they are. I honestly look at every single photo that I took and think to myself how BEAUTIFUL they are! Because you will find what you look for. Look for the beauty in these girls, in yourself, in your neighbor… in LIFE and you will find it! :) And if you look at these photos and the photos of the rest of the girls and look for their flaws instead of their beauty… then I feel sorry for you. But I still want you to know that you are beautiful! And I hope that someday you choose to not focus on your flaws and the flaws of others, but to embrace them, knowing that YOU ARE ENOUGH exactly the way that you are! :)
 
With each blog post and set of photos, I’ll also be sharing some words from the girls with their NATURAL beauty photos! These girls are makeup free with their natural hair, unless stated otherwise! :) Some had long answers for my questions and some had answers with just a few words. And it’s all okay, because there is no right way to do this, there is no right way to be vulnerable. There is only your way! :) *The only reoccurring thing that most likely is not natural in most of the girls you will be seeing is an unnatural hair color. But the way the hair dries, that is natural unless sated otherwise! :)
 
Week 1: Natural Beauty Project: From the Inside Out
Week 2: From the Inside Out: Mary, Nicole and Samantha
 
And now… ENJOY! :) And check back next week for MORE!! :)

Q: Full name? 
A: Courtney Sargent Marks

Q: What makes you beautiful?
A: Being a strong, emotional human being makes me beautiful.
Q: What is beauty to you?
A: Beauty is anything that inspires delight within me.

Q: When did you start truly loving yourself?
A: This is a difficult question for me because despite having outward confidence I have struggled with depression quite a bit in my life. I’m not certain I’ve accomplished fully loving myself yet but I see it as a process. Some days are filled with self-love and others are consumed with self-doubt. It’s similar to the way I feel about my work; if I ever get to a place where I’m delusional enough to think I’m the best photographer in the world, I’ve stopped learning & growing and that is unacceptable. So, those times of self doubt and self-hatred are when I push myself to be a more beautiful person, a better photographer and a stronger woman. Loving myself is a journey I’m still on.

Q: If you had the opportunity to say something to a large group of women, what would you say?
A: Don’t place importance on what others think of you, ever. You are beautiful, powerful and strong.

Q: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
A: My favorite thing about myself is my ability to connect with others. We are all capable of finding common ground with anyone and I pride myself on being able to find that one thing that connects me to another person and using it to make them feel comfortable in my presence.

Q: Full name?
A: Perla Farias

Q: What makes you beautiful?
A: What makes me beautiful is my pure intention to always do good and be good. And I don’t mean that in a behavioral type of way, I mean that in a social justice oriented, good spirit type of way. I know we live in a cold world and it can be extremely tiring to address certain issues or deal with people but I always look for the best in people while always still fighting for justice and keeping things real. Sometimes, we have to have difficult and uncomfortable conversations but still be loving to everyone. I feel like that is what makes me beautiful because not a lot of people can do that. And that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s easy for me to do or that I am always successful in practicing this but I do my best to be brave and genuine. It’s a beauty that is spirited, not physical.

Q: What is beauty to you?
A: Beauty to me is something that brings joy and peace to people, something that attracts people, something that you don’t want to stop looking at or stop being around. It is usually associated to something visible or tangible but I think our spirits can be beautiful by the way we live out our virtues.

Q: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
A: My favorite thing about myself is my genuine personality. I give my heart to everything.

Q: What is something that the world might see as a flaw on you, but you find it beautiful?
A: My free spirit. I am horrible with routines and being on time (even though I am an orderly, rule-following person, weird I know) but it drives people nuts. I mean myself included. But it makes people get anxiety because I am not always certain about things. My thoughts flow a little too much sometimes and even though I do struggle with this myself sometimes, I do find it beautiful because I see myself as being flexible and open minded to change. I accept if things don’t go exactly as they are expected. Sometimes this can be a very hard thing for people and it is seen as a flaw.

Q: Full name?
A: Kristen Elissa Beach

Q: What makes you beautiful?
A: Confidence. When I feel confident, I feel beautiful.

Q: What is beauty to you?
A: That’s hard to describe. A beautiful person doesn’t necessarily have to have physical beauty. I think a beautiful person is confident and has a kind heart.

Q: Describe what a beautiful act is to you?
A: A beautiful act to me is seeing someone being selfless. When I see someone helping people in need, I think that’s one of the most beautiful things.

Q: Where do you find your confidence?
A: Right now, in my son. He’s growing up to have a kind heart and that makes me feel like I’m doing something right. But, a glass of wine, red lipstick and a nice black dress do wonders for my confidence as well. 😉

Q: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
A: That I’m a total nerd. I love being a nerd!!