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[thebeautyroomunfiltered]

40 something and no regrets. 

Yes, I'm forty something and quite proud of it. Actually I'm getting closer to the big Five O every day and completely unafraid to admit it. As a matter of fact I'm pretty proud of it. I'm at a place in my life where most days I'm happy with who I am and how I look… note I said most. Like many, I struggle with my weight and have all my life but guess what? My weight doesn't define me. It's taken me a long time to come to terms with that and believe that I am beautiful and yes, that I have so much to offer; to others and to myself. Most days. But like all of us, there are days when I'm filled with self doubt, self loathing and absolutely no willpower. That of course doesn't mean that I am not working on losing weight, but, I'm not doing it because I think it will make me prettier. I am doing it because I want to be healthier.  So… I joined Weight Watchers online and have embarked upon the journey of healthy, controlled eating and being physically active.  it works people! It wasn't easy but I managed to lose 25 pounds and a lot of my medical issues improved. By eating small meals, high fibre and low fat I was able.to control my IBS and my hernia settled down. People who know me, know how much and how long I'd been suffering. 

When Covid hit it threw us all for a loop and everyone dealt with it in a different way. Many turned to comfort eating or day drinking and others suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I managed to weather that storm without any of those things by going for walks and binge watching Netflix - you won't believe some of the crap you find on there at 3 am when you're bored and searching for something good to watch because you've just finished all the seasons of Supernatural for the third time. 

I was doing so well. It was a struggle but I'd managed to lose almost 25 pounds and then… and then I broke my foot so walking had to stop and my mood tanked. I don't seem to have the willpower I had 6 months ago and quite frankly some days I'm sick of never being able to eat a cookie, have a glass of wine or yes, eat a bowl (or a tub) of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked. Some people can go on a diet and the weight just melts off. Me? It's a struggle to lose a pound and honestly the stress of worrying about everything I eat is affecting my mental state. Is it worth being miserable just to lose 10 more pounds? Or re-lose the 5 pounds I put back on while I've been in this stupid air boot?  Some days I'm not sure. 

Why am I telling you this? Because I think that there is a stigma attached to weight and so often we work so hard to lose even a little. The journey is long and painstaking and so many times we become discouraged and give up.  We put so much emphasis on weight that it becomes a driving force. I'm embarrassed to say that I have let my obsession with hating my appearance become more important than enjoying life with my husband and kids. I realized that one day, since I've never let people take my picture because I hated the way I looked in them, that my children and future grandchildren won't have any pictures to remember me by and that is not the legacy I wish to leave behind. 

All I can say to you is this. You are made up of your shape, your gray hair, your stretch marks. Each wrinkle, scar and pound tells a story. Your story. And your story is beautiful. Even if we all ate exactly the same thing and exercised with the exact same routine every day we would all have different bodies because we are unique. Every bit of our physical and emotional experiences make us who we are.

Today I choose to be happy, healthy and not dwell on what I see as imperfections. Today I choose to make memories with the people I love because someday when my kids remember me they won't say " I remember mom, she was fat." They will say "I remember mom. She was beautiful and smart and strong." 

Decide how you want to be remembered.  We are only limited by ourselves. We can achieve anything we set out to do if we believe in ourselves. 

The legacy I want to leave my children and their children is that they are smart, and strong and beautiful. Live your life to the fullest and don't let what society dictates cloud your self love and self worth. You are beautiful.

So get out there and make your memories. You won't regret it. 

[thebeautyroomunfiltered]

Who is The Beauty Room Unfiltered.

Welcome to the Beauty Room Unfiltered. Why unfiltered? Because everything here will be real, practical, affordable and let me emphasize real. No filters, no fillers and the only fakes will be lashes.

Let me introduce myself - My name is Trina, I am a 49 year old mother to 3 amazing young adults, wife to a hot guy for the last 26 years, organizer of chaos, writer, artist and yes, a professional makeup artist. This page isn't just another beauty blog for ridiculously unachievable standards. It's a place where real life takes the front seat and we can share tips, tricks, products and ideas for all of the superwoman(and men) of all ages, all body shapes, all professions, with all levels of makeup knowledge.  Thanks again for joining me on this journey. 

There's one thing I've heard time and time again from clients, customers, friends, family and even random strangers in the mall… "I love the way your makeup looks. I don't wear much makeup because I have no idea what to buy and how to put it on."  For me, the key to makeup is making it work for you. It doesn't have to be elaborate and over the top to do the job.

It doesn't matter who you are, what you do or how old you are; we all want to look and feel good. In a world where everyone strives to achieve an impossible standard of beauty thanks to Instagram influencers telling you this is the "must have" beauty product of the year, fillers, filters, hours of makeup application and thousands of selfies just to get one "perfect" shot…how do you know what look or product is the best one? 

Well first of all, stop thinking about what's the best on the market and start thinking in terms of what's right for you. In a perfect world we could all walk into a cosmetics boutique and pick out the most expensive foundation, the most prestige palettes and "must have" lipsticks and go home to create a masterpiece. But... this isn't a perfect world is it? And let's be honest, most of us are not on an unlimited budget are we? Even if I were, there's no better feeling than finding that great deal or even better yet, a product that rivals the prestige lines at a fraction of the price. There's something so satisfying about a bargain!! Which may be part of my problem… I confess I may have a little addiction and when my husband says "do you really need more makeup?" I can proudly say "But honey… I got such a fantastic deal…"

So here I am, a professional woman juggling a job, a family, a very busy household and an addiction… to make up. With two beautiful daughters that each have their own unique style, I've got the best supporters (since they would never let me leave the house looking like a clown) and inside sources on makeup in the whole world. There is nothing more knowledgeable that a young woman in her teens or early twenties when it comes to telling you what's trending or the inevitable "Ugh no...Mom"(cue eye roll).

We are real people, not Instagram models who spend hours perfecting their look and then more hours getting just the right selfie. We are moms, professional women, women over 30, we're busy and on the go all the time. We have wrinkles, dark circles, spots, lines and patches and all those things are what make us damn beautiful. We need real makeup that works for everyday life. Makeup that suits our budget, lifestyle and schedule so whether you have an hour each morning or five minutes, let's take the fear out of beauty products and find tips, tricks and practical products for anyone at any age regardless of your level of makeup expertise. 

Makeup doesn't make you beautiful.  You're already beautiful... but sometimes you want that extra bit of glam and aren't sure what works or how to work with it.

I am truly fortunate to be able to try many products in my quest for treasure; some turned out to be absolute gold, some...meh   not worth the hefty price tag. Some products are worth every penny and some inexpensive ones are absolute hidden gems. How do you know which are which? I'm thrilled to be able to share with you some of my insights, my finds, hacks, favorite products and even fails...we all need a laugh sometimes right?

You can spend hours on the internet researching which foundation is best for a natural look, which will give you full coverage and which actually performs as well as the company claims. But the question will still remain… which one should you buy? Should you just follow the crowd and buy the most popular? No, because the most popular may not be the one that's right for you. So many factors come into play when choosing a product that works best for you including skin type, skin tone, shade, age - mature skin has different quality and requirements than that of a twenty year old, wearability, coverage and most importantly...price point. 

Why do we need another makeup blog you ask? I don't know about you, but I've yet to find one that has everything that I want to see tailored for my age, my look, my budget and my chaotic lifestyle. 

So whether you consider yourself a beginner, a dabbler a work in progress or an aficianado … welcome. 

As I learn, I will share my knowledge, experience and successes (maybe even some of the funnier failures) and together we will prove that age IS  just a number, beauty doesn't have to be intimidating and you don't have to break the bank to look like a million bucks. Beauty is an attitude, great products are just an enhancement.