AT YOUR BEST ~ L'oreal

I absolutely love Peace, Love and Pretty Things. My favorite section is the At Your Best. I adore that they take time to let women honor themselves or others when they know they are rocking. So, I was stoked beyond belief when I learned that they were encouraging further submissions for AYB. I immediately wanted to write something. Besides my awful grammar and inability to make coherent, thought provoking sentences--I had one big problem. I didn't really feel at my best. You know how it is when nothing in your life seems to be working. Job stinks. You are gaining weight. You hate all your clothes. Shoot, your nail polish won't even dry correctly. You find yourself in Stinksville, USA. Well, right now, I am the mayor of Stinksville. I am at my worst.

But the beauty of being at my worst is that I always have one friend who loves me no matter what. As far as friendship goes, she is at her best when I am at my worst. She is my best friend and sister, Joy. She has been there for me when I have had some of my ugliest moments, both literally and figuratively. Joy stood by me when I was convinced bodysuits and blunt bangs were cute in the 7th grade. Joy, like no other, was there for me through those first grief stricken, tear-filled days after our dad died of cancer. Whether it is comfort, a bit of humor or fashion intervention, she has been there for me--always at her best.

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GG and I always love to share with you, our lovely readers; but we are even more enamored when you all share with us. That is why the At Your Best feature that we post here at PLPT is one of our most favorite things. It is so inspiring to see so many women with a zest for life. We know that submitting an entire feature can be a bit intimidating—whether you’re worried about the quality of your writing, or you can’t find the right picture—but we don’t want that to stop you. We’re always willing to help you out in any way we can if you’re at all interested in sharing.

To that end, I was wildly excited when L’oreal shared this online journal entry with me. She didn’t necessarily intend for this to be her feature—but I wanted to share it with you (with her permission, of course) in the hopes that it will encourage more of you to submit. We’ve missed reading about how amazing you all are.

Please remember that sometimes being “at your best” means being vulnerable and willing to reveal yourself—even the parts that don't feel the best at that moment. We hope to hear from more of you very soon!

Your turn! Send your pics in to PeaceLovePrettyThings@gmail.com and tell us why you felt happy and beautiful and at your best in that moment. Feel free to share your favorite quotes about happiness and beauty and we'll include them with your feature. Please put AT YOUR BEST in the subject line.