Sara Porter: What’s your Beauty Profile?

Hello Beautiful Friends!

We are deep into February and could all use a bit of sunshine right? And we couldn’t think of a better person for this month’s Beauty Profile than Sara Porter! For those of you who don’t know, Sara runs Pink Umbrella Retreat Center in Port Elgin. It’s a beautiful space that fosters collaboration, growth and wellness in both personal & professional realms. Through the center you can find access to yoga services, ayurvedic services, massage therapy, pelvic floor physiotherapy, nutrition, reflexology and more. We hope that you enjoy reading about Sara and her Beauty Profile! Take it away Sara…

I remember the first time I realized I “needed” to change something about my appearance to be beautiful. I was 14 and I had thicker eyebrows, not the pencil thin ones that were popular. After I had that fixed, I started to fixate on my flat chest. Flat is a generous description. I was 16 when I started to buy creams, pills, exercise tools, anything that claimed to help you increase your chest size. I bought bras that were way too big and wore inserts to fill them, (what I called “chicken cutlets”) so it looked like I had breasts.

The more I focused on ways I wasn’t “beautiful” the more I felt like I wasn’t worth anything. I put myself in situations to be treated poorly because I wasn’t beautiful enough to deserve more.

I spent a lot of time and energy on trying to please everyone else so they wouldn’t see all that was wrong with me.

I was 23 when I realized that my beauty wasn’t just a physical thing. (Ironically, that’s also when I decided to go to the next level in my breast growth experiments and I went for augmentation – a decision that truly improved my life.)

Beauty is something we all struggle with. There are days I still wake up, look in the mirror and think “Oh boy, not today.”

But I am comfortable in my body. Even as it changes and evolves with age and lifestyle. And when I think of the most beautiful people I know, yes they are pretty girls on the outside, but they are beautiful, generous, caring, funny and authentic women on the inside. And when I look at them that’s what I see, not their eyebrow shape or their bra size. 

It’s how I feel when I’m with them.

It’s how I make them feel when they are with me.

When you are comfortable in your skin, your beauty shines.

I run a safe space for women to grow and connect with who they are on the inside because helping women find their inner beauty is truly rewarding. 

I hope you find the beauty within and let it shine out.

What does beauty mean to you?

Beauty is a feeling. It’s the way you feel and make other people feel. Being comfortable and raw in your surroundings and who you are when you are in them. There is nothing more beautiful than feeling good in your rawest state and making others feel good about being in theirs.

When do you feel you are MOST beautiful?

I feel MOST beautiful when I am surrounded by people I love and nature, I always feel more beautiful when I am outdoors, even when I’m covered in dirt from gardening.

Can you describe your skincare routine?

I have a fairly basic skincare routine. I wash my face once a day at night before bed, after I wash my face with “the Original Makeup Eraser” I apply a moisturizer, currently an Arbonne product R90 night cream and then use coconut oil and beeswax on my face in any areas that may be tired or dry.

In the morning I use the Makeup Eraser again and an Arbonne day cream R90 prior to putting on my BB cream for the day.

What is your daily makeup routine?

I try to keep it light. There is something to say for less makeup, let your natural beauty shine! People feel your comfort and self-confidence and feel it themselves. I use a NYX BB Cream to make sure my skin is even but light, nothing heavy on my skin. I use NYX powder, and a MAC blush. Most of the time I keep my eye makeup light, I love a nude and natural eyeshadow colour with Arbonne mascara. If I am getting dressed up I might use a grey/purple eyeshadow to create a smokey look. Otherwise it’s all the same, beauty and comfort that’s what works for me!

What is the ONE product you can’t live without?

Melaleuca Leave-In detangling and Smoothing Spray. I started using this product 2 years ago and literally could not live without it. Now full disclosure around the same time I stopped dying my hair regularly and stopped using heat tools i.e. hair dryer, straightener on a regular basis. But ever since I started this hair regime my hair has grown twice as long as it ever has before, it’s thicker, healthier and generally feels better. Miracle spray!

Are there any beauty tips/traditions in your family?

My mom always told me that using lipstick takes the natural colour out of my lips – may be an old wives tale but I won’t use lipstick because of it!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Beauty comes from the inside, of course we reflect how we feel on the outside, but the more you allow yourself to be comfortable in your natural beauty the more you will honestly see and feel beautiful. I have tried just about everything over the years to make myself feel more “beautiful” or “complete” and through all of it, it’s when I feel the best about who I am that I feel the most beautiful. There has to be a healthy balance. Love yourself from the inside out.

Much Love,
Sara

@sara.peaceofmind Sara’s personal Instagram account
@pinkumbrellarc on Instagram
www.pinkumbrellarc.ca