Sometimes I think to myself... how did I become the internet’s beauty guru big sister? Do people want to know more? Do people know why or how I became so beauty obsessed? Do they know it was a result of health issues? I guess I should share.
Let’s go all the way back. Growing up, I struggled with my image very much. I was what you’d call an early bloomer compared to my fellow classmates. I’ll never forget my first memory of being uncomfortable in my body. I was around 10 years old, sitting in class and wondering why I wasn’t “as small” as the little blonde girl I sat next to. I felt out of place.
I am Brazilian, which, if you do not know, means our beauty standards start from a very young age. We are taught that, as women, we always take care of our hair, skin, and body because that is the standard we uphold to be considered beautiful. I remember growing up watching my mom get ready for work every day. I admired her beautiful hair and the way she dressed. I wanted to be just like her, so much so that I would walk around in her shoes in the closet while she was at work.
Then I hit my teens. Not many people might know this about me, but this is where it took a turn. My ongoing body image issues progressed to extreme anorexia at age 14, and around my 16th birthday was when I realized my health was deteriorating. My face was covered in hormonal acne, my gut was disheveled, I was swollen from the lack of nutrients my body was receiving, my hair was falling out in clumps, and I knew I had to change something.
This was the turning point for me, where I realized beauty really starts internally—and even more than that, that your gut health is actually the key to everything. This is where the saying I always preach, “If you’re glowing on the inside, you will glow on the outside,” stemmed from, and I really mean it.
Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say the second I started taking a probiotic, my skin was all of a sudden clear, I had a perfect body, and I felt great. Don’t get it twisted... this was just the start of a 10-year journey of trying different things, such as products, routines, procedures, etc., and learning about myself and what works for me.
Throughout this journey, I even learned I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which explained the hormonal imbalance. I learned I was sensitive to certain foods, my body preferred certain workouts, I was deficient in this and that... the list goes on. The more I learned about myself, the more confident I felt in myself, and I’m STILL learning these things every day.
Now, I’m not saying you’ll glow up completely into a different person just by taking vitamins and eating the right foods, but you’ll get pretty close. Once I nailed the internal part down, the fun stuff started. All the products, all the fun treatments—the stuff that really took it to the next level. The facials and microneedling might just help turn it up a notch too... :)
So with that, not only will we talk about all the things in between that I wish I had known sooner, but I have years of trial and error, curiosity, and proof to show how I became the glow-up queen. Now, I think it’s time to pass the info on so you can have one too. If it’ll help just one person feel more confident in their own beautiful skin, it’ll all be worth it.
xx
Tati