Sharing My Mom's Beauty Secrets with My Own Daughter (+ A Neutrogena Giveaway!)

I remember being absolutely infatuated with my mom's beauty routine as a little girl. My mom has never been big into makeup, but I loved watching her swipe a blush brush across her cheek or a mascara wand onto her eye lashes - and couldn't wait to do the same when I got older. One day I asked her how much longer it would be before I could wear makeup, because I "wanted to be pretty too." And my mom sat me down right then and there and shared with me what I vowed to share with my own daughter if I ever had one as well. She explained that beauty was about much more than putting on makeup or styling your hair - that being kind and taking care of yourself and finding simple ways to enjoy life were the most important elements of true beauty. She also told me about her own beauty routine (from favorite products to ways she cared for herself from the inside out), much of which I went on to do myself, and have even started to share with my own daughter Essley. Today I'm partnering with Neutrogena Rainbath - one of the products to which my mom first introduced me as a young girl - to share with you some of these beauty tips, as well as to give away a pretty amazing prize pack of Neutrogena goodies.

1. Eat healthy foods. One of the most important beauty secrets my mom taught me that I've been already instilling into Essley is how nutrition can genuinely make or break your appearance. I grew up eating a lot of clean, whole foods, and I try to set the same example for Essley that my mom set for my sister and me. When she asks for a cookie, I hand her an apple or orange instead (she loves oranges something fierce). We make smoothies together everyday, and focus on healthy, organic foods as much as possible. I could admittedly live on candy and french fries if it was acceptable, so this doesn't always come easy. But I notice a huge difference in my skin, hair, and overall appearance when I'm eating well, and just as my mom talked to me about how much what you eat affects how you look and feel, I talk about it to Essley. She is still very little but she gets it!

2. Move. Speaking of taking care of yourself in an effort to look your best, my mom was also big on getting us to move our bodies. We didn't go to the gym and still don't (although I sure do wish I was motivated to be a 6 AM gym person!), but we did a lot of walking and playing and dancing and just moving in general. While Essley may be too young still to comprehend that working out and moving our bodies affects every aspect of our appearance (and how we feel, which my mom always said directly influenced our looks as well!), I include her in my work outs everyday. And man does that kid love her dance class.

3. Drink your water. Drinking lots of water was a huge beauty secret of my mom (and still is), and like my mama did to me, I tell Essley on a regular basis how magical water is to looking and feeling our best. She and I carry our water bottle with us everywhere, and have fresh water with every meal.

4. Enjoy the little things. I mentioned how when my mom first sat me down to define beauty, she talked about how finding bliss in life's simple pleasures and everyday moments was key to looking and feeling beautiful. Through the different stages of my life I have found this to be intensely true on so many levels. Periods of time that have been challenging or stressful, especially when I haven't allowed time for myself, have presented themselves loud and clear on my skin, in my eyes, in my hair, and in my overall energy. I looked forward to being able to talk about this to Essley when she's a little older. In the meantime, we spend a lot of time picking flowers, looking at the moon, and paying attention to our surroundings in a positive way.

5. Find some really great beauty product staples. And finally, my mom told me about all of her tried and true favorite beauty products that had become beauty staples for her, some of which I still use today and will undoubtedly share with my little girl as well. One of these products has been around since the 1970s, and I consider it to be iconic - Neutrogena Rainbath bath and shower gel. My mom has always been big on creating rituals when it comes to beauty and self-care (I think she may actually be the biggest fan of baths to have ever lived), and that's something I look forward to passing on to Essley as well. Rainbath is a key ingredient for these rituals - it has an incredible spicy scent that reminds me of a spa, and has the ability to both relax me after a long day and invigorate me in the morning. It also creates the most luxurious lather (I even use it to shave) that conditions my skin but rinses clean without leaving a residue. Although the Original Rainbath is my jam, Neutrogena also made several other scents - Rainbath Replenishing Shower and Bath Gel: Ocean Mist, Rainbath Rejuvenating Shower and Bath Gel: Pomegranate, and Rainbath Renewing Shower and Bath Gel: Pear and Green Tea. I love that we share this beauty product staple throughout our different generations!

And now that I've shared the beauty secrets that have been passed down in my family, it's time to give away some amazing prize packs of Neutrogena Rainbath and Rapid Wrinkle Repair goodies! This giveaway includes four Rainbath Shower & Bath Gels (one of each delicious fragrance) and the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Collection (Rapid Wrinkle Repair® Serum, Rapid Wrinkle Repair® Eye Cream, Rapid Wrinkle Repair® Night Moisturizer and Rapid Wrinkle Repair® Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30). Ten packs will be given away, valued at $120 each. See the Rafflecopter entry form below for more details and to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm so grateful for my mom's beauty secrets and hope Essley appreciates them as much as I have. And good luck to those entering the giveaway - I'm genuinely jealous!

This post is in partnership with Neutrogena Rainbath. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible.

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