Quinn Essentials

When My Life Started To Shift

Toward the end of high school, my idea of beauty was whether you were in a committed relationship or not, and what shape that relationship took. While I was working one of my first jobs in retail, my then married manager (an older man) seemed to be having a relationship with a sales associate (a young woman.) It was the first time I had seen something so disturbing — a married man, supposedly in a position of leadership, so blatantly showing affection for someone who was not his wife? I was startled, to say the least. My manager and I had a good friendship, you could say, but despite this I made up my mind and boldly turned in my resignation (I knew then that my next step was to pursue cosmetology school.) I had packaged up a small box with beautiful, twinkling wrapping paper, and I handed it to him as my final goodbye. I asked him to open it and he obliged. He was confused and intrigued to see that inside the box was a picture of myself and my high school boyfriend. He looked at me with a perplexed expression, to which I replied, “I know I have a lot to learn in life, but I also know that something as beautiful as your wife at home with a new baby shouldn’t be mishandled. You can try to re-wrap that gift as much as you want, but the tears and the rumpling of the paper will always be visible.” We both left it at that, gave one another a small half-hug, and said our goodbyes.

The Start Of A Life Transition

Setting aside if it was the right or wrong decision, getting married young was — in some lights — beautiful. I can’t deny the sacred sentiments of that time in my life, those moments of firsts. It was hard work, building a home alongside one another, but the memories of welcoming home three magical, exquisite, beautiful babies still make my heart swell. My photographs from those years showcase the stereotypical milestones — first birthdays, holidays, first steps, and so on — prepared and celebrated with so much love. Looking back on the difficulties, the struggles, the sadness… Beauty can still be found in the growing, in the evolving, and in the art of learning how to live with change.

Venturing out on my own as a divorcée with three children, I felt like a bear who had been tucked away for so long and coming out of the cave from hibernation, squinting out at the sun. Every milestone from then on was a discovery, uncharted and yet remembered, but in its newness… It was so beautiful. It was the world I remembered, but it was a different season of my life.

Learning My Own Beauty

Meeting my now husband for the first time, my endless curiosity about him raised questions like where did he come from? and what makes him so magnetic to me? It made me want to understand the beliefs he held, as his walk of life was so different from mine. I was fascinated! The stories, the coffee shops, the walks in the woods, the skiing down new freshly powdered mountains… Everything was different, and that made it beautiful. (It still does!)

Once upon a time in my work as a cosmetologist, I came to care for a guest named Louise who showed me a kind of beauty I hadn’t seen before. She was very accomplished, successful, and extremely cultured, and with those kinds of qualities one might assume that she’d come across as intimidating. In fact, she was just the opposite. She was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever known due to the sheer amount of grace and kindness that naturally flowed from her. Her affect was something that I still struggle to describe; she possessed an authentic, one-in-a-million kind of beauty that you could feel in your heart. She became like a mentor to me, as she showed me a woman’s ability to change the energy of the room simply by the magic of her beauty from within.

When It Finally Clicked

Fast forward through the many chapters of my life to this one I find myself writing presently, and the concept of beauty remains complicated… But, I know it when I see it. When we are at our most frazzled, our most distracted, or are perhaps feeling bogged down in negativity, we have to actively look for beauty, to remind ourselves that it exists within our reach. I’ll admit, when I’m well rested, when I allow myself to have space to recharge, and I exercise patience I can then recognize beauty much more easily. I find beauty when I witness grace being extended between people in everyday life, not just for a significant event. I find beauty in my children showing respect to one another as adults, taking the time to nurture their younger siblings, and when I see them giving back. I see beauty in my own experience, in my own journey, and I seek to create opportunities for others to pause and find that within themselves, as well, by sharing my story.

What Is Beauty | Self Love & Care Essentials

You need to remember that your beauty is based off of what makeup products you can buy in a store, but your inner beauty. Life is so magical and a lot of times we seem to pass it by. Here are some self care essentials that are meant for YOU! Pour into yourself to realize your own natural beauty in this world.