The before and after: beauty can be found in just about any normal girl.

And sometimes I wonder...

... if those around us have any idea how beautiful we are. 

Tall, thin, an impossible jawline, wide eyes, nearly transparent skin... Mary is beautiful. 

But as spectacular as she is, Mary is also very plain. Ponytails, baggy clothes, and not a spot of makeup: this is how you see her on an every day basis. It reminds me of the front of a "stars without makeup" cover of a periodical. We are all mesmerized by how normal these beauties look without makeup. They are accessible. They are like us... just people. Not only does it decrease my interest in them, it also increases my interest in the girl next to me. 

How beautiful is she, really (that girl perusing that Star magazine)? Does she know what a gift those eyes are? That hair? Could she possibly be a star herself, just standing there in line at the grocery store? 

Yes. She is. And Patrick and I would love to show her.