1) Being in the present has a distinct "feel" to it that you can actually experience, it is not just a state of mind or mental concept. It's where time seems to slow down, everything goes in slow-motion, where thoughts stop and there is this deafening stillness all around, where every leaf that moves seems to be following some intelligent pattern, doing its individual dance within the universal dance, where every tiny little thing suddenly has profound meaning and significance, where self-consciousness temporarily disappears and the joy of existence shines forth. "Intensely happy to be alive" summarizes it pretty well
2) Beauty is the recognition of Divinity as it manifests in physical existence. Due to conditioning, karmic propensity, environment, upbringing, etc., people will find beauty in different things -- for example, the mathematician finding beauty in elegant theorems and proofs, the astronomer finding beauty in the stars, the poet in words, the composer in music, etc. But no matter the form, it is still the same beauty they are recognizing within their own awareness, that Divinity exists in all things and thus it is possible to be recognized by those who can. This Divinity is more apparent in certain things than others, which makes it more easily recognizible and thus accepted by all of society to be "beautiful" -- great art paintings, holy/sacred buildings, operas, classical music compositions, etc.
I want to make the distinction between glamour and beauty. Glamour is a projection of value in people's minds, in which desireability inflates expected worth. There is this special, edgy type of energy of wantingness and desire associated with glamour, and it actually exists as a kind of energy-field that affects the collective human consciousness. That's why certain things are wanted and desired by large populations, sometimes beyond rationality. Fads are a common example of this. Money is another good example, one that affects the entire world. It's just paper, when you think about it -- but people are willing to die for it.
People and physical beauty is another example. More often than not, physical beauty is tainted by glamour and desire -- that's where obsession and infatuation comes from. Physical beauty can be a manifestation of Divine beauty, but it is something you have reference for and worship for its own sake, and not something you want to take and hoard -- that's how I tell the difference.
You've probably had the experience of wanting something, but once you get it you don't want it anymore -- that's glamour. You ascertain its true worth when you get it, and realize that it didn't match your expectations of projected value. True beauty on the other hand, is permanent because it is recognition of Divine Essence inherent in all things, not a projection of value.
As Dr. Hawkins says, beauty is one of the pathways to God. You know you're getting close to enlightenment when you start crying at everything, because everything becomes beautiful when you see Divinity everywhere.