Makeup and Me

Like many, my history with makeup started as a kid playing with my mom's numerous lipsticks. I think I particularly liked lipsticks back then because it was so convenient to play with; I didn't need to get my fingers dirty to apply it to wherever I desired (usually my lips). I also remember this Elizabeth Arden face palette my mom had that contained two blushes, 10+ eyeshadows, a couple of lipcolors, and a mascara. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen, possibly cooler than Barbie ^^ If my love of makeup can be contributed to one thing, it would be this palette. As sad as this sounds, because of this EA palette, my childhood dream was to own a complete face palette when I grow up ^O^

Forward to college. Despite my growing obsession with makeup, I was constantly having an internal struggle against it. I am a lazy person, so if I needed to go to class early in the morning, I would rather sleep late than having to wake up early to put on makeup. I also grew up with the value of loving and accepting myself, including what I look like without makeup. So you could say I was almost fearful of putting makeup on everyday because I didn't want to become addicted to it, nor did I want to be branded with the label of "the girl who only looks good because of makeup".

That said, I enjoy putting on makeup, so I have learned to come to terms with my obsession. Now, I am able to proudly wear makeup around town everyday for a week, or not at all if I'm feeling lazy. For me, makeup has become a form of expression, like the clothes I wear, rather than a necessity (though wearing clothes is definitely a necessity =P). Sure, there are days when I don't feel comfortable leaving the house without some eyeliner and mascara, but my greatest interest is in how I could play with the colors on my face to make me look like a different person. It's pretty much role-playing in everyday life. I could feel bad-ass today and put on some heavy black eyeliner. I could also feel fairy-like today and put on a rainbow of ethereal colors. The possibilities are limitless.

So why exactly did I bother to write all this? Bascially, I just wanted an excuse for spending lots of money on makeup that I don't really wear all that often. It's art. It's a form of expression. It's not readily understood by people who don't understand its beauty so it's okay if it's not socially acceptable (i.e., not acceptable to my family) for me to buy so much stuff I don't use. I once heard an analogy between collecting makeup for girls to collecting baseball cards for guys. This is the place where I will show you my "baseball card" collection ^_^