I was in Sephora the other day for an eyebrow pencil. I really love that store. I have always loved makeup. There is something almost magical about the process of putting it on and becoming better than what you are with paint and color that is so enticing to me, I just can't help myself.
I remember falling in love with makeup when I was a little girl. I used to watch my mom meta morph from a caterpillar into a butterfly right before my eyes every day. She would first put her eyebrows on. Just enough to make them pretty. Not all crazy Grocho Marks brows but lady like and soft. Then she would light that eyebrow pencil on fire and blow it out and draw on her eyes. Alchemy!!! Poof ...instant eyes. Then she would take this contraption and place her eyelashes in them and curl her lashes. She would hold it for sixty seconds, no more and no less. Then the mascara, coat by coat until her no lashes were lashes. A little blush to accentuate her cheeks and lipstick to pull it all together.
My mom told me how to do this one time as I watched her. I remembered every step and never forgot. I believed that it was possible to become beautiful with a few simple tools and at that moment anything was possible. My mom was very beautiful and did not need much help to make is so but the little she did do to make herself more goddess like was a magical process.
When I was 12 or so, my cousin Cindy came to live with us. Her makeup came too. This was the height of the Disco era. I learned everything glitter and shimmer. I was one happy girl. I learned hot hair rollers and hand held dryers. I was introduced to big everything. Thank you cousin Cindy because of you I learned to become an artist.
In my early high school days I was invited to a Mary Kay party. What a wonderful thing that was, I think I managed to convince my mom to buy me a whole kit. Now that I think of it, what cheap makeup. I thought it was so "fancy". Little did I know that was the bottom of the barrel as makeup was concerned. I was just at the beginning of the makeup ladder. Makeup is one very expensive item and it gets more expensive as you go up. I used every bit of that makeup and begged for more. My obsession grew as I learned the art.
From that day forward, every gift that was possible to give me was makeup. I began to get into my hair, nails, skin care, shoes, clothes and anything else I could that was beauty related. I was having way to much fun.
I remember my family asking me what I thought I was covering up? I said, me, of course. I saw a hideous monster in the mirror. I still kinda do. They would say, why do you need so much? Um...to cover up the ugly girl? Duh? I learned to put make on flawlessly and for every occasion. To hide every sin. I read every book, magazine I could get my hand on. I had no idea that there was a job that involved makeup or I would have majored in that.
Oh Teri...you say...your so beautiful. You don't need makeup. I say, no. I remember that I was never chosen first for a dance or a choice in between girls. The other girl was always chosen before me. It has always been the other girl. I could be standing there in absolute perfection and the other girl would always get asked to dance first. She could be standing in her own urine and wearing a dog mask and she would be asked first. So, hence...not beautiful.
I still like makeup and all that goes with it in my middle age. I don't do it all up like I used to and I realize that it isn't magic like I once thought it was. I wish it was..don't you? I do miss being able to put on the bright colors I put on as a younger woman and bright red lips but women of a certain age need to tone it done and just accentuate the best of what is left and not advertise the worst of what has come.
I do hope that maybe in heaven I can have a really big makeup table with a big mirror and everything that goes with it. Lots of time and my youth back. I would sure enjoy that. The process is really fun and the effect is great as well. Besides, in heaven there will be all that really great lighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment