All of my female cousins in the area have been conspiring to try to teach me to put on makeup. On Saturday, one of them finally dragged me to the MAC store at the mall.
It's not that everyone else somehow got the "makeup gene" or at least lessons from their mothers and older sisters and I just missed out. Instead, I think most women spend their teenage years learning about makeup through trial and error. Gradually, they catch on that no, bold purple eyelids really don't look good, sparkles should be kept to a minimum, and even if you really wish you were more tan, buying a foundation that doesn't match your skin tone is a bad idea.
I missed out on this formative phase, probably because of where I went to school. It's not even so much that at co-ed schools the girls all doll up to impress boys. It's just that my single sex schools (high school and college) were very casual and since I did not really go to parties or dances, I just had no reason to play with the sparkly eyeshadow.
The other thing, as snooty as it sounds, is that I had (have) vague philosophical objections to makeup. It's always seemed unfair how much work women are expected to do, relative to guys, to have a socially acceptable appearance. Plus, I've always wanted to think of myself as the type of person who isn't concerned with outward appearances, and not wearing makeup helped me do that. Also, wearing makeup kind of seemed like playing dress up. I once read a short story where a woman had a line about how she'd never leave the house without "putting on her face." Why should women have to basically put on a mask (aka hide their true selves) to interact with the outside world?
But the thing is, I get it now. Makeup is fun. I know that I'm probably wrong, but while I was in the MAC store on Saturday, I kept thinking how much fun the makeup artist's job must be. It's marginally creative, because obviously there are guidelines for what colors look best on which complexions, but you basically get to choose how to paint someone's face. Painting is fun! Especially when you get to wear a little utility belt filled with like 75 different brushes. And then, they have these handy little worksheets for explaining what they did, and it's basically like filling in a coloring book. I love coloring!
Obviously the experience of putting makeup on at home is nowhere near as varied, so you might think that it's not as fun. But when I said before that putting on makeup kind of seemed like playing dress up, I was right. And dress up is fun too! Maybe there are problems with feeling like you have to put on a mask to face the world, but if the mask is pretty cool looking, you don't object to it too much.
So for the time being, I'm a (sort of) makeup convert. I bought some stuff at the counter, and for the last 3 days, I've managed concealer, foundation, and lip gloss. That's significantly less than the MAC lady used, but it's something. It looks nice. We'll see if it lasts.
I'll post pictures at some point.
3 comments:
I went out and bought Bare Escentuals (and god, does that spelling drive me nuts) foundation about a month ago and have not yet mastered the art of five minute application. Usually, I'd rather sleep or get all the snow off my car than not have zits showing...maybe in spring.
haha, I can understand that. The thing is, I subconsciously look for ways to put off going to work in the mornings, so makeup application = procrastination. (hmm... think it's time to find a new job?)
I sort of like makeup, too! I never wore it but last summer some girl in the bridal party I was in made some snooty comment about me not knowing anything about makeup, so I went out and bought everything under the sun and practiced for weeks. Not that I wear everything all the time, but sometimes it's sort of fun to doll yourself up when you're going out or whatever. So enjoy! I'm 100% pro face-painting!
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