I always love that my mom has a lipstick stuck in the pocket of her jeans when you least expect it. Before Covid, it was more apparent. She would not fail to have her lipstick on to go to church, the grocery store or greet her friends that she has served at the food pantry for over 30 years. She would pull it out before dodging out the door to meet the car that just pulled in the driveway. (My favorite visual memories include my parents excitedly running out to greet people and welcome them to the farm.)
For her, growing up, lipstick was the thing that made you ready and pulled together. It was the cherry on top and may have even been tied to manners or etiquette for her. I think that previous generations to my mom may have had another go to like hats. The scary thing is to think about what was in the lipstick my mom grew up with. Luckily, she now uses safer BC lipstick.
I think my generation was big into mascara. It is my go to product that if you only gave me one thing, I would choose hands down.
While makeup is not for everyone, I enjoy feeling like I am pulled together and ready to put my best foot forward when I can put on mascara. A lot of my life, I don’t have it on and that is likely because, I haven’t made time for myself (or I am in the barn). Clearly, makeup is a personal choice. For me, it lets me take a moment for my
self that day. I don’t see it as a mask but more of an statement that I am ready for whatever comes my way. My BeautyCounter mascara was a huge find. I hadn’t realized just how smelly and filled with chemicals the brands I had used for so long. I finally have a mascara that “I didn’t have to adjust to” or make my eyes water. This mascara comes in lengthening or volumizing.
I would assume eyeliner would be another go to product for some people. Or maybe foundation. I think for my husband it might be his hair pomade. What are your go to products?
I think understanding why I like to wear makeup lets me understand myself. There is no wrong answer. Tattoos, pierced ears, etc all fall into this. Knowing our why can be helpful and makes me more comfortable in my own skin.