My perception of makeup has evolved throughout the years. It was for a very long time, encapsulated in anger at the entire beauty industry. How dare they brainwash us women to work towards superficial and unrealistic goals whilst profiting from our feelings of less worth! Why is it that men are not placed in the same circumstances as women wherein they are mainly judged by their outer persona? Why don't we expect men to powder their nose to look better than they are? Somehow, I thought that not succumbing to makeup was an act of defiance and feminism..lol.
In the early days, I was overwhelmed by how many products were needed to actually create a "natural look" as according to YouTube. I was never to own that many items (at the time, only having one lipbalm and an eyeliner to my name), so I just kept pushing dabbling in makeup till quite late in life. When everyone else were experimenting with mascaras in their teen years, I for one did not even own "makeup" till my mid 20s. It came out of necessity - my friend was getting married, so for one of her events leading up to the wedding, she had an all-girls party. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Prom dresses came out of abayas, well styled hair were uncovered by hijabs and their face were full on painted. They looked amazing! And here I am in a simple dress, barefaced with no such effort.
A few days after, realising I can't really make the same mistake twice as the actual wedding approached, panick-stricken, I hurried to BodyShop to buy the essentials with minimal research prior. Foundation - check, eyeliner - check, lip tint that also doubles as a blush - bonus! So then I had three things to add to my collection. Little did I know that from then on out, it was a slippery slope towards the world of beauty.
One lipstick here, and extra eyeliner there, another concealer too - and within 2 years, my makeup collection has grown substantially. And from only being a low-end investor of beauty, I have now become the owner of high-end products too. And from being an "events-only" make up person, I have transformed to becoming an "everyday" makeup person. Despite my routine being light comparatively (I mean, its just concealer, blush and lipstick, right?), my 20 year old me would have been flabbergasted to find that mid-20s me has a routine in the first place!
However, through this journey, I have learnt 2 things:
1. The beauty industry is so good at marketing
It is so easy to grow cupboards full of makeup if one is not vigilant. Shade A might look exactly like Shade B but the marketing campaign is so good at telling you that you just have to have both! Having a keen interest in beauty can burn a hole in your pocket so easily, so now I have to actively fast from buying them! For instance, after purchasing yet another lipstick, I vowed that December was the month for no more purchases. And it worked, thank God!
2. Makeup is fun
What I didn't realise before is that playing with paint on one's face is actually really fun. Altering the shade of one's lips and the shape of one's eyes requires visual trickery - it is an art, and experimenting with this art bonds girls together. Girls can talk about makeup for hours, and now I can actually join in the conversation! Of course, there is a limit to everything, and indulging oneself by giving too much attention to one's looks is neither safe or wise. But one can't deny that "Oh, I love your lipstick!" is a great conversation starter.
For now, my journey has brought me to a place of experimentation and caution. And I have learnt to not judge, for more likely than not, I have become the subject of my own judgements.
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