Best of Back in Skinny Jeans: Originally posted January 17, 2007
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I cannot leave the house without something on my lips
whether it be lipstick or lip gloss. I feel naked without anything on my
kisser.
As vain as this is, I even wear a little lipstick or gloss to the gym. Yes,
yes, yes, it is so vain but I at least wear a muted color or earthy tone to get
that there-but-not-there look. What can I say? I can’t help myself.
Meg, over at Faking Good Breeding, brought up some good
questions in a post called, "Why I love Beauty Products." She asks:
- Why do beauty products hold so much power over women?
- What leads someone to pay $100 an ounce for a face cream that carries no guarantee of working?
- What do you love or hate beauty products?
Meg asked other
women for their opinion, and to blog about it. I thought that was a fantastic
question to ask, so I’m going to share my thoughts, and ask you to do the same.
Beauty = Power
Whether we like it
or not, all through time, in all cultures, and in all space/time continuums,
beauty is a source of power for women and men. What is considered beautiful is
subjective to the culture and time, but if you are one of those who fit into
the designated ideal image of beauty, then you get adoration, privilege, and access.
This is why we all want to look pretty and handsome. You get to have a “better”
life.
When you hang out at Sephora or the makeup counters at the department stores, you immediately start to feel the possibilities. Makeup and other beauty products like anti-wrinkle creams, lotions, and youth potions are tools that help us look pretty so that we can feel alluring and desirable. Yes, it's that sexy thing. And you know what; there is nothing wrong with that.
It is absolutely natural to want to feel desired,
accepted, and cherished. Where it gets weird is when we think that we are only
defined by our physical looks, and that the other parts of us like our minds,
spirit, and kindness don’t matter as much, or don’t contribute to our overall
beauty as well.
Makeup and beauty products can't fix what's missing inside, but that doesn't mean a nice body scrub that makes our skin feel silky and smell flowery can't help perk us up from time to time.
Makeup is fun
Makeup is also a
fun part of being a girl. It’s fun to have the Mary Kay type parties with your
girlfriends. It’s amusing to have slumber parties and try each other’s
lipsticks, blush, and eye shadows. It's dazzling to get a manicure and pedicure with your best friend and talk about the latest hottie you're dating. It’s a blast to go to the spa and get
slathered with their mojo potions. It’s glamorous to go to the MAC counter and
have a professional “do” your face.
And do we get suckered into buying all that makeup, or even at least one thing, that the pro used to make our face shine? Absolutely! Yes, we're buying the dream, and it is a powerfully enticing dream. And is it bad to get suckered into a moment of consumerism for something that brightened our day? No. Again, it just gets too much when we think that buying all that stuff will somehow make us better people or make up for a lack of self esteem we are feeling.
Most of us can’t replicate what the pro did at the store, but we try, sometimes with our girlfriends in tow, and we have fun trying to be a Bobbi Brown even for a moment. We have our beauty tools and they make us laugh, and smile, and remember the good old days like when we were in Junior High enjoying our Bonne Bells.
I love my make-up and beauty products. They bring joy and pleasure to me. And yeah, when I put on fire engine red lipstick it makes me feel zesty. For enquiring minds, my favorite lipstick colors at the moment are MAC CocoNutty, Chintz, and Fetish topped with the Lustreglass Sinnamon. If you think you may have seen me at the MAC counter trying on lipsticks or at Sephora looking at nail polishes or spritzing perfumes on a paper stick, you probably did.
