Okay folks, I am NOT a girly-girl! Pink is not even in the same family as my favorite colors. The only place I can windowshop for hours is in a bookstore (okay, or an office supply store). I love big trucks, big dogs, horses, and piloting planes. I’m a 27-year member of a search and rescue organization. My favorite clothes are still jeans and plaid shirts; and if I’m not barefoot I prefer boots or moccasins. So what is with my recent fascination with makeup??
When I was 13, in my newly expanded (but parentally constrained) exposure to face-painting, I was all about thick eyeliner (who remembers stripes of black and white?), false eyelashes, and white lipstick (applied in the school bathrooms, of course; out of reach of disapproving mothers).
As a young mother and then in the work force, I would not appear in public without my ‘face,’ but that was a quick swish of mascara and lip gloss (maybe some blush, if I had time).
In the early stage of grandmotherhood, I traveled about naked-faced as often as not. Yet now I am suddenly entranced by appearance. I somehow ran into Samantha Schuerman’s makeup blog and got such a kick out of her personality that I subscribed, learned some interesting tricks I wanted to try, and became hooked on their pregnancy and now family vlogs. …And then began watching other makeup tutorials, “what’s in my purse,” “room tours,” and other girl-stuff. samanthaschuerman.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/user/samanthaschuerman
So now I find myself with a $12 subscription to Allure magazine, checking out beauty books (“for mature women”) at the library, collecting and using coupons at Ulta, visiting the MAC counter at the department store… and making a fool of myself! As soon as I walk into girl-country, I am overwhelmed with insecurity and feel so conspicuous! Lacking that teen display of youthful, inherent confidence and the wardrobe of upper-class society matrons, I bumble about, snatch up an eyeliner, and apologize my way through the checkout line.
Well, I will just consider this part of my second childhood, try to act as mature as I thought I was at 16 (c’mon, I said try!), and enjoy the experience! After all, Mom can’t tell me what to do anymore! (Can she?)
isn't it strange how our minds work?
ReplyDeletebeing a grandmother doesn't mean you aren't still a girl, and a lovely one at that!
go and reread Elegance - I thought it was an excellent view of feeling sexy and pretty just because.