Girly girl

Warning: a girly-girl blog entry

Occasionally I dip into my girly-girl side and obsess over make-up and clothes. These short spells usually result in a sprint of new purchases, new tops, new lip color, new hair products, etc.

Back in college, the mall was within easy walking distance. I was really into dark, dark colors. I wore only wine shades on my lips, like MAC's Diva and Verve (I remember the names!). I didn't know (and still barely know) what to do with eyes. And I was also a make-up snob, choosing department store counter brands - Lancome, Estee Lauder - over those at the corner pharmacy. Although, I was never really a Clinique girl, even though Agnes and Christina were. I didn't really like the palette or felt their stuff lasted long.

Sidenote: I remember an early, early conversation between Roger and me, before we started going out and before I even knew I liked him. We were having a meal in the Lagunita Dining Hall and he said something about how he thought I looked nicer without make-up. It's one of my earliest memories of my listening to him and caring what he thought about me. :)

When I lived in Boston and Chicago, I really got into brand and boutique names, esp. shopping at Sephora and Barneys. I got into Stila, Vincent Longo, Laura Mercier, and NARS. I was moved over to oranges, peaches, and browns. I loved NARS multiple sticks that were like bronzers for cheeks and eyes, my favorite was called Palm Beach.

Names of things definitely swayed me, including lip glosses called Butterfield 8 or Cabiria (the old movie title connections represented hipness to me).

Toward the end of our stay in Chicago, my interest in make-up waned. Not sure why, but I became disenchanted with putting stuff on my face, how make-up felt heavy and I felt all shiny by midday. It was only when we started planning for our wedding that I started to think about make-up again, but purely in a functional way.

I had a specific look in mind. I didn't want the typical big red mouth, pale skin look. Instead I wanted to play up my eyes and have a very pale mouth. Of course, on the day of, I had a whole bunch of Filipino "aunties" telling me and wanting me to put dark lipstick on my lips during the reception. Anyway, I thought the look came out well in the photos ...

So we move back East to a place with no malls nearby and I forget about make-up, concentrating instead on skincare (i.e., moisturizers), and my teeth. Then another of my friends, Grace, began planning her wedding, and I started to think about what to wear, etc. With only CVS, JCPenney and Wal-Mart as my easy-access make-up counters, I began to explore drugstore brands. Although skeptical at first (I thought drugstore = cheap, garish, ineffective), I was soon impressed by the colors, the wearability, and the value! For $12.99, I can get a L'Oreal value-pack of lip gloss and eye shadow, plus a bronzing powder. That price wouldn't even buy me one lip gloss tint from NARS. And then I read that L'Oreal owns and makes Lancome, and that some products are essentially the same, minus specialty fragrance - I was sold.

Although I'm still not one to spend an hour fixing my hair or putting on make-up in the morning (I'm still hesitant about eyeshadow and know nothing about eye pencils, and am especially fearful of liquid eyeliner), I've started to wear a little more color on my face, because it does make me feel less tired and more "pulled together".

One of my favorite sections in InStyle magazine is when a featured celebrity shares what's currently in their everyday make-up bag. Here is what I have: Neutrogena Mineral Sheers #30, L'Oreal HIP bronzing powder in Glowing, L'Oreal HIP lip gloss in Pixie (for pale, shiny lips), Lancome Juicy Tube in Beach Plum (for darker lips), and CoverGirl LashExact Mascara. And Altoids Black Licorice, which Roger doesn't really like, but that just means more for me!