Keep calm and wear more makeup
It is surprising to me that I am writing a piece to exhort women to wear makeup. Till a few years ago, I owned only two lipsticks. From being well-groomed in college, I went to being a ‘makeup virgin’ post marriage. Career, marital responsibilities and, after a few years, kids, were reason enough for me to fall off the makeup bandwagon. I simply didn’t have the time and energy.
Then, a few years ago, while browsing online to tell my USbased relatives what stuff to bring for me, I saw that some products cost less than what they did in India (no import duty). An avid deal hunter, I ordered several products. Since my relatives were going to carry them, I would not be paying for shipping. Soon, I started experimenting with my new stash and I discovered tonnes of videos on Youtube to guide one through the correct application of makeup. I watched, I tried, I learnt.
I started getting compliments from colleagues about how good I was looking — all thanks to wellapplied makeup. Since I believe learning should be shared, I started advising my women colleagues, and giving them makeovers. They loved it and were grateful for the advice. And I loved helping them with something that made them feel good about themselves.
In the space of few years, I went from being a person who would consider a made-up person shallow, to being an advocate of makeup. For me, it’s not merely about looking good. It’s about how looking good makes you feel. When you feel that you have made an effort, it shows, and you feel good about yourself. You feel confident. That self-confidence is what makes women attractive, whatever their size or age. In so far as makeup adds to your mental well-being, I am an advocate.
Unfortunately, for most working women, makeup is limited to lipstick and eye liner. If you are doing even this much, it’s a great start. I would, however, advise you that adding just a few more products to the routine helps. It has been a complete game-changer for me. Best of all, it doesn’t take more time. All it takes is practice and the patience to research the right products for your pocket and the ones that suit your face.
Consider adding these products to your routine: a BB cream with a high SPF, a powder, a concealer and a blush. And two brushes — one a powder brush and the other a blush brush. That doesn’t sound too complicated, does it? I apply these products (in addition to lipstick and eye liner) in five minutes and am out of the door, looking my best self. The BB cream and powder makes my skin glow, the concealer makes me look fresh and the blush gives shape and definition to my face.
I am not, however, that fixated with makeup that I wear it every time I step out, even if just for grocery shopping. There are days when I step out with a bare face because I don’t feel like putting anything on, and that’s fine too. Makeup is a tool, after all, not an end in itself. I’d never get stressed about using makeup. That’s why I have kept my routine short and simple. Anything that stresses you deserves to be chucked out of the window.
I’d encourage every woman, especially working mothers who often forget their individuality in the crush of their daily lives, to take a few minutes for themselves to wear makeup. Not to look good for others but to feel good about yourself. God knows, in the stressful and hectic lives we lead, low investment solutions which give visible and tangible results are not to be sneezed at. Do yourself the favour. You are totally worth it.
How obvious can it be? The purpose of makeup is to defy the degradations of time, and time is just a synonym for death. Dean Koontz
All women need makeup. Don’t let anybody tell you different. The only woman who was pretty enough to go without makeup was Elizabeth Taylor and she wore a ton. Tracy Letts
Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick. Gwyneth Paltrow
Even as a child, I knew what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to wear red lipstick. Patti Smith
The only way I’d be caught without makeup is if my radio fell in the bathtub while I was taking a bath and electrocuted me and I was in between makeup at home. I hope my husband would slap a little lipstick on me before he took me to the morgue. Dolly Parton