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Why makeup? And why now?

Yesterday this giant company launched a new palette. Today, 7 other giant makeup brands have launched their palette, with 4 more palettes in the series to launch after each week. There are millions of subscribers watching millions of these artists on YouTube and there are millions more whom are jaw-shattering level amounts of talented there, on instagram, on facebook, on tumblr.

The makeup and skincare industry has taken off and millions are creating –literally–face changing, illusion making, brain shattering makeup looks, trends and FX.

We’re glutted by advertisements telling us to hide this, tuck that, inject these, lose pounds here, miracle skin creams and basically prey on the fact that absolutely none of us will be, or ever can be, perfect. That there’s always something to improve or change. And that’s a pretty tiring rhetoric.

Some of you who know me, know I fucking detest those kinds of messages as I spent my entire life thinking I was less than, or not good enough, or too ugly for or If I just changed…And so on. Some of you may also know there are days where I still sink into that.

Lucky for me, that’s very rare.

So why am I getting into makeup and skincare when a lot of the advertising for such products are counter-productive to self esteem?

Because I want to.
Because I chose to.
Because it has made me happy.

When I think about those three things above, I can’t think of why that isn’t a positive. And makeup isn’t just for women, those who identify as feminine or any other gender nonsense-police-fuckery. It really is a medium to transform. You can change the entire way your face looks with good powder, the right foundation, and some practice with brushes. Or you can literally become a fucking wizard, Harry, or anything else. Human or not.

That’s some art right there.

As for skincare, I never did it when I was younger. I literally took for granted that my skin would stay the way it was. And that was pretty high up there on stupid youth back then…But what can ya do? Now I have old nerd skin, and it’s time to old nerd skin take care of it.

Am I good at it?
Fuck no.

Do I need to figure out what skincare or makeup is using environmentally sustainable materials, what sort of ingredients is in it, what’s good or bad for my skin, whether it was ethically made, what “cruelty free,” means and navigate the sewer that is “What’s In This Face Cream?”

Yes.

But I’m working on it.

Like me, my adventure in makeup and skin care is a work in progress. It’s the longest fucking W.I.P. as it’s been 41 years in the making, but it’s making damn it. And I choose it.

So there. That’s a thing you now know. Go on and gird your loins and put on some lipgloss with me if you want. Or don’t. It’s your choice!

Published inPhat Life