The mysteries of life

[kitewithfish]

While my roomie is otherwise engaged in clacking glass beads on a necklace together while chatting with another of the on-again/off-again boys, I will update.

I went out and bought make-up today. (German: sich Schminken- to put on make-up. This is pronounced exactly as it looks like, and causes me much amusement to say.)

For some of you (who are apparently functional female human beings) this is probably not that big a deal. But for some reason, while I was a small human being, the lessons of 'buying quality make-up,''these colors look good, these do not,' and 'here are non-obvious ways of making yourself look pretty' did not get successfully transfered to me. Don't get my mom wrong: I received many lessons of greater import (be kind, wear authority very carefully, white privilege is real and you have to be aware of it, etc, etc), eye shadow did not really come into play beyond the 'oh, she looks like a clown, take the picture, husband!' stage.

Enter my sister, who somehow managed to pick up incredible and arcane female knowledge about making herself look fashionable and awesome all by herself. I don't know how she did it, but she did. And then succeeded in making me want that knowledge for myself, because she looked really cool and I wanted also to look really cool.

So, when my sister came to visit me, much of female lore was discussed, such as the various merits (small) of buying cheap make-up versus good make-up, how to take care of your skin, and how to stop worrying about food prices (compare things to the cost of living in Paris, apparently). Some was immediately put into play (and my pores rejoiced!). Some was delayed.

This leads into what I did this morning before my South Indian Religion class: I went out and bought make-up at a fairly expensive and reputable store, Yves Rocher, including the fiddly little brushes that you need to have for yourself in order to put make-up on properly. I bought mascara and the white eye-shadow that I use as base for much of eye make-up. I then also went out and bought nice blush and a single lipstick. The cost of this was, collectively, probably about as much as I have paid for make-up in the entire course of my life heretofore (read: honestly not that much.) I now have good stuff that looks good, won't make my skin break out, and makes me happy.

In other news: I have been thinking about glasses vs. contacts again. (This is an extension of a conversation I frequently have with myself while trying eye-shadow on from test samples- I need to take off my glasses to apply the make-up, but I can't see myself in the mirror without my glasses. The application process can become somewhat haphazard.) I really like my current glasses, though they are beginning to show the signs of wear that are telling me that I will need to get another pair soon (faint cracks in the protective anti-scratch coating over the lenses, which are in fact worse to deal with than the scratches themselves....). I also think I look better, smarter, and slightly more balanced with the glasses on than without them (I've rather a short face and a rather square jaw for a woman.) They are better for close reading, which, as a student, I do a great deal of. But they also fall off, obscure my face, and permanently dent my nose.

Comments

"Quick, take a picture?"

[deaconlori.livejournal.com]

Now, while this description of the mothership is fairly positive, I can truly testify that I have never told my husband to take a picture of anyone because she looks like a clown. It seems it would conflict with the mothership qualities listed - such as "be kind." Unless of course I spoke sotto voce and the clown could not hear me, in which case the alleged photography MIGHT have occurred.

In any case, I am delighted to learn about the rejoicing of your pores and look forward to a lesson on how to use eye shadow. Maybe you can come with me to Macy's to teach me how to buy make-up when you come home. I think I last wore eye shadow when you were an infant. And, of course, I think you need both contacts AND glasses and will be eager to cover the bill for them.

Re: "Quick, take a picture?"

[beanie-platypus.livejournal.com]

I still do not really know how to buy make-up. I basically throw myself on the mercy of unattached, well-accoutered salespersons. And then I tell them my budget, and they laugh at me. But I get the *feel* of the right stuff from the free testers, and then try to by similar things in the drugs store for less money (but still more money than I would ever have thought to spend.)

Re: Clown make-up. You had white grease-paint in your make-up bag. I know this, because you told me that it was clown make-up. I recall no pictures, but it does give the appropriate feel of the age and level of expertise I had with make-up.