Colour me beautiful.

Make up.


Don't question it, don't try to work it out.  Girls love it.


It's amazing how a little tube of lipgloss can bring us out of a major depression.  The love affair  begins very early on.  Sneaking into your mother's make up bag.  I was a child of the 80's.  Lots of blue eyeliner, frosted lipstick, pink and blue eyeshadow.


Blue Opal, Whispering Lilac...  these are the things that stay with you forever.  Terrible colours but I felt like a goddess wearing it.


Then came the Poppy revolution.  Red, matte and bold.  I was blessed with a pout.  Red was my colour.  The powder used to dry my lips, but I used to bring it back in the day.


It's a woman's armour.  No matter how flat we feel, putting your face on makes you feel like you can take on the world...  most times.  You go through stages where you are learning.  Clumpy mascara, pancake base, wrong colour, not blending in properly, drag queen eyes...  should I go on???


And then one day, miraculously, you find your groove and can apply your look with no lights or a mirror.  You've arrived.  You look natural but you've artfully highlighted your cheekbones with luminizer, bronzer and smoky eyes are popping.


I haven't put on makeup for many years.  The kids, sleep deprivation and never having enough time are contributors.  I miss it.  Years ago, I paid a large amount of money to learn to apply makeup in the Napoleon Perdis way.  I bought the brushes, a case and lots of pots and potions.  It was the most fun.  Nowadays if I do put make up on, it makes me look special.  Not 'look at her glow' special, more like 'don't speak in long sentences' special.  Or a drag queen.


There's something about a pot of colour, or a tube of lipstick that can fill you with such joy.  Men will never understand.  Although maybe for them it's the same as a golf ball, a car magazine or a PS3.


My makeup bag at the moment contains 3 year old Avon stuff.  Which is ok.  For the amount of use it gets, it doesn't make sense to spend the $$$ buying the good stuff.


But we all strive for the same thing.  Mac, YSL, Chanel, Stila, Nars.  The creme de la creme.  One of everything in every colour thank you very much.


One day I'll learn how to apply again. I'm looking forward to it!