CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Monday, April 26, 2010

Number Seventy-two

Red lipstick.  Ooo La La.  I have always wanted to wear red lipstick but remember, I'm a redhead and wearing red lipstick as a redhead is tough.  One of the reasons I fell in love with The One Hundred was because of Nina's advice about red lipstick; everyone can wear it, you just have to find the right shade.  Finding the right shade is difficult for everyone and as she points out, it can takes hours at the cosmetics counter.  All I can is I was up for the challenge...at Sephora.

Sephora is a store that has almost every cosmetics, perfume, skin care, and hair care line known to man-kind (just in case you lived in a cave and didn't know what Sephora is).  Basically, it's an oasis for girly girls.  They also enlist an idea called customer service.  I know, some of you may have heard of and perhaps even experienced this concept years ago, but in my experience, Sephora is a store that actually still practices customer service.  Anyway...you walk in the door and someone greets you, you tell them what you're looking for, they talk into their sleeves (just like the secret service) and before you know it, a makeup artist appears ready to make your cosmetic dreams come true.  I tell the artist (and I do not use that term lightly or in jest), "I'm looking for the perfect red lipstick."  "Right this way." she says as if I've just asked her to use the ladies room.

I couldn't believe it.  Within 5 minutes we had found the perfect red lipstick for ME!  Putting it on properly is another story.  I had been forewarned about the red lipstick application process from Ms. Garcia, but wow, I was still shocked at the process.   I'm thinking colleges around the country should offer this as a community learning class.  I finally get the lipstick application down and then look into the mirror.  Wow!  Talk about needing confidence.  I'm think I would feel more comfortable in that bikini I have so vehemently swore never to own or wear.

My first impression was, "I need more eye makeup."  The artist gives me a definite, "NO!"  "You need to keep all of your other makeup simple."  (Same advice Nina gives.)  Okay, maybe I need a rainbow Afro wig, a squirting flower, and some big floppy shoes.  The artist again says, "NO!"  I guess I feel like everyone is thinking, "Here comes Michelle's lips."  The artist then tells me, "What you need to do is wear it!"  In other words, be confident about it.  So...$125 later (no, it wasn't just lipstick) I leave Sephora with red lipstick on and in the bag. 

I feel, unsettled about the whole lipstick thing.  I've always wanted this, but in truth, I'm not a big makeup nut. I wear makeup but lipstick is something I've never been good at.  Well, I decided to take the artists advice because she is after all, an artist and wear the lipstick.  Granted, I have to get up an extra hour to put it on, but by God, I'm wearing it.  Guess what, I get compliment, after compliment and that of course, makes me more confident about my big red lips.  As a matter of fact, the other day, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Good Lord Michelle, get some lipstick on."

So, after all these years, I finally not only have the red lipstick, I know how to put it on, and I have the confidence to wear it.  Who knew.

Number seventy-two - red lipstick.  Nine down, ninety-one to go.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well...you already know how I feel about red lipstick .. . . Carolyn