In the words of Johann Wolfgang Goethe “Wisdom is found only in truth”. So let me share my wisdom from a true experience: shopping for makeup is hard!
In most girls’ lives, there comes a moment when they pick up their first foundation brush and glide the tassels across their faces. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to experience this. My experience was replaced with watching TV and sleeping. In simple words: I was lazy.
However, in the past week I swapped my sweat pants for high-waisted jeans, turned off the TV and experienced my first makeup shopping spree – it was worse than going to war!
I am generally an indecisive person, so when faced with so many makeup brands to choose from, my brain went into shutdown mode. Thank goodness I had my trusted friend Barbora, makeup extraordinaire, to guide me through the treacherous aisles. My shopping bag contained mousse-y foundation from Revlon (in the colour caramel), eyeliner & mascara set from Eyeko, eyebrow pencil from Miss Sporty, eyeshadow and blush set from Barry M, lipsticks from Mac & Lancôme and a neat brush set from Ecotools.
After about 3-4 hours of shopping (yes, it took that long!), I was set for my week of being a “Glamazon”.
P.S. Makeup is VERY expensive!
Make up free – a simpler time!
Day 1
This was not my best day. It started with me waking up an hour early just to prepare my canvas of a face to be painted. I picked up my brush and Revlon foundation in utter confusion – but when in doubt, YouTube it! After about 30 minutes of re-watching a makeup tutorial by ‘Makeup By Leyla’, I painted my face to the best of my ability and set out into the City Centre. It was such a beautiful day for Aberdeen, but I didn’t feel beautiful. I was so self-conscious, I felt like people could see behind the “lie”. All the laughter and whispering I heard felt like it was directed at me. I decided to call my #1 cheerleader for a boost in confidence, my boyfriend. Of course he said all the right things, which helped me keep my head high but when I ended the call, I looked at my phone and my foundation was smeared everywhere. The horror! All I could imagine was one half of my face looking distorted with everything out of place. Once I got into Bon Accord, I rushed to the lavatory and when I looked in the mirror, I was so surprised at what I saw. I looked FLAWLESS!
Day 2
It was easier to get ready on this day, as I already knew the basics. Like the day before, I kept it simple and just applied foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick and attended to the eyebrows – got to keep the eyebrows on fleek! My insecurities were still evident. I was walking with my head down, worried about what everyone was saying – whether I looked like a painted doll or it looked like I was trying too hard. Funnily enough through all of this, with every reflective surface I passed, I couldn’t help but look and think to myself how gorgeous I looked (yes, I was feeling myself).
Day 3
This was a good day. Applying makeup was fun, I felt like Picasso whilst bringing my face to life. I was more confident on this day because I realized that no one cared how I looked, everyone was to busy with their own issues. I strutted through campus feeling like Naomi Campbell and surprisingly on this day I got quite a few “looking good, Ayanda”. The key word here: confidence!
Day 4
It was a Wednesday and Her Campus Aberdeen hosted a 90s night. This was my opportunity to put my makeup skills to the test. As usual I went for my everyday essentials: foundation, mascara etc. This time I added eyeshadow. I used shiny silver and a matte black from my Barry M eyeshadow & blush set, to try and make a smoky-cat eye effect. Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned! When I met up with Barbora, I told her about my attempt and she replied with “at least everyone in the 90s wore bad makeup, so it suits the theme”.
Ladies, makeup takes practice!
Day 5
My last day of being a ‘Glamazon’. I went all out on this day. I woke up early, got my brushes out and started on my masterpiece (aka my face!). It all came so naturally as if I had been applying makeup for year. It was a good day!
I would love to say that makeup is for everyone but it’s not. It takes time and dedication. One thing to remember is that you are not putting on makeup for anyone else but yourself. My roommate Lotta once told me that for her, makeup is an art form; it’s a way for her to express herself. Some days she will be cute and flirty with blush and a neutral-pinkish lipstick, and other days she could be dangerous with smoky eyes and roulette-red lips.
Will I become an avid artist of my face? Nope, like I said makeup isn’t for everyone, including me, but on a night out I might just whip out that eyeliner.