like the violin

That would be me! Totally no make up!

The Suburban Queen, one of my inspiration sources when it comes to clothing and general colorfulness (gosh if only I did the thrifting bit as well as she does!), wrote a post on make up and the (lack of) use thereof. One paragraph in particular was so good that I may as well quote it, here goes:

"What I am quite anti is the rhetoric of "taking care of yourself". Making it sound like it's dirty or unhealthy not to do these products. Unless you have a medical skin condition, you won't need a fancy creme to "take care of yourself". And that's not what you're paying for, either. About 40% of the price of more lux beauty products is pure air - it's the cost of the image. Furthermore, you most certainly don't have to cover up your face in order to "take care of yourself"! That thought gives me the creeps. If and when you want to take care of yourself, please take a second to think about what you need, not what needs are created for you. I hope this doesn't sound too patronizing, but it's not a small scale issue. The beauty ideals are a huge deal. Cosmetics is a huge industry."

I couldn't agree more! As for myself, I still have acne, and I would probably look better (whatever that means? And why do I/ we think it's "better"?) with make up. But I haven't used make up since I was about fifteen, for feminist reasons (apart from stage make up, of course). This weekend, though, Hanna asked if I'd let her curl my eyelashes. I said yes (even though I find it quite uncomfortable to have a metal thing that close to my eyes, and still keep them open). The difference was huge! I looked like someone else - and, it feels odd to say it, but - I looked like someone prettier ...

And I think it would be interesting to know how it's done, the whole make up deal. Because I don't. Girls and women - and some, but few, men - get years of everyday practice while growing up, and maybe that's what it takes to get all that in order. Since I missed out on that, I just don't know how to do it (stage make up is completely different from everyday make up; it is, of course, much less subtile, much more of everything, much less complicated, you just have to think about what lighting there will be on the stage).

Thing is, I think I might like doing it. It looks rather fun to me. What I don't like is when people can't leave their house without make up - I know too many of those. I wouldn't want to end up there. I don't need lots of time to get ready, and I like it that way.

However. I won't reach a conclusion to this whole thing tonight, it's way past bedtime. I think I'll let Hanna take me out on a make up shopping tour, and then teach me how it's done, and then I can choose whether it suits me or not. I don't have all my personal "rules", as people like to call them, just for the sake of having them, or because someone tells me to. I can change them whenever I want to.

I'm rather picky about jewellry, too. (If it's not round flat earrings, because if it is I'll take the lot! :)) If I'm supposed to wear something "extra", something "more" than just clothes (as in, something that takes more than two seconds to pick and put on) I want it to really be something extra; I want it to be something special, noticeable. Preferrably I want it to mean something (which is rarely achievable to a reasonable price, but well). Actually that might sum up how I feel about make up, as well ... I wouldn't mind using make up now and then, just for fun. But I like to keep it simple, natural if you will. And anything that takes more than two seconds in the morning is not simple :)

However, if anyone feels like giving me a late birthday gift (or any kind of gift really), I'm still in love with these earrings. They are just AMAZING and would suit me perfectly (even though not even 10% of my friends would understand just how funny they are). I'm liking this heart too. Just so you know :)