let lemons be angry

We had a makeover event at the store the other day, which was a whole lot of fun for me and the many young women crowding around the makeup artist. Makeup is for the person wearing it more than anybody else, really. The journalists came in bare-faced and hopped off the makeover chair saying "now I can face the world", while I thought they looked more interesting without so much gloss. It could be just me; I was the one who drew in dark eye circles for all the characters in a book.

But to the woman wearing makeup, that concealer is absolutely necessary. She would rather die than leave the house without it. To her, her eyebags are as big as the Eiffel tower. To her, the new loose powder she bought has given her a completely new face. To leave the house without mascara? It means no lashes. No brow powder means no brows.

The men? Can't tell the difference.
I was fretting over the too-dark brows the makeup artist gave me, and only my female colleagues could sympathize. The man colleague looked sympathetically all over my face. I know he didn't know what I'd just gotten done.

I used to be awkward about putting makeup on in front of people, but now I know the dramatic difference is only apparent to me. When I put makeup on in front of k, he watches in fascination like a kid watching his mother cook. "What is that? Then you just do that and it sticks on your face? What does it do? Why can't I see? What's the difference? Today your eye..lashes? shadow? liner? is very thick. So funny, your lashes are hard. I can't feel mine. I don't have lashes. They're very short."

Me: Aren't you glad I don't wear false lashes everyday?
k: ..?? .. It--- makes no difference to me! You can wear if it makes you happy!

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, that for all the effort girls put into their upkeep, it doesn't really matter to the people who look at us the most.