It’s so funny when I look at old bios I wrote for myself for this blog. I first started it back in 2006, and I have changed so much in terms of where I am in my life and what I’m like as a person.
Back in 2006 I still felt like a girl. I was coming into myself as a grown woman. I was in my twenties, and I could best be described as a former tomboy, recovering from my days of stubbornly only ever wearing pants, hardly wearing any makeup, and not knowing what to do with my hair. This blog helped me learn so much along the way.
Flash forward to 2013 and I have changed. A lot. I’m a woman now. Now I totally know what works for my hair and what doesn’t, in terms of products and ingredients. I know what looks good on me and what doesn’t, in terms of fashion. I know my way around a make up kit in a way that would’ve made 2006 Patrice very proud. Bronzer and concealer, blush and eyelash curlers – I know how to use all of them now! Not only do I know how to use them, but I enjoy playing with makeup. Makeup is a stress relief for me. It is fun. It’s something that picks up my spirit and makes me feel better about my day. Mastering makeup has been a lesson in truly putting my best face forward (not to be corny, I swear).
But there is my dilemma. In learning all about makeup and becoming a blogger known as Afrobella, I’ve come to realize that I have also become dependent on makeup. I’ve gone from being a person who struggled to put on a basic face in order to go out for a special event, to being somebody who gets ready like it’s a special event every day.
Who, me? I’m just going to the supermarket!
I’ve had moments recently where I realized that my makeup loving ways are in fact, at times slowing me down. I’ve had moments recently where I realized my makeup loving ways may not be entirely healthy. I’ve had moments recently where I realized, you know what Patrice, you might be a person who now wears too much makeup. Sometimes. Here’s how I realized I was wearing too much makeup. Maybe you’ll have the same realization after answering these five simple yes or no questions.
Answer yes or no to the following six questions.
1. You are going to the grocery store to pick up items for dinner. You are heading there in the middle of the afternoon, when nobody else will be there. Are you wearing a full face of makeup including concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, blush and bronzer? Yes or no?
2. Lately it’s like your favorite mascara has turned on you. Instead of being the awesome mascara made your lashes look 2 inches long and super thick and lustrous, it’s become clumpy and when you wake up in the morning sometimes your eyes feel irritated and goopy. It’s time for a new mascara. Do you take a break from wearing eye make up for a few days to let your eyes rest? Yes or no?
3 Do you willingly leave the house without wearing makeup? Yes or no?
4 Has putting on makeup for an event ever made you late for that event? Yes or no?
5 Has anyone in your life ever complained that you sometimes wear too much makeup, or take way too long to get ready (because of your need for makeup)? Yes or no?
6. Have you ever put on your usual full face of makeup to go somewhere, only to find that everyone else there is wearing little to no makeup? Yes or no?
If the answers to questions 1,3,4 5 and 6 were yes, and the answer for question number 2 was no, you might have the same struggles that I do. I have done all of these things.
These are my confessions:
– I put on a full face of make up just to leave the house to go to the grocery store.
– I have found myself late for events because it is taken me so long to get ready for them in terms of putting on my makeup.
– I have found myself being the only one wearing make up any room full of women that have gone out with, because they do not wear as much makeup as I do. In my personal everyday life, I don’t know many women who wear as much makeup as I do, so this happens often.
– And just recently, I found myself putting on eye liner and mascara even though I knew I had a slight eye infection from wearing too much of it. That was a kind of wake-up call. Waking up in the morning with goopy eyes that are irritated and red because of my own overuse of a product is clearly a problem that I need to contend with.
Recently my husband all but forced me to go to the grocery store with him without makeup, and my worst fear was realized – I was totally recognized by an Afrobella reader. And I found myself feeling shy and embarrassed and unwilling to go over and greet this person who so clearly recognized and wanted to meet me. And then I felt really bad about it. Then I had to ask myself all of these introspective questions. Le sigh.
It was kind of a wake up call for me that I’m letting my love of makeup affect my better judgment. When I mentioned this to my mom, she thought I was crazy for writing this. I come from a line of women who don’t leave their bedroom on a morning without “putting on their face,” so she can’t relate to me here. Some women are fine with their makeup habits. Some of us struggle along the way.
I’m trying to tone it down a bit, especially for the summer. It’s too hot to be rocking layers of product right now! I’m cutting down to a BB cream (more on that in an upcoming post), and rocking a bold lip instead of a ton of eye product for a while. And as I get ready to go to the grocery store today, I’ll try to remember everything I just said and go for a less-is-more look.
Am I alone in this? Are you a chronic makeup addict who wears it every day? Or are you usually a barefaced beauty?
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