Makeup: A Socially Acceptable Means of Coloring Under a Fort

So much to the excitement of roughly 50% of State College's population, Ulta has opened in town. And while I've never considered myself addicted to makeup, I certainly enjoy a good foundation or five. After my friend wrote this post about her makeup addiction, I realized the dangers of being surrounded by hundreds of shiny things, but braved the store anyway. I could've used some foundation and hair gel--you know, practical stuff.

This is what happened.

You may realize there is nary a foundation, but at least five different eye pencils, liners, eyebrow pencils, etc. Since when did eyebrows need pencils anyway? Are they going to start taking the SATs soon?

Sure, my eyes may pop a tad more with a little blue or black lined around them, but having an entire rainbow scrawled on your face isn't about to win anyone over.

The thing about having a store entirely devoted to makeup, is that you start to see your morning routine in a different way. I don't see anyone going to Target saying "I must find the most beautiful eyeshadow in the world!" No. You go to Target to get what you need--throw in some sunscreen, some TP, a new bottle of lip gloss, and you're good to go.

But marketing-wise, Ulta wins all the genius awards--they don't advertise what you need. They advertise what you deserve. And who doesn't deserve all the pretty colors? And the sparkly things?

What it comes down to is that it's fun to color. And since grownups are seldom allowed to color on paper anymore, we color on our faces. I mean, eye pencils are basically crayons. Liquid eyeliner is paint. Keep working at it, and you could be the next Van Gogh of skin.

But once these "grownup crayons" accumulate, the situation turns dire. Just like with clothes, the more options I have, the more freaked out I become. Just because I have an entire bag of eye-coloring tools, does not mean I will grow any more eyes. And so, I overuse my favorite colors, and throw the other gajillion dollar pencils out the window. It's only from digging through the depths of my makeup bag that I even remembered purchasing blue and purple eyeliner. I might as well just have one green liner in my bag; the result would be the same.

All I can say is, my skin better stay kind to me. Because I am not about to venture the world of primers and setters and cleansers, oh my.

Namaste.