Feel Good Friday

I have always loved makeup, however growing up my Mom would not really encourage me to wear makeup.  It was only for very specific reasons I was allowed to wear the bare minimum, usually a little bit of mascara, some blush on my cheeks and if I was lucky, some lipstick – to this day mascara and blush are two of my favourite beauty products. I remember the first time my Mom applied mascara to my lashes, I was really so in awe of the product – how my blonde lashes suddenly transformed into long, dark lashes like my Mom’s and how big my eyes looked. Just the whole process of applying the makeup felt so special to me.  I was filled with such excitement and to be completely honest, I was absolutely in awe of my eyes, my rosy cheeks and how pretty I felt.

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At 16 my Mom bought me my first mascara, Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara to be precise. To this day it is still one of my all-time favourites and the only drugstore brand mascara that I will happily recommend to a person. I always looked forward to the weekends and being able to wear mascara if I was going to go out shopping with friends.

Today, the favourite part of my makeup routine is still applying mascara.  Yes, I love how beautiful lashes look with a coat of good mascara on, but for me it is the memory it invokes that means the most to me.  Every time I pull the wand out of a mascara tube I am instantly transported back to my parents’ bedroom. I can clearly remember sitting in front of my Mom’s big dressing table mirror with all her products spread out across the table. 

Makeup is fantastic in that it can definitely help hide our imperfections and accentuate the areas we want attention to be drawn to - how it can make us feel beautiful and good about ourselves. But for me, it is the memories I love the most. Memories of my Mom and I playing with makeup, the sounds of our laughter and chatter echoing through the hallway and the smell of perfume that filled the room. Makeup, to me, is happiness.

Big Hugs,
Charlene XXX

PS. Beauty Bulletin is currently running a competition called #LipstickEffect where you share your story of how a beauty product changed your life or empowered you. Click on the image below to learn more.