Lipstick is Life

Lipstick is life. 

At least it’s my key to having something resembling a normal life these days. 

I’ve always loved lipstick. When I was a small, small child, and we lived with my grandparents, I remember seeing all of Granny’s lipsticks laid out in a row on her small dressing table by the window. They had shiny gold cases, and were all vibrant pinks. They looked pretty. And strangely enough, they smelled good too.

She would let me try them on, and they made me feel so so fancy. 

As soon as I was old enough, I started wearing lipstick every day. Hot pinks, dusty mauves, purples, and reds — always reds. There are few things better than a brand new red lipstick. 

Lipstick has been a part of my daily routine for as long as I can remember! I put on my whole face — concealer, powder, blush, more powder, eyes, lashes, brows — the same way every single day. Then I end with my lipstick. It’s like putting a bow on a present … it’s just not finished without the bow. 

Here in this pandemic, I’ve seen a lot of my friends posting about how they’ve stopped putting on makeup. After all, what’s the point when we’re all stuck at home? There’s nobody but our families to see us. We don’t have to impress anyone. It’s soooo much effort, they say. 

And admittedly I wear a whole lot less makeup now than I used to. I still hit the basics — concealer, blush, powder. Every once in a blue moon I’ll throw on some sparkle eyeliner because … well … because it sparkles and who can’t use some sparkle these days?

But even if I just do the barest bare minimum, I always always always put on my lipstick. Even if I never leave the house. Even if I never see another soul all day except for my beloved Tragedy.*

Here lately I’ve been totally into Urban Decay lipsticks. Mainly because of the names. I try to match them with my mood or what I’m doing that day. Election Day called for a color known as Crisis. There are a few that I wear if I’m feeling confrontational — F-bomb, Wrath, and Bad Blood. There’s Temper and Psycho which are good when you’re feeling all sorts of pandemic feelings and don’t want to take them out on your family. Then there’s 714 which is named after a Quaalude, a literal chill pill. (Lipstick > drugs.) There’s also Love Drunk because what’s a pandemic without a little romance, right?

There’s really not much to an actual tube of lipstick other than some wax, oil, and pigment. But when you’re trying to find some normalcy in a crazy time, you might find yourself quite literally clinging to that shiny gold tube like a lifeline to your normal existence, to the way things were, to the way they might be again. 

That’s why the sixth lesson I’ve learned in 2020 is that lipstick is life. 

(This year for #BlogLikeCrazy, I’m talking about 30 lessons I’ve learned in 2020. Read the other entries here).

(I am not affiliated with Urban Decay in any way. I just like it a whole lot. I am an Amazon affiliate though, so if you purchase anything through an Amazon link, I may receive a small commission.)

*That’s what I call my sweet husband because of his resting sad face as compared to my usual Comedy mule-eating-briars grin.