May 5th...or...Why I Should Start Wearing Make-up Again

So...I'm not a huge fan of make-up. The last time I wore make-up was on New Years Eve and I broke out in a  rash, prompting me to throw it all away. I've since purchased some foundation and powder from Origins, the skin care line that I currently use for my face wash. It's still in the packaging.

Simon, his mom, Deb, and I were looking through photo albums last night and we came across a photo of Simon and I before his cousin's wedding back in the fall of 2007. And I looked fantastic! My hair was straight and shiny (an anomaly for September), my boobs were miraculously sitting higher than normal (again, an anomaly since I was wearing a strapless bra), and my make-up was wonderful, particularly my eyes. It's amazing what a little eyeliner and mascara can do for a person.

I'm a lazy person. That's part of the reason I don't wear make-up. Another reason is because I wear it so infrequently that I think I look like a clown when I have it on. I never really did learn how to properly apply make-up. I used to make my college roommates put it on me when they insisted that a night out called for more glam and less hooded sweatshirt (although there were times that I totally rocked the make-up with the hoodie...at least I think I did, they might have other opinions about how that all came together). And then there's that whole rash thing.

But that picture. I just keep thinking about it. Then I think about the extra time I would have to add to my already strenuous daily regimen (to me...I'm flossing everyday now, remember) for make-up application. And then I think about how it wouldn't take up that much time. And then I think about how I don't know what I'm doing. I ponder watching some YouTube videos on basic make-up application.  And then I think about getting caught in the rain and having it all run down my face. No make-up probably looks better than rain sodden make-up. I have all kinds of excuses not to wear make-up, but mostly it's laziness.

And I can't help but wonder if this is one of the many lamentations I'm going to have as I continue to age. I'm already going through it with my hair, which gets more and more gray by the day. I've had people ask me when I'm going to start dyeing it, and I've also had people tell me they respect my courage to go gray naturally. But it's not courage...again, it's laziness...of course. And maybe it's a little bit frugal...dyeing my hair and keeping up with gray roots sounds like a lot of work.  And let's be honest, when I barely find the time to floss everyday, there's no way I'm going to keep up with gray roots.  And given how dark my hair is, gray roots would look absolutely absurd.  But I struggle with the grays.  I spend less and less time in front of the mirror these days because I really don't care to see them.  Not that I spent a lot of time in front of the mirror to begin with, but the time I spend fussing over my hair has decreased as the grays have increased.  The only time the grays are somewhat charming (and that's debatable) is near Christmas time when I tell little kids that I have tinsel in my hair.  Other than that, I consider it mostly an eyesore.

But back to the picture...I definitely recall applying make-up more frequently when Simon and I were first dating.  And it's gotten more and more sporadic as the years have gone by.  I don't know if my relationship and my aversion to make-up are in any way related, but it seems that they could be.  Simon likes me just fine without make-up.  He thinks I look pretty without it, and I think he appreciates the lack of time I spend in the bathroom, fussing over something that he doesn't really feel is all that important.  So I guess I picked the right guy in that aspect.  Maybe I just need to quit looking at old pictures of myself...hahaha! 

And so it goes.  I'm mostly happy with myself, and I know that aging is probably never easy for anyone.  I just need to focus on what's good in my life right now.  Thinking about eye make-up from 6 years ago seems a little silly in the broad scheme of things.

Things I am thankful for on May 5th:
Simon taking the time load up my scooter into our trailer for the long trip south
Caramel rice krispie bars
Playing card games with well-behaved children
Gurdy's funny little noises
Abby and Deb rocking it out in the kitchen
Spending time with family
Finding the motivation to try a new work-out regimen (and it only takes 15 minutes! Bonus!)