A little funny to me is the scenario where you’re asked what makeup product you would definitely take with you if you had to go to a desert island. Chances are, the last thing you’d be worried about is whether or not you had your favorite lipstick or blush. If there’s anything I’ve learned from side-splitting my eyes out watching Alone with El Hab, it’s that food and shelter come first, and eyebrows come second.
At the same time, I have to say that if I were to go out somewhere and forgot my tube of mascara, I would panic a little.
As I transitioned from using every product to only using the bare essentials, there are a few items I willingly gave up: orange color corrector, face primer, eyeshadow base, brow gel(!), brow highlighter pencil, etc. I don’t miss them.
There are also some items that I don’t use now but that I’ve always loved and might return to someday when I have a bit more free time – items I still think back on fondly, like bronzer (still love it), powder (ahhh!) and foundation.
But I’ve realized there’s one thing I can never say goodbye to: mascara. I was putting on mascara in my car yesterday (because that’s what I do now, haha), and after the first coat, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Ahhh, I’ve got mascara.” I just feel more like myself when I have mascara on. You know what I mean?
I don’t remember when I realized that mascara made my life so much better, but I think it was in college. Even though I wore makeup in high school, for some reason my mom never allowed me to wear mascara. Basically, I wore whatever makeup I wanted — bright lipstick, lots of blush, eyeshadow — but mascara was forbidden fruit in my house.
I wish I could remember my first tube, because I think it was because my university bookstore had a Clinique counter and when I went to buy books at the beginning of the semester I checked out at the Clinique counter and bought some.
Hmm, green and pink Maybelline mascara was huge at the time, so that could have been a factor.
Maybe I’ll remember it while I’m sleeping tonight, haha!
Throughout my makeup journey, I used multiple layers of mascara on my lashes: When I was a jack-of-all-trades, I had one to hold the curl, one to add length, and one just for the bottom lashes.
The only tube I’ve been using lately is the Keep It by Rare Beauty. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should get one ASAP. It really lifts, curls and lengthens your lashes and doesn’t smudge even when it’s hot outside. You do have to remove it at the end of the day with an oil-based cleanser, but it’s not a big deal. If there’s one thing I don’t like about it, it’s that it’s kind of silly. The pale pink tube gets dirty so quickly, it’s frustrating.
Anyway, I hope your eyelashes are still beautiful and curled up today! And I hope your mascara doesn’t smudge! 🙂
Your local beauty enthusiast,
Karen
