Confessions of a Make-up Beginner

For years, I had stuck to the light makeup/plain face routine. To most, I was the kind of girl that did not enjoy painting my face. To others, I loved the natural look. Guess what? You know the girl that ogled at all the expensive clothes from the window because she could not afford them? Here she is. I was a complete novice who could not tell difference between foundation and powder but still wanted to look like the stars on tv. The makeup brushes were so many that I thought some were spares. My attempt at drawing eyebrows always turned out to be a disaster, and it took a long long time for the word, 'definer' to find its way into my vocabulary (still don't get the point of it though).

Then came adulthood/university. In the beginning, I was very comfortable with a bland face. I learned to believe people that said I needed no makeup to be beautiful and I convinced myself that my ' man' would prefer to see the real me instead of going though layers of makeup. My vomit-worthy DIY makeover attempts were not helping matters either. Finally, someone wanted to practice her skills on my face and I let her. Believe me when I say I could not recognise myself; neither could the people that swore that I looked perfect with no makeup on. It was almost like my face has been disvirgined or should I say pimped? It was like an awakening and  unfortunately, my natural look was no longer good enough for me; at least not on the days that I went out with my friends. For every outing, I watched my girls apply each layer of make-up, from concealer to foundation to bronzer to blush...and the list goes on and on. Every other day, I had to quietly wait for my turn and hope that there was enough time for them to do the same for me. Most times, because of the constant rule that says that girls always run late, there was never time for me to get my own makeover and I was usually the only girl in the group with no makeup on (except my signature red lipstick which i always managed to smear on my jaw and occasionally, the foundation I had talked my sister into purchasing for me). The normal 'she dey form natural beauty' comments did not stop coming and they began to irritate me.

Months passed and I started whining and lamenting that I wanted to learn how to take care of my own face. Nobody took me seriously. I wouldn't have taken myself seriously too, until one day, I just walked into a store and bought my first official set of makeup. It was basic foundation, lipstick and eyeliner. Eventually, the powder and mascara followed. The first time I tried to apply the eyeliner by myself, I thought I was never going to see again. Somehow, it kept slipping and getting into my eyes. After minutes of struggling with drawing two straight lines over my eyes, I came out looking like a racoon that had been shedding tears. The lipstick which somehow managed to cross the margins of my lips added a clown-like finishing to the 'art' on my face. I knew an attempt at mascara was going to get me blind permanently and the eyeshadow over my lids would turn me into a ghost. So I had to stop there. I fell to makeup videos that I found on YouTube and somehow they managed to make every step of the makeup journey seem like an easy one. Finally I decided that I would go public with whatever I could pull together on my face. It started with putting up a picture on Instagram. Then, it became a Sunday thing. Then, I wore my own makeup to school and even a dinner! With time, I realised that makeup was not rocket science and I could learn it if I could just keep practising and watching people do it.

I hate to disappoint you by saying that I have not been keeping up and even the red lipstick that had become my trademark does not come on as often anymore. My point is that it doesn't matter. It is more important to me that I was able to set things in motion by myself without paying 100,000 or more to an individual that will teach me how to use a  mascara brush instead of a toothbrush. I am not a makeup success story. People still laugh at my attempts and my eyeliner has NEVER been straight, but I can tell you that I get more yes's than nos about my look these days.

For those that are just like me or even worse, I have a few words for you:
 1.  Do not go down this path!
 2.  Buy your own make-up and bug a friend until she teaches you how to use it.
 3. Videos are always available. Watch and practice as much as you can.
 4. Do not be shy about the make-up you manage to apply. I know of many that wore crappy makeup with pride, but are pros now.
 5. Practice really makes perfect. Keep trying.
 6. Make-up is not that essential (truthfully) but it is nice to look a bit sophisticated once in a while.
 7. The point of makeup is to enhance your beauty, ie NOBODY looks better without makeup. You just have to put on the right amount in the right way.
 8. You look beautiful without makeup. Don't let anyone who has seen you all made up to tell you otherwise.
 9. Take make-up breaks. Let your pores get some air sometimes.
10. Don't ever give up. No matter how terrible you are at it, don't you dare!

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this one to all my friends who shamed me into learning to make myself up. Thank you for laughing. Thank you for letting me watch you perform your magic and then doing the same to my face. Thank you for encouraging me while I learned. I'm still a work-in-progress, but I would have been clueless without you.

Yours truly,
Rita.

PS: If you do not apply make-up for religious or very personal reasons, it is still alright. As I said earlier, you are beautifully and perfectly made. Extra enhancement is not essential.

*DIY: Do It Yourself