makeup, I missed you
The rumors are true- makeup and I have been secretly carrying on our love affair without sharing our PDA on social media. Just kidding, I took an unintentional social media break with makeup work. I have been focusing on my business, the beauty studio I opened in 2020, Feel Good Beauty Studios. Managing social media is a full-time job. I attempted to bring my makeup work into one account with cosmetic tattoos. After a year or so of what felt like a forced merge, I realized I needed to bring back my makeup accounts with serious enthusiasm.
I let makeup simmer like she deserved for a minute. Now that I am out the other side of the most necessary social media ‘break’ I can confidently say I missed makeup so much! Not that I ever stopped doing makeup, but pulling back at all is something I never thought I would get to experience. A much-needed and well-deserved slowdown was exactly what I needed to recharge my lust for my makeup work again.
I miss makeup in a way that feels poetic
(to no surprise at all)
I miss the slight scent of vanilla in lipstick. I miss an extra soft brush after a deep clean. I miss the face my clients make when they look in the mirror after an appointment, in awe of their reflection. I miss stocking up at Nigel’s and running into old friends and coworkers. I miss finding the perfect match of foundation for someone who has been on a lifelong hunt to be properly color-matched. I miss the end of the day when I am driving home radiating with the confidence of others, covered in shimmer dust and stained backhands. I miss getting in the zone when the blush you are sweeping on a face works effortlessly. I miss when a product just slays and you get a rush down your spine. I miss the giant breath you release after the focus of a perfect winged liner. I miss communicating with strangers through big eyes, furrowed brows, and puckered lips. I miss knowing exactly what someone needs to feel their best. I miss how romantic and intimate it is to create a makeup look on another human. I miss that makeup is an art form that requires a living palette. A human palette for your art that has emotions and opinions. Not only do you get to create art on someone with a heart- you get to give them something that they take with them, you get to create something with someone.
The most important part of makeup I miss is the art of it. I deeply miss the art of it. Growing up I was very artistic, I always thought I would go to art school. But my path led me to makeup school. I have felt that although it was not the medium I originally wanted, it was the medium meant for me. I am in love with authentic beauty and the art of expressing ourselves. I have big feelings about beauty, artistry, the industry, and how they intertwine. The pandemic put me on a career soul-searching journey. Not because I wanted to but because I had no other choice. Pivot or perish. It has been an interesting few years for business owners and beauty artists specifically. My entire career has been one long rollercoaster of allowing myself to pivot, it is the only way you can succeed in my eyes. My career as a makeup artist may be challenging at times but it is the most rewarding work I could have asked for. The gratitude I have for makeup can be found in the loyalty I have to continue doing it, despite all.
I missed you, makeup, I am so happy to be back.