Make-Up Journal: Shunning Precision

I've been wearing more make up lately, which is very unusual for a no-make-up Nigel like me, but uh, I've been trying out BB Cream (I like it, makes me look like I have actually got some melanin and am not a ghost - although I like the ghost skin look) and I finally 'get' mascara. I've heard so many people say that if they were to only wear one make up item it would be mascara, and I finally understand why. The important factor, for me, about mascara, is that I don't care if I ruin it. It's easy to rub off my skin without looking in a mirror if I need to. Mascara is a small thing that I don't feel concerned about screwing up, but it's also a fun movement to do (unless you poke yourself in the eye - that is a bad and very not fun movement).

I think make-up should and can be a fun thing, not a laborious and self-conscious process. I don't think I've ever been a very precise person. I prefer to make wobbly or sweeping art. I'm not symmetrical anyway (is anyone?) so I don't really want to agonise over perfectly symmetrical make-up. Some make-up products are better than others for an avoider of precision like me. Mascara is good because I just roughly do the same thing for each eye and that's fine. Face primer/foundation type things are okay because I just rub them into my whole face until it looks even. Blush is problematic, eyeshadow is variable, and eyeliner is an impossibility that was obviously designed specifically to annoy me. Lip stuff I generally have no problem with. Lipstick was my main make-up item and the one thing I was into for a while, but now mascara feels the easiest and might be my favourite. I mean, mascara doesn't come off when I drink something, so that's an instant one-up.

I kinda worry that wearing more make-up will just make me nervous and self-conscious and weird about it, because I know that's such an easy trap to fall into. I definitely notice myself feeling a little bit uncomfortable with some things as I try them out, but that's okay, because I notice it and don't do the thing that made me feel uncomfortable again. Or I try it a different way. Sometimes I can't stand the feeling of certain things, and if I feel that way I just don't use that thing that day. As long as I can notice and respond to things like that and prioritise my comfort, I'm doing fine.

I came across Juno Calypso's photo series on beauty rituals (warning for nudity at the link) and it acted as another push to remind myself to keep monitoring how I use and react to wearing make-up. Her photos are so interesting and I like the way they combine pretty colours, weird cosmetic devices, and the depiction of meticulous body preparation routines.