Beauty Block.

It's been a while. A very long while. Writer's block is a killer. It destroys any chance you have of conveying your feelings in a non hysterical way that others can in some way relate to. I went on a kind of sub conscious ramble every time I decided to sit down and share my thoughts on beauty. I found it hard to relay any sort of fluidity to my thoughts and began to realize that I needed to slow down my thinking and concentrate on my immediate thoughts. That's the thing about the beauty industry, it causes all sorts of havoc with my mind and I can't seem to pin point its immediate effect on me. After reflecting on this (and many, many lipsticks later) I came to realize that there's a very good reason for this. The beauty industry is changing, It's evolved before our eyes into something that lives sub consciously inside us and we can't put our finger on why we NEED a certain product but we do,

We invent reasons to ourselves as to why we NEED to buy a specific fragrance or fancy french candle smelling of musky feet. It kind if scares me. Like the beauty industry is subliminally tricking us and we have been sucked into their trap. But the trap is honest. It's one we've allowed haunt our dreams. One where we've helped to create ourselves. A trap that has evolved to cater for us all in every possible way,  Beauty has never just been an objective term, it is always influenced by our feelings. A lipstick can represent a milestone in someones life. I know Mac's Brave was my lipstick of choice upon graduating Uni and I'll forever hold it in my heart, I guess the point I'm trying to make is what we all already know, the beauty industry is a complex and ever evolving universe on Earth. Blogging has become a full time job for people and has launched careers of many talented make up lovers/artists/obsessees. We have become reliant on the reviews of such bloggers and it has become a part of my daily routine to watch the daily lives of some of my favorites on YouTube.  These are people are respect and feel like I know. Like long lost relative or just virtual pen pals.

And why did we feel the need to create this evolving beauty culture? Because, we can. Science can back us up and give us what we want. We want a lipstick that's matte but creamy and comfortable on the lips. No problem. We want to have a culture which showcases the trans-formative power of make up. Not just what it creates on the outside but the power it gives us on the inside,  We've all voted on the referendum of Beauty and voted it as a cultural necessity. It is what you want it to be, It helps mold the very essence of our being. We are in charge of how we want to be perceived  to oursleves and to others,

There is a place for us all in this 'swatching culture'. You don't have to be queen of the false lashes or accomplish the Kylie Jenner lip (the new lip liner phenomenon) in order to be apart of it. You can simply appreciate the skill it takes to create the ''no make-up make up' look. Which, in my opinion is the most difficult of all. Mainly because I love ALL the make up.

I'm sure there are countless books on the history of make-up that details our relationship with the beauty industry in a much less 'rambly' fashion than myself and I urge you to read those, but because I blog to release my inner most thoughts about beauty and my sometimes love/hate attitude to its hold on me, you'll have to excuse my  mutterings, Unless, you also find yourself in the same frame of mind that I am and in that case... WAHAY,  you're not alone. I'm right here on this same ride with you.

For the Love of Lipstick

Lipstick. It conjours feelings of romance, love, loss, heartbreak and so much more. It's a tube
full of memories and experiences. I know that this blog post is already starting to show signs of my inate lippy obsession. I seriously can't help it. I have looked up (I kid you not) lipstick addiction on Google. It just brought me to Wikipedia which in turn helped spur on my addiction. I have since become intrigued by the history of lipstick itself. According to Wikipedia ancient Mesopotamian women were (possibly) the first women to invent the glorious stuff. Why was it invented in the first place? I find it facsinating that women woke up one day and decided to smear their lips with all sorts of dyes and crazy ingrediants. Self expression springs to mind. An expression of moods, feelings, etc.

    Yes, lipstick is a form of expression. We all know that. It can tell you a lot about the wearer. Or in some cases, nothing at all. But it has a purpose, whatever the message. Bringing lipstick back to this particular century, I think our relationship with lip products has evolved. Lipstick is art. It's Monet in a pretty little tube. For me, it creates characters, produces particular feelings, sets things into motion. Ok. Even if you don't think it creates/evokes ALL of these things, it does something to you subconsciously. It stays with you. A great example of this character forming quality is seen in movies. The obvious being Marylin's ruby red pout and Brigitte Bardot's nude creamy sensuous mouth. Need I elaborate on the evocacative nature of these iconic lips. The lipstick has brought their inner selves to life. They are known to us through these images. Lipsticks are the stuff of dreams. Yes. As you can see, obsession is too light a word for my relationship with the red, pink, orange, coral (I've worn a blue one before. Let's just say, NO) stuff.
 

   Twin Peaks. Have you watched it? Oh My God. It is life (Another obsession alert). But that blog post is for another day. In this Lynchian drama the women are mostly wearing a beautiful shade of an orange/red lipstick. It is so sharp and vivid and almost pops out of the screen. This particular shade evokes feelings of mystery and intrigue. It's a fiery shade of red, a red that demands to be seen and understood. It brings a new dimension almost to each of the characters. I've been in search of this 'perfect' red since I first set eyes on the show and finally found my beloved Mac Lady Danger (perfect name for it, don't you think?!). Whenever I'm feeling somewhat rebellious/conflicted/inviting, this lippy makes an appearance.  Another (and last, I promise) film reference to lipstick would have to be the rather evocative, dreamy French movie Belle De Jour. Catherine Deneuve's character Severine is always wearing a sheer, beige nude throughout the film. I won't give anything away but her character is conflicted. Her lipstick displays both innocence and sterness. If you haven't seen it, DO! Anyhows, cosmetic giant Nars has also picked up on this film idea because one of their most famous nude shades is named after this French masterpiece. See, I'm not (that) mad after all.
 
Anyhows, I know this post is quite long but if you share the love for lipsticks of all shades and sizes hopefully my 'exploration' of it will be somewhat interesting for you (or hopefully at least subconsciously...see what I did there...no...oh well). Anyhows, I thought I'd end by listing my all time favourite lip products.

Nars- Belle De Jour - Perfect Sheer Nude (innocent, self aware but with conflicting undertones)
Nars- Schiap- A matte vivid pink (Fun and quirky with mischievous undertones).
Mac- Lady Danger- A very orange red (Fiery and mysterious with wise undertones).
Revlon - Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti- Highly pigmented coral lip butter (Warm, playful with rebellious undertones).
Yeah. I know that undertones thing is getting way too overdone so I'm going to leave it there!  Hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear your own favourite lip products. Go on, I won't bite.....

          .........But I'll blow you a big kiss of Ruby Woo...