The Cult of Cosmetics
I think the beginning of all beauty is knowing and liking oneself. You can't put on make-up, or dress yourself, or do you hair with any sort of fun or joy if you're doing it from a position of correction.-- Kevyn Aucoin
Recently I was invited by a friend to go to a party. It was not like your traditional parties with a DJ and a lot of semi-drunk people. No, this was a party for a cosmetics company that really wanted me to join their ranks. Let's not name names here, but it rhymes with Carrie Mae Cosmetics.
So I went to this Carrie Mae party, mainly as a show of support for a friend who has joined their cult-like ranks. I must say, I was diappointed. Not by the scripted sales pitch or the fact that I was only one of a hand-full of participants. No I was disappointed because there wasn't as much Product Talk as I would have enjoyed. You should know yourself for what you are and I am a Make Up Whore. I love make up and always have, right back to those sad days of my high school perm and blue eyeshadow. These days, after reading books and magazines and even voraciously reading websites detailing the chemical composition of different cosmetics, I like to think I know a tad more than those blue eyeshadow days. And that's why the Carrie Mae meeting was a let down. My friend took me knowing there was no way in hell I was going to join the Multi-level Marketing venture (the pink suited woman was quick to emphasize "This is NOT a scheme". The Lady doth protest too much, I thought to myself.), so I figured I would go along for more of a tutorial on anything I might later order from my friend.
Well poop.
About 1/4 of the "party" (I was getting more sarcastic in my use of that word as the night went on) was about the actual cosmetics themselves. Actually it was mostly about skin care, but as that is a topic I enjoy, no prob. After that it turned to how dazzelingly perfect these women's lives had become since becomming Carrie Mae reps. Uh-huh. So that was that evening. I didn't even get any little free samples or anything.
On the other end of the Cosmetic Cult spectrum was an event/product that delighted me. For a while now, I have heard neat things about a MAC Cosmetics product called Pigment. I don't know why I hadn't looked into it more before now, but I hadn't. A multi-use product that is limited "only by your imagination". Even if it's MAC, I was skeptical, but willing to give the stuff a shot. You can find several samples of different MAC pigment for sale on e-bay. Usually you get a 1/4 teaspoon. Well, I thought, that seems rather stingy. But the more I looked around the more I thought this stuff could be really neat. You can use the loose powder as an eyeshadow. You can mix it with moisturizer and make a tinted shimmering cream. You can make your own nail polish by mixing it with clear top coat or alter a shade by mixing it with a color. You can make your own lip gloss or lipstick with it. Highlight your blush. Add it to hair product. You name it.
I looked over the colors listed at www.maccosmetics.com and the one that most caught my eye was Blue Brown. A brown color with a blue shimmer. It was very different sounding, but I was really intrigued. Naturally, it was sold out on the website. Now finding some had become a challenge. So I called up our local MAC counter (Sadly, a couple years back, our MAC store closed. It was a sad day among my people.). Turns out you cannot BUY the pigment at the counters. Only the stores and the website carry it. But the extremely helpful young woman gave me the number of the closest MAC store, all the way over in Cincinnati. I spoke to the nicest most knowledgable young woman. They had 1 jar of Blue Brown left. It was $18 (plus shipping and handling) so I took the plunge and bought it. I figured it would arrive in about a week. I got it the very next day.
I have to tell you I LOVE THIS STUFF. Very versatile. Goes on wonderfully and doesn't crease at all! In addition the young woman from the MAC counter had sent me a sample of another pigment I was interested in, called Fairy Lite. A lovely pale pink with a gold shimmer to it. Perfect for moisturiser or as a highlighter to blush. Makes pink lipstick pop. The Blue Brown is, in my opinion, the best. I was skeptical that the blue would not work as a lipgloss, but the blue reflection shimmer is so sheer, it's beautiful. It's a rich and unconventional eyeshadow, but only looks brown, until light reflects off of it. So now I am hooked. Worse, I have (much like Carrie Mae) been recruiting. Actually, I have given free samples to friends in little glassine envelopes. When MAC says a little goes a long way, THEY ARE NOT KIDDING. I I had barely touched my brush into the pigment upon the lid, not even in the actual container, and it went on very generously. Wow. So now I am even further into the MAC Cult. I already love so much of their stuff. Poor Carrie May. She never stood a chance, really.
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