so those who know me know i absolutely adore wearing makeup, purchasing makeup, and putting makeup on others lol. i spend too much money on it and its an expensive habit. just like my jeans fetish. ironically, though i do own a crapton of cosmetics items...i dont really wear a lot. i mean, unless it is the correct occasion, i.e. a night out, halloween, etc.

this entry has been inspired by all the howto videos on youtube about cosmetic applications.

okay, i really and truly believe that everyone beautiful in their own way. the purpose of wearing makeup is to enhance your natural beauty. its always scary when u see a girl without her makeup on and you're horrified as to how awful she looks. granted there are ways to "disguise" all the unwantedness, such as wearing concealer and whatnot...but i think it is absolutely unrealisitic to expect makeup to completely alter your whole face. yes, makeup makes u look better, but not always. it seems that those who dunno how to wear it or just have tacky taste annoy me, as much as people who are tone deaf and think they're great singers.

when u are wearing makeup, u still should look like u, just at ur best.

ive always stuck to the idea of looking polished and sophisticated. the natural look is the look ive always opted for, therefore i dont believe in caking on foundation and powder. while looking flawless from far away, up close its really not that hot. there is a time and place for certain looks. eye shadow colors like bright green, hot pink, flaming orange, and seawater blue are beautiful...but not for daytime public wear on a everyday basis. actually, some people think so...but then again, they're the ones who get looked at. or maybe they want to be looked at? i believe in strict strict rules, such as there is a "daytime makeup" look and there is a "nighttime makeup" look. we are not going clubbing when we are on our way to class, so save the smokey black-grey eyeshadow for friday and saturday nights.

our society nowadays have a totally distorted view of "beauty" and "perfection." we are so used to seeing celebrities looking great on magazine covers, and often misinterpret that as what is "beautiful" and "perfect." photoshop, retouching, and airbrushing works wonders. not only that, but celebrities can afford to have a hairstylist, makeup artist, trainer, etc all there to make u look like that. normal everyday people would like that too if we had the resources lol. i too am a victim of flipping through magazines and seeing heidi klum's perfect body...thinking, 'damn, i gotta get my lazy ass to the gym.' i think people of all ages feel the pressure.

when i was younger (like young teen years), my parents forbade me to wear makeup. at most, i could probably rock the bonne bell lipsmackers in the dr pepper flavor on my lips. while my other girl friends were playing aroud w/ makeup and painting their nails bright red and stuff, i just simply watched...and every now and then, snuck on some makeup, only to wash it off before being in the view of my parents lol. when i got a little older, i had permission to have and wear makeup...but of course, i was strictly restricted and could only wear powder and maybe, just maybe wear a teeny tiny bit of mascara as long as my mom couldnt detect it. now, im pretty much free to do what i want...but i suppose an old habit dies hard. the first time i really wore colored eyeshadow (not neutral colors) out in public and was comfortable w/o trying to wipe it off, i was 19.

i feel like the age of makeup has changed. girls who are younger are so into it, having no idea how to properly wear it...they walk around the mall looking ridiculous. at first i detested it. i thought about irresponsible their parents must be! i thought about the year 2007 and what it must be like now for a 13 year old. maybe its the pressure to look pretty, or be pretty. hey, if we were featured on the cover of vogue, of course we'd look bangin. but in real life, we are ordinary people. we are beautiful, ordinary people. more importantly, whats considered "public friendly" or "age appropriate?" its all personal preference i suppose.

being asian and all, ive grown up listening to my fellow asian girl friends complaining about the shape of their eyes. in asia, asian women crave for the western eye and often opt for surgery to create them. i was tempted too, but ive accepted my eyes and i like to think that they're unique and give me character. i dont want to reject cosmetic surgery, bc you should always do what makes u happy. for me, my non-flipped 'monolid' makes me happy and im fine with it. ive learned to work w/ it, and apply eye makeup tastefully (well, i should hope! lol) and im okay w/ it. you know, a great eyelash curler and mascara works wonders. its funny, bc other asians of different ethnic backgrounds are always confused about my ethnicity...apparently bc my eyes are shapped differently, or they're bigger, or blah blah blah. i dont think u can identify someone by just their eyes, but i dont mind it as much as i used to.

i have a surgical scar on my left arm i tend to cover up from time to time. most of the time, i forget its there and its not that big of a deal. but 2 years ago directly after surgery, i was horrified. i thought it was ugly and that people would just sit around and stare. after getting dressed, i would look at the mirror and wonder 'hmm...can u see my scar from over there?' i would make a conscious effort to find a creative way to hide my arm at different angles. if i covered it w/ concealer, maybe the naked eye would not be able to detect it...but i would know that the scar was lurking under there somewhere. 2 years later, after religiously rubbing lots and lots of mederma and vitamin E oil on it, i accepted the scar. clearly, its there for life...like the titanium plates and screws holding my left arm together--so yes, maybe we do use makeup to hide the imperfections?

in short, when wearing makeup...enhance ur favorite facial feature. your lips? your eyes? your cheekbones? your lashes? everyone is beautiful, no one should have to tell you. you should feel beautiful bc you are you. dont resort to makeup to completely change ur entire appearance, bc in all honesty, u cant! but hey, there's nothing wrong w/ covering up a pimple or blotting away some facial oil. holla.