Get Thee Behind Me, Sephora

So much for the "Natural Look."

For years, I went without makeup. I'm not sure whether it started as a conscious choice to present the real me to the world or whether I was just lazy. I suspect the latter. I seem to remember some connection with no longer wearing high heels everywhere. And life was fine; I can't say I really missed the ritual of cosmetics, maybe even felt a bit purer than those who "wasted" the time in front of the mirror.

But Life Happens. Age Happens. And suddenly "natural" didn't sound--or look--as appealing as it once did. Even so, minimalism ruled and I could get out the door--from turning on the shower through feeding the cats--in 15 minutes, 20 if the litter box needed attention. And my stash of cosmetics took up just part of one drawer in my bathroom. I blame what happened next on Bare Escentuals.

Bare Escentuals, for those women out of the loop and hetero-men, was the first really popular line of "mineral makeup" and was sold originally through the cosmetic store giant, Sephora. BE's claim is that their makeup is so pure, it's actually good for your skin, so pure you "can sleep in it." Now, the birth date listed on my driver's license isn't yesterday's date last I looked, so I didn't fall for that come-on. What I fell for was the colors: little pots of gorgeous powder blush in shades from pale, glisteny pink to bronze-gold and eye shadows--oh my, I can't even begin to describe the number and variations of eye shadows. If there were a pantone number for each, they would put Sherwin Williams to shame. And cunningly, they didn't just sell them singly; they would bundle them into little collections with names like "Beach Babe Eyes" and "Girls' Night Out." Buying a set was like being able to have a perfectly coordinated Ralph Lauren outfit all at once, no fussing about what goes with what.

The inner artist in me--and believe me, that artist is buried pretty far down--was now all about the eyes. Would "Tiger Lily" work with "Midnight"? How would a shimmer of "Lavender Lace" look over "Granite Grey"? Dozens of BE pots of shadow later, I decided, based on advice by very savvy folk like Bobbi Brown and Paula Begoun (oh, go ahead, google them; you know you're dying to) that a woman of my "mature age," shouldn't wear shiny or frosted shadows. Gulp. All of BE's positively gleam. BUT--glory be to Isis--M.A.C., another overachieving cosmetic line, had not only dozens of frosted shades but dozens of matte shades as well. I felt like Picasso coming out of his Blue Period, Munch abandoning Impressionism, Andy Warhol--well, all the time. New creativity, age-appropriate creativity, and way more time getting dressed than ever. This was progress?

Truth? Yeah, it was. Now, makeup slut that I am, I wear matte and shiny shadows, depending on my mood and the season (Winter=Matte; Summer=Frosted--or vice versa), pencil and liquid liners with powder smudged on top and lots of Black Mascara. Do I look like Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard? I might get disagreement (keep it to yourself. . .) but I think I'm lookin' OK for a 55 year old. And isn't that what we all should be looking for? In fact, I haven't browsed through my collection of Bare Escentuals for a long time--think I'll dig them out. Oh, and as far as Sephora goes? Yeah, I think I'll hit the web site and see what's new.