Makeup Makeover

I just watched the most amazing fireworks from our balcony, complete with chattering bats flying by. I hate living in Massachusetts, but the town of Dracut is charming, what with its holiday celebrations held on the front yard of the school complex and its random wildlife appearances. It also has one hell of a talented high school musical theatre program.

Speaking of that, earlier I took on the task of sorting through my makeup--some of it from my high school drama days (green base, anyone?), some from middle school. Fifteen-year-old makeup? Disgusting, I know.

During the sorting process I tried out the things I planned to throw away, to verify that they were either too gross or too weird of colors to keep. The result was a rainbow face that was half middle school and half crazy stage character that left Jason shaking his head at the bizarre person he'd married. To add to the effect, I put some of my hair in a ponytail and pulled it forward to mimic the bangs I had seventh through ninth grades. I had liquid eyeliner, nasty old eyeshadow my mom passed on to me in the mid-nineties, and a Burt's Bees cream eyeshadow on one eye; kohl, silver sponge-on shadow, and silver shimmer gel on the other. The blush was from my stage makeup--think Baby Bernice. For lipstick, I used a red stage makeup lipliner and a red lipstick I think I'd had since elementary school on the top lip, and a bronze Clinique lipstick I'd had since middle school on the bottom lip. You can't see it well in the picture, but I also patted on a nasty, congealed-looking Burt's Bees tinted moisturizer on my chin and nose. The natural products, they do not keep well.

Sadly, I only managed to toss out a small pile from my stash--the items on the carpet. I guess you could call me a makeup hoarder. There are worse things.

The boys did not like me very much during my teen years (the straight boys, anyway). I blame the above look. Bad bangs, inability to apply makeup in middle school, and far too much time spent in stage makeup (when I had actually learned how to put it on) in high school. I look back now and laugh about it, but at the time I felt like there was something wrong with me. So many other girls had boyfriends; I just wished I had one. In retrospect, the memories I have from acting are far better than any teenaged romance I could have had.

Some of my characters: Ethel Chauvenet, Harvey; Lottie Child, Crazy For You; Baby Bernice Bumble, The Great All-American Musical Disaster; Fruma Sarah, Fiddler on the Roof