We all started from the bottom. I discovered my love of makeup since I was a kid. I still remember stealing my mom’s lipstick to try it on. Lipsticks during the 90s have a distinct smell and I still remember it well. My grandma also became furious when I asked her to go to the mall with me because my dad gave me money – only to discover that I only have 20 pesos and I only wanted to buy a lip gloss worth 10 pesos each. HAHA

When I reached college, that’s when I really started to learn about makeup. It’s when I started to watch YouTube videos about “how to apply makeup for beginners” and read beauty blogs. However, mistakes are always a part of learning. I’ve had my share of cringe-worthy mistakes that makes me feel like hiding under the covers of for the rest of my life.

Those Boxy Eyebrows using crayons

Most of us, if not all, I think went through this stage. You see, I have very thin and scattered eyebrows so it was very difficult to know what eyebrow shape I should draw. I started using that “black” eyebrow pencil I bought from Watsons for P50 and drew thin lines on my brows. When one of my classmates saw me, she laughed at me saying I look like I drew my brows using a crayon. Yes, the black eyebrow pencil looks like a crayon when you apply it. I never felt ashamed at the time because I was still too ignorant to understand.

As time goes by, I learned from my mistake. I now bought a brown eyebrow pencil that applies smoothly even though my hair was jet black. At least it doesn’t look like crayon, right? I then confidently applied my brown eyebrow pencil in very thick boxy eyebrows. I felt so beautiful at that time, just so you know. HAHA.

My pre-Halloween cakey face

Now, I’m pretty sure we all went through this. Even now, I’m still having a hard time choosing a foundation that matches my skin tone so I always ask a sales person (in reality, ask my husband to ask the salesperson for me HAHA) to help me. However, when I was in college, there was no husband to help me yet so I don’t have anyone to ask for me. I did not even know that choosing the right shade mattered. So I ended up going outside with a cakey and white complexion that doesn’t match my neck. Oh, gosh, what have I done?!

Wrong application of eyeliner

My eyes are hooded and are very Asian. Another problem was, I have oily lids. When I was in college, I didn’t know any of this. I was always wondering why no eyeliner would last me the whole day and I would always look like a raccoon at the end of the day. Don’t even get me started with how I apply it. I’m even still struggling in applying eyeliner until now as I have uneven eyes. Now, imagine how it was before! *shivers in horror* It always makes me wonder why my classmate’s eyeliner can last the whole day and she’s even using a pencil eyeliner while I’m using a liquid plus waterproof version! Only recently did I realize why, when I learned about oily lids. *facepalm*

Too much red – I blush

Since I have pigmented lips(thanks to my dad’s genes. I don’t smoke), nudes and other light pink lipsticks don’t show up on my lips. So, I always go for bold colors. I always tend to go for red. Every day, when I was in college, I will wear a very red lipstick and I’d also use the same lipstick as blush. Unfortunately, I tend to apply more than I should. I heard one classmate saying, “Uy, ang pula ah!” then laughed with the others. I honestly did not understand that they were referring to me until the memory resurfaced in my brain. Too late, I was already working when I realized. HAHA

The doll lenses

I know this is not about makeup but I would like to add it here. When I was in high school and college, the doll look was a trend. I was also obsessed with anime and anything Japanese(up until now, actually). So I thought the doll-eye contact lenses look good on me. This was back when I haven’t embraced my eye shape and color yet. So, I bought a pair with prescription and wore it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. What’s worse is it was blue so it was very noticeable. HAHA. Don’t get me wrong, there are some who does this until now but they look great! Unfortunately for me, it looks so artificial in my opinion. Now, I’d still wear doll-eye or colored lenses but not for everyday use.

Practice makes perfect

I am still continuously learning. I still make mistakes. My eyebrows are still messy unless I have them shaped and waxed at Benefit Brow Bar. It takes an hour for me to come up with a decent eyeliner wing. I’m still learning to properly blend my eyeshadow and apply a flawless base. I still can’t cover up any dark spots or imperfections with a concealer that’s why I don’t have a concealer.

It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s great to look back someday and laugh at it. There are tons of Youtube videos and beauty blogs where we can learn more about beauty unlike before. Resources were very limited when I was still in college. Now, it’s very accessible. We just need to practice and continue learning.

However, I think that layers of foundation or a perfect wing still can’t beat CONFIDENCE. For me, beauty is self-confidence and I’m still on my way to building mine. I think it helps if women will empower each other instead of treating everyone as a competitor. What a wonderful world this would be ~

Me way back 2013. Notice the eyebrows and the doll-eye lenses. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAHA