Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Tomorrow, I am taking a great leap into the great unknown. I am playing with...makeup!

For those who know me well, I rarely wear cosmetics. This has nothing to do with an "au naturel" philosophy or a rejection of traditional feminine roles (playing with colors and designs brings out the artist in me), but rather one of comfort. In short, I react badly to many products.

I suffer from an autoimmine disease commonly known as chronic hives. This means, unless I take massive amount of antihistamines daily, I itch and welt EVERYWHERE! It also means I itch and welt somewhat anyway, despite the medication. For me, it's simpler and easier to avoid sources of irritation than waste good money on it.

However, several years ago, when we began pre-marketing for Bryony, my publicist exhorted me to rethink my Spartan motto, at least for costumey occasions, press photos, and public events. Thus, she and I began a round of makeovers and samples in an effort to discover a product line my skin wouldn't reject.

We thought we had found one, but just in case, I used the cosmetics sparingly and only in the aforementioned circumstances. As luck would have it, we were wrong. So, I'm back on the hunt some compatible makeup.

To spare my budget, I've collected samples from several product lines. To spare my anxiety about applying them, I've left them sitting in a plastic bag on top my grandmother's old antique dresser for several weeks, until Rebekah found them and inquired when I would start playing with them. Someday, I assured her. She decided on Monday.

Well, yesterday was a nutty day, nutty enough that I forgot my morning dose of medication in my haste to start the coffee, and I'm still paying for it today. Tomorrow, hopefully, the needle-sharp burning will have subsided long enough to begin my "dangerous" experiment and, also hopefully, find a brand that will become good friends with my skin.

Wish me luck.

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