Let Your Vibrant Self Shine

Life is too short buy the lipstick. We’ve all heard this common cliché but of course, referring to shoes. I am certainly not opposed to a great pair of new shoes by any means. I have spent most of my life as a get the basics gal, because we had a lot of little feet to cover. I have to admit I actually am not only in favor of buying the shoes but quite enjoy the spring that a blingy new pair of soles adds to my step. This time I was buying lipstick so we are moving our way from our feet, past our hearts and up into our head space where our lips reside. The color of my lips always makes them disappear; like God couldn’t decide so he said, “hey neutral works”! During the summer months I actually get quite tan, this makes my lips vanish and dry too. This is an odd combo of my heritage and a lot of farm/ yard work. One summer I had a snippy soccer mom once mention to me how dark my skin was followed by “I wish I had all that extra time to sunbath”. My thoughts on her remark are another blog entirely, one which might need censoring. Anyone who knows me well is aware of the painful issue I have with chickens and squirrels interrupting my thoughts. Let’s just pretend her comment was an “Oh no! She did not just say that to me” and get back to lipstick and tans. I am going to fast forward to this summer. Thirty years of marriage, darker skin & I have dry lips that now do not even appear to be on my face because they blend in. We are getting ready for a beach vacation to celebrate our life together thus far. Seriously, I did not want to look back at photos and think “oh shit I really should have packed my lips”! My friends are raving about the new lip stains and how they stay on “like forevvvvver”. What better time to try staining my face…. Uh, Um lips. I do my research (ask everyone who has great lips). I bite the bullet and spring for a painfully expensive “lip set”. This pricey lip set consists of: a color … I figured my lips would be permanently this color for all eternity, a great gloss that you reapply every 10 minutes and a “oops stick” that I guess erases your lips if they betray you. I’ve never used the “oops stick” my lips are brutally honest; so bluntly so that even the “oops stick” probably couldn’t erase the truth bombs I’ve dropped. Remember the chickens & squirrels? They often prompt me. I have an unnatural ability to notice everything and usually point these things out. I buy the lip set and am ready to take on life and snarky soccer moms. I have my new lips (in 3 tiny tubes)… I am set for the summer and beyond. My lips are now leading my way in life. In all honesty I love this stuff; every woman should have some. I love it so much that I decided I needed another set…minus the “oops stick” I still haven’t found a use for that (Maybe I’ll give it to my soccer mom friend this summer). I don’t usually splurge on these sorts of things as we have a large family, I work from home most days. I convince myself how long the last one lasted and how great it was. Yup I’m justified! I go to get my pout some new color. I am not as tan as I was at my last purchase, so I am reluctant to pick out a shade as bright as I got last summer

. Mind you I’ve been wearing that shade up to this morning. I was clearly sporting my summer shit/shade when I walked in to buy the new stuff. Here is where the fail came into play. The chickens and squirrels said go bright, go crazy, be fun and bold. My old mom self said what if my lips scare off my family or what if my friends are like “what the hell was she thinking” or some soccer mom says “Wow I wish my lips looked like, Harley’s bar & grill come and get it beer sign”. That was all the reasoning I needed to pick out a nice blush rose color; very tame, very soft, no statement here, very real. I take it home. I put lip color on every day (almost) just to justify my business on top and pj’s on the bottom life style and look damn good doing it. This is where my lesson comes. I always try to have some sort of a moral to my blogs. If you are going to buy the lip stain and I mean lip stain not just cheap lipstick (like double to quadruple the investment is needed here) make sure you can actually see the flipping color!!!! This lesson applies to everything in life. Go bold or go home. If you are going to make an investment in yourself do it right. Grab the bright, sparkling, vibrant choice. Effort is wasted if you go in half invested or play it safe all the time. Millions of people around the world are right now praying for one more opportunity to have no regrets wishing they had bought a lip stain that was lasting and bright and made a difference. They wish they had chosen the color that really “showed up” for the party. Don’t be left having to spend resources revisiting things you’ve already done because you didn’t do it right the first time. Choose the bright lip stain; I am going back this week to get a life threateningly awesome color that will scare the crap out of squirrels and chickens alike (I need fewer of their distractions). Buy the great shoes; not just the ok ones. You will wear the great things more often and feel better doing it. Nobody wants to show up in the dress everyone else has on. You do yourself & the world no favors by showing up small. Seize the moment and for God’s sake make your vibrant, “what makes you” color(s) shine brightly! You can wish you had or be glad you did! © Micheline Edwards 2018