The confessions of a Beauty Geek.

This is going to be a pretty girly-girl blog.

Do not tell me I did not warn you.

Okay, so let us get to the subject straight.
The words Beauty and geek do not fit in the same phrase right?
Wrong?

I am a living proof.

Let me explain.

I had a thing for color ever since I was a little girl. Camlin water color cakes palette fascinated me to no end, so much so that I used to look at the ring on my father's hand that had nine colorful stones in it and thought of it like a water color palette. I was pretty good at churning out color combinations and designing my own outfits with a little help from my sis and mom.

Nail polish was a huge and forbidden makeup accessory while growing up. Lakme designer collection's M68 Campari was my holy grail nail polish in high school till I grew out of maroons and developed a love for neutral pinks and beiges in my late teenage.

I did have a brief fling with purple nail polishes in my mid-teens.

I had an obsession with lipsticks but never owned one till I was sixteen. I did have a makeup palette that had a lipstick well when I was in eighth grade. My paternal aunt, who was my style icon back then, gifted it to me.

The first lipstick I bought was bought with my cousin Nalini's assistance when I was seventeen. Both of us went to a fancy store in Vijayawada and bought this nude shade which was later on returned for a metallic mauve. I never wore that one. I found great joy in owning it though.

My cousin Ravi got us ( me and my sister) a cover-girl make up case that contained a (Marlyn Monroe kind of) red lipstick, a mascara and a pair of neutral eye shadows when we were 18ish. All those items were used just as 'pretending dress-up late night girls' parties' accessories.

My sister is the biggest geek I'd ever known. She doesn't even seem to look into the mirror at least twice a day.

My hubby Sarat introduced me to high-end makeup. He once got me a huge blockbuster collection of Estee Lauder cosmetics that were hoarded by me till three-four years ago. I remember giving those away to a friend's sister.

Sarat also introduced me to fine fragrance. Pleasures by Estee Lauder, Polo Sport women (whose remnants I use a bathroom freshener now! LOL) and Tresor by Lancome are one of my earliest brushes with fine fragrance.

I have about a bunch of fragrances that seldom see the light of the day.

Pleasures by Lauder, Tresor by Lancome, Organza by Givenchy, Organza indecence by Givenchy, Princess by Vera Wang, Covet solid by Sarah Jessica Parker, Dinner and Dancing by Bare Escentuals, Amazing Grace by Philosophy are some of the bottles thar adorn my vanity all the time but fail to accent my skin most of the times.

My lipstick fetish died out once I'd owned all the colors that a lipstick manufacturer could produce. GWPs were a great source of my collection. I love tubes and cases of color so much that I'd introduced the holy grail lipstick shades of my kid sister, sister in law and a bunch of friends by giving them just-like-that - gifts in their soon to be irreplaceable favourite shades.

I need a standing ovation for using up the last drop of a lip gloss tube just recently. I applied it because it tingled my lips and smelled of vanilla which somehow worked as aroma teraphy to my over sensitive sense of smell. This is the first tube of lip product I'd ever used up after owning a collection that is growing as we speak.

Make-up excites me like oil paints could excite an artist. I think the best canvas for any creation is the female face. I could add being a make-up artist to the ever growing list of what I'd want my career to be.

That being said, I'd wanted to be an astronaut, a writer, a painter, an artist, a screenplay writer, a dubbing artist (after listening to the pathetic dialogues and diction of our tollywood heroines) a photographer, a fashion designer (inspired by my ever geeky older sis who when to NIFT) a copy writer, a teacher, a journalist, a PR personnel, a beauty editor and many more things that do not come to mind as I type.

I know more about most make up lines than an average sales person would know. I always keep giving random suggestions to the ladies I run into when I window-shop at Sephora, the mecca from make-up mavens.

Stila has the best tinted moisturisers, Urban Decay has the best eye shadow primer, BE has the best all natural foundation (the only thing I use in this exhaustive list because I am allergic to chemical SPF and am extremely sun-sensitive) Cargo has award winner lip-glosses (that comes in horrible packaging) Chanel's mascaras are to die for. MAC shadows are a riot. BE has the most exhaustive shades of loose mineral eye shadows, Clinique's dramatically different moisturiser (requires an honorable mention since this is the only one skin care item I use and this one has earned me all that GWPs) is hands down, the world's best moisturiser, Lancome Juicy tubes have cult following, DuWop is the leader in lip plumping line of makeup and NARS has the best blushes around. Smashbox has the best brow products. Okay, I'll end this here as I'll take it for ever to talk about all I know about all the best products out there.

I am the make-up guru of most of my friends. I am also their source for new books. I do give beauty advice too and it is quiet sought after.

All this after seldom lining my eyes, seldom smelling like anything other than soap and water and seldom covering those acne scars with any thing other than a basic basic moisturiser and a dust of my mineral powder to save me form the sun.

Tell me, I am not a beauty geek?

And I am controlling my urge to go back and write more about all the brands I know. Make up is an art form. Now if my Lil sis (who's visiting from NJ) allows me to create a look or two on her generous eye lids, I can click some pics with my camera and set out to be the next celebrity make-up artist or better yet, a beauty editor to write, and to write about color at that. My two biggest turn-ons rolled into one.
That, dahlings, would be living life in color.


Disclaimer - shitty first draft again. And of course, I do have the nerve to publish my lousy spelling and touch typing skills.

Now....If I could only write a similar blog about all the books I'd read! LOL.