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For someone who's worked in the HBC buying office for fragrance and cosmetics I'm not exactly what you would call "experienced" with the stuff. It's taken me a long time to familiarize myself with makeup and become comfortable wearing it. There are probably several reasons for this including, but not limited to, teenage angst, being bullied, mom only having pink lipstick and my childhood obsession with saving money.

Of course in high school there was the fairy look but only girls with pixie cuts - my best friend included - could pull it off effortlessly as though they may actually be either real fairies or on drugs. (I can hear myself saying the glitter looked natural). And I guess before that there was goth. But again, while girls with religious backgrounds who owned abundant rosaries and gold cross earrings portrayed it well, all I could muster up was a black hoody with a skate logo and maybe black crayola around my eyes - I'm serious about the money obsession thing.

Its been over a decade since then and other than the matte red sailor lips I adopted last year I'm still not used to anything but the basics - the Maybelline package above - an eighth grader's pre-dance, treasure chest of magic - looks more to me like one hell of a lot of face paint. Benighted, all I can think to do is recreate this Vogue editorial circa 2007