Wednesday, 18 April 2007

A reason for existence

I am a make-up and skin treatment addict. When this is recognised as a real addiction, I will be the first at the meetings. I will sip tea and eat chocolate biscuits. I will declare the great void in my life that I try and fill with my addiction. But until then I shall indulge.

And I do. Indulge that is. All the time. I am one of the reasons that make-up and skincare is a multibillion dollar global industry. When I travel, it's the makeup counters that excite me. Oh, I see the sights and take in the history, but I never pass up a chance to see what's new at the counter. When I went to the UK, my sweet memories are of Hampton Court and a great face mask that isn't available in South Africa.

But I have reached an anger plateau. While I trawl all the magazines for more news of products to excite my little brain, I am bombarded with what can only be lies. This and that product is best. I go out into the wild world of money-for-goods and I buy the next big thing. But it isn't the next big thing. It isn't even the next small thing. It just doesn't do what some bamboozled beauty editor says it will do. (I have long since learnt to only look at the pictures in adverts. Reading copy either takes me back to chemistry class or makes me realise that the beauty house believes I am a moron. That's a whole new topic on its own.)

So I have decided to fight for the truth in my own way. While some people look to help the planet survive, release political prisoners and perhaps save an animal while they are about it, I feel my calling lies in liberating women from make-up and skincare mistruths. There is good stuff out there, we just need to brave the crap and wade through the bumph to find the nirvana of glamour and beautiful skin. Viva beauty viva!

1 comment:

Bron said...

I say yay and VIVA and yippee!
I can't tell you ow happy it makes me that someone who is not being paid by a cosmetic company or touting a particular product because her bitchy editor told her to is speaking out!

Cosmetic counters terrify me - skinny little girls and boys, wearing tunics, with their faces hidden so deeply under what mt grandmother used to call 'pancake', looking down their noses at me because I had the cheek to have a break out! And of course the magazines that lie, lie, lie!

You go girl! Lead us to the lighter side of looking good!