Someday I will be able to say “I met a nice, sweet boy at the grocery store” without having to finish the sentence “he loves my necklace and he wants to redo my lashes in mink.” but yesterday was not that day.
To be fair I’m still of the old school where a lady doesn’t go out in public without looking presentable. There are, of course, rare exceptions: It is acceptable to leave the house in an Unseemly State if you are still incredibly hungover from the church choir party and you have to sneak out of someone’s apartment –leaving an elegantly written note on a napkin dated “3rd Saturday of Advent”– and meet up with an equally pious and hungover friend to eat cheese grits and discuss What This All Means, BUT you have to make a big fuss about how you “won’t be looked at in this merciless glare” and refuse to have thirds of the sweet potato rolls because you’re just feeling too delicate.
It’s perfectly okay to do this once or twice a year- it builds character and gives the old ladies something to gossip about now that no one cares if the new vicar is gay– but generally speaking, I believe in being well-appointed for any and all public appearances.
This includes the grocery store.
See, once upon a time when I first started becoming the Z-list Austin celebrity I am, I went the the grocery store to buy the following items:
1 bottle of cheap champagne (for failed sorbet experiment)
1 tube Preparation H (for eye-wrinkle experiment)
a cling-wrapped English cucumber (for my gin-based drinks.)
an enormous box of Ultra Super Industrial Grade Tampons (for the women’s shelter where I volunteer)
1 York Peppermint Pattie (for eating because they are teh nom)
and INSTANTLY was recognized by ZOMG!!1! LIKE MY BIGGEST FAN EVAR. This would have been bad enough, but I was wearing an old Harvard t-shirt with a stain on it (I don’t normally support Yankee propaganda, but my people are Harvard on my mother’s side and it seems wrong to be ashamed of them just because they didn’t get into Vandy) and a pair of yoga pants. There also might have been a mustachio-type situation above my lip and David Lynch hair. This was YEARS ago and I still remember the horror.
Which isn’t to say that people can’t be perfectly cute in t-shirts and yoga pants, it’s just that I’m not one of them, and odds are –unless you’re a 22 year-old coed on a volleyball scholarship– you aren’t either.
Today Miss Plumcake wants to know:
Do you put on lipstick before running errands? If you DO, do you do it to meet men? If you DON’T, why not?
“One is oneself a fine consequence.” –Henry James
Comment by wildflower — May 21, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
Because I am of zaftig proportions, I feel the need to always have my hair in order, my pucker painted, and my cat-eye liner firmly in place. Damn it, I may be a big girl but I’m no fat slob and I WILL NOT have any skinny b_ _ _ _ thinking it. I must admit that occasionally, on especially lazy Sunday mornings, I’ve left the house without any cosmetics but, by the time I’ve reached the end of my street, I’m digging through my purse for cover up, mascara and lipstick. Be it vanity or a security blanket, I’m not sure which, but my whole attitude changes with a simple swipe of Revlon Raspberry Bite across my mouth.
Comment by AmelieWannabe — May 21, 2009 @ 2:38 pm
I don’t generally wear makeup. It’s not A Stand I Take, and I’ll put it on for a special evening out, a professional conference, or a wedding, and about half the time for church. But day to day, for errands or going to work or taking the spouse and toddler to a Family Friendly Restaurant, no.
My mother worked in a clean room and showered twice a day; she was not a makeup woman. I was a geeky “late bloomer” and never had any desire to experiment with the stuff like my sister did, and I’ve been generally blessed with good skin. College split between a women’s college and an engineering college did not expose me to cultures where makeup was an expected norm.
I’m glad that I can “fix my face” if I’m looking ashen or unwell, but I do start to resent it if I feel like it’s mandatory. I am a lone female engineer in an office of men, and if it’s not expected of them, why should it be expected of me? I want wash-n-go hair and clear, simple guidelines for professional dress, too! Why is it so bloody hard to find a ladies oxford with princess seams and full length sleeves?
Sorry. I digress.
And then there’s the maintenance. I don’t like to taste lipstick when I eat, and I don’t want to have to worry about reapplying it. I want to be able to rub my eyes if they itch, and not have to worry about smudging something. I don’t want the expense or hassle of buying and trying a dozen different brands and shades to find one that “lasts all day” or “won’t smudge or kiss off” or whatever they’re claiming it does.
But in the “funny you should mention that” department, just today I was noticing that my naturally good complexion is looking a little blah, and I was wondering if I should be changing up my skin care routine (Dove soap, Suave lotion; I’m low maintenance) or adding a touch of makeup as I’m getting older/being pregnant (not sure which is the culprit). So ask me again in six months. :)
Comment by TeleriB — May 21, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
Reminds me of an article in a small town paper…A new dollar variety store had just opened and the local paper asked a customer what was so wonderful about this new store opening. She replied…(I’m paraphrasing) “I can just run in and out when I need something. It’s not like I have to get dressed up like I do to go to WalMart”.
I do try to be presentable when I leave the house but will admit to leaving off the makeup for a quick trip to the grocery. Tho the clothes are decent!
Comment by Jennie — May 21, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
I don’t put on lipstick because I’m more of a lipbalm and benetint girl. I don’t generally wear make up because I have that awful PCOS skin that manages to be both dry and acne prone. I find that as long as I wash and moisturize, I look good, but the moment I put on make up I age at least 10 years. I’m 23 and want to look it. That said I love love love mascara especially the Clinique warm water soluble and Bad Girl Blue. Anything to make my eyes look bigger and bring out warm tones.
Comment by Sara A. — May 21, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
Pretty much what TeleriB sez, I don’t wear the stuff, but consider myself presentable if hair neat (brushed/ponytail – those are my two follicular settings) and clothes neat, clean, with nicely moisturised skin and a smile.
Oh, my dear Plummie, I feel you – had a similar experience with an old crush from University. As I tried to scamper away, the housekeys I had tucked into my bra escaped and hit the lino with a very audible clatter.
Comment by Margo — May 21, 2009 @ 3:25 pm
It is a rare day indeed when I leave the house with no make-up on. In my entire adult life, I have probably gone out make-up-less fewer than five times. The last time was about two years ago, the day after I’d had jaw surgery, so I think that was a pretty good excuse. And even then I at least managed to take a shower and put on some presentable clothes. Even for a lazy Saturday run to the grocery store or gas station, I will shower, fix my hair, find something cute to wear, and put on, at a bare minimum, concealer, powder, blush, and lipstick or lip gloss. Most days there will also be foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. You know, the basics.
I’ve never understood how people can stand to go out in public unshowered, hair a mess, wearing sweats or pajamas, and generally looking like they just rolled out of bed and into the store. More power to ’em, I guess, but I can’t do it.
Comment by Cat — May 21, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
I have no problem running errands in t-shirts and yoga pants, though I try to keep them stain free. This not only includes the grocery store, but the library, the movie theater, and anything else that I do if it’s only me that’s going. I’m also usually make up-less in these situations, but that is only omitting foundation and eye shadow.
The only time I’ve regretted it was when a cute boy sat next to me on a plane. I don’t know, maybe I’ll feel differently when I’m older (I’m 25), but right now I think it’s okay.
Comment by jen209 — May 21, 2009 @ 3:35 pm
Thanks, Wildflower, for the Henry James quote! And I find myself too much in agreement with AmelieWannabe; I feel like a Big Girl Ambassador, which I know is ridiculous. That being said, I am rarely seen in public without hair and makeup done (albeit in a pretty natural way) and I do it for myself. I like to be noticed by men, women and children, but if I’m not, I’m not.
Comment by Mrs. Hendricks — May 21, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
I often run errands without makeup – a far cry from the days when I absolutely refused to leave the house without it.
Having said that, I don’t go out looking like a complete slob unless it’s a fast run to Home Depot to pick up Yet Another Gallon Of Deck Stain where my baggy, holey work pants and oversized tshirt are actually going to be several steps more formal than the attire of those who are there to pick up another container of grout because they’re covered head to toe in most of the last one.
I do try to look presentable in public, but I balance that with the reality that most people don’t care, they’re not even looking at me except to try to avoid running into me (and sometimes not even then). I don’t know these people and I’ll never see 90% of them again – and frankly, they won’t remember me at all.
I do wear makeup on a regular basis – when I want to, when it’s part of the image I want to project, when I know people will be looking at me. But this is not all the time and certainly not every time I leave the house.
Comment by TropicalChrome — May 21, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
I never leave home without it: ‘it’ being lipgloss and cream foundation, at the barest minimum. I’m attractive au naturel, but my mom sold Avon throughout my childhood, and my sisters and I had a reputation for always looking and smelling very good. So it’s a part of my ritual and I feel off in public without it.
Comment by emmme — May 21, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
I always make sure I look reasonably presentable. Hair brushed, face washed, clothing neat and clean as possible.
OTOH, I generally don’t wear makeup. I have great skin, good coloring, and a husband who won’t really kiss me if I wear lipstick because he can’t stand the taste of it.
The times I wear makeup are the times when I expect a camera to be pointed at me. The coloring that looks pretty in person looks horrifically washed out on film. I knew Mr. Twistie would hate it, but I wore makeup on our wedding day because I didn’t want to look like a vampire zombie in the photo album.
We’re going to a wedding in October. Mr. Twistie is going to be in a non-kissy mood because I’ll be wearing makeup, but I’m going to do it since we have been a big part of the groom’s life since he was twelve. We’ll be in the photo album somewhere. I’m not subjecting the happy couple to photos of a vampire zombie. Mr. Twistie can get extra kisses the next day.
Comment by Twistie — May 21, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
I’m not a makeup wearer either. I’ll put it on for special occasions, but there’s only two-three things I wear everyday. Concealer because I have a bit of adult acne, stenciled eyebrows (My own fell out from some allergy years ago and never grew back, but hey, now I can choose the shape I want), and occasional lip balm. I love to cook, eat, and review restaurants for my food blog, so I don’t want to be constantly tasting lipstick or gloss. the lip balm is mostly for being outside. I also keep the acne down by not putting all that junk on my face everyday.
Clothes, I do like to at least be presentable when leaving the house. I’d only wear sweats down to check the mail or water the plants. Otherwise it’s nice jeans and a shirt or cute t-shirt. And despite having grown up in the early days of Madonna, I consider it exceedingly tacky to have my bra straps or any other kind of underwear visible. That’s the main reason I never wear spaghetti strap tops.
Comment by Mo — May 21, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
i generally put on makeup before leaving the house. yes, even to go to the grocery store. right now i dont have a job so each time i leave the house is an event. i also think that its my way of being pretty out in the open….perhaps i’m trying to prove to those that dont think fat is pretty, that fat can indeed be pretty bc i’m standing there in the flesh.
i dont think i need the makeup to be pretty. but it does help me feel better on blah days.
Comment by Lady — May 21, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Living in-between two colleges, I have to admit that I’m appalled by some of the things these not-quite-adults will show up in to do their grocery shopping. I spend plenty of time worrying about looking dumpy/frumpy because, let’s face, it I’m not a petite flower and I don’t like wearing uncomfortable clothes. However, when I leave the house at least I’m wearing actual shoes (even if they may be flip-flops) not slippers and clothing that to my knowledge is not dirty, ripped, or inside-out. Perhaps I sound like a fuddy-duddy but a modicum of grooming shows respect for yourself and others.
I know makeup is more highly charged but for me it’s just a given. Aside from rare occasions where I’ve just washed my face and have a rosy glow, I’m just not that genetically blessed. The fact is when I look at myself without makeup in the mirror I don’t see me – I see blotchy skin, giant pores, and barely noticeable eyes. It isn’t until I’ve got some foundation and eyeliner on that my face emerges.
So, yes, even if I’m just going down to the basement for laundry, I won’t just stumble out without a care as to what I look like.
Comment by KellyGirl — May 21, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
I second KellyGirl-grooming shows respect for yourself and others. I was in a very bad accident years ago, and despite being in a wheelchair with a broken arm, I would put on a t-shirt dress (thus was born the discovery of the ease of dresses-pop it over your head and viola! presentable all day, plus the bonus of resolving the one-working-hand-in-the-bathroom issue, but I digress). I felt there would be a slippery slope, and dressing and putting on some mascara helped me feel I was still normal. Today it is automatic: get up, wash the face, put on the face, get dressed.
Comment by klee — May 21, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
What’s up with the carefully, deliberately disheveled look that some teenagers and college kids seem to sport? I’m talking designer sweats that match their pedicures, hair that is meticulously styled into a mess, carefully torn jeans. Seriously, that amount of effort and money could make them look damned nice, and they choose that!
Comment by wildflower — May 21, 2009 @ 8:34 pm
It really depends on the errands. If I am scooting to the corner store to buy milk, then as long as my teeth are brushed, my face is clean and my hair and clothes are reasonably clean, I’m happy. But I do cheat a bit in that my moisturizer is tinted, as is my lip balm. But I’d feel silly and vain putting in more effort than that for a 5-minute trip to the Quik Mart.
If it’s more of a day running errands, then I’ll be sure to throw on a bit more slap. I’m not worried about meeting men or running into an ex. But I will be interacting with a lot more people, and it just feels nicer to look well put-together.
Comment by La Petite Acadiene — May 21, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
I don’t even put on makeup to MEET men, much less run errands or go to work. I used to go through spurts of makeup wearing when I was younger (in college), but it never became a permanent ritual de lo habitual for me. Later I started noticing that makeup actually irritated my eyes. Unlike others, I am not blessed with natural beauty – and makeup can only do so much. And, mostly, it is just not “me” – I am pretty practical & no-nonsense. I will wear it sometimes for special occassions – but usually end up rubbing an itchy eye and having one goth/raccoon/Blade Runner eye.
Comment by g-dog — May 21, 2009 @ 10:33 pm
Tinted moisturizer, a little blush, light lipstick. Always, for everything. But I’m sixty, and in spite of very good skin I look older and tireder with a bare face. As for meeting men, the ones my age can’t see all that well, so I do it for the benefit of humanity as a whole. ;>)
Comment by Hermione — May 21, 2009 @ 11:21 pm
Makeup only on the days that I feel I need the ‘backup’ of being more put together than usual. But I skip it most days in the summer because I’m usually planning on a bike ride after work.
Most days I’m going out the door in business casual attire and staying that way, so hair neat, jewelry if I remember and it’s not going to drive me crazy with the baby grabbing at it, and neatly pressed coordinated clothes and shoes.
Weekends are generally jeans and a nice knit shirt, although there are some that I’ll put on jeans and a geeky baby-doll if we’re just bumming around the house.
I don’t feel a particular need to be a ‘fat girl ambassador’ though, I decided a couple years ago to hell with what other people think. I do keep my hair short so I don’t have to deal much with it. I’m low low maintenance.
Comment by Meg — May 22, 2009 @ 12:06 am
Always presentable, always wearing eyeliner and eyebrow pencils (because I have very nordic eyebrows). I go full face to work, but not otherwise. But I would have to say I would never, never go out in yoga pants.
Comment by Icy — May 22, 2009 @ 3:04 am
I usually wear concealer, because I have dark circles of doom even on 10 hours of sleep. I’m blessed with clear skin, flushing cheeks and naturally pinkish lips – so I don’t always do much if I’m just running around. Work, evenings out, or events are another matter, and I do loooove makeup and putting it on!
However, I have been known to wear sweat pants to the grocery store, over-sized pink striped thrift store shorts (dubbed ‘trash shorts’ by my partner) to grab some takeaway, and in the winter – but only at night – and only after a frostbite incident – uggs in public (usually under denim and just to run in and out of somewhere, and its shameful but my poor toes just can’t take the cold). But generally I think I’m silly enough and cute enough to pull these things off… :)
Comment by sam — May 22, 2009 @ 5:24 am
I would never, ever leave the house in yoga pants or sweat pants or something like that, unless I’m doing some kind of sports, like walking or jogging.
I do leave without make up when I’m running to the bakery and buy some croissants. I don’t dress/ use make-up for men, I do it for myself because it makes me feel better.
Comment by Cara — May 22, 2009 @ 6:44 am
Mascara and some tinted lip balm at the very least. And I always try to dress like I meant to wear this…no holes, nothing stained, etc. Why? Because I like to make the effort and to look good for my husband. After all, he’s the most important person in my life and I want to show him respect and love.
Comment by Carol — May 22, 2009 @ 8:20 am
I always wear make-up…always. Even when giving birth (one has standards, you know!) Because I love it. For me, one of the best things about being female is that when you get out of the shower and you look in the mirror in the morning…you know that you’re going to go from fine-and-dandy to SPECTACULAR with a scant 10 minutes twiddling through the cosmetics drawer. I don’t wear a lot, and my ‘look’ is pretty neutral/natural, maybe a red lip from time to time but apart from that you wouldn’t really say I look ‘made up’, tho I’m obviously wearing make-up. And I don’t do it for anyone else but me. I like how I look without cosmetics, but I lOVE how I look with them.
Comment by madame suggia — May 22, 2009 @ 8:48 am
…and BTW…ratty sweats, grubby t’s, nightwear as daywear? Not in this lifetime!
Comment by madame suggia — May 22, 2009 @ 8:49 am
I had lived in Memphis for five years when I was laid off from my job — long enough that I had learned from Junior League and Madonna Circle meetings that I just did not know How To Dress. (Is it a genetic thing that Southerners and Latinas have from the womb, knowledge that is denied to those of us from the upper Midwest?) No, going straight to these meetings from work in a suit was Not Done, nor was changing into jeans. (Jeans? Ha! It is To Laugh!)
So when I started going to the 8:30 a.m. exercise class and stopping at the library and the grocery store on my way home rather than going home, showering, dressing and venturing out again to do these errands, I knew I was committing a major breach.
Screw it. I wasn’t going to waste the gas.
I still do my errands on the way home from the gym, but at least up here (Milwaukee), I never sweat (too cold), so it’s not like I am nasty funky or anything. And I wear cute gym clothes.
Other than that, though, I do dress decently and put on mascara when I leave the house, especially to go to church (I am talking to you, teen girl who wore plaid flannel pajama pants, a long t-shirt, and Crocs to Mass in January) and to board a plane. PJs are for the house and gym clothes are for the gym (and the library, grocery store, paying property taxes, etc). Period.
Comment by class factotum — May 22, 2009 @ 8:55 am
The day I stop making an effort is the day I want you to bludgeon me to death with my Marni platforms and bury me in the flower beds outside Neiman Marcus.
Comment by Style Spy — May 22, 2009 @ 9:36 am
I always wear blush, mascara, and a little bit of loose powder (one would have thought that the shiny T-zone would go away by the age of 31, but one would be wrong). And scent of some kind – I like when other people smell nice, so I feel like I should too. Sometimes I wear lipgloss, but hardly ever lipstick. Mainly, though, this is because I think lipstick looks horrible on me. I have some sort of inborn defect in which I am unable to select a shade of lipstick that suits me. I really just need to go to the Chanel counter, sit down with one of the sales reps, and say “I want one for evening and one for everyday. Pick the color for me, please, and I will buy it.”
Comment by Jennifer — May 22, 2009 @ 11:10 am
It’s kind of hit-or-miss with me. I wear makeup typically to work, but it’s almost always just coverup and powder. I’m so lazy with my makeup and hair, it’s so terrible. But, I have only four times in my life been seen in public in swishy pants (those weird athletic pants that are SO COMFY but look awful) or yoga pants. I don’t even wear shorts more than twice a year, typically. It has to be well fitting jeans, dress pants, cords, or khakis, and I have to have a shirt with no stains, my hair has to be brushed and neat (rarely styled, however), and I can’t have any blemishes visible. Being super-pale, this is a problem, so I have had to do a lot of hunting for good makeup (I love, love the Dream Matte stuff and Covergirl’s blue pocket powder – simple, and two of the only makeups ever in the right shade for my skin!).
I wear lip balm or gloss more than lipstick, and I will occasionally wear eyeshadow, but rarely mascara or blush. It’s not for men (I already have a husband), it’s for me – and for other women to stop staring me down like I’m scum on a pond. I’m an inbetweenie, but you would swear I was big enough to be pulled like a trailer when I go into Victoria’s Secret and ask for a large or extra large.
Comment by BrieCS — May 22, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Oh. So where I was going with all this “I am too lazy to change out of my gym clothes and I do my chores on the way home from the gym but it’s ALL ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT” soliloquy is that I know I look like a slob but thanks to my time in the South, at least now I feel guilty about it.
Comment by class factotum — May 22, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
Lipstick and I aren’t friends right now. Maybe we’ll make up someday, but all I can handle right now is a bit of lip balm, maybe with a sheen or sparkle in it.
However, what I really want to talk about is the importance of The Coat. See, in Chicago, we have three seasons where you wear a coat. In fact, it’s the thing that most people who see you in Chicago will see. So if you have to run and get a bagel and then stop by the drugstore for the special unscented cat litter that the cat needs so she won’t pee on the bathmat and maybe stop by the post office or whatever – You can wear whatever you want as long as your hair looks halfway decent and you have a nice coat. Fall = great leather jacket. Winter = Donna Karan wool-cashmere blend with a cinched waist and a dramatic collar that makes me feel like a spy. Spring = cute little bonded cotton trench.
And I’m never trying to meet men. If men try to meet me, well, that’s their affair.
Comment by JenniferP — May 22, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
I don’t wear lipstick (I’m a gloss girl), but I do try to meet a certain level of presentableness when I’m running errands. Most of the time I just wear a sheer foundation/moisturizer with lip gloss. I am very selective about putting on jewelry, and try to coordinate shoes/purse/accessories, even if I’m just running a load of donations to Goodwill.
However, this standard is not met when I first face the public. I know I look a mess in the morning when I walk my dog. I usually roll out of bed, yank on a pair of jeans or sweatpants, and wear a fleece jacket. I get properly cleaned up after the dog has been walked. I figure the odds of meeting an available, straight man at 6:30 am in San Francisco when I am walking my dog are pretty limited. I’ll continue take my chances at missing Mr. Right on the morning dogwalk.
Comment by Grace — May 23, 2009 @ 12:09 am
I try and look presentable every time I go out. There will always be someone that I’m going to run into (this isn’t a very big city), and since I’m not 22, wearing cute sweats that say PINK across my butt isn’t an option. I simply don’t do Crocs, ever, while I might do some Kenneth Cole flip flops, you’ll usually see me in flats. Makeup on a lazy day is still tinted moisturizer, mascara, and lip balm. If I’m leaving the house, I’ll put more into it. But really, it’s about how it makes me feel, not about meeting men (which I could care less about since I already have a man, and he’s exhausting enough as it is).
Comment by Meredith — May 23, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
My current look is very jeans and a tee-shirt or sweater — no words on anything.
However, if I’m leaving the house — I live in an apartment building so this does not include leaving to take the recycling to the basement or do my laundry (also in the basement) or taking out my trash, crossing the lobby seems to be my “leaving the house moment” — I will be wearing lipstick or gloss, perfume, and earrings.
This is not about meeting men. I like men, but, at nearly 48, they’re not the main thing on my mind. I subscribe to the French idea that it improves the world to be chic, even if one is casual. Plus, my lips chap very quickly. I’ve had perfect strangers run into bodegas and bring me tubes of blistex because my lips look sore, so a little preemptive lip therapy seems to be in order.
If I have a job interview or I’m attending the theater, I add mascara to the mix. I may continue to wear mascara once I get the job if that seems to be the office norm.
Comment by Fabrisse — May 23, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
When I lived in Wyoming, I learned I could not run to the store or gas station or anywhere without running into someone I knew so I always tried to be presentable (showered, hair done, not my sweat pants) Then I moved to Wisconsin where I knew no one (except my mother – I moved back to live with her) and found myself sinking into the terrible habit of running to Wal-Mart or the grocery store right out of bed in sweats because no one knew me. Since I live in a different community than I work in, I find I still look pretty bad on Saturdays on errand runs. It is sort of like a double life – people I work with would not recognize me on the weekends at home.
Comment by Jane H. — May 26, 2009 @ 5:52 pm
I generally try to at least have on powder and mascara for anything that takes me outside of the house. My one major exception (besides exercise, the occasional quick trip for groceries while morning-sick out of one’s mind, and to my husband’s former roommate’s bach pad to play video games) is airports and airplanes. I am not yet such a VIP that I must look nice as soon as I get off the plane, so I go as comfy as possible. Lose the contacts, no makeup, hair in a ponytail, in my sweats. I DESPISE airports and flying so I see no reason to grace them with my beauty. ;)
Comment by KES — May 26, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
I’m still giggling – you are such a hilarious woman. While I am not particularly bound to be ladylike and my skin quality lets me get away with lip balm and gloss, I am familiar with the challenge of slipping out, looking like I got caught in the back of a warehousing truck, only to have someone in my company just have to mention that I blog about fashion.
I can’t even get offended when the response is: (up down look) “Really?”
Comment by Diana — May 29, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
No, but I don’t wear make up. However, I do make sure that I’m not wearing pajamas (I never wear sweat pants), my hair is brushed, and there’s nothing on my face.
Comment by enygma — June 2, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
I put on makeup six days a week, a sort of toned-down goth / Maria Callas-ish look involving lots of eye makeup and brow powder, minimal blush and lipstick, to go to work, simply because it makes me happy to know I look good. I figure there’ll be plenty of time to be comfy and unattractive once I’m dead and turned into a pile of ash. My skin sloughs off most of my makeup during the day anyway, but I’m fine with that and don’t reapply anything unless I’m going out in the evening (powder and a bit more eyeshadow), only blot out the shine with paper napkins. Also, since I live in the sticks, I only run errands on the way to and from work in the city, because once I get home at the end of the day and kick off my shoes, I resolutely refuse to leave the comfort of my home till next day unless the house is on fire. So I’m usually presentable (nice grownup clothes that match and are reasonably clean, hair brushed), and sometimes downright overdressed, even after a long day, as I live in a rather provincial college town in southeast Spain, where a lot of the time it actually requires more of an effort to underdress.
Comment by Maggiethecat — June 3, 2009 @ 10:53 am