The Winter Lips: Crush-ing And Dolly-ing Up

- January 09, 2013

Now that I've talked about my nail polish winter essentials, I'm about to talk about lips...

When I was 12 years old, I was visiting my grandmother - my dad's mother - who, as long as I remember her, has never ever left the house without curling her eyelashes, putting lipstick, blush and mascara on. Her nails were always well done. She complimented it with the nice vintage rings and bracelets. I could observe her putting on the make-up for hours. I was always fascinated by the little make-up jars she had and how she used to put a drop of water into the old-school mascara flat kit and smudge the eyelash brush back and forth against the softening black substance. She also always curled her eyelashes.

Every time I come to see her, the very first thing she always says when I walk into her apartment is to comment on the way I look, and she has been always a particular, not always nice, judge! Sometimes she doesn't care what age I am and says things that only later make sense.

When I was twelve, the first thing she said to me when I walked in her house was: "You know, these lips will drive men crazy", to what I responded "Yikes, grandma, I'm only 12, I don't want to think about it..." And she would always shock me with something she would say, even until this day.

So, lips.

It was obsoletely essential for her to look her very best, always. She is now 88 and she still does the same beauty routine. She always had long hair, almost up to her waist and she always made extraordinary hairdos by herself - various kinds of buns, french twists, and etc. It's her who once told me that it is not healthy to wash the hair everyday, because you wash off the essential oils in your hair, which don't replenish and make the hair look dull. Since then, unless if I do hard sports every day (or Bikram Yoga) or it's a very hot summer, I wash my hair no more than twice a week, and it makes a difference. It's ironic how the beauty advisers used to advise us to wash our hair every day for years and only recently, they are starting to say the opposite. Go figure, but my grandma knew it better...

Now, years later, I understand that in those moments with my grandma I was subconsciously taking mental notes.

OK, here are the two lip colors I'm obsessing about at the moment. These are my winter lip essentials: one for everyday use - on a lighter and most subtle side by Bare Escentuals in "Dolly" hue and for the night out and special occasions, like a cocktail party, date night and a girls-out-on-a-town get together - my va ca coom in "Crush" hue by Sephora.

Sephora's Crush: deep reddish plum color. You can get it here.