My LipStick Confessions

So, I’m 27 years old. Having spent a major part of my growing up process as a tomboy, I was blissfully oblivious to the joys of trying to look good and dress up. The only makeup items to have ever accessorized my shelves back then were a black kohl and black nail polish. Yes, I had a bit of a rebellious streak. Weddings and other allied functions used to be occasions that scared the daylights out of me.  When the entire ladies clan around me used to come out in the choicest hues, all that I could seemingly manage was a lip balm to add to my personality.

It wasn’t until I got into my first job in 2009 that I realized that dressing up played a role in perceptions. A prim looking lady walking into work definitely garnered more attention. I could have been wrong there but that was what I believed back then to be true.

Whilst I was trying to align myself to this new found discovery, I started with the regular make up collectibles. In spite of knowing most of the must-haves in a beauty kit, I still had to go around looking for the right ones. Right from a no-show foundation to a natural blush to a super concealer to a clump free mascara … to the perfect lipstick! Although most men will never notice that nuances that each one of these bring to the look as a whole, most girls definitely notice the perfectly winged contour an eyeliner achieves. While each of these items have their own character, at any given time it’s unlikely that a girl just owns more than one of any of these things except the lipstick.

I sort of unearthed the greatest secret to a successful makeup routine or so it seemed! It didn’t matter how evenly my foundation was applied or how perfect my eye shadow looked, without a lipstick my face looked naked. Half an hour of all the other activities sang harmoniously only with that one dash of color. It got me thinking. So the next time onwards all I concentrated was on getting that color right.

Some Lipstick observations here:

•  Not one color suits all

•  What suits her might not suit you

•  Almost everything looks good on the fair skinned ladies out there.Yes!Lipsticks are biased!

•  You might have a collection of twelve but you keep going back to the same two. One that looks good during the day and one that suits the night

•  You keep a track of the same lipstick shade for months or years depending on the frequency of usage only to go back to the store to realize that the brand has discontinued that one. And the heavens come crashing down!

•  That feeling when the color you thought looked fab while trying the tester under the perfect store lighting looks drab once you are back home.

•  Good ones cost a fortune.

•  There is nothing like the perfect nude for everyone.

•  The matte ones almost always look classier.

During my conversations with families and girlfriends, my faith in these beliefs only got stronger.

My aunt once said, “I've known this lipstick longer than I've known most of my trusted aides. Longer than I've known my husband. Longer than I’ve known how to cook.”

A friend of mine quoted ” I remember the very first lip color I ever truly loved. I was in high school. It was a lip gloss by Lakme. There was something about the nude pink with hints of brown in it that called out to me. It was so vampy and it shined like glitter. Never felt good when my hair got stuck in it.”

All that I have deciphered is that some look too pink, and others too peach. What suits me is the nude by the day and bright red by the night. It the only thing that makes my bare face pop!

Mumbai Rains bring to life the spirit of Mumbai

Mumbai woke up to torrential rains this morning and just like it happens every year the maximum city was scampering for cover. Flooded roads and water logged railway tracks. Overcrowded trains that halt in the middle of nowhere, fewer buses that are jam-packed and auto and cab guys who just zoom past (they don’t even want to listen to where you want to go) makes travelling to your destination a harrowing experience.

My experience on this rainy day today was a wee bit different though. I stay about 3.5km from my work place. As usual I left home at 7.45am to make it to work on time . I got out of my housing society in search for an auto. While I was getting drenched in this search and getting refused by around 20 such autowallas, I knew exactly how this was going to turn out. A cranky me waiting for another one hour, getting pissed at the whole world and eventually reaching work physically and mentally exhausted. I thought of taking the metro but when I came across a sea of water standing in the way I just dropped that plan and continued with my search of the quintessential autowalla. While this drama of getting rejected by autowallas was already an hour into it, I just heard someone say “Madam, aapko kahaan jaana hai?”.

Looked around, saw this man peeping through the auto blinds (Mumbaikars would know: during the monsoons  most of the autos here are flanked by blinds on both sides of the passenger seats that help the passengers stay dry). He was not on the driver’s seat. Sitting behind and completely wet, the man asked me for my destination again. I said “Sangam Talkies”. Without thinking twice, he replied “Aa jaaiye aapko drop karte huye office chala jaaunga”. The autowalla protested but the man persisted.

In this 20 minute auto ride with him, I realized that his office was in a completely different direction than mine. It would take him another half an hour to reach his destination.  With the continuous phone calls that he was getting, I could make out he was getting late to work. I saw the roads were flooded. The autowalla says” Madam hamare auto kharaab ho jaate hai Baarish mein.” Put things into perspective for me. While I cursed the auto guys all along, this was a very valid argument for refusing to ply(atleast for today). After reaching my destination, I thanked them both. Told the Samaritan “Aajkal anjaano ko help karnewale bahut kam milte hai.” He replied “Madam ab toh aap mujhe Sharminda kar rahi ho”.

Here’s presenting Ravi (the passenger/Samaritan) and Mahesh(the autowalla) : Heroes of my Story. 

P.S. They agreed to a photo-op at the end of the ride.

Despite all the problems in this city, all hope is not lost. There still are people like these keeping Mumbai alive.