365 Project – 29: My naked, blemished, story-telling face (January 29, 2012)

Shutter Speed: 1/50, Aperture: F2.2, ISO: 400

Not that I wear a lot of makeup, or always wear it, or as my friends can attest, even know HOW to put on my makeup but, lately, covering up my “character lines” and “experience spots” has become part of my morning routine as opposed to just an option for that occasional night out on the town. Almost 40 years ago my auntie told me “It’s okay to wear makeup but, never get to the point that you’re afraid to walk outside the house WITHOUT it. Look in the mirror and like what you see, the way God made you.” I never forgot her words, and when the times comes, I will repeat the same thing to my daughter.

For the first time in my life I feel self-conscious about looking old and tired without my makeup. That’s a sad realization for me. My daughter tells me “Why do you have to wear makeup? You’re already beautiful. You have some spots on your face but, they’re cute.” For Nora I want to “walk the talk” and “practice what I preach.” And, I want to get Carole King’s voice singing “You’re so Vain” out of my head! LOL

I recently remembered that most of my “freckles” are burn scars from a naan cooking accident when I was backpacking in the Himalayas in 1994. Three Nepalese cooks were badly burned by the exploding hot oil yet I only walked away with painful but, mostly cosmetic scars. (I also just remembered the cooks jumping into the icy river, making the burns worse. What a trip that this memory is flashing back to me as I write this!) Fortunately, I was wearing my glasses because my lenses were coated in oil. It was a great reminder that my face actually has some adventurous stories to tell. So, here I am, sharing my naked, freshly scrubbed, fully-blemished, story-telling face with the cyber-world! Can’t get much more public, huh? “Auntie, thank you for that makeup advice. I’m still listening to you!”