You are what you are...right?

My next post was going to be a tutorial of a painting that I have been working on, but it turned out so awful that I may not even post the finished piece.  I know that having a piece of artwork turn out to be unsuccessful doesn't mean I'm unsuccessful, it only means that it's a work in progress. 

Speaking of a work in progress, aren't we all just that?  It's all about growing and becoming what you are destined to be...at a certain time.  What you will grow up to be, perhaps.  I remember telling my mother that I would be so glad when I grew up, because then no one would be telling me what to do.  Well, I guess I never grew up, because that never happened.  People still tell people what to do, from what foods are good and bad for them to what clothes and makeup to wear.  Which brings me to the purpose of this post. (nice segue, huh?) In the 1980's I had my colors done by a friend that was working for a cosmetic company called BeautiControl.  It was the home party type of deal where the demonstrator decided what colors you looked best in by placing swatches of different color fabrics under your face and had you to look in the mirror to see whether the warm swatch looked better than the cool color swatch.  It was fun and a new take on the at home selling party.  It was just the beginning of me being totally convinced that I could not, EVER, wear certain colors on or near my face.  She decided that I was a Winter and should only wear silver jewelry and jewel tone fabrics with the addition of black or white. 

I suppose for the most part she was right, but I didn't realize how firmly she believed in her work until I invited her to a Christmas party.  There was another guest who had also had colors done and was not supposed to wear warm colors  or jewelry.  The girl made her entrance in a beautiful sequined party top that belonged to her mother. This was a really high end piece of clothing and the mom had relented and let said daughter wear it to my party.  Well, let me tell you, Cindy, the color lady, almost fainted.  She went from being shocked to being mad.  Her word was law and that girl had no business wearing those colors and to top it off...she had on GOLD jewelry.  Cindy could not enjoy my party.  Ahhh, but I digress...

All of this is leading up to the fact that I went to the mall yesterday after finding that we now have a Bare Escentuals retail store in town.  Good thing I didn't know that it's been here for almost a year now. ( My loving sister got me the Bare Minerals starter kit and lots of brushes and accompanying eye shadows several years ago when I visited her and we went to ULTA, another great store. Thanks, Peri!)

I went in to replenish my foundation, because I have been making do with Merle Norman for several years and it's just not the same as Bare Minerals.  It's pretty good, but not the same.

I was waited on by the nicest young man, by the name of Tyler.  Tyler and I hit it off immediately.  I knew he was a professional because he had his brushes in a apron around his waist and he was whipping them out like he was a gunslinger in a spaghetti western.  He knew his stuff and showed me colors that he thought would work for me and when I told him, "oh, I can't wear warm colors",  he took his wrist and stroked a warm color foundation on his wrist (he is more of an olive complexion) and then stroked the same color on my wrist.  Guess what?  The color worked for both of us.  He told me I can wear any color that I want to, there is no one to stop me.  He reminded me to wear what I liked and not worry about what I'd been told in the past.  He didn't try to push anything on me and simply showed me that sometime things work that you didn't know would.

Well, $150.00 later, I'm restocked on all the colors that I KNOW work for me and I also indulged in the desert colors that I didn't think would work.  So, here are some photos of me wearing warm colors ON and NEAR my face.

The title of this post is "you are what you are...right?" because I decided not to photo shop out my wrinkles and saggy eye lids and double chins.  And yes, I'm wearing that same twenty year old tie dyed shirt that I cut the neck so it wouldn't choke me.  It's a recurring piece of clothing in this blog.

Please do not be alarmed at the drooping eyelid on the right.  It's just gravity taking hold after all these years.

Now my hair is actually longer than this, but I had both arms raised trying to take these pictures myself.  See those lines along my throat?  I am hoping that they are also due to the positioning of my arms, but I'm not too sure.

Here is a similar shot, but if you look closely, you can see the pepper part of my salt and pepper do.  It is still quite dark in the back, but when I wear it down it is covered up by the top layers of silver.  I have so much hair that it's like wearing a hooded sweatshirt.  With the weather in the triple digits almost all of July, that means pony tails and buns for me.

Actually, the main reason for posting these not-so-flattering shots is just to say hi.  Also, to let Peanut know that I'm still alive and kickin' and to remind myself that even though there will always be someone telling me what to do, I'm going to do what I want to anyway.  After all, I am what I am, right?