Make up is great; I love make up, and I love no make up too, but one thing I have never loved is the struggle that comes with finding any sort of beauty product that will look good on me that was probably intended for a white person.
Growing up in the middle of Iowa, I had zero beauty role-models that were Asian. I was raised by white people and lived in a white culture. When I wanted to do my make up for dance recitals or on the cheerleading squad, you can bet the struggle was real. I could never find make up that looked normal on me. I could never find anyone who even knew how to do make up on Asian eyes. I was basically doomed to teaching myself or hoping for the best with natural beauty.
Facebook was just becoming a thing, as I was entering high school. The insanity of puberty, social awkwardness, and social media were colliding at an unstoppable pace. Sometimes, I wonder how I made it out alive with no real self-esteem issues. (Thank you Mom and Dad).
As cell phones, likes, and social media became more and more popular, wanting to feel pretty, accepted, and otherwise happy became a huge struggle for almost everyone. I always leaned back on my academics, my faith, and my sense of humor, and somehow, I made it through mostly unscathed. I cannot imagine the struggle of navigating self-worth and beauty for today’s youth.
The older I get, the more I understand the struggles women have in this world and the struggles that being different can bring. At one point, I was about 16, my high school boyfriend told me I couldn’t meet his grandparents because they wouldn’t approve of an interracial relationship. This was the first time I’d ever really felt different in a way that didn’t seem so great. It made me glimpse something ugly in humanity and experience the powerlessness of being in the face of racism and discrimination.
As humans, I think we are better than this; we should aspire to better than this. We see people in glimpses, through filters, likes, and hashtags. Behind these things, we should all remember that we are people. We were connected before we ever GOT connected; we are connected as humans. In my Instagram post, I think I said it all: Beauty is only skin deep and some people are only as pretty as their filters. Oh – and I also said I’d give you the low-down this make-up look I finally DID find and grow to love, so here you go!
foundation: Smashbox Liquid Halo – #3
contour: Smashbox – Light
brow: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz – Dark Brown
face: BECCA hilighter – champagne pop
lip color: Buxom liquid lipstick – deviously dolly
lip liner: Make up Forever Aqua Lip – 2C
eyes: colourpop – birthday boy
eye liner: Marc Jacobs gel crayon – black
eye liner: Kat Von D tattoo liner – trooper
mascara: Too Faced better than sex – black
primer: Smashbox primer water
-MC