Little girls love make-up, and my little granddaughter, Brookelyn, is no exception.
If she is at my house when I am putting on make-up, she loves to come in and keep me company, and let me know how much she needs lipstick.
What she doesn’t know, is that I need to put lipstick on her.
It is a ritual that takes me back over 40 years.
My mom and I were in Kindred, ND, visiting Gramma Geneva. We were Going To Town, which was a big deal in those days, and always meant Fargo. You always had to look your best on Town Day, and I knew what a big deal it was when Gramma flipped down the visor, peered into the mirror and applied bright pink lipstick.
I had never seen my Gramma use lipstick before. I stared and stared and stared. She became a new woman in my eyes that day, especially after what she did next.
She turned around in the car, reached into the back seat, and taught me how to put on lipstick. I still can’t smoosh my lips around together after I put on lipstick without thinking of this moment.
I also knew I would aways be the kind of Gramma that put lipstick on little girls who really were too little to wear make-up.
The years went too fast, my dear Gramma is long gone, my little girls have outgrown the stage of getting lipstick from my Mom, and now I am the keeper of the tradition.
It is a ritual of love and heritage that is unexplainable to a 5-year-old, who asked, “Gramma, why are you crying?” the first time I taught her the secret to evenly coloring your lips.
One morning, little Brookie came in and was enthralled with the pile of make-up I was going through.
She was appalled that some of it was going in the garbage. I could tell her little heart was pining.
Mommies and Grammas are good at fixing pining hearts, aren’t we?
We dug out the old make-up from a compact and painted flesh colored fingernail polish inside.
Brookie also has learned the family trick of scrunching your lips funny while working on a project.
She’ll learn later, this especially works well while sewing. Just as I used to watch my Mom sew, now my kids watch me, or rather, they watch my lips.
Brookie was taught how to dunk the brush in just a little way, then let the excess drip off.
Gramma was taught that doing it yourself is more satisfying than having Gramma doing it perfectly.
We made a compact and a blush, and I gave her a few old brushes.
It was perfect.
She was happy enough to let me waste the rest of the make-up by throwing it away, and I was happy to teach her how to be frugal and make your own fake make-up.
Best the best part of the deal?
Knowing that yet another generation knows how to perfectly apply lipstick.
Very clever! Every little girl likes to have a compact to play with.
I second Dana’s questions. My Molly loves herself some makeup and bling. When she puts it on she’ll say, “Ooooh, I’m beautiful.” It makes me nervous especially given our society today.
What a sweet memory of your Grandma though. My Grandma used to put on red for very special occasions and I remember staring at her with amazed eyes.
For some that comes natural, but some of us tomboys had to learn how to makeup and bling by watching the other girls. Bethany LOVED shoes as a little girl and fluffly clothes. She still is a girly-girl with a job to support a shoe addiction, although she guards herself from going overboard. She used to wear the same track uniform and run the hurdles like everyone else, but still was a graceful girly-girl. It was SO cute!
If you think of how beautifully the Lord designed the Tabernacle, you’ll know the Lord isn’t opposed to beauty in design, color and fabrics. However, beauty is to compliment and emphasize the Lord’s glory. We all know, if we spend more time applying makeup than reading the Word, we may look beautiful on the outside, but lack of inner spiritual beauty decays how people see us.
How do you answer the “Why are you putting on make-up?” question? I hesitate to say “because it makes me pretty” because I don’t want to inadvertently teach them that they need to be different from how they are and that beauty only comes from a bottle. Got a tip?
Ah, the age old question. I head a man once said at a Bible study, “If the barn needs painting, paint it.” I don’t agree with this. It is an awkward line to squiggle on. We tell our daughters over and over how beautiful they are without make-up. Their daddy, especially, has always complimented them on many aspects of their lives. However, we allow light make-up to compliment the beauty they have, or to make up for those little flaws. We might be beautiful creatures, but we aren’t perfect. I have blonde eyelashes, and when I don’t wear mascara people say, “Are you sick?” Now that I have skin issues because of health issues, I wear foundation, something I never did as a younger woman. It helps me look more like the woman God created me to be. Sometimes, I even powder over my scar, but not very often 🙂
Your heart is sensitive Dana, and to already be aware of body-image concerns while your daughter is so young is encouraging. You’re already doing the right thing and I’m not surprised. 🙂 You’ve shown spiritual maturity even when you were a teenager, and I love seeing you as a Mommy. When your heart beats in tune with the Lord’s, the passion and conviction will come out, even when your words may stumble.
I need you to teach me how to perfectly apply lipstick. I’m 34 and still struggling with that. : ) Love the story.