Without question, my favorite memory of my beautiful mama is her love of makeup. Even in the darkest of days, nothing put a smile on her face quite like a bright lipstick or shimmery blush. The holidays were our most special time together, arm-in-arm, dashing through the holiday traffic, making our way to the beauty gifts decking the malls.
I inherited my love of beauty from my mama. It’s in my DNA. Some days when I miss her most, I pull down that golden case from an upstairs closet, blow the dust off, and sit for what seems like hours playing in her makeup. When I was a little boy, I would sneak into her big blue bathroom, lock myself inside and lose myself in the magic of Mama’s makeup. Some things never change.
Every year at this time, we would begin “oohing” and “aahing” over the Estee Lauder holiday gift, and this year is no different for me. Just like every Christmas before, it’s wonderful, and this year its $58.50 (a $375 value) with any fragrance purchase. Mama’s choice was always Beautiful, perhaps Estee Lauder’s most famous fragrance. It still makes me giddy. Eighteen eye shadows, three lipsticks, mascara, eyeliner, blush, bronzer, moisturizer, makeup remover, perfume, nail lacquer and all come this year inside a glamorous crocodile case. I think Mama just smiled down from heaven.
The charm of the holiday makeup gifts for me is the remembrance of her, the sound of her laugh as she put on a bit of shimmer, a spritz of perfume. We always found joy in things that make the world feel pretty. It was the perfect holiday arrangement. We bought one for each other because that way we were sure to get both the cool and the warm colors. Of course, Mama always picked her favorites from both, and I would have had it no other way. God bless two people who can get so enchanted over an eye shadow compact.
It didn’t stop at Estee either. We also had others on our lists, and who could blame us when the Lancome Holiday Beauty Collection could be ours for only $59.50 plus any Lancome purchase? Better than any dreams of sugar plums, it was always the case full of makeup (a $315.00 value this year) that danced in our heads. Two additional favorites this year if you’re shopping for a gift, or for yourself, are M.A.C’s “Stroke of Midnight” eye shadow kit ($39.50), a smoky, sparkling blend of color palates, and Dior’s “Holiday Couture Collection” ($85) which comes complete with both nude and dramatic looks for the face.
I’m not a little boy anymore, except on the inside now and then, and although I’m shopping for only one this Christmas, I’m going to continue one of my favorite, colorful traditions. I encourage you to do the same. Aren’t we worth it?
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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