Clivia Writes: Carnival Makeup

, by clivia

Oshun Elements- The Sideline

Jack of all Trades. Master of None. I have another photo shoot scheduled this week for make up for a band in Miami. Strange.

My professional training in make up is only a course done for stage makeup when I was a member of the National Dance Theater Company in Trinidad. (now defunct). I can't ever remember how long it lasted..lol. I left to come to college at FIU. I remember dying to try my mother's eyeliner and powder so i could look like she did.

To this day, she is still my fashion icon. Her Eyebrows and that bone that Makeup artist DIE for to just rub some gold color on. Sigh in the genetics game my SISTER got that bone structure. Not me.

My mommy was...IS FIERCE!! Hairstyles changed every couple of weeks. Clothes always custom made. Heels To DIE FOR! No wonder i was wearing four inch heels so soon. I used to be walking around the house with my feet stuffed in hers. I remember opening her closet and seeing shoes that I KNOW i had never seen ON her feet. YET!
Her closet was one any shoe loving Diva would aspire to. I'll never forget one day my dad was in a reallly GOOD mood one day , and he took all the Robley Ladies to Arthur's to get shoes. I was in heaven. For you non Tobagonians, Arthur's would have THE BEST leather shoes that you could find without having to go to Atelogo's In Trinidad. Well on that Particular day, Mr. Robley was in particularly generous mood and I recall us each going home with one if not two pairs of beautiful, deliciously leather smelling shoes. Sigh. Those were the days!! I don't think she knows it, but I based ALL my style choices on her, Until I could decipher my own.

The one thing I would not try was red lipstick.

Don't ask me why. I would spend hours in front of the mirror playing with her products,
practicing on her and on any one who would let me. I guess I got good because she eventually made me do it for her instead of doing it herself. I was soon the eye brow shaping, eye shadow applying person at the house…and I loved it.

I was never afraid of makeup…(except for the you know what…). I did the makeup for a bridal party the other day, and it reminded me once again, how most women are really afraid of makeup.

They’re petrified that they will end up looking like the ladies of the night, or like some of the “pros” at the makeup counters who’s make up although ALWAYS FIERCE, looks like I could be scraped off with a trowel and a chisel. (Right Nicole?)

Mind you...I always love fierce. I think it takes a certain type of woman to be daring enough to be bold with their makeup. I wear my hair short a lot so I play with color and texture on my own face very often.

The problem is the balance.

The every day girl – doesn’t want to be GLAM DIVA every day…

But to avoid even the possibility of messing up they don’t wear make up at all. I’m happy for women who can do that..

And when the stars are aligned right…and I had enough fluids , I might be brave enough to go au natural..lol

But man know thy self…

One of the secrets of existence for a woman is - EVERYTHING is better when your eyebrows are shaped, you have a layer of mascara on, and you lipgloss is poppin...

We used to do these foreign folk dances...I cant remember the names right now...but we would be dressed in Black and White. Sometimes maybe we would be doing the Tobago Jig. Anyways, as fashion dictates, you wear black and white..especially so close to the face, the lip color of choice is RED.

NOT ME THOUGH!! I would go with just lip gloss and end up with pictures of me looking completely dehydrated and BUN OUT (thanks Renee) because there would be no color on my face.

Anyways..I'm not the only one who has an aversion to RED lipstick. and I'm lucky that's all i have. I Know TONS of women who have a complete aversion to makeup . PERIOD!

It astounds me. How do they live?? On a day to day basis I have the basics...Mascara, Chocolate cherry lip gloss..and brown pencil for the eyebrows.

But I GET GLAM as hell when i want to. It's so much fun to Me. I don't run from color and go into into almost paralysis when i see a new color or product displayed. When Cover Girl came out with their mousse foundation, it looked SOOOO delicious i had to buy it...EVEN THOUGH I DONT USE COVER GIRL!! haha

And as much as I LOOOOOVE MAC eye-shadows, and Bronzers, and pencils, and glosses...I've been using Iman as my foundation for the past 8 years and as long as they keep making it...I'll keep wearing it. Iman has an yellow base color, MAC has an orange. Mac looks great on me the first five minutes, but i get a coppery tinge in my skin after. I hate that. My Iman has been tested and tried. Try sweating in hot sun in MAS Makeup, lol , or dancing a complete Manjani and still glowing after. Sigh.

Anyways, the whole point of this was.. here are some of my faces: