Hay Queen!
  • Home
  • Hair
    • Natural Hair
    • Hair Queens
  • Style
  • Skin Care
  • Makeup
  • Queenly Inspiration
  • About
    • Partnerships
  • Contact
  • My Work

Satin Ribbon: An epiphany about unwanted lipstick

7/13/2016

12 Comments

 
-by Kara White
Alicia Burke
​
A couple of months ago I bought a new lipstick from Ulta Beauty. My interest in makeup was steadily growing at the time. I already wore foundation, eyeliner, mascara and concealer; I knew how to highlight and contour my face- and I thought that having great lipstick would be the next step to improving my “beat-face” skills. I inquired to my friends about good and affordable lipstick brands. All of them informed me that NYX Cosmetics had great lipstick and I could purchase them from Ulta. I researched colors for my complexion and learned that the popular colors to have in one’s makeup collection are:  red, nude, pink, and some variation of a dark color. 
I went to Ulta and spent over an hour picking out makeup and lipstick. One of the lip colors that I chose was, “Satin Ribbon,” a nude lip-gloss that had a matte finish. The employee who helped me told me it was a great long-lasting lippie and it also looked nice when I tested it on my hand, so I bought it.

​When I got home I tried on all of the lipsticks that I bought. “Satin Ribbon,” which I was so excited about buying, looked terrible on me. Ulta had a return policy that allowed customers to return open cosmetics for up to 90 days. I told myself that I would exchange the color for something that complimented me better. However, weeks went buy and I returned to Ulta several times but I never exchanged the lipstick. There would be times I would leave home solely to go to Ulta, with the correct receipt, but I would still knowingly leave “Satin Ribbon” at home. Why would I do this? I knew the lipstick looked terrible on me and I would never wear it, but I continued to hold on to it. 

About a month passed and I was preparing to hang out with some of my girlfriends. I had finished my makeup and I was looking for the perfect lipstick, so I tried on the nude lip again. Nothing had changed. It still looked horrible. Another month passed, this time I was in Las Vegas with my friends. I tried on the nude lip before going out and I looked like a clown. I put the lipstick away and I told myself that I wouldn’t waste any more time with the color.

​Today I woke up this morning and applied very little makeup. Because I was preparing to go to Starbucks to do some lesson planning, I thought a simple lip would be best. I looked in my makeup (where I have at least 10 lipsticks at this point) and I tried on the “Satin Ribbon” again. I looked like a clown. I even tried to put my favorite lip-gloss over it and hoped that somehow the combination would make it better, but it only made me look like a shiny clown. I realized that no matter what gloss or lip liner I added, “Satin Ribbon” just was not for me. So why did I hold on to it for so long? It wasn’t expensive, but is that a valid reason to keep something I didn’t need? I had plenty of opportunities to exchange the color, give it away to a girlfriend, or simply throw it away, but I chose none of these options. I allowed it to stay in my makeup bag, take up space, and to fill me with false hope. 

Picture
​And as I began to wipe the lipstick off, I had an epiphany. “Satin Ribbon” was like a man. As single women we oftentimes spend so much energy and time looking for the right man. We ask friends, family members, and church members if they know any good, single men. 
If someone shows you who they are, or if God reveals that a person is not for you in the beginning, then you need to believe them. 
We meet someone and after one date we immediately know if they are not for us. However, because we have longed for a relationship for months, or maybe years we keep them around. We may not communicate with them daily, but whenever we want a little company we hit them with the “you up” text or “what you doing?” text. Knowing in reality we don't care what they may be doing, we just want to satisfy our flesh. And each time you hang out with that individual you know that they are not someone you would actually date, nor are they the person you want a genuine friendship with. 

If someone shows you who they are, or if God reveals that a person is not for you in the beginning, then you need to believe them. Hanging onto people for comfort or to just say that you have someone is going to be more hurtful than helpful in the long run. 

​Some tests God allows us to endure so we can be stronger and learn to depend on him. But far too often we allow ourselves to go through trials because we ignored God’s voice in the beginning. We cannot wear two lipsticks at once, hoping that the second conceals the color of the first. Neither can we serve two masters. Choose for yourself what you will wear and whom you will serve. 

Kara White

​Kara White is a 24-year-old lover of life. She enjoys feeling free and living in her destiny. In her free time, Kara likes to travel, read and participate in athletic activities.

Kara earned her Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Math Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, and is currently pursuing her Masters in Education. She works as a high school math and engineering teacher in St. Louis.

Picture
12 Comments
Jasmine Camille
7/14/2016 12:16:01 pm

We definitely as women hold on to things hoping to revamp and nurture it into something that would gives us instant gratification when we think about it! Everything or everyone can't be our little project. It's good to let things go so we can find something better more suitable.

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:25:53 pm

Jasmine this is so true! Furthermore, we have to remember to always to continue to work on and be honest with ourselves.

Reply
Kayla Loveless
7/14/2016 03:06:25 pm

I really enjoyed this blog post. What's even funnier is that I had a similar experience with a nude lip from Ulta and went through the same process. Sometimes we don't know how to let go. This post was definitely an eye opener.

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:26:51 pm

Thank you Kayla! From now on we both need to try the lipstick on all the way before we buy!

Reply
Jade Russell
7/14/2016 05:13:16 pm

I lovedddd this! This has been the story of my life for some years now and i finally realized that enough was enough. Had to let go and quit holding on to something or someone who was no good for me.
Well said Kara.

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:29:01 pm

Thank you so much Jade! And congrats on letting go! I'm sure many more blessings will be flowing your way!

Reply
J. Rivers
7/14/2016 07:52:22 pm

I didn't know where it was going at first and I'm thinking "I'm going to miss the point. I don't know anything about makeup". However, I'm glad I kept reading lol. Made a lot of sense and was a great way to drive home the message. Great job!

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:30:42 pm

Thank you so much for continuing to read J!

Reply
Bryan L.
7/14/2016 08:30:34 pm

This is a great read! I look forward to reading more of your work. I drew many parallels that I can relate to even though I've never worn lipstick.

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:31:23 pm

Thank you Bryan! It's great to know that male readers were able to take something away from this piece!

Reply
Stacy Hofmann
7/14/2016 11:43:55 pm

Kara! As always, you are so impressive :) I look forward to more of your wisdom and insights.

Reply
Kara
7/16/2016 10:23:52 pm

Thank you so much Stacy!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    July 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Hair
    • Natural Hair
    • Hair Queens
  • Style
  • Skin Care
  • Makeup
  • Queenly Inspiration
  • About
    • Partnerships
  • Contact
  • My Work
✕