Do it Now! Do it Now! Do it Now!

I rarely ever wear make-up. My sister sold Mary-Kay in the mid 90's and would beg me, hound me, pester me endlessly about purchasing product. "Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!" That was Mary Kay's sales motto. I took that motto later in life and made it, "I'm a DIN DIN girl! Do it now, do it now, do it now!" Then I would dart off to take care of whatever task I was referring to.

Needless to say, I may have purchased one item that I can remember from her and that was a perfume named, "Angel Fire." Perfume I could do because it would not lead me to addiction. I figured if I were to start wearing make-up early on in life, I would have to wear make-up for the rest of my life. She tried to give me free make-up, too. Just like a pusher of anything that people know will lead to repeat sales, I was on to that tactic.

Yesterday I spoke with my aunt who lives in Virginia by way of DUO (Facetime for Apple users). She commented oddly-- because she felt it odd, "Are you wearing make-up?" I replied, "No." She said, "Oh! It looks like you have something on." I told her that I had started taking vitamin E for skin and nails. The other odd thing about this conversation was that just a week earlier my sister, who knows me to rarely wear make-up asked me while chatting on Duo if I was wearing make-up. I again replied, "No."

Aging is not for sissies was an oft used phrase at the independent retirement community I worked for from 2010-2014. Those little white ladies wanted to make sure that I understood "aging" to be not for the faint of heart. I remember at least two residents who fussed and fretted over their make-up. Sammie and Nellie had to have that eyeliner on straight and that lipstick on square. One woman had a mobile chair. She had suffered a stroke and the health care worker I am sure had to apply her lipstick every 3 hours. Her first stop when entering the common area was to preen and prod in the 4 foot mirror. The other would always ask anyone around who was in ear shot if her half inch in depth eyebrows were on straight. They looked like subtraction signs.

Even as a young adult I had this nagging feeling that I wanted no parts of make-up. These 80 and 90 year olds verified my hunch and solidified my stance. I wear make-up like I wear evening gowns, when the occasion arises.