There are some things in this world that are undebatable:

1) Ellen Degeneres is hilarious
2) Ice Cream can cure any ailment (unless you're lactose intolerant in which case the ailment is only the beginning of the problem when Ice Cream is involved)
3) Moving is the devil's creation
4) There's nothing like a good home-cooked meal
5) Cat videos are highly entertaining

Another undeniable truth, and the one that I have most recently come to appreciate is that red lipstick makes a statement.  

I recently attended a good friend's wedding. It was an outdoor wedding, nothing too formal, but still formal.  For this wedding I bought a new dress.  I took a risk and went with a chiffon maxi.  If not properly accessorized it could end up looking like a gown, but I wore some formal flip-flops (yep, they exist) and my hair down.  As for the makeup, well the dress was bright red (another risky move), so, logically speaking, a red lip would be appropriate.

Here's the thing, never before, in my entire life, had I worn red lipstick.  Yes, maybe a dusty pink color, or a coral, but never red.  Red was for other people, more confident and stylish girls, not for me.  Red lipstick belongs on a runway and on the red carpet, not on my lips.  But, given that the dress was red, a dusty pink just wasn't going to cut it.  It had to be red.

So, I did my research, as I do, to determine which shade of red was appropriate for my skin tone, if red lipstick really did make sense for the occasion, how to properly apply red lipstick...by the time I bought the lipstick, I was thoroughly aware of the risk I was taking.  But I did it, I bought the lipstick.  It was more terrifying than any non life-or-death situation should be. Standing there, grabbing one shade of red, looking at it for a while, thinking, putting it back, only to grab another, to look at it, think, put it back.  For around 20 minutes.

 But I did it, I bought it.  Then I trial ran it.  I put the dress on, put the lipstick on, stood in front of the mirror.  You know, like a dress rehearsal.   Looked in the mirror for 20 minutes.  At this point my confidence was growing a bit.  I had the lipstick on.  It didn't look awful, in fact, it looked pretty good.  Matched my dress.  Didn't make me look like a street walker.  All good things.  After my 20 minutes in the mirror I came to the realization that the lipstick was sending me into a downward spiral of narcissism, self-consumption, and materialistic tendency.  All three things I am not and pride myself on not being.  So I put it all away until the day of the wedding.

But D-Day came.  Rehearsals in my own room were one thing, but wearing red lipstick in public, with an audience, well that was a whole other thing. As I held the lipstick to my face my brain developed all sorts of images, what-if scenarios.  Everyone in the room staring at me.  Everyone in the room thinking that I thought I was prettier, or cooler, than I actually am.  Everyone in the room thinking I wasn't being authentic to myself, or I was trying to be someone else.  Images of judgement came to me.  It was almost enough to make me put the lipstick away, if it weren't for the fact that I had mentioned to a few people that I was planning to wear red lipstick.  I didn't want to look like a coward.

So I did it.  I applied it with precision.  I lined my lips with foundation to keep the lines clean.  I puckered my lips against a paper towel to blot off excess.  I drank my soda through a straw, and then I headed out the door with a slight sensation of terror running through my body.

Guess what...people loved it...or they said nothing.  No judgy eyes.  No whole room staring.  No detriment whatsoever except my over attentiveness to reapplication of the lipstick.  All of that stress for nothing, except, surprisingly, a really high sense of self-esteem.

I felt great!  Like I was sexy.  Confident.  Feminine.  Bold.  And it wasn't alcohol induced because I was the designated driver.  It was definitely lipstick induced.

So why had I waited so long to try this magical red lipstick?  Almost 25 years of my life without it.  Fear.  That's why.  I was afraid.  I was afraid because somewhere along the way I got the thought in my brain that only women who were better than me wore red lipstick. When, in fact, women just like me, I, can wear red lipstick.  You don't have to be a model or the cool girl to wear red lipstick.  You just have to wear it.

So don't let society, or fashion magazines, or preconceived notions, tell you what to do.  If you want to wear red lipstick, wear it, because it feels pretty darn good when you do.

Keep on thinking,
Josie