Dress Up And A Makeup Tip!

When I was a little girl, I loved to play dress up.  (Okay, okay!  Confession:  I still love to play dress up.)

A couple of times a year, my parents would load all of us into the family mini van for a road trip to my grandma's house.  We would would drive for hours and hours across some of the ugliest, most barren, most desolate land (that some people call Idaho) until we reached the small, beautiful city of Emmett.  (Kind of like the Emerald City, but with no wizard and LOTS of potatoes.)  The long drive, the carsickness, the obnoxious siblings, and Mom's awful, "slow sounds/light FM" radio station was all worth it.  Because a road trip to Grandma's house meant two things (besides me getting to eat all the Mambas and Cheetohs I wanted):

It meant I would get to see my grandma!  (And hug her and kiss her and squeeze her and snuggle her!)

And, I would get to play dress up with the old costume jewelry in her cedar box.

I loved that box--the smoothness of the lid beneath my hand, the sweet and slightly woodsy smell of it, the satisfying snap the lid made when the box closed.  I loved the jewelry contained inside.  Strands of pearls and cameo brooches.  Colorful, beaded, "old lady" clip-on earrings.  Gold lockets on chains and rings missing rhinestones.  I never hesitated to adorn myself with everything in the box!

I inherited the beloved box when my dear grandma passed away.  It was the only thing I wanted.  Monetarily, it's not worth much.  But to me and my sentimental heart, it's priceless.  Whenever I start to miss my grandma, or yearn to hear the sound of her laughter, or wish I could hug her again, I pull out my box and smell the inside.  I close my eyes and breathe in the cedar wood and the old perfume.  It smells like her.  It smells like childhood memories.

Surely, it delights my heart beyond measure to see that my daughter also relishes "the art of the dress up!"  She has a passion for makeup, jewelry, and nailpolish, and as much as it terrifies the jeebies out of my husband, I adore it.  We have periodic "spa days"--complete with manis and pedis.  She has a large box full of princess gowns, tutus, and crowns, that she loves to play with.  If she asks me to wear one of the crowns, I'm much obliged! 

Last week, she wandered into the bathroom while I was doing my own makeup.  Bangles graced her pencil-like wrists and pearls hung around her neck.  She was wearing a fluffy pink dress and was carrying a purse underneath her arm.  Her pretty little face was done up in purple eyeshadow and rosy blush--"play" makeup from her Hello Kitty cosmetic case.  She watched me a moment, then asked, "Do you need any help with that?"

I smiled and said, "No, Lil.  I think I got it.  But...I see you've done your makeup like a pro!  I HAVE to ask...what is your best makeup tip, dahling?"

She thought about my question for a moment, then replied, "You can't forget to draw on more eyebrows.  Maybe with a pen?  That is important!"