Makeover

 Several months ago, I posted about looking for an age-appropriate makeup routine. One morning last week, as I was getting ready for work, I realized I'd settled into one.

No, it hasn't removed the wrinkles, created perfection, or turned back time even a little. And no, it most certainly does not make me look the least bit like my young adult students, many of whom embrace beauty routines that make them look as though they've leapt from the pages of a magazine or have arrived at class directly from shooting an Instagram Reel. Kudos to them, but honestly, I don't want to work that hard, or spend that much time (or money) getting ready every day.

And that realization was as much a part of my journey as figuring out what changes I needed to make. 

Along the way, I decided on a few other things, too. The makeup marketed to "mature women" and touted by celebrities? 

Not for me. I wanted clean and moderately priced. And products that didn’t require an arsenal of tools.

In the end, the changes I made were small ones. Swapping out a matte foundation for one that gave my face a little more glow to offset the wrinkles. Choosing a blush stick with a creamy base that added moisture instead of drawing attention to every crease. Spending the biggest chunk of my budget on the moisturizing products that go on first -- the ones that no one sees, but that give me a foundation for the foundation. 

The changes have been mostly minor, and I suspect I'm not finished experimenting yet. I am, however, clearer on my goals, as well as what I can fix and what I can't.

As I was deciding on what to try, I also started paying closer attention to the skin of women my age and older -- both real people and celebrities. And you know what? They have wrinkles, too. Creases and crinkles that come to life when they smile. Things I never noticed until I started looking for them. 

Despite swapping out a few old products for some new ones, my desired end result hasn’t changed. I want a little-fuss, little-bother routine that makes me look my best without taking too much time. I have never been someone who likes to spend hours getting ready and, as it turns out, my current crop of wrinkles and creases has not changed that one iota.

This beauty thing is a fine line, so to speak. It's easy to get lost in what we've lost -- a youthful, crease-free face -- and much harder to accept that the changes really are just surface level. For those who want to turn back time, many options exist. But I've learned that, no matter how much I cringe at photos taken of me in a certain light or at a certain angle, I don't want to go to too much trouble. Whether that's laziness, fear, pride, or some degree of self-acceptance, I'm not sure. 

I just know I'm only willing to devote so much energy to a battle I cannot possibly win. At some point, it's time to accept the face I have, maybe even embrace its flaws as a reflection of the life I’ve enjoyed. 

And that’s not something that comes in any bottle or tube. 

P. S. Sorry about the lack of color today. No matter what I tried, I could not get a photo to upload.