Blasts from the Past
When I was a young girl, almost like clockwork each evening, I’d watch my mom scurry to the bathroom in a panic to quickly fix her hair and apply some lipstick… this always happened right as we’d hear the garage door open, signaling that my dad was home from work. To put it simply, my mom is, and always has been, a pretty low-maintenance woman. She grew up in a modest home with her parents, uncle, and four siblings in a small town in India, and as the eldest of five, she was accustomed to constantly putting others’ needs before her own. As such, clothes and makeup were never a priority or even a remote interest of hers.
Enter my father. Though he too had a humble upbringing, he always had champagne tastes and caviar dreams, and was determined to make it in America. He far exceeded this goal thanks to, in his own words, “hard work and lots of luck”. Though he loved my mom (and has only grown more in love with her over their 30+ years together), he has long-held the traditional belief that a woman should always be well-presented, and my mom’s lack of concern with her looks was a frequent point of contention for the two. However, in an effort to avoid tension at home, my mom had this nightly hair-and-lipstick routine to give the illusion that she had looked fabulous all day. I recall this memory, because the only make up I remember my mother regularly wearing is lipstick (see picture below). And I remember thinking then, and even up to 5 years ago, that I would never wear lipstick (it just seemed so “grown up”). But if you saw me on the streets today (literally, on this very day), the first thing you’d probably notice are my bright pink lips. Which, brings me to my first point (aside from my mom being awesome): lipstick has made an aggressive reappearance on the makeup front, and not just on moms, but on teens and women in their twenties (which is not to say that they aren’t moms too, but you catch my drift). Whereas lipstick was a staple of the more mature woman in the past, ladies of all ages are sporting bright hues on their lips in recent months.
Another distinct childhood memory I have is of my late 80’s/early 90’s fashion - scrunchies, leg warmers, neon colors, matching jean pants and jacket, to name a few of my then favorite items - all of which I swore I’d never wear again unless it was for Halloween or a themed party. However, it’s safe to say that I have willingly worn all of the aforementioned attire in the past year, aside from the jeans and denim jacket duo. Which, brings me to my second point. Also trending right now (or again) is neon. Neon shades are everywhere, from handbags to skinny jeans to jewelry… and of course, in makeup palettes. And herein lies the inspiration for the title of this post - the culmination of 2 trends of the past - lipstick + neon.
My favorite neon lip shade of the moment is NARS’ Schiap. This semi-matte lipstick is intensely opaque and the perfect touch to your summer music festival get-up (or for a regular night out on the town when you’re feeling sassy). Use a pink liner with this rich pigment and, as this lipstick can be slightly drying, I suggest applying lip balm beforehand for smoother application.
Photo source: narscosmetics.com
