Like so many things in life, it all started with an innocent conversation.
It was a random Saturday morning, and Beth and I were having a random conversation. During this conversation, she was simultaneously scrolling the internet when she came upon some exciting and extremely sharable news.
The makeup emporium, Sephora was having a sale! That led to all sorts of chatter, possibilities, and list-making,
If you know us at all, you know we love a lot of things, makeup being one of them. And where I love everything about makeup, and stay abreast of what’s trending, Beth is particularly fond of lipstick.
We both wear a daily lip color. But that’s about where the similarity ends.
Beth favors deep, pigmented colors with a dry matte finish. From sweet cherry to plum purple, to dark eggplant, to dusty grape, these rich, saturated colors with a flat finish beautifully enhance her caramel skin tone.
I, on the other hand, am drawn to a much lighter lip finish. Very rarely do I wear a matte finish. I live in the “my-lips-but-better” category of color. I’m drawn to the pinky-brownish shades. Nudes for a woman of color, all the way to raspberries and creamy spice. Delicate shades in lipsticks, lip glosses, and stains.
Somehow on this particular Saturday morning in this conversation we thought it would be fun to swap lipstick colors and finishes. Beth would go pinks, neutrals, and nudes, and I would rock a vampy, moody, sexy lip.
We planned to do it for a week. And by the way, neither one of us needed the Sephora sale to do this week-long switch. Believe me when I say, we already had everything the experiment demanded.
The results of the week-long swap
We both had a blast with our new looks.
Of course, Beth, who was used to much deeper colors, had that nagging feeling something was missing for the first few days. She also admitted to feeling like she had lost some of her personal power. She felt more like a girl than a woman. But after a few days, she felt fresh, flirty, and ready for Spring in her new light, soft pallet.
I, on the other hand, was rather shy and awkward doing my regular errands, like taking books back to the library, in deep, dark eggplant-colored lips. Or cherry-red matte lips as I walked into Trader Joe’s to pick up a couple of bags of frozen cauliflower.
But once I settled into the looks, wearing them all over town, I started owning the look and feeling rather secure, rather sassy.
When Beth and I compared notes at the end of the week, we both realized we had learned far more than we had imagined.
Here are some key takeaways from both of us during our color swap:
(Penny) Embrace Versatility -
By trying shades and finishes outside of my usual preferences, I discovered I can pull off a wider range of looks than I originally thought.
It made me realize that we, as older women, should not feel limited to a narrow beauty routine. Instead, experimentation is a good thing as well as always looking for new ways to express our personalities.
(Penny) Appreciating a Different Perspective –
Swapping lip colors with Beth allowed me to see her through a different lens.
By temporarily adopting her makeup style, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for her beauty choices.
But more importantly, beyond makeup, this translates to recognizing the value in considering viewpoints different from my own and being less critical of those differences in people.
(Beth) Confidence and Self-Acceptance –
Stepping out of my comfort zone, even in a small way like changing my lip color, boosted my confidence and self-acceptance.
I felt more comfortable in my skin after the experiment, despite initially feeling uncertain about my new look.
I get that we can discover a lot about ourselves and our abilities when we make an effort to take risks and try new things.
(Beth) Discovering Hidden Talents –
By trying out a makeup style that was outside my usual, I may have discovered a hidden talent or ability.
I realized what Penny had been doing all along was using two or three colors to create her look.
By the end of the week, I must say my application looked pretty, pretty good!
I may have discovered a new skill that might translate to my other creative endeavors, like painting my wooden furniture or mixing yarn colors for a knitted sweater.
(Penny and Beth) Appreciating the Power of Transformation.
Our little swap gave both Beth and me a sense of transformation – in seeing ourselves in a whole new light.
Something as simple as changing lip color made us feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and more in touch with different aspects of our personalities.
I guess the biggest lesson for our mature women's community is it’s never too late for a little self-discovery and transformation, disguised simply as fun. ❤️
What a fun experiment. I love red lips, but they make my teeth look SO yellow. Different red, perhaps.