When I first started using makeup, I was maybe in the seventh grade. I couldn't have been more excited to get started. I had been begging my mother to do my makeup since I was in the fifth grade, and she always told me that I was 'too young.' It wasn't until around seventh grade that my mother finally gave in to my pleading and allowed me to buy some basic makeup items: an eyeliner pencil, some mascara, and lip gloss. I couldn't have been more thrilled. I remember spending hours just re-applying the lip gloss and perfecting the best eyeliner wing that I could muster. Gradually as I got older, my makeup collection grew, along with my interest in eyeliner. Particularly, liquid eyeliner.
Around eighth grade, I began to experiment heavily with eyeliner. I was also going through a scene phase at time, so the results were nothing less than cringe-worthy. Yes, I'm guilty of applying eyeliner to the point where I resembled a raccoon. At the time I thought I looked good, but looking back, I can't help but laugh at my makeup skills.
Sophomore year of high school, I was out of my scene phase, and was looking for a new style. The band t-shirts and fake piercings gradually worked their way out of my wardrobe, but the winged eyeliner stayed, although it definitely grew to be more sophisticated.
I began to spend more time doing my eyeliner and perfecting my wing. Of course, there were days when one line would be thicker than the other, or one wing was longer than the other, but I refused to give up. It got to the point where I wouldn't leave my house until my eyeliner was perfect. Yes, no matter how many Q-Tips or time was necessary, I wasn't leaving. Little by little, it became easier to do my eyeliner everyday. People would ask me how I did my eyeliner so well, and I would simply tell them: practice. Lots and lots of practice.
Now, as a freshman in college, I still rock the winged eyeliner. It overall just makes me happy with the way I look, it makes my eyes look bigger, and it's a classic style that goes with just about any occasion. To me, there will never be a greater feeling then achieving perfect eyeliner on the first try, or opening a new package of liquid eyeliner, ready to be used. Yes, it all sounds very frivolous and materialistic, I know. But I see nothing wrong with being proud of who you are, whether it's yourself as a person or the type of styles that you wear. I've spent years growing into the young woman that I am today, and while I still have a long way to go, I'm comforted in knowing that I've adopted a signature look that will remain constant throughout the years. Some girls have piercing eyes, or statement-making eyebrows. I have my eyeliner, and I'm proud of it.
