"The Perfect Shade"

"Hum Teri Yaad Se Katra Ke Guzar Jate Magar, 

Raah Mein Phoolon Ke Lab

Saayon Ke Gesu Aaye

Rang Baatein Karein Aur Baaton Se Khushboo Aaye

Dard Phoolon Ki Tarah Mehkey Agar Tu Aaye"

Hi everyone,

On the risk of sounding pretty shallow and quite superficial I am going to admit that the thing I adore right after my immediate family and friends is a tube of lipstick. It falls right before a cup of freshly brewed tea and not far off from a smile of my child. I have been romancing the shade of lipstick that is yet to be found (sadly not quite as adventurously as Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas romanced The Stone). I have been chasing the perfect shade all through my adult life. 

It can be a drugstore brand priced at only $2.99, or a French brand from a fancy schmancy store, costing me my arm and my husband's leg. The kick is the same; with different price tags but nevertheless priceless! A tube of lipstick has an absolute power to turn an ordinary day, from my very generic life, into an extraordinary day. There is nothing a cup of tea or a tube of lipstick won't cure as far as my down days are concerned.  

Last month I went hunting for the perfect shade with two of my daughters. Standing at a makeup counter trying on different shades on the back of my hand is when I am the happiest as a woman. The three of us tried same shade, but it looked different on all of us. The sales girl's explanation is always that it's due to the difference in the pigmentation of our lips. I believe a tube of lipstick is more intelligent and thoughtful than that. Red lipstick is going to be red on everyone, but it's going to pick up on the essence of the lady who is wearing it and adapt to her soul just like a great fragrance or a good friend does!

I spent a day thinking about why a tube of color holds so much power over me. The obvious answer would be that I let it! But why not go for less obvious ones? Perhaps it makes me feel like a celebrity who is chased by paparazzi, perhaps it takes me to exotic islands where I have never been and for sure never will go, perhaps it takes my mind off my problems that I can't seem to solve, perhaps it takes me by hand and walks me towards escapism. It undoubtedly supports my denials with great panache and in stunning shades. 

It seems as all the colors from my desires, from my aspirations, and from my unfulfilled dreams have melted down into a tube of lipstick. Although I don't have that many hues in my personality, a tube of lipstick has stolen so many shades from me. I look at a new color from a new collection and think in my silly little head that it was only made for me. That's how this product of less than an ounce gets me and carries so much weight in my life. 

Having chiseled features, luscious lips, and expressive eyes (which are a paradigm of female beauty), might not be every woman's dream but it sure was mine. I am very well aware of the harsh fact that all mentioned above are God given, but a tube of lipstick is like a loyal friend that always keeps you in hope and abounds you with a promise of looking beautiful. And for that exuberance, at times I am tempted to pay even more than what it costs.  

I eagerly await any new line that comes out with new spring/summer/fall shades as I do for any of the four seasons. My daughters know of my indulgence and try to outdo each other in keeping me updated as well as educated about new formulas. 

To this day the pursuit for the perfect shade blended in with the right formula is on! This most harmless chase takes me places which might not even exist, at least not outside my head. The scarlet red takes me back to the day I got married, mod pink kicks in nostalgia from 70s, (the decade that belonged to me) poppy coral takes me on a one way flight to the Bahamas, ominous burgundy gives such a boost to my esteem and my confidence that for some odd reason no one messes with me the day I have it on. And the ultimate fuschia dictates, defines, as well as determines my femininity. 

I always tend to shop for a lifestyle that I certainly don't have. Since a lipstick here and there is not a huge bank breaking investment, it can easily be justified as one of the greatest pick me ups man invented for woman. The unfounded shade has been playing hard to get all through my life and I certainly don't mind this chase. My good friend asked me recently, what will I do if I find the perfect shade. I replied, "I have no intention of finding one or else I would have found it by now!".

Much love,

Shehla