REAL BEAUTY

The transformative power of beauty affects a whole life

- TRINA EPILEPSIA BOUTAIN

I began my journey into beauty the same way most people do—through my mom and her makeup stash. I started by sneaking peeks whenever she got ready, asking what each product did, or I watched her as she styled her hair and did her nails. Then I started to experiment on myself.

Beauty was fun then. I was told I was pretty and I believed my mom, as most kids do.

Then as I got older, my interest in makeup, and beauty as a whole, started to change. Puberty came on. I got acquainted with self-care products like deodorants, lotions, etc. This was also the time when I started to deviate from my mother. She was, let’s say, “privileged” to be hairless, clear-skinned and she somehow did not sweat. She did not have the same issues I had growing up, and I started to learn that not everything my mom says is true. Not quite. She was confused as to why I wanted to shave, why I needed an anti-perspirant, why I needed those pads with wings.

She also didn’t understand why I was so interested in makeup. She only used it sparingly and only when she had an occasion to wear it.

My mom, you see, was born beautiful and believed herself to be beautiful. I didn’t see myself the same way. I felt like I needed makeup to “be beautiful.”

The way I saw it, I did not look like my mom and I certainly did not look like the models and actresses I saw on television and magazines. I also didn’t look like any of the Disney Princesses.

But I was also really attracted to makeup because makeup itself is so beautiful. The colors, the textures, the different forms that they come in. Yes, it’s a lot of marketing and advertising, but honestly, who doesn’t pass by the MAC counter and not want to stop?