Saga of smokey eyes, beautiful inside out

Since my adolescent days in boarding school, I differed with my peers on my opinion on the use of cosmetics.

- Veenat Arora

Since my adolescent days in boarding school, I differed with my peers on my opinion on the use of cosmetics. While my friends enjoyed experimenting with lipsticks, eyeliners, and eyeshadows, I instinctively avoided them. They eagerly looked forward to opportunities from birthday celebrations to farewell functions to movie outings when they could happily roam around with their makeup on. I enjoyed those parties and outings but felt content with my natural look. Perhaps this inclination was inherited from my mother, who never showed much interest in beauty products. Unlike her friends, she stayed away from hair dyes, bleaching creams, and other cosmetics of her era. However, she never imposed her preferences on us. In fact, she once enrolled my sister in a cosmetology course during the summer vacation.