Pucker Up

I have big lips.

I always have. Obviously. I've come to terms with the size of the appendages around the eating hole on my face. This wasn't always the way. There were many years where my dissatisfaction with my lips was only exceeded by my hate for my nose. My little sister teased me for years about them. Lest ye feel badly for me about this, you should know that I was merciless in my torture of her in return. There were no innocent victims.

As an adult, I've come to see that my lips are not the detriment I once thought they were. And big lip advocates like Angelina Jolie have gone a long way towards increasing acceptance.

But because of my lips, I have never once entertained the notion of using a lip enhancer. The last thing I need is MORE lip. Last week I was the lucky recipient of $100 of ELF cosmetics at the MomzShare party I attended. If you know ELF, you know that $100 goes a long, long way with them. As I was going through all of the goodies, creating two piles: one to keep and one to give away because it was the wrong color or something I couldn't/wouldn't use, I noticed there was a lip "plumper" included. Naturally, I put it in the give away pile. But my curiosity got the better of me and I found myself reading the box and opening it up.

Before I knew it, I had smeared the stuff all over my lips. And because I can't do anything halfway, I put it on nice and thick. Didn't want to miss a spot.

I'm not sure if that stuff is pepper or cinnamon or what, but good lord it burns like an egg on a sidewalk in late July. Turns out that is how it works, by agitating the sensitive skin. They should put a warning on the side of the box: THIS SHIT BURNS!

I suffer for fashion and vanity: hours and hours at the gym, high heel shoes, panty hose, spanx. I thank my lucky stars that this is one area where I can be fine with what I have.