Yes, that is the long and short of what I am all about. You could call me an Ulta cashier turned makeup addict, junkie, or whore–if that’s your preference, I am not offended. For the past 3 years, I have willingly surrounded myself with beauty products, and even more willingly surrendered all self-control in growing a collection that could compete with several of your favorite YouTubers in the beauty community.
Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration. But for a fame-lacking retail manager a year and a half into post-grad life, I should be ashamed of an overflowing 9-drawer Alex unit and a seemingly infinite amount of Ultamate Rewards points.
But hey, I’ve come to terms with the reality of my obsession, as have my co-workers, family, and friends. So why not share my self-proclaimed makeup expertise with a world full of strangers?
Now, you may be wondering why I haven’t taken to the magical world of YouTube to share my makeup experiences with you. Truthfully, I have little confidence that I am technologically capable of Tati-status videos, nor am I ready to invest in new cameras and lighting fixtures that will make my eyes pop on screen like Jaclyn Hill’s (not that I have Jaclyn Hill-status eyes to begin with). To be honest, I’m impressed that I was able to get this thing up and running within just a few hours.
But besides my unfamiliarity with what it would take to film successful YouTube videos, the reason behind this particular platform lies in my first and truest passion: writing. Ever since I was young enough to confuse there, their, and they’re, I have loved to write. And for years I told myself that one day I would become a published author, that I would write for a living, and that I would share creative fiction with the world. I enrolled in college as an English major, soaking up the classics and perfecting theses among others with a similar desire to rock the literary universe.
And then, I got a job at Ulta.
I happened to have a friend employed at my local Ulta Beauty, and I’d argue that she is how I landed a part-time job that quickly became a full-time infatuation (Thanks, girl!). I have since worked my way through several positions in the store, as well as endless amounts of beauty products that have left me craving all of the makeup in my sight.
Don’t get me wrong, working at Ulta didn’t change my love for written word, and it didn’t keep me from graduating with the intention of one day starting a career that would depend on 4 years of college experience. But what my employment at Ulta has done is inspired a new creative outlet–a sometimes pricey, space consuming, and perhaps misunderstood outlet–that has brought me as much joy in the past few years as writing has throughout my life.
So now I am going to try my best to blend my two passions as seamlessly as possible. I know I am up against a lot in the beauty blogger world. YouTubers are becoming as famous as movie stars, and, let’s face it, I’ll never reach that level.
But quite honestly, I don’t care. This blog is more for me than anyone else; yes, I hope that others can learn and laugh with me here. But regardless of whether or not anyone is listening (well, reading) I’m going to talk (…write). This is how I’m going to pursue what I enjoy. This is when I’m going to stop concealing my true passion. This is where makeup will meet wordplay.