My first foray into make-up was when I was 15, when I began wearing black eyeliner on my lower waterline. No mascara. It was the 'cool' look at the time and I felt pretty edgy with my long, straight emo hair. It required a whole lot of reapplying throughout the school day, but it was worth it.
I also remember loving a double ended purple eyeliner - lilac one end and dark purple on the other, it was my most expensive purchase at £5. Sadly I lent it to a friend, and it was promptly thrown into the school bin by a boy who fancied her. I took this loss pretty hard and didn't wear make-up again for three years.
After much cajoling, my Mum and sister convinced me to put on mascara for my Christmas school dance. Aged 18, I still felt self conscious wearing it but they made such a big fuss I went along.
Not long afterwards, a friend of mine introduced me to liquid eyeliner. A little line and a flick and I discovered my eyes looked bigger, my lashes longer. Best of all, it stayed on all night! This was my kind of make-up. Off I went to university, armed and ready.
Over the next few months I experimented bit by bit with powder, purple eyeshadow, pink lipstick and peach blusher. I strongly remember going to class in my second week of term wearing a bright blue eyeshadow that perfectly matched my Primark t-shirt and cord trousers. So cool.
Next came the smoky eye, which I still have a great love for. Silver eyeshadow blended with dark blue was my staple look for a night out.
Nowadays I'm much more of a homebody so I don't often wear a lot of make-up, but I'm completely in love with what I do own. It's exciting to try different looks, to find what really suits me and to go out feeling good. I can finally say that I love make-up!
When did you start wearing make-up? Was it love at first sight?
