It’s All In The Bag

 

So, a few months ago, my daughter started talking about this little bag she was treating herself to, that she was getting every month by mail, as were her roommates, with little goodies in it.
I really didn’t think much of it at first; There are a gamut of monthly things online that you can order, and most of them are pretty pricey. Sure, there were discounts being offered because of the holidays, but, many of these boxes contain lots of “stuff” like mugs, gym bags, makeup compacts, scarves, etc. in them, and I’ve been trying to keep life lighter, having purged and downsized. I was somewhat intrigued by how many there are, and did look into a few, but I just couldn’t validate spending money to receive a box full of stuff, most of the items being surprises, and probably things that I wouldn’t use. I’ve recently told my friends, that anything I now bring into my home has to be consumable…you know, like food, wine, and chocolate…no more “stuff”…
…(I wasn’t kidding about the wine or the chocolate.)
I nixed the majority of these kits…monthly clothing kits, picked for you by your own personal shopping consultant, shoes and boots each month, to add to your collection… Believe me, I LOVE me some shoes, but I’m MORE than equipped there….work out clothing, which I also have plenty of, being a dancer, choreographer, and ashtanga yogi, not to mention the half dozen pairs of “buttery soft” Lularoe leggings that I’ve acquired in the last year or so; They are cozy for sure.
The average gift box is about $40 per month, and that’s really just too steep for me, and, unnecessary in my world. I mean, I’ll splurge, once in a great while on something that I know someone else would really appreciate, but, if it’s for me, I have to really think long and hard. I’d rather go see a Broadway musical than spend money on anything else, and I pride myself in finding discounts there for sure. If it’s just too pricey, I’ll wait. A good show with tickets that are hard to find, will be around for a while.
So, when she went into more detail about this little bag that’s $10 a month, that contains 5 makeup items in it, I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I was worth 10 bucks a month…$120 bucks a year….and it wasn’t even a monthly commitment, unless I chose for it to be. I came up with every excuse NOT to do it for myself…I hadn’t really been wearing makeup often at all, hadn’t been getting out much in fact, and working out or dancing, I don’t wear makeup, unless performing. I also looked at my collection of makeup…two or three lipsticks, one blush, from who knows when, 1 or 2 applicator brushes, a bunch of liners, a foundation and a concealer stick for teenage blemishes….yeah, I’m no teenager. I do, however, love mascara, and had several of those, having replaced them recently, and bought some extras for readily replacing…mostly good ‘ol maybelline, like I’ve been using since…forever.
I also looked at my skin…it looked tired. I do use a moisturizer every day, but I haven’t really paid much attention to my face on an ongoing basis; It’s clean and moisturized, and —it’s a face. I do know now though, that over the last stressful year, my eyelashes had thinned, but I thought it was age, or the weather, or the age of my mascara, so I just bought new mascara.
And then, my friend, whom I have known for many years, left me a little goodie bag in my master bathroom, after a get together, and it was eye cream. Yup. Just eye cream, 0h,  and a note, that said “every girl needs a good eye cream”.
Did she think I looked tired too? Did she know I wasn’t taking time for myself?
Of course she knew…because she’s made from the same mold! The one that produces women who care for others, but not ourselves.
Well, rather than take offense, I took note, literally, and I used that eye cream that same night. In fact, Over the next few days, I went out and bought myself a new moisturizer…a better one for nighttime, and a couple of makeup applicators. And then…I ordered that little bag for myself.
The first one arrived, containing 5 small makeup items, which seemed frivolous to me, and many of the items were a sort of orangey clay color. I’m petite, with short auburn hair, and I tried two of the items in that color, together, and decided this might’ve been a really bad idea. Not the trying them together, but having ordered the bag at all.
Who decides what colors I should wear when no one has even asked me anything about my features? There was a brief questionnaire, but it was more about likes, and hair type. Believe me, I told them I have very curly, dry hair, and a love for mascara…and, lo and behold, one of the items WAS a mascara…oh yeah, and under eye cream! What did they know? Who, of my friends had they been talking to? WHAT’S WITH THE EYE CREAM?! I don’t even think they knew how old I am. Soooo, I got drastic, and I threw away the teenage blemish concealer. Somehow, some way, they were onto me.
I decided now, that it was time to really take action…I bought a facial scrub.
And then I bought a fancy, schmancey exfoliant body scrub…oh, and some body butter. Was this a sneaky way to get me to support the rest of the sales market?!
I stepped away from the clay colored stuff, and indulged in my new face care regimen. And, in about two weeks, I began to notice something…I looked less tired, and people were also mentioning that I looked better, and I still wasn’t even wearing makeup.
And then, I decided with the next little bag just about to arrive, that it was time.
I took my newly cared for skin, a few applicators, some time and some care, and those clay colored shadows and blush, and I applied them as suggested before going out one evening. You know what? I looked pretty good. Better than pretty good.
I even took a selfie to send to my daughter, and she agreed. Those two darn orangey/clay shades have now become my go to makeup shades. Yup. Pathetic.
My next little bag arrived with an eye liner, a lipstick, a hair serum (Yahoooooo!) another orange shade (I kid you not) and something else that I cannot recall for the life of me. The little bag itself, was cuter this time, (shiny, silver, wintery looking; if it’s shiny, it’s for me!) I checked out each item carefully, having reviewed what I had liked and did not, and it was more customized to my liking– bonus! The bags get better!
I’m addicted to the hair serum; it’s perfect for my curls, tames them, and smells like coconut. I love that! (They should send a piña colada with it.)
And I’ve now received my January bag… When I saw that shiny, pink, puffy envelope in my mailbox, I was overjoyed….not because of what might actually BE inside of it, but because it was for me. Okay, yes, it’s REALLY, REALLY shiny, but it holds such promise, such possibility, and a reminder that I need to do FOR myself, that I’m worth it, and that I deserve to take care of my “foundation” to be able to build upon it.
And yes, it’s all in the bag.