Somebody Gets Me: The Day the Mascara or the Spritz Meant the World
A while ago, yours truly moved from New York City to Greenwich, CT. I left the idyllic family utopia of North Battery Park and landed in the idyllic family utopia of Fairfield County, albeit a very different utopia.
I try to "get" people, and it's hard. Thank goodness some people return the favor.
I have everything in this new life, full stop, period.
The only caveat is that I feel the lack of that extraordinary energy that NYC provides, that once constantly enveloped me. Partly to regain a bit of energy (and partly just to utilize my brains) I started this blog. But I worried: would these Connecticuters/Nutmeggers revile me for my admitted vanity?
Would they understand my goofy, self-mocking humor? Would they "get" that makeup is my art? That texture, finish, packaging, formulation, treatment properties, color, look and scent and all the feelings that go along with these are my passions? Would they understand that an affliction for cosmetics is not indicative of affectation whatsoever, that my true self is my made-up self, that presenting myself as nature intended would betray my who I really am inside?
Cue Carly Simon's You're So Vain.
Honestly, it was less about what they thought of me, and more about if they liked me. But nevertheless, I plowed forward, hoping that somebody "out here," anybody "out here," would "get me."
I told a few people about my adventure, and then a few days later, I received this gift.
These are the extraordinarily coveted, totally sold-out, highly limited-edition colored YSL Beauty Vinyl Couture Mascara in 05 I M The Trouble and 03 I M The Excitement.
I went 'blue' in the face with the blue mascara swatches; see below - you'll be 'green' with envy over the green mascara swatches. (Ha?)
05 I M The Trouble (the blue one) is (what you see as) my left eye. 03 I M The Excitement (the green one) is on the right eye. You can see the blue is electric, and the green is more subtle.
Ah, mom. My mom, who lives in Greenwich also, was kind enough to think of Mom in Mascara, and give me the thing I love best, which is, well, mascara.
A special one at that. There is a reason it's called Vinyl Mascara - it's glossy but thick and dark. It provides ample volume and rich color. It's a real 10.
Which means at least my mom knows me. (There needs to be an emoji for that.)
Then, the following gift arrived.
Could it be that somebody else in this town understands me?! I try to "get" people, especially new people, and it's hard. Thank goodness some people return the favor. Breathless, I pondered: "WHO is this Secret Santa who actually probably accepts and tolerates (and maybe appreciates) me?!"
(I probably shouldn't explain why somebody understanding my blondeness implies an understanding of me; I am who I am. I need and crave and dream and love to be as blonde as chemically possible, and admittedly, despite all negative implications, my degree of blondeness is quite crucial to me. Cue Cyndi Lauper's True Colors.)
I texted a bunch of my friends here, calling them sneaky devils, asking who it was who read my obsessive little mind.
I found her - my very wonderful neighbor - and in the process, thankfully, realized from all the funny text responses that there are lots of people "out here" who "get me".
See? I have everything in this new life, because all I need is my people.
Xx, Mom in Mascara
