Jharoka

Lipstick was the one and only makeup item that my Mom would use and you bet your bottom dollar she would not be seen outside or in front of anyone besides her immediate family without it! It was as natural to her as wearing clothing.

She had a few different lipstick colors, but her favorite was a deep red by Revlon. While she would like to display her lipsticks and perfumes on her dresser, she had to hide the lipsticks during my toddler years because I had a weird fixation with eating them and wouldn’t leave any lipstick alone. After a few years of this annoying behavior, I thankfully stopped. When I was in elementary school, I remember her becoming an Avon representative and she would display the tiny lipstick samples on her dresser and throw a couple in her purse.

She had this amazing talent of being able to apply her lipstick perfectly without the use of a mirror. I would always be in awe of how she did that. I can’t do that at this age!

If she ever needed a bit of color on her cheeks, she would take some lipstick, put a dab on her cheek, work it in and blot it so it looked natural. Amazingly, her skin never broke out.

At times when my sister would want to use her red lipstick, my Mom would take a small amount of Vaseline petroleum jelly and mix it with a bit of lipstick and make her an age appropriate lipgloss. So smart!

I was always a tomboy and never took a liking for makeup in general. However, before getting married (and after), she would encourage me to wear lipstick at minimum. She said it would add a healthy glow to my face. Well Mom, even though I never got into colored lipsticks as you had hoped, I use lip moisturizers that give a hint of pink. I will always fondly reminisce of your regal beauty accentuated only by perfectly applied lipstick.

If you have made it to this post / page, I would be most appreciative if you could say a prayer for my beloved mother. Thank you.