Lessons in Lipstick and Growing up

I am trying to get in the habit of wearing something on my lips. I have spent most of my life wearing only chapstick trying desperately to not to look like one those girls. You know the girls I mean. Think back to High School, sitting in class with a girl that reapplies lips gloss every 10 seconds. Sure her lips looked better than mine and plenty of boys probably thought she appeared much more kissable than the rest of us. However, I just can't get myself to participate in that much public primping, who am I kidding I can't get myself to participate that much private primping either. Fast forward ten or so years and you have me. An adult (right?) and old enough that I should start looking more, well... put together. My erring on the side of natural beauty to the point of it not always producing any beauty is just not cutting it anymore.  Little to no make-up and just throwing on clothes is only acceptable when you are a young college coed. Actually the extent to which I took my natural (read just rolled out of bed) look in college was probably not even appropriate for college. I am not saying anyone has to start applying gobs of make-up and running to the bathroom 12 times a day to fix themselves. I will definitely not be doing either of those things, but it is time for some improvements. My last year of college I started to classy it up a bit more, and I have gradually improved over the years (really gradually). But, it has been years since college and years of living the "adult" life. I think it is time to stop straddling the line between young adult and full fledged grown-up. I was quick to get my 401K rolling but I still dragging my feet about lipstick, telling myself I am too young for lipstick (I am not). It is time to at least wear something on my lips, some of the time, and strawberry carmex doesn't count. To be completely honest, I go to the bathroom about 12 times a day anyway (Before you even think it, nope I am not pregnant, I am just hydrated. When you sit at a desk all day you can manage to down a lot of water) I might as well try to glance in the mirror at least 6 of those 12 times. So here it is, lipstick. I pursed my lips to make sure that you know my lips mean business, lipstick business. 

I am surprised to find that putting some lipstick on helps pull my look together pretty easily. A little lipstick makes me look like I got ready for the day, regardless of how ready I got. Take some lipstick add grandpa's old army belt (somethings you never grow out of) and suddenly I am totally put together. 

However, things quickly deteriorate in my ice cold office. Flats come off and are replaced by some stashed socks. I then throw on a ratty, too large, company sweatshirt that covers almost everything else I have on. Finally, I heat up some hot chocolate. By the time the dudes I work for get to work (should someone claiming to be an adult still be referring to her boss as a dude?) I look like this:

Causing both of the men I work for to separately and respectively say things like "are you alright?" and "you look really tired today." 

Some aspects of growing up are more difficult to get down than others. excuse me, I am going to run to the bathroom and reapply my lipstick.