During my senior year of high school, I made a purchase that would change my image forever. I bought a Sephora Collection Rouge Cream lipstick in a bright, hot red.
I could never wear it to school, of course. I went to a Catholic, all-girls school. The extent of makeup anyone dared to wear was pink lip gloss, a brush of mascara and light eyeliner.
At the time, I was in my eleventh year of my school and the only thought that got me through the year was knowing that I would not see any of these girls (purposefully) again. It unnerved me to know that many of the girls assumed that they knew who I really was just because of the duration of time we had known each other. I had been there since the second grade and, in some of my classmates’ eyes, I hadn’t changed a bit. I felt like a shell of my true self, whoever that was. As a result, I chose to hide, preferring to write extensive features for the school newspaper than be in it. I wasn’t in any high school plays or on student government or a standout athlete. I was just like Cory Matthews on “Boy Meets World” when he sarcastically smiled at the camera and said, “Hey! You’re average!”
I watched as the artsy girls were reprimanded for dying their hair fire-engine red or adding purple strands into their braids. The next day, they would walk through the front doors of school still confident, but with a little less sparkle in their eyes. My biggest risk was wearing hoop earrings that my father instantly deemed, “too ghetto.” (I still wore them.) When I bought my red lipstick I didn’t care about what anyone thought. I vowed that, in college, it would be a look that would be completely mine.
It was a classic, simple look that I wanted to try for years. Nude lipstick was always difficult for me to find because of my complexion. Purple lipstick was too much. Pink was not enough. As a girl that was regularly bullied for everything from being “too white” to “inexperienced” to a “crybaby” to “pretty but (insert insult here),” when I looked at myself in the mirror wearing red lipstick, you couldn’t say anything to me. I knew I could work it. It was my signature look and four years later, it still is. In college, I wore red lipstick so much that when I didn’t my peers and professors would not recognize me.
Similar to the scene in “Clueless” when Travis asks Tai if she thought his skateboard was too cluttered with stickers, I chose to focus on making “one, main decorative statement.” What Marvin the Martian was to Travis is what red lipstick is to me.
When I was younger, there was no one whose style I admired more than Aaliyah. (And no, not in a overly-obsessed Drake way.) She was a mystery to me, as I’m sure she was to the rest of the world. Hidden behind her signature side-part, the late R&B songstress captivated me in ways beyond her stunning beauty. She had a modest confidence: never too much, never too little. She was flirtatious and sexy, yet demure and entrancing. She had that simple style that I wanted. With the exception of her music videos in the latter part of her career, Aaliyah’s makeup was defined enough to emphasize her natural beauty. And, she had a signature that she worked in every video! Whenever I watched her perform or strike a pose on the red carpet, you could bet I looked out for that side-part.
While I do not think it is absolutely necessary to have a signature, I like it for me because it boosts my confidence. I know I’m not wearing it for anyone else but me. I don’t think I would be anything less without red lipstick. In fact, I didn’t even wear it today. However, on days that I do, I guarantee everyone around me can see a sparkle in my eye.
Lovelies, what do you think of having a signature? If you have one, I’d like to know what it is and the story behind it!
guest
I like the idea of a signature, but in reality, I like playing with my appearance too much to consistently do something consistently.
If it’s you, though, rock it.
guest
For me, I guess you could say my signature look is wearing pretty much black anything. If you look in my closet, it’s full of black clothing. Black looks chic to me and is a slimming color.
However, there are times I will wear really bright colors. And people who know me will comment that I should wear more colored clothing because it’s flattering against my skin.
guest
My signature look is sophisticated and classy with a little sexy. I always want to look like a million bucks even though it’s not. First impressions are very important to me.
guest
I used to have a “signature” look, but now I like to play around with different things way too much. I used to wear all black, only black, and more black (unless it was Hello Kitty hangs head in shame).
guest
Knee high moccasin boots, and a mini skirt! I wear them all year long(tights in the winter) with a pashmina scarf! My whole wardrobe! Also, I don’t know if this counts, but vanilla perfume oil is my everyday staple,as I have to wear a uniform at work, but the rest of the time boots/mini/scarf is my signature look!
guest
Hmm, I think my ‘signature look’ would be just my eyeliner c: .
guest
I think the closest thing I have to a “signature look” is my current pair of glasses, which I got 3 years ago my sophomore year. I went from glasses to contacts in high school to glasses again because I got lazy. Every pair of glasses were…boring, IMO, and made me look meek. My current pair of thick-rimmed plastic blue frames were a fluke, something I tried on just for kicks and was like “wow, these look good”. I love them. I know a lot of girls wear a similar style, but still, the moment I started wearing these glasses was when I started to get noticed and people remembered my face. I still wear my contacts sometimes for sporty events, dancing, and “formal” affairs. But in the everyday, I wear my glasses and feel like they are very “me”.
guest
I’ve changed so much in the past 6 years that people don’t recognize me sometimes. A signature look would be interesting, though. I’ll try pink eyeshadow.