Hello world,

I am still around. I have just been getting over being sick and also a crazy week at work. Crazy is exciting though, and I’m happy to report I am feeling 100% better now – just in time for the weekend!

Note: For some fellas – today’s post may bore you, but please feel free to share your thoughts

On “the lipstick giraffe” Facebook page, I posed a question (which no one has answered yet) and asked “What makes you feel confident?” This was a lead-in to today’s post about what makes me confident.

It’s funny because I have been told my entire life that I exude confidence, yet only recently have I really felt confident on the inside. I used to be insecure about my height (I’m 5’9″ and some change, but most women I’m around are shorter than me”) and then the gap in between my teeth (don’t tell me that Lauren Hutton is beautiful with a gap, too).

Since I’ve accepted the unique qualities that make me, me, I have discovered something that no matter where I am, or what am doing, it brings instant confidence and maybe a little bit of sass.

Lipstick.

Around Christmas, I went to the mall with my friend, Jenee. At this time, I was extremely broke because while looking for that “big girl job” post internships, I was working part-time and hours got cut to about 15 a week. Worried about how to keep food in my belly, I didn’t plan on going on a shopping spree. Instead, I was taking in all my old plastics to M.A.C. cosmetics in hopes of trading them in for a sheer lip gloss.

As a lot of ladies do when they get to the makeup counter, I began looking at all of the eye shadows and colorful lipsticks. I’m not the type to deviate from my traditional look, and perhaps the woman working there sensed that, and instead of asking the usual “Are you finding everything OK?”, she asked me “Can I help you pick out a lipstick?” I’ve always wanted to wear red lipstick, and played with it once, but it just wasn’t the right shade and it killed my confidence of ever wearing such a bold color.

The woman then picked up a brick red color and applied it to my lips. I looked at myself in the mirror, and my friend and I were amazed at how nice it looked and warmed up my face. Little did my friend and the sales lady know, it warmed up my little soul, too!

I ended up leaving the mall with a lipstick called Dubonnet by M.A.C. and every time I apply it, not only do I get compliments, I feel absolutely fantastic.

What brings you instant confidence?