Kathi Lake
04-28-2011, 02:23 PM
Last week I got a text from a friend at Ulta, "Hey, get down here! Emily is here and wants to see you!" Emily is the Smashbox rep for this region, and has done my eyes, and full makeup a few times. She's done the makeup for a few video auditions for RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, and told me I should enter as, "You'd totally blow those queens out of the water!" :)
Anyway, the last few times she had been in, we had talked about her wedding - her colors, what to expect, all that fun chitchat. As her wedding was in late February, I knew I definitely had to talk to her to see how the big day went.
So I buzzed down to Ulta to see her. She was with a customer, but put down her brushes and came over and gave me a big hug. Another lady came over and asked if we were related or something. I found out later she was one of the national Smashbox reps from the main office. Oh! My! Gosh!! This woman was so incredible that you almost wanted to give up everything just to be near her. She had a radiance, a beauty, a confidence that was just awe-inducing. She had just done a makeover of my Ulta friend. I looked at her. Paused. She looked at me. We both smiled. I raised my brow at her and she nodded. I knew she was going to go back to the bathroom later to 'fix' it. Anyway, Emily explained that I was a long-time customer and that Emily (and my friend) had done my makeup numerous times. So she blurts out, "Oh, are you a drag queen?" We laughed and I said that I preferred a look that was a little less over-the-top. Emily and my friend explained that I just liked dressing up. She seemed a little standoffish (odd, as she was from the main San Francisco office), but asked them, "Well, is he cute?" They both laughed and rolled their eyes. My friend said, "Let's put it this way, she makes everyone in here jealous." Now it was my turn to laugh and roll my eyes. Emily said that I had gorgeous eyes and incredible skin for a guy, but said that my true beauty was inside (Wait, was she saying that I wasn't beautiful on the outside? Was that an insult? :)).
I showed her a picture or two of Kathi. She said I was beautiful, but I still was getting the "Hmmmmmm. Eww" vibe. Pity. She did warm up after awhile as we continued to talk about her love - makeup - but the wholesale acceptance I usually seem to get just wasn't there. I wonder if it was me or were there other incidents in her past that contributed to this attitude. I do know that the lady Emily was working on sure seemed to accept and include me - especially after I complimented her beautiful eyes, expertly-done by the talented Emily. :)
After more chatting and looking through her wedding pictures (Jealous! It was in Hawaii!), the Bare Minerals rep came in. It then devolved into a 'tug-of-war, it seemed, between the two companies and me. The Bare Minerals rep tried one of their new concealers on one side of my face, followed by a foundation and powder. Emily then tried one of their new primers, and a cream to powder foundation on my other side. They then went nuts with shadows, lip gloss, etc. What started as a simple "Hi, how ya doing?" turned into a session of "Dueling Makeovers." Sigh. Is anything in my life ever simple? :)
Speaking of The Very Un-Simple Life of Kathi, one of the products that she had tried was a new lip stain. The rest of the makeup came off nicely, but my lips were a gorgeous berry mauve. She apologized profusely, saying, "I'm sorry, I just got into it, and totally forgot you weren't a woman! But hey - look at the staying power! Your lips look totally kissable. You just need a little gloss, that's all. Oh, and a little mascara. Ooh! This blush will look great on you too. Here, sit down and let me fix you up" she said laughing. So, after exchanging e-mail addresses and Facebook names with everybody, I went back to work - with totally-kissable lips. :)
Later that day, I received a Facebook message from my Ulta friend. Looks like I just may have a GNO in my future. That sounds like fun!
156749
By the way, I don't think anyone noticed my lips. I bailed out on a meeting, so was able to barricade myself in my office until the end of the day. At home, a little baby oil and a washcloth was all it took to make my lips, . . . ummm, . . . un-kissable.
:)
Kathi
Anyway, the last few times she had been in, we had talked about her wedding - her colors, what to expect, all that fun chitchat. As her wedding was in late February, I knew I definitely had to talk to her to see how the big day went.
So I buzzed down to Ulta to see her. She was with a customer, but put down her brushes and came over and gave me a big hug. Another lady came over and asked if we were related or something. I found out later she was one of the national Smashbox reps from the main office. Oh! My! Gosh!! This woman was so incredible that you almost wanted to give up everything just to be near her. She had a radiance, a beauty, a confidence that was just awe-inducing. She had just done a makeover of my Ulta friend. I looked at her. Paused. She looked at me. We both smiled. I raised my brow at her and she nodded. I knew she was going to go back to the bathroom later to 'fix' it. Anyway, Emily explained that I was a long-time customer and that Emily (and my friend) had done my makeup numerous times. So she blurts out, "Oh, are you a drag queen?" We laughed and I said that I preferred a look that was a little less over-the-top. Emily and my friend explained that I just liked dressing up. She seemed a little standoffish (odd, as she was from the main San Francisco office), but asked them, "Well, is he cute?" They both laughed and rolled their eyes. My friend said, "Let's put it this way, she makes everyone in here jealous." Now it was my turn to laugh and roll my eyes. Emily said that I had gorgeous eyes and incredible skin for a guy, but said that my true beauty was inside (Wait, was she saying that I wasn't beautiful on the outside? Was that an insult? :)).
I showed her a picture or two of Kathi. She said I was beautiful, but I still was getting the "Hmmmmmm. Eww" vibe. Pity. She did warm up after awhile as we continued to talk about her love - makeup - but the wholesale acceptance I usually seem to get just wasn't there. I wonder if it was me or were there other incidents in her past that contributed to this attitude. I do know that the lady Emily was working on sure seemed to accept and include me - especially after I complimented her beautiful eyes, expertly-done by the talented Emily. :)
After more chatting and looking through her wedding pictures (Jealous! It was in Hawaii!), the Bare Minerals rep came in. It then devolved into a 'tug-of-war, it seemed, between the two companies and me. The Bare Minerals rep tried one of their new concealers on one side of my face, followed by a foundation and powder. Emily then tried one of their new primers, and a cream to powder foundation on my other side. They then went nuts with shadows, lip gloss, etc. What started as a simple "Hi, how ya doing?" turned into a session of "Dueling Makeovers." Sigh. Is anything in my life ever simple? :)
Speaking of The Very Un-Simple Life of Kathi, one of the products that she had tried was a new lip stain. The rest of the makeup came off nicely, but my lips were a gorgeous berry mauve. She apologized profusely, saying, "I'm sorry, I just got into it, and totally forgot you weren't a woman! But hey - look at the staying power! Your lips look totally kissable. You just need a little gloss, that's all. Oh, and a little mascara. Ooh! This blush will look great on you too. Here, sit down and let me fix you up" she said laughing. So, after exchanging e-mail addresses and Facebook names with everybody, I went back to work - with totally-kissable lips. :)
Later that day, I received a Facebook message from my Ulta friend. Looks like I just may have a GNO in my future. That sounds like fun!
156749
By the way, I don't think anyone noticed my lips. I bailed out on a meeting, so was able to barricade myself in my office until the end of the day. At home, a little baby oil and a washcloth was all it took to make my lips, . . . ummm, . . . un-kissable.
:)
Kathi