melancholy melodies

ah. annoying aliteration! sorry, it is my craft.

"Eat make up, at least you'll be pretty on the inside!"

I love to share the story of myself. (I'm a girl mah, hah!)

Make up.
I love make up. I love the little squares of colors, I love the shiny compact cases, I love the Christmas gift sets from Estee Lauder that normally come with a bag the size of a Myvi, and I love the brands. MAC. Body Shop. Bobbi Brown. Revlon.

Constance Jablonski//Estee Lauder Mad Men

But I don't like putting it on and I'm not a fan of wearing it daily. (In fact, I think the reason why my complexion is always so clear is because I don't clog it up with MU daily!) I never liked to wear make up because the eyeliner always smudges below my eyes. And mascara feels damn funky. And when you wear lipstick and drink or eat and wipe your lips, you have to reapply it. Mah fan!

So I really salute girls who can put it on every day :D

A few weeks back, I was reading up on this brand of make up's long-wear eye liner, touted to be the only eyeliner that doesn't smudge when you wear it - up to 8 hours of wearing! Amazing! So one afternoon, I went to the said brand's store to enquire with a make-up artist there about the eyeliner. I personally think eyeliner is like magic - it can transform my eyes. My eyes are very sad - they droop at the corners and I've no double eyelids (But they're happy eyes, all the same! :D) but when I wear them, BAM! "Aisha is that you? YOU LOOK SO DIFFERENT!"

So the make-up artist told me about The Secret of Wearing Eyeliner So That It Doesn't Smudge Easily (it's impossible to have smudge-free eyes all day, she said, because of the presence of oil on our lids, which cause the liner to spread as the oil is excreted!).

The secret is - are you ready? - PREP YOUR EYES. Put some foundation, dab some powder (to keep the foundation in place) then bring on the eyeliner. Apparently this is what holds the liner in place - the foundation and the powder! And you MUST always spend time to prep your skin before making up, so it'll stay in place longer and better. And I'm amazed - after following her tip, it really doesn't smudge as much as it used to!

This is my morning kit - BB Cream (Foundation), Rimmel compact (Powder), Estee Lauder jar of eye cream (Eye shadow) and Estee Lauder eye liner. After a few weeks of wearing this combo, I found out that I've been wearing the Double Wear series - stay-in-place liner and shadow. Yay!

Do you wear make up often? Do you have a simple make up tip?

reminder #1

It's time to get a haircut or a hair trim.

*insert 29384723917290 pictures of hairstyles from Pinterest*


Nawh. I don't pin pictures of hairstyles/cuts :) However, here's a gorgeous pin from an article that Nina showed me the other day:

Kirsty Mitchell Photography

Sincerity

What's on my mind?
I really am not perfect. I am uncomfortable when people call me boss out of my position and not because it's a nickname. I used to look up to certain people and be in half fear of them, mesmerized by their persona and the charisma they carry - everything of themselves is just so admirable, you know?
Now I am afraid that I am being held up to that standard which I cannot meet. So before anything has been set in stone and before you hold me to that high standard, I want to say that I am not perfect. I struggle with myself everyday (hah, so narcissistic!) and if my real self were revealed to the world I'm afraid even I myself won't cast a glance at me because I'd be so detestable.
Praise God for he loves us. He is crazy for loving such creations as you and me, and we better know that. I want to live like his grace is renewed and fresh every morning-because it is!-but my human thinking wouldn't let me. It's putting God in a box that says he should act like a human being, that the way he thinks is more strict than the way I think.

But "Gods ways are higher than your ways, and neither are his thoughts your thoughts," Please let me rest in that knowledge O God so that I won't overthink anything too much.

So, what's on your mind?

Abishag

source

Did you know that in his last years, King David was very weak and very old? He was most likely bedridden. Anyway, his kin decided to hire a young and beautiful (their words, not mine) woman called Abishag to take care of him and keep him warm. They did not have sexual relations (again, their words, not mine).

When King David went to be with the Lord (i.e. passed away), his son Solomon was due to be king. But Solomon's half-brother, Adonijah, had a scheme to grab the throne from him. He asked Solomon's mom (Bathsheba) to ask Solomon if he could have Abishag. Bathsheba thought, why not, the poor kid has no kingdom anyway.


But when she told Solomon of this, Solomon saw through the ruse (because Abishag was technically part of his harem, and giving her to Adonijah would give him a foothold to usurp Solomon) and ordered for Adonijah to be put to death.

During this whole time (from the last days of King David, till the time when Adonijah was put to death), nobody took notice or and effort to ask Abishag what she felt about anything. She quietly and graciously did her work. When it came to the time to decide on her future, she didn't even have a say in it - she may as well have been part of the furniture!

source

I guess the main thing we learn from her life is this: most of the time in life, we may go unnoticed or unvalued for our contributions, whether it's at work, home or with your friends. And that can get frustrating, especially if you feel your efforts aren't acknowledged, or when people don't ask you for your input on things!


But know this: You have IMMENSE value. The Maker of the universe knows YOU, and he never loses track of you.


Sometimes, the roles we play can seem small and insignificant in the eyes of the world, but know that everything you do matters in God's Big Picture.
You may feel your contribution is small physically, but in the eyes of God, He only sees your heart. And if your heart is sincere, true and loves God, that's enough for him.



Get to know Abishag's story in 1 Kings 1:1-4, 2:13-24
(The information for today's post comes from Tyndale Life Application Study Bible)