I was looking at my friend and her sister and felt like I had a double vision: although not twins, they were a mirror image of each other with exactly the same makeup on. And their brown lipsticks matched the color of their purses. Now here comes my dilemma – do I tell them my truthful opinion on the matching makeup or not.
I noticed that it’s very common among girlfriends and sisters to dress, do their hair and makeup in a similar way. Usually it starts in mid-school and ends either in high school or first year of college. Then they part their similar look ways in favor of finding their own style. Some people come back to that as a bonding experience. Possibly that’s what happened to my friend and her sis.
I’m usually pretty good at keeping it to myself with people I don’t know very well, but at the same time I always tell a good friend if her makeup doesn’t do her any justice. The problem I had at that particular moment was that both sisters were very happy, excited and proud of that particular look. And I decided not to spoil their moment together.
I took it as a rule for myself not to express my point of view if a woman I know feels good about anything she’s wearing (makeup included), in order to avoid her switching into defensive mode that often leads to a confrontation. Everyone should be able to wear their makeup in any way they choose to, as long as it helps them feel good and confident. But when I sense hesitation or I’m asked for my opinion, I tell the truth the way I see it.
Back to my friend. I just told her a few days later that I thought she would look super cute with plum-colored lips in spring. She got all excited about having a new reason for a shopping trip.
