My favorite word in the whole world

I have a favorite word in the whole world. Just the sound of it, it makes me light up with delight. It's such a simple word. Four letters. Starts with F. (And those of you that know me, it's not THAT word, despite how much I use it)

FREE.

Just the word can turn me on in ways that modern man and science has yet to replicate. I am the ever baragin hunter, hating to pay full price on ANYTHING. Shoes are the worst. I will wait, stalk my prey, until that huge sale and then pounce like a hungry lioness. I compare online, in store, I hit Ebay, thrift stores. I don't even buy books or magazines new. Nope.

So imagine the state of bliss when my Aunt Cathy told my mom that Nordstroms can do our makeup for the wedding FREE. We should just buy our own lipsticks. Really? My favorite word in the whole world applied to one of my favorite things?

I usually don't wear makeup. Mostly because my mom is about as anti-girly as you can get. She is about one flannel shirt and hiking boots away from being a dyke. She likes to go to Home Depot, that says it all. She asked me a few months ago HOW one paints their toenails. I couldn't go to her for makeup advice. Until I was in high school, I thought the proper way to do makeup was to slather blue eye shadow on up to your eyebrows, as heavily as you could. And if you weren't spackling on your foundation with a trowel, you were doing it wrong.

Long story short, ridicule ensued, I got help from friends, and then college hit. College, ah, land of getting up at noon, going to class in your PJs and going back to your dorm to sleep. It took too much effort to put on pants so makeup was out of the question. I just fell into a bad habit.

And part of me is still that ridiculed little freshman with the Jersey eyeshadow (and you people know what I am talking about). I've got countless makeup books, I did some hot ass hell looks for Rocky Horror but when it came to my wedding, I was floundering. Sure, I can slap on some liner, dark shadow, and look like Magenta but that's not appropriate wedding attire.

So thank you holy wedding gods for my Aunt Cathy. Now I can sit in the chair, have a pro do my makeup, and come out with some lipstick to show for it. Speaking of, the one time I actually bought counter cosmetics and not the cheap ass stuff in Target, it was Elizabeth Arden. I coverted that lipstick and eyeshadow like it was made out of liquid gold and crushed diamonds.

Makeup, my friends, is serious business.