Makeup, Aging, and the Beauty of Becoming Myself

No Lashes! Birthday Vibes in Lisbon.

It’s my birthday month, and while I’m celebrating, I’m also reflecting.

In beauty—and in our culture at large—there’s this constant pressure to stay young forever. I see women barely out of their twenties already turning to fillers and facelifts, chasing an “ageless” ideal that I’m not sure even exists. It’s exhausting. And I’m not immune to it.

Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about something from Psycho-Cybernetics, a book that talks about the power of self-image. One idea that stuck with me is “imaginary ugliness”—how so many of us obsess over flaws that no one else sees, but because we believe them, they shape how we show up in the world.

That hit me. After years of helping others perfect their brands and looks, I realized I hadn’t always taken the time to master my own. Not just the makeup, but the way I see myself. How do I want to show up?

This birthday, instead of fighting time, I’m learning to embrace it - and to use it with intention; because when we love and master our self-image, makeup stops being about fixing and starts being about celebrating. That, to me, is the real power of grown-woman glam.

With intention,
♡ Remi O.