One recent morning, I scanned the headlines. I was hoping to get some great ideas for more articles. As I read, I came across one that was rather scary. It said that lipstick contains cadmium, aluminum, and lead. Seeing this headline made me relieved that I do not wear lipstick very often. There was a time, however, when I may have done things differently.

I have dreamed of a professional life, and I have imagined touring the country to speak at schools. If I were taking regular speaking tours, I would be traveling to many different cities and meeting people. I would want to look good, so I would likely have been wearing lipstick often.

In order to get myself noticed and perhaps get contacted by someone who wanted me to come speak, I had considered getting up each morning, dressing in professional attire, such as a dress, pantyhose, and my Mary Janes, and putting on makeup, including lipstick, as a way to motivate myself and push myself to write and publish more. However, the more I wrote and published, the more I realized that I did not need to fix myself up in order to be motivated. My happiness, love of writing, and the excitement of earning money and gaining followers was all the motivation I needed.

Now, instead of wearing a great deal of makeup, I generally wear no makeup. I am usually at home, where I do not need it. I am not on a stage in front of a crowd of thousands. I do not have bright lights shining down on me and drawing attention to my shiny, oily skin. Instead of dressing up, I wear comfortable clothing, such as sweatpants and T-shirts. Dressed this way, I can work out when I decide to take a break.

If my professional situation changes, and I begin getting some speaking gigs, I will wear makeup, of course. I will wear loose powder to cover up the oily shine. If a company out there creates a line of lipsticks that does not contain harmful substances, such as cadmium, aluminum, or lead, these lipsticks are low-priced, and I can find them at my local retail store, I will be interested in them. Until that happens, however, I think that I will be doing without lipstick. That way, people will see me as I am, I will not poison my husband when we kiss, and I will be able to live a long, healthy life.