Starting Your Dreams Later In Life and Embracing the Detour

Jenee Darden speaking at Creative Mornings I know it's been a while since I've posted anything but that's because of my job. I'm working as a reporter covering Oakland and I host an arts segment on the radio where I get to interview amazing artists from around the Bay Area. Plus I'm publicizing my book  and building my speaking career!  You know what's funny? I thought this would all happen by the time I was 27-30.  Nope. That wasn't God's plan for me. I'm finally beginning to do the things I've wanted to do and I'm almost 40 years old. Some people reading this who are 40 will say 40 is still young. But some younger people reading may think 40 is nearly ancient. But I'm writing this post for those who like me, thought their career and personal dreams would come true much early in life. I'm here to tell you not to give up.  You know, death inspires life. A number of my relatives and friends have passed away, ranging in
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COVERGIRL, Janelle Monae and
My Hunt for the Perfect Red Lipstick



For a long time, wearing red lipstick was not an option for me. I’m talking red, red. I’ve worn brick red colors (red with a hint of brown) or berry reds. But not bold, siren red, reds. I was hesitant to try red because I have very full lips. I wasn’t sure if the red would pop too much and make me look like a clown. I was also unsure if it would compliment my darker complexion. Red lips have long been associated with sensuality. Naughty girls wear red lipstick, is what I heard. Silly right? And so I avoided red lipstick for years.

I had a change of heart after attending a pre-Blogalicious conference event in Oakland last year. Veteran makeup artist and beauty blogger Tracey Brown of Blinging Beauty gave a makeup demonstration. She encouraged us to all have a red lipstick. Some of us looked at her like she was crazy, including me. But when she applied a brilliant red blush on a woman darker than me, I thought it looked gorgeous.  And I wondered if red lipstick would work on me, like the red blush worked on her. From then on, I wanted red lips.

This photo of Janelle Monae sold me
on the shade Hot. 
The hunt for the perfect shade of red was on. I visited drug stores and a couple of makeup counters. Then I found THE red lipstick while surfing online. One of my favorite artists, Janelle Monae, is a COVERGIRL. I  visited COVERGIRL'S Pinterest page and saw pictures of Janelle Monae modeling LipPerfection Lipcolor in Hot #305. She looked absolutely stunning. Hot #305 was fire and I knew I had to have it.

I'm still excited about Janelle Monae being a COVERGIRL. She's perfect for their image. Janelle is empowering, fun, beautiful. She brings a special energy to their image and her work,  which is why I'm a fan (see my article on her for the Huffington Post). 


Back to my quest for red lipstick. I thought the hunt would be easy after setting my eyes on Hot. Just go to a drugstore and pick up the lipstick, maybe a pack of gummy bears too. Easy right? I went to the CVS in my area and they were out. I went back three more times. Nada. I went to another CVS twice. They were out of Hot. I even tried Walgreens, Walmart and Target. No Hot.  This went on for about a month. When I want something, I go for it. Then I thought, I’ll order it from the P&G e-Store. They were out! My hunt for Hot was getting cold. 


I was ready to give up. Just for the heck of it, I decided to Tweet Janelle Monae and COVERGIRL a beauty S.O.S. I thought maybe they could suggest another alternative of where to get Hot. They both responded and were very sympathetic to my makeup woes. The people at COVERGIRL must have appreciated my determination. They not only sent me Hot, but the LipPerfection lip liner Passion.  Good things come to those who wait.

The arrival of my
 goodies from COVERGIRL.


As you see from the pictures above, I am in love with Hot. Putting on the shade just brought out so many sides in me. Red lips are bold, sophisticated, sexy, classy, edgy, liberating and fun. And LipPerfection Lipcolor lasts for a long time. Looking back, it’s not that red was a bad color. It’s just that I wasn’t ready to wear it. Now that I’m more confident in my 30’s, bold red lips truly compliment my complexion and my energy. And there’s nothing hotter than a woman comfortable in her skin.



*Special thanks to CoverGirl for the makeup.




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