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This Halloween was the first time I had to dress up and copy a character because I had to. For work. And boy, it’s tiring to put and remove makeup twice a day. So I salute cosplayers, drags, impersonators, and all who work in the field that requires them to use makeup all the time.

Setting aside the hard work of makeup, what surprised me the most was my appreciation for this day. Finally. Finally, a day when I can put on my desired makeup without hesitations and the fear of scrutiny, I can dress and take up a new character I wish I could be, even just once in a year.

Since our time and supplies were very limited, I thought I’d portray a fairy character. So I bought a wreath, chose the most suitable dress and tried on ‘fairy’ makeup. It was all cute, but then, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me to try to be cute and ladylike. So, therefore, though I didn’t have proper clothes, I portrayed Harley Quinn. Well, it was sort of ‘low-cost’ ‘be resourceful’ cosplay. So I just had to be resourceful with the clothes and get my makeup as close to hers.

Strangely, portraying a badass character boosted my self-confidence. That feeling that if I only had a baseball bat, I could already conquer the world.

Later in the night, I put on red eyeshadow, dark eyeliner, and dark lipstick. Once again, I felt like I could conquer the world because my makeup was emo.

It’s strange how your looks, clothes, or makeup empower you. Quite interesting.

So perhaps, there’s truth to the quote, give a woman the right lipstick, and she will conquer the world.