By Maya Alarcon

One day when I was about four years old, all the big people went out to do some presumably boring grown-up thing which little-Maya need not be involved in, and I was left home with the housekeeper. Time to play! As little bumpkins go, I was pretty well behaved and could usually be trusted (for the most part) to stay out of trouble. An only child at the time, I entertained myself with a vivid imagination and make-believe games. Or…as on this fateful day, by concocting potions out of my mom’s extensive collection of face creams and hair products (a legend takes form). I was feeling more artistic than usual and decided to paint a landscape, reasonable enough. But I couldn’t find my crayons and paper anywhere. Inspired and undeterred, I sought out a suitable alternative, and lo and behold, spotted my mom’s brand-spanking-new make-up case, replete with all the colors a budding, pint-sized Monet could want. Perfection! For my blank canvas, I selected a gorgeous silk cushion (man, I had expensive taste, even back in the day) which mom had brought as a gift for grandma from Japan. I spread out in the living room, grabbed the choicest brushes in mom’s kit, put eye shadow to silk, and proceeded to create my latest masterpiece. I found it absolutely brilliant! Needless to say, upon returning home and surveying my proud work of genius, mom and grandma were torn between wanting to punish me for ruining everything and wanting to praise me for my creativity and ingenuity (I voted for the latter, thank you very much). In the end I got off with a light scolding and the suggestion that future works of art should be created using conventional means of coloring. I heartily concurred and went on to color with crayons and markers like a good little girl. But that day is forever burned in my memory as the glorious day I discovered make-up.

I’m sure part of my enduring make-up obsession is the result of being raised by a former-model mom and an old-school grandma, who believed ‘one should never leave the bedroom in the morning without a full face of make-up.’ But despite my early beginnings, it wasn’t until the seventh grade that I was finally officially allowed to have my own make-up collection. I still remember how sweet it was: bubble gum pink lipstick and blue eye shadow from the bargain brand at Sav-On. Oh tumultuous joy! Before long I was buying more tasteful colors and doing my make-up on the morning bus ride to school (taboo in the mom ‘n grandma book, but whatev).

Nowadays, I proudly wear the badge of make-up fiend. If you look in my travel make-up bag you see about four different shades of berry colored lip gloss and three shades of red lipstick, in different finishes to match the occasion (I mean you can’t wear gloss to an art opening and matte to a wedding… get real!). I’m constantly on the look-out for my new most favorite eye shadow, and I positively stockpile eyebrow pencils, lest I find myself compelled to rush out of the house one day sans eyebrows due to poor planning (oh the horror). And although I’ve come a long way since the days when I practiced putting make-up on my unsuspecting sleeping baby brother (I sooo don’t take responsibility for how he turned out), I still approach make-up with the same childlike wonder. And it’s precisely this never-ending wonderment that TINte COSMETICS appeals to.

The latest cosmetics line to make its way into my train case, TINte’s flavored LIP SHINE and LIP COLOR are a total throwback to the high school days, when I applied flavored lip balm underneath my lipstick, all the better to smooch with, my dear. Lip Shine comes in shimmery-sheer shades and flavors like PINK LEMONADE (my favorite!), CAKE and PEACHY SHEEN (drooling), and are perfect for those days when you’re going for a just a subtle hint of color on the lips. (Who me, wearing gloss? Nein, that’s my natural luscious lip hue!) The Lip Colors, which come in a cute little retro tin (keepsake for sure), are absolutely the way to go on the days when you desire a little more coverage. I’m definitely into MISS PEPPER, a reddish brown color, which glides on effortlessly and feels ever so luxe. To satiate my classic red mania, there’s PEPPERMINT (which, as the name suggests is tingly and fun), or if you’re into pinks, you can always go for yum BUBBLE GUM. Both the Lip Shine and Lip Color are enriched with shea butter, and the moisture goodness lasts all day, so you don’t have to stress about dryness before leaning in for that tasty lip lock.

TINte doesn’t stop at lips though. The SHIMMERING FACE PEARLS are multi-purpose loose powders and come in a rainbow of colors (hey, like Skittles!), so you can wear them as eye shadow, liner, blush, bronzer, or underneath your favorite Lip Shine. I love NIKKI PINK as eye shadow, a pinkish-goldish power that really makes my eyes pop and sparkle. VANILLA SKY makes a great highlighter for the brow bone (and thank goodness, isn’t even faintly reminiscent of the movie). BRONZE GLOW is great for that la-la sun-kissed look and EMERALD VELVET is a gorgeous shade of green, perfectly devastating for redheads. Sure, the Shimmering Face Pearls don’t come in flavors (although I’m sure you could eat them if you were really in a bind), but they sure elicit some flirty glances from the boys (and I should know!).

So take a little retro trip back in time to the days of youthful innocence and fun make-up by visiting www.tintecosmetics.com to check out all the fabulous colors that TINte has to offer. And for those of us who like our furry friends as much as our cosmetics, TINte Cosmetics are “tested on boys, not animals,” exactly as it should be.

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