Make-up: Concealing ugliness or enhancing beauty?

For about two weeks now, the practical has always been done at the farm, a long walk from my hostel taking twenty minutes. We've been going to the farm with all kinds of farm tools. Cutlass, Hoe, Farm boots and head pans. Albeit, we've not been utilizing them.

Even though it's a practical, it seems as if it's a routine class as we take down notes every week. Today was set to be different though according to my HOC(Head of Class), the course coordinator had issued a warning that anyone without farm tools won't be marked for attendance.

In preparation, I had gone round the rooms in the hostel begging(asking) for cutlass or hoe. All to no avail. I decided to risk it by going to farm with a white lab coat(not the required brown farm coat).

Normally the practical class starts by 8 am by which all students are supposed to be at the farm. The farm located several kilometers from the hub of the school was just a twenty-minute walk from the school hostel which I reside in. However, for students staying off-campus, they have to be up early for them to have any chance of making it to the farm at 8am.

That's where the problem set in for females taking this course. There's no time for them to apply makeup hence the need to go to the farm make up free since most of them just have that practical as the only school activity. Also, the stress of the weeding, digging and burrowing of soil makes it very strenuous for them and even if Mary Kay had to be applied, it would definitely look ugly on them.

Getting to the farm at 7:50 am, I saw hordes of students already assembled, I proceeded to greet a few of my departmental mates, that was there I saw Bola(not real names). Jeez, I could not recognize her. The usual Bola always had make-up on. Dope, flashy and always had the Princess-like glamour. She had a clique of three friends who also slayed to class every day.

Talk of any latest designer wears in town, they had it on. But on this particular day, she was make-up free and damn, she was ultra-super Ugly! Sorry to be blunt, but she was. I could spot some rashes and she even had tribal marks! I didn't know this for the three years we've known each other. Chai, she lost the cred I had for her immediately. I had to just forget about it and be focused on the practical but I was shocked, to say the least

The course coordinator came briefly after the encounter and divided us into groups. We finished the practical within three hours. Though it was an energy-consuming exercise, we had to dig ten holes, find the coordinates and take soil samples of each hole.

We had to assemble at the starting point to take attendance. While queueing and chatting with friends about yesterday's champions League match, I saw another quagmire! Laide, another departmental mate, Queen of all slay queens, "Most Sought After" for the past three years was the casualty this time. She had rashes. Several rashes! Seems makeup gave ladies rashes. So all this while, she had been fooling us with makeup. Deceiving us she was the "Queen" whereas she was one of the social animals.

Ladies, we're in the 21st century. No time to deceive we guys now. We appreciate your natural beauty. Your makeup free face. The essence of makeup is to enhance beauty and not conceal ugliness. Guys will always go for what is good and worthy.

We've been eyeing you for a while now, we're just waiting for the appointed time. But please, don't apply makeup every day. Most of you don't even know how to apply it. You apply it excessively and it looks like a mask! Your face will be light but the neck will be dark.

You can't even afford to sweat under makeup. For those who have been staying true, we appreciate you. They are the ones we will take home. Olabode, on behalf of the Nigerian Association of Single Men.

Article written by Otolorin Olabode

Otolorin Olabode is a creative writer and an amazing content writer. He’s a contributor for Naijaloaded, YNaija, Omojuwa and Pulse.ng. He is also a Blogger and a Web Developer. He can be reached via Email: otolorinolabode@gmail.com and also through +2348064717949.