As fun as makeup can be, it is also a bit difficult for those of us who are not naturally talented when it comes to beauty. Growing up I was never really interested in makeup or fashion, hated the idea of myself conforming to the opinions of society that “girls should wear makeup,” and that certain colours don’t match when it comes to clothes.

However, towards the end of my teenage years, I slowly started to enjoy playing around with mascara and glittery eyeshadow. My go-to was glitter eyeshadow, mascara and lip gloss. I never really knew how to do anything else and was hardly interested in learning. So despite only finding out in my twenties how eyeliner is an amazing enhancement tool for one’s features, I only stuck to what I knew.

It was when I started to become close friends with one of the women who was my manager at a horse shop, that my interest in eyeliner piqued. I started noticing how chic her makeup was and shyly asked her if she could teach me how to do it. I managed to master the simple act of putting eyeliner on my bottom water lines, but beyond that I was unsuccessful and moody about it.

A lot of women make it look so easy online, when in reality it is the most daunting task, especially if you want to look good for a specific occasion. Last year another woman that I worked with on one of my boats told me the secret to her perfect wings – an eyeliner stamp! It’s an essence product and actually perfect for beginners who want to improve their eye makeup skills.

I borrowed hers when we went out and eventually purchased my own when I reached home. It’s perfect because it has a little stamp on one end of the liner, and then a drawing aid on the other end to fill in gaps or draw it the way you want. It has helped me a lot to the point I am slowly attempting to draw my own on without any stamps.

You may be looking at my photo and thinking I am lying and I know exactly what I am doing. That could not be far from the truth. The way I did my makeup that day so excellently was by pure chance. You know when you have those amazing days where everything comes together and everything co-operates? It was one of those. My hair was on point, my makeup was going so well and of course I chose the perfect sunglasses for that occasion. I don’t think I have experienced another good eye day as I did that time.

What struck me most about the way I did my makeup that day was the confidence boost that came with it. I felt like I could have been president that day. A good makeup look that you’re good at and that suits you can shockingly elevate your confidence in such a good way and make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

I was invited to one of my friend’s team building work functions at that time, and it happened to be axe throwing. I had never been axe throwing in my life and had no idea how RageRoom SA  would execute it but I was happy to be there and have fun.

I was in a group of about sixteen people, and I believe I was one of four women within the group. It started out as practicing individually, five throws each, with which ever technique we preferred. Then we were split up into groups of four, and that’s when the real competition started. It was based on points, and the six individuals who had the highest points would compete against each other until there was one winner. Unfortunately, my group did not win the first competition, but I somehow managed to place myself in the top six.

The people who were in my group were kind and supportive. After each round of throwing, I continued to stay on the board, until there were only two of us left. I did feel the pressure as more and more people were dropping out and I didn’t, but I stuck to the technique that was best for me, which eventually led me to the “finals.”

Can you guess who won? I did! The person who I won against was not a sore loser and kindly shook my hand. I later found out that he was the one within the work team that usually wins all the competitions, so it felt a bit awkward for me to be the one who won, considering I was a complete outsider of the group. That did not deter me from my joy or surprise of winning.

I am not saying that because my eyeliner was perfect that I was able to win a competition such as axe-throwing, but it did boost my confidence levels quite high, as I mentioned before. It felt satisfying to win while looking good. I recommend taking time and effort as a woman to find your niche makeup look, even if you won’t use it every day, at least you will know if you ever do want to go out and dress up.