Happy Sunday, Beautiful Blossoms! Welcome to another week of The Raised Eyebrow. Now, compared to my other series, Beauty Advice For Thought, TRE may seem like it’s the place to talk about the bad side of the cosmetic scene – a raised eyebrow is rarely done as a positive reaction.

But in this case, the announcement that Caitlyn Jenner is the new Viva MAC spokesperson has me raising an eyebrow for a good reason: I’m actually surprised and excited! I was honestly expecting Caitlyn to curate her own makeup line but I guess she opted to play it safe and test the beauty market as both a transgender woman and as a mature Blossom.

From what I’ve read, Viva MAC is a charity campaign that sells celebrity-designed MAC lipsticks and all proceeds go to the celebrity’s choice of non-profit organization. It’s a win-win for both MAC and their current celebrity of choice, since it provides good publicity for everyone involved and philanthropy is the driving force. Caitlyn is the latest celeb spokesperson and she’s releasing a lipstick called Finally Free.

The planned release date for Finally Free is April 7, so it’s not too far away. I’m curious to see what shade Caitlyn chose for the lipstick – does she prefer the Nude, Pink, Berry, or Red? Or is it a shade that is flattering for any skin tone? I don’t know how far into the beauty fray Caitlyn’s been into, but I can’t assume that she likes the lipstick shades that she’s been pictured with. She’s been with her family long enough to know that PR is EEEEEEVERRRYYYYYTHIIIIIIIING when it comes to self-marketing.

There have been some murmurs as to why Caitlyn chose to collaborate with MAC rather than follow her daughters Kendall or Kylie in creating her own makeup line. While it would be interesting, Kendall isn’t really creating her own makeup line – she’s working for Estee Lauder as a spokesperson and to appeal to the younger demographic. And no doubt Kylie did not want to be overshadowed by her mother by collaborating together on a cosmetic line.

I also found it interesting that Caitlyn Jenner chose a rather young brand to work with. Let’s face it: MAC isn’t associated with women her age the same way Lancôme, Estee Lauder, and Elizabeth Arden are. And MAC presents itself as hip, young, and fun. But perhaps that’s the reason why Caitlyn chose to work with MAC – because beauty is ageless. And I’ve seen women who are old enough to be my mom in my local Sephora, looking confused – even slightly intimidated – by the displays. They consulted with the employees on what looks good on them, and it made me realize: some women have gone without makeup all their lives up until they go past 50 and wonder: why didn’t I try makeup before?

Not gonna lie: if Caitlyn Jenner makes her own cosmetic line that tailors to older women, I’d be down for that shit. Not because I feel old, but it’s a new adventure for me. I can’t tell you how much “young, hip” makeup products I own (believe me, it’s not gonna stop anytime soon). And I’m not shy to admit that I have a Lancôme palette and Estee Lauder foundation – I like them and they allow me to still wear makeup while working at the office.

Can I get that with the younger demographic makeup? Yeah. But there’s just something about the older / high-end cosmetic makeup that I find to be appealing – it’s like you don’t have to try soooo hard and be sooo edgy to look and feel however you want to with makeup.

And that’s it for the final TRE for February! I wonder what will have me raising my eyebrow for the first Sunday of March – is it gonna be on a happy note or the usual WTF?

Stay blooming, Beautiful Blossoms!