How My Lip Balm Got Me In Trouble As A Teenager (And Taught Me Confidence)

Every girl remembers the clandestine swipe of Baby Lips in class and the inevitable teacher’s glare. That tiny stick wasn’t just lip balm, it was girlhood’s first act of defiance. I could walk up to any woman and start talking about it, and within minutes, we’d be bonding over preteen trauma.There’s comfort in the collective experience, even if it is bittersweet. My Baby Lips stick wasn’t hurting anyone, yet somehow it earned my friends and I the “bad girls of Class 7E” label. Whatever it was, suddenly lip care became rebellion. 

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The ‘Bad Girl’ Initiation

Somewhere between ages 10 and 12, every girl went through this rite of passage: a teacher confiscating her Baby Lips under the guise of “enticement.” That single act marked our unofficial induction into the Bad Girls Club, guided by women who taught gender in Civics class. The irony writes itself: hydration and self-care mistaken for character assassination. If a lip balm was found in a girl’s school bag, she was officially “in her girl-gone-wild era.”

What’s In My Bag, 12-Year-Old Version

• Baby Lips – Maybelline
• Pocket perfume from Archies Gift Gallery
• Tonnes of stationery (because priorities)

Ideally, I was expected to carry math textbooks, notebooks, and the dreaded school almanack. My lip balm and perfume had to hide in secret zippers so no one would find them. Little did I know, these small acts of rebellion would kickstart my complicated relationship with makeup and skincare, a journey that lasted years.

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My Makeup Rollercoaster Journey 

Remember when every girl pretended to hate pink and makeup just to fit in? “I’m not like other girls” or “I hate pink” were the mantras. That was me too, a victim of the same conditioning. Now we call it being a ‘pick me,’ but back then, it was preached.

My relationship with makeup was flawed and I didn't even realise it. I hated applying it, judged women who wore full faces, and laughed at anyone watching James Charles tutorials. I flexed my bare, “no-makeup” skin like it was a badge of honour, oblivious to the fact that sunscreen wasn’t optional. We’ve all been there, rolling our eyes at influencers’ 11-step skincare routines, thinking, “I don’t have time for this.”

That mindset lasted until I unlearned it. Makeup isn’t my enemy; it’s a friend I can turn to anytime. It’s a tool for creativity, confidence, and even therapy. There’s comfort in a group of girls blending, swiping, and glowing together.

What’s In My Bag, 21-Year-Old Version

• 2+ lippies
• Small perfume mist
• Hand sanitiser and hand cream
• Tonnes of stationery (some things never change)

After nearly a decade, makeup and I are finally in sync. It’s become a part of my personality—so much so that I chose beauty writing as a career. What began with a tiny Baby Lips lip balm evolved into a full-blown love affair with LANEIGE, lipsticks, and every tool that brings me joy. What once felt like rebellion now feels like self-expression, and that’s the best glow-up of all.

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