There are certain firsts in life that every woman remembers: the excitement of your first kiss, the freedom of moving into your first apartment, the rush of falling in love for the first time and, of course, the big one.
No, I'm not talking about that, you pervs! I'm talking about the moment you receive your first Kylie Lip Kit in the mail.
Okay, sure, fine. It may not be on every gal's list, but it most certainly was on mine. Was I ready for the emotional roller coaster I was about to face? Surely not. Did I let a couple of disappointments stop me in my tracks? Heck no. So, I've decided to share the trials and tribulations of my journey to makeup nirvana in the hopes that if I can help just one of you through this lipstick-laden voyage, it'll be well worth it.
Attempt 1: It was as if it was the first day of school. I'd been counting down the days to the first launch as if my health depended on clutching that sleek packaging in my determined bare hands. The alarm was set, but let's be honest, I hardly slept a wink. It was 8:59 a.m. on November 30, 2015 and it felt like I had been refreshing KylieLipKit.com for a lifetime. Oh, the adrenaline rush! Fast forward to 9:01 a.m. when two words appeared before my screen: SOLD OUT.
Attempt 2: I was down, but I wasn't out. I mean come on, how hard could it be to get these lip kits. Kylie Jenner was introducing three new shades for Valentine's Day and by now the hype had to have died down, right? Wrong. There I was again, with my finger hovering over my mouse ready to pull the trigger the nanosecond those little lip kits were available. Suddenly, my body temperature rose, my heart beating faster than Kylie's precious furry friends Norman and Bambi after their mid-afternoon run and then it happened… again. FAIL! But maybe third time's a charm, right?
Attempt 3: I needed this lip kit and I wasn't going to let anything stop me. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So, I may or may not have asked the lovely ladies of the E! Style Collective to use their connections to score the kits for me. Come on, this is Hollywood. It's all about who you know, right? So the style team sent a request and I waited. I said some prayers to the makeup gods and I may have even lit a Yeezus candle or two. A few days later, I had an email from our Style Editor. Before glancing at the email that would inevitably seal my fate, I took a breath, counted to 8 (Kylie's lucky number, obvi) and reminded myself that no matter what happened…I would never give up. So did I receive good news after my exhaustive four-month search? Yeah, no. The Kylie Lip Kits were in such high demand that there weren't enough to go around for Hollywood insiders.
Attempt 4: I am going to be honest with you all, things got dark. Real dark, real fast for me. It took every fiber of my being to get myself off of Instagram, binge-searching hashtags filled (Did I say filled? I mean, FILLED!) with lucky ladies bragging showing off their Kylie Lip Kits. By the time March 12 rolled around, the fourth lip kit restock, I had all but given up hope of ever experiencing the true joy myself. What's the point of getting your hopes up when all you do is fail, fail, fail? So, reluctantly, I'll admit I didn't put my all into this one. (I was beyond exhausted and had come to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be able to show off my Dolce K pout while rocking my white Pumas and a mini-dress. I know, I'm more disappointed in myself than anything.) And as you've probably guessed by now, no lip kit.
Attempt 5: March 21 was a normal Monday in the E! News offices. I was just keeping up with the Kardashians on Snapchat and that's when I saw it. Kylie posted a video saying that a brand spanking new batch of lip kits were about to go on sale. At that moment, my world stopped. Literally. I had tunnel vision. It was go time. Not only were my hands shaking, but my heart was racing as if I had just run a marathon. I have no idea what was happening around me because there was only one goal and that was to make Koko K, Candy K, Dolce K, and Mark Jo K mine. Look, I wasn't going to be greedy. Yes, I want the whole set, but I left some for the others who have been where I have been so many times before. Before I knew it I was staring at my shopping cart full of all four of the lip kits! Newsbie, beware. This isn't the moment to rest your laurels and think you've made it. This isn't the finish line, this is the digital waiting room just before the big win. It was the longest few minutes of my life. It must have refreshed a dozen times and with each refresh my heart jumped. And then BOOM! It was like I was having a reoccurring nightmare:
Koko K—Sold out.
Dolce K—Sold out.
Candy K—Sold out.
The words hit me like a ton of bricks but wait—where was Mary Jo K? That's right. Success! Sweet, sweet success in the form of a velvety lip pencil and a fierce red liquid matte lipstick.
I couldn't believe it! Finally, a Kylie Lip Kit to call my own. Now came the ultimate waiting game. Everyone who has ever ordered something online knows what I'm talking about. If you aren't a member of Amazon Prime than you might as well sit back and wait until the next One Direction album is released because your package is going to be a while. So, imagine the feels I felt when I saw the little white box with the signature black dripping paint details sitting on the mail cart yesterday. Laying eyes on her for the first time is a moment I will never forget. I proudly showed her off to the ladies in the office the way Rafiki presented baby Simba to the world in Lion King.
So ladies, I sit here today, wearing my Mary Jo K, to let you know that anything is possible. You can set all the alarms your iPhone 6s will allow, you can have unlimited tabs open on your computer, but sometimes all you need is a little faith, determination and that King Kylie spirit to make your pout proud. BRB, I hear there's a restock happening soon…