The ghosts of Christmas—Past, Present, and Future—are more than just characters in A Christmas Carol. They’re familiar visitors, showing up in ways we often don’t recognize. Especially in front of the mirror.
The Ghost of Beauty Past whispers of every look we’ve worn, every phase we’ve lived through. The teenage eyeliner that wasn’t quite right. The bold lip you dared to try in college. The skincare mistakes, the glow-ups, the regrets. This ghost pulls you into nostalgia, sometimes warmly, other times with a bit of cringe. But there’s tension here. The past is a part of us, yet it holds us back when we feel defined by what we used to look like. How often do we let our past self set the rules for what we think we can or should be today?
Then, the Ghost of Beauty Present stands beside you, showing the face you wear right now. It’s the reflection you see every day, but is it really you? There’s a kind of pressure in this present—an urgency to get it right, to reflect something authentic yet flawless. You’re balancing the roles you play—friend, partner, professional—and trying to capture all that complexity in your reflection. The present feels heavy, doesn’t it? And still, it’s alive, pulsing with the truth of who you are at this exact moment.
But then comes the Ghost of Beauty Future. The ghost that’s both thrilling and terrifying. It’s the potential of who you could be. There’s excitement in thinking about the future you—a you that has learned, grown, evolved. What will your face tell the world then? What story will your eyes, your skin, your expression reveal? Will the choices you make today in your beauty routine bring you closer to that future self, or will they tether you to old versions of who you were?
There’s tension in this in-between space. You’re pulled in three directions: honoring your past, navigating your present, and dreaming of your future. Makeup, beauty rituals—they’re more than skin deep. They’re ways we interact with time itself. They’re the tools we use to mediate between these ghosts, to find some harmony in the tug-of-war between who we were, who we are, and who we want to become.
When you look in the mirror, ask yourself: What would happen if I embraced not just the past or the present, but the future me? The one that’s still in the making. Could makeup—this simple, powerful tool—help you bridge that gap? Could it be the key to letting go of who you were, embracing who you are, and stepping into the possibility of who you could be?
The ghosts will keep visiting. The question is, which one will you invite to stay?
Last 2 Photos: Glenn Hall Photography