My Grandmother's Pencil Sharpener

My glamorous Grandma Doris and me

My Grandma Doris had what some might call a granddaughter's dream. In her room, behind folding accordion doors, she had a built-in table, with a huge mirror that took up the whole wall. It was about eight feet long and had bright bulbs above and a small upholstered swivel stool stored underneath. And covering the top was the equivalent of a Sephora haul, if that had at all been a thing in the 1980's.

It was covered with make-up products. Lipsticks and liners, mascaras and blushes, perfumes and shadows. Oh, how my sister and I loved to sit on the little stool and play.

When she passed away in 2012 I took one small thing from that table...a Lancome 2-in-1 dual make up pencil sharpener. I thought it was useful and small, and I was happy that it would remind me of my grandmother.

Which it did for a bit. Until it became completely useless. I would insert a dull lip or eye pencil and turn with all the strength I could muster. After several turns, I would retrieve a lopsided, blunt, wonky, liner with a poorly sharpened, uneven, splintery tip. It hurt my lip and had to be angled just so. But it was my grandmother's sharpener, so I kept it and repeatedly tried to achieve the perfect tip. Maybe it was the pencil's fault?

In January 2026, I took my second-ever trip to Ulta Beauty, and searched, with a salesperson's help, for a replacement sharpener. And we found one, for a whopping $4.79.

You might not be surprised to know that this new one really works. I mean, you insert a blunt eye pencil and you are rewarded with a beautifully sharpened one with only a few muscle-less turns. Who knew that sharpeners get dull after a few decades of use and a new one would function properly?

So...I said goodbye to my grandmother's sharpener. I was a little sad, like I'd given up on it, instead of it failing me.

But guess what? I love that new sharpener. Not only do I think of my grandmother every time I use it - even though she never owned this one - but I also have fabulous photos of her, wonderful memories, and a closely connected family, so I’ll always remember her, even without owning her sharpener.