Why do you love makeup, and what do you look for in a brand?

I saw these questions on Beauty Look Book, and I thought it might be fun to answer these questions myself.

1) Why do you love makeup?
This is actually a strange question to me, because it's like asking why I like curry, or why I love warm covers.  I just love them/it.  I think of makeup as more of art supplies than anything, and use them about the same.  Makeup isn't about age, sex, color of skin to me; it's about playing, having fun, and showing your personality.  If you want to wear purple eyelashes with bright red lips, I might think that it doesn't look the greatest (unless you rock it), but why does what I think matter?

Basically, I love makeup because it is a method of expression.  You don't need the most expensive stuff, or the latest colors, you just need to have fun, and show who you really are inside.

2) What do you look for in a brand?
I look for quality, quantity, and truth.  A brand that does what it says it does is great.  A brand that goes above and beyond what they claim is the best.  I love NYX, MAC, Giorgio Armani, NARS, Jane, Maybelline.. basically, the whole range of brands, because every brand has something to contribute.  NYX has great lipsticks, Giorgio Armani also has great lipsticks, but they are completely different animals.  Should I just exclusively use one or the other?  My answer is no, but yours might be different.

Oh, and packaging matters.  I hate crappy, going-to-break-at-any-moment packaging.  I don't care if it's a cheap screw top container, it needs to work.

So what about you?  Why do you love makeup, and what do you look for in a brand?