starlady: (heaven's day)
[personal profile] starlady
Makeup! for [personal profile] skud

Weirdly, now that I think about it, I guess I've worn makeup for more than half my life. I don't think of myself as someone who has an extensive makeup routine, but the thing I've learned about makeup is that makeup begets makeup. I do have an application routine that takes me a good ten minutes to get through.

I like wearing makeup--I originally started because I wanted to do something to disguise my teenage acne, but I continue to like wearing makeup, particularly as I've gotten older and have learned how to make it look better and more natural. (Hint: the answer is to buy and wear more makeup.) I certainly support people choosing not to wear makeup, and it's definitely an equity issue that people who look female and don't wear makeup can be penalized for that in subtle ways, esp. in the workplace. But of the social codes that are out there, this is one that I can do decently, and I like the way I look wearing makeup.

So, I wear flesh-toned sunscreen, foundation, powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara, lipliner, and lipstick regularly. Except for the eye makeup, this is all Clinique--it works well for me, it looks good, and I use the GWP Addict blog to stalk gift with purchase deals, through which I get lots of their other products that I use but don't want to pay for. I've even sometimes gotten free lipsticks in the colors I wear through the GWPs, and the bags they give you are also damn handy. I have so many of them, and I had even more before I moved out of my house, as I had quite a store built up over four years. Also handy: googling coupon codes on the internet to get free shipping when buying said makeup and GWPs. I've had pretty good luck with sites like retailmenot.com.

I wear less eyeshadow than I used to, because I didn't want to get into the habit of wearing it to the department every day, but when I do wear eyeshadow I wear a lot of it, partly because I discovered Urban Decay eyeshadow and primer. Primer! It makes such a difference in makeup endurance and look. Another thing that makes a difference: waterproof eyeliner. Sephora sells a brand called Kat Von D, and their liquid eyeliner is, as a friend said to me, a game-changer. It is not fucking going anywhere, which is a really good thing to have confidence in. I sometimes also wear the Urban Decay glitter eyeliner, but that is somewhat painful if it gets in your eyes and also, obviously, not really daytime wear. I also really like Stila's waterproof mascara, which generally also does not go anywhere, but I just ran out of my sample size and I'm back to the fairly runny Clinique stuff I have stored up. I have to credit my fandom friends for inspiring me on the eyeshadow front. I really enjoy experimenting with the colors, and especially now that I use Urban Decay's long-lasting makeup spray, it stays a lot better than it used to. The makeup spray: also a game-changer. Another game-changer: buying purpose brushes for blush and powder at Sephora and washing them semi-regularly. Sephora: it is pretty great, especially because the employees are usually fairly good about giving advice, etc., in my experience.

I wear black mascara and either brown or purple eyeliner and tend to wear either pink or bright red lipstick. I started wearing the red lipstick for the 2012 election and I really like it, although I have to be careful to refresh my blush or I look too corpse-pale. (I am corpse-pale; I actually wear foundation that's a shade darker than my real skin tone. I used to fight with my mother about this, but if I wear makeup in my actual skin tone imo I look dead.)

I also have a fairly involved nighttime skin care routine. I use DHC's Olive Oil cleanser (which I really think is just low-grade olive oil, but whatever), Clinique's cleansing soap, and Clinique's "clarifying lotion" (actually a liquid? it's a toner) and then their moisturizer. I have so much of their moisturizer from the GWPs, it's kind of ridiculous. I started doing the toner + moisturizer at the advice of [personal profile] spaiku, who has also been a makeup inspiration, and I think it makes a difference, particularly in dryer environments such as California. And (damn the patriarchy) you're never too young to worry about looking old. And of course, eye makeup remover--the purple kind that Clinique sells doesn't require washing off, so I like that one. It's definitely necessary with waterproof eyeliner and mascara.

So, yeah. Despite all this, I go for a fairly "natural" looking look, and I could do way more elaborate preparations than I do. We'll see where I am in ten years? The other thing I've learned about makeup is that it is definitely possible to level up in terms of appearance, and in terms of makeup applying skill. The thirteen year old YouTube makeup tutorialists are my nee-san-tachi in this respect! Long may they reign. Maybe in 2015 I'll try to figure out that wing-tip eyeliner that everyone does? I'm not sure how it would look on me, but there's only one way to find out.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-24 16:51 (UTC)
thistleingrey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] thistleingrey
You use makeup well, IMO.

Those tutorials are amazing. darkforge's 8yo cousin does baile folklórico and wears stage makeup for it, and she and Reason bonded once by watching about fifteen minutes' worth of makeup application howto. I was a bit !!--fortunately, Reason took it as "Huh, look at neat things other people can do" and not "I want to do this," because at the time she was 3.5 years. Aside from my judgy feelings, she can't hold still yet. :P

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-24 21:45 (UTC)
From: [personal profile] alexbayleaf
It sounds like you have a fairly straightforward relationship with makeup, which I envy!

Randomness: retailmenot was written by a guy I used to work with in Melbourne. I used to use it heaps but it started to not have as good results, around the time that I stopped shopping online so much anyway. Oh well.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-25 14:03 (UTC)
toft: graphic design for the moon europa (Default)
From: [personal profile] toft
I've been thinking about eyeshadow primer because I hate the way my eyeshadow separates and goes everywhere, even the pretty good stuff. I have quite oily skin. I don't wear makeup regularly but I really enjoy the way I look when I wear it. What is eyeshadow primer? Would you recommend Urban Decay's, then?

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-26 16:53 (UTC)
toft: graphic design for the moon europa (Default)
From: [personal profile] toft
I'm not sure about spray, but I might give primer a try! It's the kind of thing I'd like to try in tester form before I buy; maybe I'll go to sephora and try some. I have a couple of Urban Decay eyeliners and eyeshadows and I like them a lot.

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-25 16:39 (UTC)
heartbeats: 윤은혜 ・ 「koreans」 (君のキレイに気づいておくれ。)
From: [personal profile] heartbeats
kat von d is a GAME CHANGER

(no subject)

Date: 2014-12-25 19:01 (UTC)
stewardess: (merlin gwen teasing)
From: [personal profile] stewardess
You are definitely good at applying it, because, remembering the time I saw you in person, I can't recall you wearing makeup. ^^

I wear makeup about half the time, usually sunscreen, foundation, mascara, and sheer lipstick. My main reason for wearing makeup is to cover uneven skintone, especially redness. I stick to neutral eyeshadows. It's difficult to find eyeshadow textures that are neither too glittery or too dry; Urban Decay's are the best I've tried.

Totally agree with investing in brushes. The applicators included with makeup are almost always useless. But I can't wear blush in the usual way, since too much natural redness is happening. But I learned a great tip, which is to very lightly apply blush or bronzer along my hairline, starting at ear level and going up. For some reason this really helps stop the "ARE YOU SICK/DEAD/TIRED" comments.

I love Shiseido's stick foundation, which has serious staying power and is easy to blend. It can be used as a coverup. In lower price ranges, Covergirl's Aquasmooth compact is great; I use the shade "creamy natural."

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