Christmas Eve: Makeup!

[starlady]

Makeup! for 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 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.

Comments

[starlady]

I have the same type of skin and had the same problems with eyeshadow before I started using primer--essentially, it's a flat base coat one puts on before one puts on eyeshadow, and it both makes the eyeshadow colors pop and helps it stay on longer, though I get the best results with powder + spray. They also make it for mascara, but I find it more difficult to make sure that I've covered all the primer when I use it.

And yes, I like UD! I just started using theirs because I knew them from the eyeshadow and it works for me, but I'm sure there are other companies that make it. I'm not sure if Nordstrom Rack is in Canada, but the ones in the States frequently have UD products for cheap, so that is another reason I tend to buy their stuff.

[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.