I remember the first time I wore make-up to school. I was 14 years old, a freshman in high school, and completely unaware that purple eye shadow was so five years ago. I wore it proudly though, plastered above my eyeball as a bold declaration that I was a woman (I’d finally gotten my period). A year later it was foundation. I’d recently noticed other girls wearing it so I figured I should be wearing it too.
If only I had those sad tenth grade photos in my possession, I’d share them. Fat cheeked and pale as a ghost, I had no idea how to match my skin tone. It was always a shade too light, I looked like I was wearing a mask.
Fortunately my beauty skills have evolved since then. By the time I made it to college, I didn’t wear anything more than a little mascara and chapstick. Now that I’ve got a one year old, he’s lucky if I put on real pants.
If I do put anything on, here’s my boring and uninformed routine: touch of eyeliner, brush on mascara, Vaseline on lips, and if I’m feeling really fancy, a dash of bronzer.
I know it’s pathetic, but by now you know I’m no beauty expert. I’ve never used an eyebrow pencil and still don’t understand the point of lip liner. But I do appreciate make-up. I appreciate how it can hide dark circles and spruce up the most tired of faces. I appreciate the transformation that can take place with the right tools and skill. It’s an art.
What about you? Do you wear make-up? How much? What’s on your face?
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As opposed to fake pants?
I’ve been told leggings are not real pants.
Leggings are very cute. Don’t listen to people.
I’d like to wear make up, but 1. I’m lazy and 2. I don’t know how, really. I finally went through my drawers and ditched the stuff I’ve had since 1997. (:
I never know when to throw things out. I have eye shadow from 20 years ago. TWENTY. It will probably give me eye cancer if I use it, but I’m a hoarder.
I was never a big make-up wearer until I had Avery and went back to work. The lighting in the bathroom at my work did NOTHING for me – it actually brought out how horribly haggard I looked. So for the sake of my co-workers (and my career) I have been religiously wearing make-up. I use Bare Minerals and love it because it doesn’t look of feel like I just globbed on a ton of crap. Some foundation to cover up the dark circles, a little bronzer & blush and mascara. I don’t mind putting it on the in the morning – I just hate taking it off at night!
Isn’t it amazing how lighting can make or break your spirit? The last place I worked had terrible lighting. I tried not to look in the mirror when I washed my hands.
i remember your own mother confiscated my first tube of lipstick in the 6th grade bathroom. do you remember when it was a huge craze that all of a sudden every girl in 6th grade had to carry around lipstick in their ugly boxy plastic purses/pails? (i’m sure you know what type of purse i’m describing!!) anyway, your mother took my “wet n’ wild” 99 cent lipstick. in hindsight it was definitely for the best. thank her from me. i bet she will read this. “thanks, mrs. baker! i looked ridiculous.”
Mrs. B is no nonsense.
I had one of those purses! What were we thinking? 6th grade was a low point. I had a t-shirt that said Rapture Ready. It was lime green.
i just about spit out my coffee when i read “rapture ready” !!!
Before baby, I wore cover up, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick. Now my goal is to have enough time left before we all have to be out the door in the morning to slap on some mascara and maybe some chapstick. There’s a part of me that still cares, but it is routinely silenced by the part of me that doesn’t want daycare to judge me for forgetting to put socks and a coat on my baby. So I do that instead.
Exactly.
I love make-up, I get so excited every time I’m getting ready just for the make-up! Back in my country, make up is very very very important, girls NEVER leave the house without it. But you will have to be in college or engaged to be allowed to wear make-up. When I moved to the states I used less make-up because I noticed that people don’t wear a lot (especially lipsticks and eyeshadow).
Here is my 10-15 minutes routine and you can e-mail me for brands if you want :)
I first put lotion, then primer, then concealer for my under eyes and any unwanted dark spots. I do the foundation (make sure to ware it on your lips too). For my eyes, I do a shimmer shadow and a thin line of eye liner on the lid. I use Arabic eye liner for the inside on my eyes, then mascara. If I’m going out with the hubby on a date at night, I like to do 2 colors of eye shadow and touch up my eyebrows.
The most exciting part is the blush on my cheeks ( I try to use earthy rose colors). I wear lipstick first (Lip liner if I’m going out at night to make my lips full) then I top it with gloss for extra shine and for the lipstick to stay on longer. I then touch up with compact powder for any greasy areas from the foundation or any extra make up just to make sure everything looks good. Make sure to go out and look at your make-up in a day light if it was during the day.
In my purse I take my blush and compact powder and of course the lipstick and lip gloss. Never forget the perfume!
I love this. I had no idea I should put foundation on my lips! I’ve never heard of that (obviously I have much to learn). You must look amazing all the time, lucky husband! xo
I have seen the final product of this routine and it’s amazing! Such a beauty queen :) I love your perfume!
BB cream!
I love that someone is commenting on your blog as sister wife. What if you were a polygamist Mormon this whole time and we just didn’t know?!
That WOULD be crazy. If only I had such exciting secrets to share with you.
HELLO sisterwifeHEATHER. I have no idea what BB cream is, you’ll have to Hey Tell me.
Hahahaha!!
http://www.realsimple.com/m/beauty-fashion/skincare/best-bb-cream-00100000075639/index.html
BB cream is where it’s at.
It’s kind of like tinted moisturizer but way, way better.
Will you put it on me tonight?
Now we do sound like sisterwives.
Yes! One of the other sisterwives is coming and I’m practicing on her hair for an upcoming photo shoot ;) Come after the baby is asleep! I’ll make you cookies!
If the sisterwives are meeting and there will be cookies, you need to make this known to all. Otherwise we will have dissension in the ranks.
Mascara. That’s clutch. Everything else is dependent on time and circumstance.
Mascara is one of those things I might smuggle onto a deserted island for morale.
I feel so conflicted about makeup (well, at the moment I do, while I’m thinking about it, usually my day doesn’t allow me to leisurely ponder the concept of makeup). As a stay at home mom, I feel like what’s the point? But even as a young adult and then in my career, makeup sometimes felt so false to me–like, why can’t we appreciate our bare beauty? But I still wore it, every day. I’ve never worn foundation but was always big on eyeliner. And I have to admit I feel better on the days I take the effort to dry my hair and put on a little makeup. But with two young sons, those days are rare!
I hear you, Susannah. I hear you. Feel the same way!
I don’t leave the house without my make-up. It’s how my mom was and how her mom was and it’s just how it is in my house! Only after a few years of marriage was I able to let my husband even SEE me without makeup. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s how I was raised!
I’m so curious about this. So you wore it to BED?
I, too, battled the purple mascara in high school. I look at those pictures and HEADSMACK. What the hell was I thinking? Oh well!
Now I just do the basics, mostly what you do except I’m prone to lipstick and not vasaline (which I’ve never heard of!)
I just recently started putting Vaseline on my lips. Now I can’t stop.
You know my make-up routine…slim to none!
My favorite is if I have somewhere important to go in the morning and then I spend the rest of the day at home looking snazzy with my make-up on. I like to look good for the toys on the floor, you know?
P.S. I have no recollection of this conversation but supposedly mom had to ask me (in high school) if I wanted to wear make-up. I must have been part boy.
…The toys on the floor. I laughed out loud.
I cannot imagine your mom asking if you wanted to wear make-up. It seems so backwards, but I love it.
oh, i cannot leave the house without mascara and liquid eyeliner, and i think i’ve basically been doing my makeup the same since i was 18…woops? i wear: tinted moisturizer (less cakey than foundation, which i could never get right), mascara, liquid eyeliner, a touch of bronzer, plus chapstick (lipstick on VERY special occasions, but mostly i feel clown-like in it). it’s a pretty fast process though…i’ve got it down to a science..takes about 5 minutes.. i’m sure once i have kids this will all change!
Yes! I think a 5 minute routine is essential. Any more than that and it’s just too much for me. Love tinted moisturizer!
I used to do the heavy powder or liquid foundation, but they never blended right with my face. Also, I always used too much concealer. Now that I have my clean face routine perfected I realized I don’t NEED all that makeup. Now I use tinted moisturizer, a tiny bit of concealer, some brow work (they’ll never be full…ugh), and a tiny bit of setting powder and blush/bronzed/highlighter (its a 3-in-1). For the eyes it’s usually tinted primer and mascara, unless I feel like it and then it’ll be some barely there, just a hint of smudgy eyshadow. I have a Clinique Chubby Stick for when I need color, but other than that it’s Chapstick or tinted lip balm that matches my lip color.
Now that I type it up it looks like a lot, but it’s all light, barely there kinda stuff :)
I don’t know what half of these things are, which is embarrassing. I need a make up lesson.
Mascara and chapstick, Every single day.
Looking back, I can’t understand why my mom didn’t tell me that my orange foundation didn’t match my face. Or why brushing out a perm isn’t ideal. I will definitely be teaching my girls those basics.
Definitely.
Oh mannnn this gave me the willies a bit, I won’t lie. I’m a makeup artist…don’t keep your mascaras after 3 months. When I open them, I tape the date to the side with a little piece of paper so I know exactly how long they are good for. I also have a TOUCH of OCD, so I realize this might sound insane. As much as I adore makeup and the way you can transform with it…sometimes (though it pains me to admit it) less is more :) I think you’re quite lovely so you don’t need it! P.S. Your post on politics yesterday…..A TO THE MENS. Thank you.
Thanks Merry…and I knew what you meant! I need to throw out my mascara ASAP.
I meant the overkeeping of the mascara gave me the willies, not the post. I’m slow when it comes to commenting (clearly).
I wear makeup. All of it. And like you, I hoard it, so I have some very oldies too. I would rather not eat for a few days so I could have more money to spend at the Clinique counter. Not kidding. It’s not healthy.
That said, since my son came along I don’t wear it every day. Every day I go somewhere, yes. I’ve never worn it for anyone but myself, though – I just feel much better with it on, which feels shallow. I wish I felt confident without it. I started wearing eyeliner my sophomore year in high school and rarely go without it.
And in recent years I discovered false lashes. It has kind of changed my life. Overshare: they even have the power to put me in the mood for sex. Weird. I feel like a super sex pot when I’m wearing false lashes.
Girl, false eyelashes ARE sexy. I wore them for the first time at Jen’s wedding and I have never felt cooler. You put them on me though. I don’t know where to begin putting them on myself. I should give it another go.
PS: No such thing as oversharing over here.
I wear face lotion with spf 30, bare minerals, waterproof mascara (which sometimes still looks good the next day!), and burts bees chapstick. I’ve never worn lipstick except for on halloween, but I’m curious.
I am also curious about lipstick. I tried some on a few weeks ago at Target but felt a little bit like a prostitute. It wasn’t great.
I keep hearing the words “bare minerals.” Better check it out.
Bare Minerals-super expensive but super worth it! My mother-in-law got me a gift card for Christmas last year, and I took a friend to one of their boutiques and they did a whole make up “seminar” and skin tone matching for me! It also came with a DVD in case you had questions. I only wear it for special occasions, but it makes me feel so pretty!
I’ve developed this weird thing where I get physically uncomfortable interacting with someone who is wearing lipstick that drastically changes the color of their lips. It’s like I have I have to restrain myself from reaching out and blotting it off (“don’t you know that looks fake, dear?”). So no, I don’t wear a lot of makeup. ;) (However, lipstick on celebs…I don’t mind that at all. Maybe because I never see them without it?)
I feel the same way.
I’m also grossed out by lipstick all over my cup.
Usually I’m too lazy, but when I do, I use mostly Everyday Minerals. Just a touch of eyeshadow and mascara, and maybe a little concealer to hide the bags under my eyes. I wish I wore it more often; I like to look put together. I also wish I knew what I was doing when I wear it. And that I had even a little fashion sense. And that I bothered to style my hair.
I 100% look like a zombie with out makeup. I was blessed with my father’s deep set eyes and dark circles. Lucky me.
Once my sis-in-law called me from the mall. She was getting new makeup and wanted to know what I wore. I was so flattered (she looks like a model, all the time) but a little embarrassed to tell her it wasn’t for sale at the mall. Try Target. I wear concealer under my eyes and blend it with my nose and chin, some powder to set it, blush, mascara and Dr Pepper chapstick. Five minutes tops. I’ve never worn eye shadow. I have it, I just can’t make it a priority!
Unfortunately, I feel obligated to put make up on for work every day. Even though I work in the environmental field, I feel like I look more put together and professional with it on, like I actually made an effort before I came in to work. I put on moisturizer with SPF first. Then I use foundation more like most people would use concealer, under my eyes and to cover imperfections. I feel like real concealor is too heavy and obvious. Then powder all over, then gel blush and a sweep of bronzer. I’ve been wearing a little eyeliner and some sparkly shadow lately, and then the last step is mascara. It sounds like a lot but it only takes me a half hour to get ready in the morning (I shower at night).
Since procreating, makeup is not an everyday affair for me (do you have any idea how messy the boys can make my bathroom in the time it takes to apply makeup?!). Although, goodness knows, it makes me look (and feel) a whole lot better. I’m always wearing it Sunday mornings and maybe one to two other times during the week.Oh, and kind of on the days in between bc I NEVER wash my face at night. Loser.
Also, I vowed that I would NOT be that mom who drops her kid off at school in sweats and a bare face. But so far I’m one for two (jeans + bare face).
Also, I don’t buy “real” makeup. I still by drugstore brands like Cover Girl and Maybelline. My friends judge me for this.
So, to sum up: I think I’m winning!
I don’t wear makeup for an at-home day, it’s true, but I always get dressed. My makeup world changed when my daughter was born and my glamorous aunt showed me how to look more awake and healthy. Spot of blush on cheekbones, forehead, chin, and neck, and under-eye concealer. I use Erase Paste and another Benefit product. And I keep chapsticks everywhere – use ‘em like handcream.
I don’t usually wear eye makeup often because I forget and rub my eyes. But I like how it looks.
Wow…after a long day of baby teething, “Rapture Ready” and your real pants comment made me laugh. Love it.
I go expensive on foundation (Merle Norman)…which I buy approximately every 2 years. It’s always so long between purchases that I can’t remember the shade, and I have to tell that to the ladies so they’ll help me, and they always look at me in horror when I tell them how long I’ve been using my previous one.
Otherwise, I go Target for some powder and eye shadow…lipstick and mascara reserved for special occasions.
Oh…And I only wear makeup if I’m going to see other people I know…grocery store comrades don’t count, and my 4-month old certainly doesn’t either.
A little cheek stain (because I have skin so pale that without something I look like a reanimated corpse), mascara, and lip gloss. Clear. That I can chew off. When I get super dressy (three times a decade)? I wear eyeliner too.
I’m super fashiony. *snort*