I have no excuse but at the age of almost 32, I hardly ever wear makeup or know how to use makeup properly. Once in a while I look at some makeup tips in magazines but I always have the feeling that I will end up looking like a floozy! Don't get me wrong, some people truly master the fine art of applying tons of makeup and managing to achieve a great look but it is obviously not my case.However, I'm not getting any younger and having a baby that enjoys nightly dairy snacks can make you say: "Oh, I look like crap today". So I decided that 2012 is the year that I will embrace makeup that fits my style (natural look) and my new frugal budget. That should be fun, right?
I discovered a very simple How To: Apply Makeup in 5 Minutes on the Real Simple web site. I presumed that most women would find it too basic but I think that it is a perfect starting point for me:
1) Rinse and moisturize your face
2) Dab on foundation
3) Sweep on black or brown mascara
4) Apply lip color or blush
From what I understand (based on an entire evening of reading on the best budget makeup), you can get drugstore products that are as good as fancy brands. So I installed Alice in her stroller and we headed to the local drugstore where I was welcomed by a non-floozy sale person...perfect!
With my evening worth of notes in hands, I got:
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Cover Girl Natureluxe Silk Foundation
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
...and Alice started to get pretty pissed off so I paid and went home. My objective is to get this new "resolution" started by next week so I still need to get the perfect lip color and blush (and maybe some concealer).
Do you have a beauty/makeup routine? What is your favorite product? Are you also shy to wear makeup (especially lip color...it freaks me out)?
note: We finally have snow in Montreal!!! (picture from 2010)
* * * * *
little gray pixel: I like what you said about "aren't worthy" or "not contributing". Taking care of Alice is the best thing ever but it is as demanding as a job...well, I think! I'm so happy to have all that time with Alice :)
anneemall: We are "6-month unpaid extension" sisters, ah! I think that we will do exactly what you said...again, we must be sisters ;)
new duds: We have a joined bank account but, last year, I got my wallet stolen and I never did my joined account card (it is in Dan's bank and not my regular bank). I totally enjoy your money posts. You two are such an awesome couple :)
sandra: I'm so sorry to learn that you are going through a difficult time. Wow, pregnant and no job for the husband...this is scary. We also get most of Alice's clothes second hand and I actually like that concept a lot. I get all excited when I find Gap or Zara clothes for almost nothing. Oh, I can also talk about money for hours. Thank you for your comments.
andrea: Good point. It is true that you can save money by staying at home with the kids. Day care is so freaking expensive...especially with 3 kids. As you said: It's a win win for us! Take care.
emmy lou: You are totally right. I also think that there should always be freedom in a budget. I will take a look at mint.com...especially since they just created a version for Canada. It is such a great idea. Thank you so much for all the information.
uk lass in us: Oups (about the 'our money' - 'his money' situation)! Just like you, I'm not much of a spender but sometimes I get those ideas. Oh, what happened with the vet? Are the pets fine? A few years ago, Brian (our dog) went the the vet and we ended up paying 2500$...NOT COOL!
mariaw: Having an open dialogue is the best because money can be such a delicate subject. We are pretty good but since Dan makes so much more cash than me I always feel like I have to tell him what I get with "our" money. Oh well. Thank you for your comment.
vanessa at lynn david: I didn't know that you were also in a frugal housewife situation. Dan is like your husband. It is actually me who as a little problem with spending his money. I don't want him to think that I'm abusing or something like that. I'm strange!!!
sara-ananda: Poor little A and the horrible luge ;) We only used it once but since we have snow today (!!!), I will try it again. She is not a big fan but she tolerates it. When do you finish school? You are in literature, right? I'm sure that everything will be fine and that you will have an awesome job.
rebekah: But first, I need to figure out how to use the serger, ah!
22 comments:
It's not so scary!
I wear concealer, foundation (light coverage, not cakey), bronzer, blush and lip gloss. It sounds like a lot but I can do it in five minutes and it's never too heavy.
I've been meaning to add mascara - because it really does wonders for making you look awake - but I hate taking it off at night!
Have fun!
Gosh, I haven't commented here in ages, but I am reading!
Anyhoo...I got turned on to the Lisa Eldridge makeup videos http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/everyday-looks/
They are seriously really great for learning how to do things properly and looking natural. One of the first things I do if I look in the mirror and think I'm looking crappy is drink a big glass of water. It helps so much.
I don't do makeup much either. I did see some youtube videos that were helpful once. I think a little blush in the winter goes a long way! I get so pale it really helps brighten my face :) I just buy the cheap stuff but get a really big brush because those ones that come with it are so tiny and crappy. good luck!!
I started wearing makeup at the age of 35 :P
My usual routine is Curel moisturizer, sunscreen (I just realized it is important!), and Everyday Mineral foundation. I love mineral foundation because it is in powder shape, I can never understand how to put liquid foundation properly. Then a little blusher and natural color eyeshadow. Lip colour scares me too so I only wear tinted lipbalm
I love checking up makeupalley.com to read reviews before buying something :)
I second the suggestion for mineral foundation. The one I wear is amazing!! It's called SIM (Simple, Intelligent Makeup). Totally natural, ultra easy to apply, and really healthy for your skin (so if I pass out wearing it it's okay). It's more expensive - the one I bought was $50 - but I've been wearing it almost every day for a year and I'm not even halfway through.
My routine now is just to wash and moisturize (sunscreen!!), brush some of this powder on, and some mascara. Depending on the day I'll either do lips or eyes, or neither.
For lipstick, I think the trick is finding a really good colour, and a good quality lipstick that has some stain in it, so when it rubs off you still have some colour. I used to be totally shy about lipstick but now I have both a bright retro matte red and an orangy-red that I love wearing for special occasions!
Lastly, don't be afraid to ask for help! Especially at places like MAC, they can be super helpful.
I'm 40 and I'm still too scared to wear lipstick. If I do, I feel as if my lips enter the room 5 seconds before the rest of me! Nothing wrong with lip balm, eh?
My make up routine takes 5 mins (seconding the hoorah for mineral foundation). But I am totally totally okay with leaving the house barefaced.
Hi Claudia! My mom was determined that I would not look like the girls who wear loads of electric blue eye shadow and thus took me to the Estee Lauder counter on my 12th birthday to teach me how to wear makeup and I still use those techniques today! I like to look natural and hate foundation so I use Bare Minerals (its all powder). If nothing else I always use blush and mascara.
Also, my mom and I swear by Olay Regenerist as it is as good as super expensive moisturizers and cleansers. Good luck with your makeup adventure!!
Hi Claudia!
Make up is hard! You just got to practice a lot and find out what works for you! For instance, i don't were foundation, i always get the feel that it is clogging my pores throughout the day (like i picture it happening) and that isn't giving me any peace of mind. But i do use blusher, in fact, i don't leave the house if i don't have blush on. I'm really pale and it just gives me that little extra color. Also i love wearing red lipstick. The trick with that is experimenting. Some reds have a blue tone in them and i find that that doesn't agree with my skin, but reds with a brown tone in them do.
If you start using a bold lipstick, keep the rest simple (witch is handy because you don't need that much time for a routine)..
Hope i'm helping greetings from a 'dutchie' girl
Juultje
Another minimal-make up person here! I have a concealer (I feel my skin looks fine enough to skip the foundation), eyeliner, mascara, and cheek-tint. I actually made my own from beets and glycerin - how's that for natural!
I never use lipcolor, I just use lipbalm and I think that's enough. I much prefer my cheek-stain as a way brighten up my face!
Anyways, don't worry or rush, and figure out what you like and what works for your personality and lifestyle!
Hee, hee! I just love your posts - they always make me smile. So well written (and honest).
I very rarely walk out the house without any makeup on but it takes me 5min. My routine is: moisturizer, mascara, black Khol pencil and a little blush. Et voila! I've tried to jump on the bandwagon of this red lipstick lark (because I think it's pretty) but it makes me look like a nymphomaniac so I've given up and accepted the fact that lipstick is just not for me. :)
cetephil and great lash! those are two that i use too. they are great staples.
in addition i wear a liquid blush (benefit) and lipstick (medieval from lipstick queen). if i'm feeling ambitious i put on foundation (chanel pressed foundation or present, a clear makeup from philosophy).
most days, i don't wear anything at all but do wish i would take the extra five to ten minutes to put it on. i always feel prettier and more put together when i do.
Ah, I love makeup. I confess that I've used it every single day of my life since high school. (Not kidding, I can't remember a day when I went without-even if I have no place to go!) That being said I use a VERY minimal amount. Eyeliner + a little mascara is all. The only time I use more than that is on dress-up types of special occasions. When I do have to use more, I'm like you. I'm scared to death of lipstick and I have no idea how to properly apply anything more than the basics! I use Lash Blast by Covergirl, but you'll love great lash. :)
PS- My handbag company makes maybe $40-something bucks a month, so I don't really count it as income. I don't work very hard at it anymore since Eden came along, which is something I anticipated and am completely fine with. :)
As it comes to make-up, I think there are 'eyes' persons and 'mouth' persons (and that doing both too brightly can be too much).
The only make-up I wear is mascara. Until last year, I only used it for special occasions, but I've started wearing some more or less every day now. (Yes, we're sisters!) I have a rosy complexion so I don't need blush, on the contrary. In Winter I always get a very red nose, much to my annoyance. I should probably wear foundation to hide that, but so far I've been too lazy/unexperienced to bother. But you know what? I think I'm going to follow your path and do something about it.
I love makeup, and I've tried pretty much everything since I was a teenager, so I might be able to offer some advice. Lately I've been really aware of chemicals in my products, so I've replaced what I have with "clean" products, especially since I'm nursing.
The easiest foundation is mineral foundation. If you match your complexion pretty well, it's pretty much foolproof. Alima Pure is a great company and shipping to Canada isn't too expensive. You can order samples to find the best color.
Bare Minerals is another possibility, and you might even have a store in Montreal where you can try some eyeshadows if you want. Mineral eyeshadow can be super subtle, so it's really fun to try things out.
Alima's blushes are fun, too, and I think blush is essential for those of us with ivory skin. You can pick a peachy color or a pale pink and with the powder, you have a lot of control over how much you use.
As for lipcolor, why not try a tinted lip balm first? Burt's Bees has some nice ones.
Okay, that's all I have to offer today. :)
I'm 34 and I'm currently wearing no make-up, as per usual. If I go to a wedding, I might put on eye shadow and that will be it. I'm such a failure as a girl...
I hadn't really thought about that maybe I should wear some now that I'm getting older, though.
The dog is fine, by the way: it was a couple of thousand dollars that got spent on what turned out to be a misdiagnosis... ouch.
I agree with Janet: " I think blush is essential for those of us with ivory skin".
So true!!!!!!!
I am excited for you :-)!
The make-up item that makes the most difference is mascara! At least for me, since I have pale lashes. It totally changes my look, but it is not obvious that I have make-up on. I have pale skin too, so a bit of blush makes me look more alive.
The key with lipstick is to find a few shades you love, and it doesn't have to be super-dramatic. Lip gloss is a good compromise between lip balm and lipstick. I remember you posted a picture where you were wearing bright lipstick and it looked amazing!!
wow great post topic!! i thought i was the only adult woman who didn't wear any make-up. on a special occasion, i'll do mascara and tinted lip gloss with a hint of shadow. but for everyday, i feel self conscious if i cover myself in product. yeah, i do get "you look tired/sick/like hell" comments at work every once in a while (those maybe it speaks more to the tackiness of my colleagues than my haggard appearance? hehe)
Hi! I haven't commented for a while, but I still read!
I wear a bit of make up every day but I think it looks crap and I don't really know what I'm doing..
You know some girls do really great makeup? I would love to know how they do it / what they use.
(Cetaphil has been a fave of mine for years, and dermatologists dig it too)
I'm a recent convert to bright red, matte lipstick (Mac's Russian Red, specifically) - you can be wearing a t-shirt and jeans and have had 4 hours' sleep, and you still feel like it's a special day if you've got a slick of red lipstick. It's the best mood booster you can get for $15, in my humble opinion!
Depuis que j'ai découvert le fond de teint minéral, je ne jure que par ça! J'ai un problème de kératose pilaire sur les joues et depuis que je me maquille, je reçois des compliments sur ma "belle peau" pour la première fois de ma vie. J'utilise BareMinerals, mais je vois qu'il en existe d'autres que je ne connaissais pas...
Hi Claudia
I realize I'm really late on commenting on this post of yours, but maybe it will still be helpful sometime.
I recently discovered "une beauty". They claim their products to be 100% natural origin, and are all about natural look and colours.
http://www.unebeauty.com/
I don't know if they are available in Canada. Think they have mineral powder. But the product I got for myself and use fairly regularly is the "breezy cheeks blush". It's a cream blush, very subtle, you can dab it on using your fingers, and I think it looks really natural.
About lip colour: I love makeup, but I rarely wear lipstick or lip gloss. I'm just bored of reapplying during the day, so I usually skip that step altogther in the morning ;)
That is, until I discovered Clinique "Chubby Stick". They look like an overdimensional crayon, have a super soft lipbalmy texture. They only put a little bit of a hue on your lips, and I swear I think the actually nurture my lips when they feel dry. The colour is actually so subtle, that I'm not afraid to apply on the got, without a mirror(!).
http://www.clinique.com/product/1605/15520/Makeup/Lipsticks/NEW-Chubby-Stick-Moisturizing-Lip-Colour-Balm/index.tmpl
I got myself about three different shades and love them all.
Hope that was helpful! Oh yes, and as someone mentioned in a comment: check out lisa eldridge's videos, she's great.
Cheers, Katja
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