I gotta tell you ladies — I was on a roll with the whole makeup thing. However, I ran into a minor snag - my face and I don’t communicate. I love my face - we can express so much through our facial expressions!
Sadly, my face doesn’t really like my makeup, or my skincare regimen right now. I went into the bathroom this morning to get my face prepped and ready to go - only to find irritation and roughness waiting for me. It wasn’t a great start to the morning at all!
What works one day may not always work all the time — something that I wanted to share with all you luxuriously deluxe ladies out there! It sounds like a no-brainer, but makeup and skincare are so intertwined. I can’t expect to have a great makeup session if my skin is dry, rough, and scaly. The area around my chin and the sides of my mouth are a little dark and more than a little rough — the former is due to a medicinal reaction, the latter is due to lack of moisture.
Sometimes we have to get away from all the different products we put on our face (including makeup) in order to give our skin time to heal. I’m slowly working back to my facial cleanser, then comes my astringent, and then my exfoliant. I’m still going to use lotion, but I’m going to search for a sensitive skin formula that I think will be a lot gentler on my face.
Product vacations don’t have to be long — just give yourself enough time to heal up before you jump to the next product. I’m going to be giving up my Apricot Scrub, and possibly switching to something else.
For the mean time, stay tuned in to what your face is really saying - and act on it!
This post is part of the Makeup Madness series.
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I might not be on trial, but I have to go in and testify. If you’ve never been involved in a court case, it can be a little daunting. Since we’re still in Makeup Madness Month, I’m going to focus mainly on my makeup regimen for the next couple of days. Sadly, I won’t be able to post much until Thursday night or Friday.
Court is one of those places where it does pay to be somber. Loud colors on your face simply won’t do. The best key that’s helped me stay focused is to visualize court the same way I would visualize a business interview or an important presentation for work. I think it’s safe to leave the peacock eyeliner at home for this one.
That doesn’t mean I will be without color, but I think the glossies should stay home. Subtle reds, berries, browns, etc. should be perfectly fine. Light makeup - you’re not going on the town, you’re going in to give a statement.
Not being an eyeliner fan (yet!), I would reason that eyeliner won’t be too much of a problem, nor would mascara. Whatever you put on your face, make sure that it is built to last a few hours. You can’t really jump up and tell the judge, “Excuse me, I need to go fix my face - you mind?” Take full advantage of breaks.
Carry small hand tissues in your bag - no matter how tidy I am with the brush, I always have too much powder on my face. Other mishaps happen - I’ve found that the tissues are a very discreet, ladylike method that definitely tops clawing at your face (and therefore ruining your makeup).
Overall, take it seriously. Even if you’re just being called in to give a statement under oath, remember that “perception is reality”. Look good, feel good, and stay luxuriously deluxe - even under oath!
When it comes to makeup, the typical phrase I hear is, “I don’t wear it.” That isn’t the interesting part - the reasons behind the phrase are. Like fashion, makeup is something we’re emotionally attached to - we either love it, or we absolutely cannot stand it. I’m still new to makeup, and coming from the “I don’t wear it because I’m totally clueless about it” camp, I figured I would share my thoughts with all of you.
Try. Even if you aren’t going out. Even if you aren’t going to come into contact with anyone but yourself - try. Start with a flirty shade of lipstick that you like, or maybe just a gray / white eyeshadow. Just like any weight loss plan, you will crash and burn if you try to go from tomboy to Tyra Banks.
Grab a Friend. Surely you have a groovy makeup-wearing gal-pal or three? If not, why not go outside? That sounds odd, but it seems that no matter where I go, I run into someone wearing makeup. If I can run into three grannies at Wal-Mart with makeup style power, you can find a forward-thinking makeupista with a style you adore. Backup plan: Style.com, one of my favorite places for inspiration.
Go Outside…Again. Look at the trees, the buildings — web designers often use this trick to come up with eye-catching palettes for their websites, so why not make this trick work for you too? I generally go for a neutral, “so not wearing anything” look, when I just want to go to the store, but when I throw on my dark denim outfits, I get into a “smoky” mood. Try it out on your next trip to the store, or that early-morning rush to class.
At the end of the day, how you apply and feel about makeup is up to you. However, as a makeup user myself, I like to have that “finishing touch” to my look. This argument about makeup is the same timeless argument about heels — some people like it, some don’t, some feel it’s a form of oppression. I like high heels, and I like makeup. Spin it another way: if makeup is something you put on, why would you apply it to hide yourself? Attitude is the cornerstone of makeup, fashion, and just about anything else we use to alter our look. If you go into makeup with an attitude of “it’s trying to cover me up”, then makeup will cover you up. If you have a positive attitude about makeup, then it’s a finisher, a polisher that you hold final control over.
I can’t stress that last point enough — makeup is meant to make you feel GOOD about yourself. If you don’t feel good, don’t do it — invest your time into something else.
I would love for fellow makeup fans to chime in: how do you feel about makeup? Oppressive Practice, or Nice Finisher That I Can Easily Live Without, But Choose Not To?
What to do with good foundation that has a few problems? OK, the makeup is a little worn, with a cracked case. I love my L’Oreal True Match super-blendable powder (I wear C8 - Cocoa and N8 - Cappuchino), and I found a little round case of it in one of my old makeup bags. The powder came in a nice little solid disk, but that’s all done and over with - it’s now a billion pieces, and looks pretty useless.
We can use a makeup brush to save the day. It sounds common sense-y as anything ever could, but I was seriously about to chuck the darn thing out! Naturally, if you have REALLY old makeup that isn’t in good condition, you may want to simply throw it away - bacteria can get into makeup over time and cause breakouts. Not cool!
The foundation hasn’t really been used, just squirreled away. I think I’ll run by the store and get some new makeup brushes.
This post is apart of the Makeup Madness collection.
Being a marketing junkie tends to make me very suspicious of marketing. I tear apart sales, look through promotion…you get the idea. However, I was in Springfield at Battlefield Mall when I think someone got through to me: the Clinique saleslady.
Another beauty admission made openly: I’m horrific with foundation. I either get it too dark, and then it looks like a chalk mask, or I get it too light, and then it looks like I’m trying to uber-correct my complexion. I hate buying from stores like Wal-Mart or WalGreens or any other discount shop - you can’t try it on. What’s the point of spending my gas, and time (showering, putting on clothes, brushing my hair, eating before I shop) — only to find that I gain no benefit from going to the product? I prefer to let the product come to me, quite honestly.
Cheri - my compassionate Clinique consultant - quickly gave an analysis of my face, along with questions about my beauty regimen. Of course, I was openly honest with her about everything. It’s akin to seeing your dentist, I suppose - you don’t really want to tell them you’re brushing twice a day when there’s excessive amounts of plaque on your teeth.
However, like most things I discuss here, this has a logical breakdown of what really made Cheri a great beauty consultant:
Even though Battlefield Mall was experiencing some heavy construction, Cheri was making very sure that everything was kept clean. When Mr. Deluxegrrl’s mom was trying on lipstick, Cheri made sure to wipe down the stick, then spray it with alcohol, wipe it again, and then offer DeluxeMom a q-tip to apply it with. Nice catch. For me, she cleaned her hands well, cleaned my face, and then applied the foundation to the back of her hand (like a palette), which was then applied to my cheek. Score!
I’m rather new to Clinique, but rather than going into a song and dance about the infinite wonders of Clinique, she simply brought me what I asked. She did mention their popular scrub, but only after I mentioned hating my apricot scrub currently. I like that - give the customer what they need, when they need it. We know we’re at a Clinique store, so we’re obviously already interested in Clinique products. Score again!
One thing that upset me about Sally Beauty Supply was that most of the staff at the store I frequent aren’t cosmetologists — they don’t really have any professional backing to really say what I should put on my head or not. The advice I get is generally good, but when I’m brand-shy, or just switching away / to a product, I really want a solid foundation. Presence. Credibility. Knowledge. Say it with me if you need to, but you should be looking for these factors too! Cosmetics are expensive as it is without having to pay for mistakes that could have been avoided!
Contrast this with my Clinique experience — Cheri was very receptive to questions, fielding me some of her own, while still remaining friendly. She wasn’t defensive, and even told me a little about herself.
Do they remember to tell you about the company’s bonuses and promotions? Do they offer you samples before you buy? Do they remember to give you the reins and let you try on what you feel comfortable with? Remember that these are ultimately your dollars you’re spending — these details matter when it comes to your shopping experience!
I truly did enjoy my experience buying Clinique products — $23 later, I have foundation that works beautifully, covers effortlessly, and gives me a rich, even skin tone. Compared with shopping at Wal-Mart (very self-serve), I like shopping with a good makeup consultant — they help me target what I need, while filtering out what I don’t.
Up next: DeluxeGrrl & The Beauty Consultant Pt 2 - The Basics of Choosing Foundation
This post is part of the Makeup Madness collection. No affiliate links were harmed in this post.
As a whole, this country spends over $5 billion dollars on cosmetics and beauty supplies. As of April 13th, 2006, the number being bandied around was $8.2 billion, but who’se counting that extra billion or three?
I can’t talk about my spending on cosmetics, when I have to talk about skin care products first. I’m slowly coming out of the dreaded Equate cycle and realizing that quality products lead to a quality face. Therefore, my spending on skin care and cosmetics is growing steadily. My face approves.
I spend roughly $30 a month of skin care and cosmetics - if there’s a lipstick I like, I grab it. I usually test out different types of foundation. Also, it’s nice to replace lipstick that’s been contaminated, or eyeshadow that just doesn’t do the job anymore.
So, all of this aside - how much do you spend on cosmetics? It can be $X a month, $X a year, $X a day…even $X an hour, but I’ll wonder what else you do with your time. Let me know!
This post is the first post in the Makeup Madness Month collection.
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dee·lux·GRRL n.An intelligent, dynamic female who isn't afraid to take risks, take time for herself, or create her own unique style!
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