I have the Makeup Fu.
Escapism. I have the Makeup-Fu. This I have been told by several people, and I have the urge to talk about girlie shit right now because it's all shiny and distracting.
Makeup for n00bs.
I get asked a lot by people who don't have the Makeup-Fu where they should begin in the journey towards Makup-fu havingness. The thing about starting out with makeup is that "sheer" is key. You want to enhance your skin tone and add touches of illumination, not paint on thick color. Too much matte will make you look stuck in the 80's, but if you go too shiny, you'll look like Jamie Lynn Spears. Let's not.
So here, a list of products anyone can wear that are pretty, fairly natural, and easy as hell to put on:
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation. ($7, drugstores.) It doesn't get any easier than this stuff. You can apply it with your fingers, and it's soft and creamy and really blendable. It's got pretty decent coverage that doesn't get cakey. And the texture is just so neat. Apply it over bare skin or skin moistened with an SPF 15 moisturizer.
Revlon New Complexion concealer. ($7, drugstores.) These come with two colors per round-- Light/Medium, Medium/Dark, etc. This is really handy because there are subtle diffences in skin tone depending on where you're applying concealer-- under your eyes is different from your chin. So this is versatile. It's also finger makeup, and it's creamy, so it doesn't cake on.
Revlon Skinlights all-over-color in Sunny. ($6, drugstores.) I use this for a really natural blush. It's a cream blush (fingers, again!) that blends really nicely, and this nudey-pink color shimmers without looking garish.
Revlon Creme Shadow pallette in Skinlights. ($6, drugstores.) Four really sheer, blendable, finger-applicable eyecolors. Brown, rose pink, light pink, and champagne gold-- like this, only about $30 cheaper. Use the light gold as a highlighter from the top of your lid to your eyebrow bone. The mid-pink goes on the lid, and if you chose, use touches of the darker hue close to your lashes to add depth. I love the Skinlights line to bits because it's really illuminating and natural looking.
MAC eyecolor in Gleam. ($15, MAC.) This layers really well with Skinlights stuff. It's a shiny gold-pink that also looks good on cooler skintones. You have to use a brush with this, but it goes on sheerly enough that you don't have to be all that precise with it.
Cover Girl EyeSlicks eyeliner/eyeshadow stick in Cream Soda. ($5, drugstores.) You know how some mornings, you wake up and your eyes are all sunken looking? This stuff is really good for making our eyes look brighter. Line the eyes with it, and pencil in the inner corners. It's a sheer silvery white that doesn't look freaky-mod. I love this stuff.
Rimmel blush in Bronze. ($4, drugstores.) You'll need a blush brush for this, but it's the perfect warm nude blush. It creates a flush that's not scary pink.
Maybelline Expert Wear eyeliner. ($6, drugstores.) This is a really soft gel liner that glides on much smoother than pencil liner. You'll also never need to sharpen it, and it comes with a little eraser on the end to smudge or touch up mistakes. Use brown if you're new to makeup and have light hair, black if you want something a little more dramatic or have dark hair.
Revlon EyeGlide in Nude. ($7, drugstores.) It's the perfect soft shell nude pink. This stuff is ridiculously easy to use, and it also comes in lots of neutral colors to try (I like Toffee and Champagne, too.) If you want to try something new, Jade is a nice soft green that blends really well with the pinker shades.
Maybelline Shinylicious lip gloss in All Red-y. ($6, drugstores.) This stuff looks scarier than it is. It's actually really, really sheer with just a touch of tint. It makes my face look brighter without being overwhelming.
L'Oreal Panoramic Curl Mascara. ($8, drugstores.) I hate to say it, but curling your eyelashes really does make a difference. Unfortunately, it's also irritating as fuck. This stuff is the next best thing.
Bourgeois Effet 3D lip gloss in Beige Theoric. ($15, Sephora.) This is the best nude gloss I've found, hands-down. In fact, I really want to try some of the other shades-- Miel Acrobatic in particular. You'll probably be able to find a cheaper drug-store version, but this stuff is just great.
Special-event makeup.
Need saucer-sized eyes? Marilyn Monroe lips? It takes a little more skill and time and makeup remover wipes to fix all those mistakes, but I have found some winners.
Bourgeois Rouge Pop Chic lip lacquer. ($15, Sephora.) I have the worst time ever finding a red lipstick that works for me. With all the pink in my skin, I've found the next best thing-- Raspberry red. Pourpre Chic #9 looks wonderful on me, and makes me want to try more in this line-- Rouge So Red #8 and Prune Glycero #4 in particular. This stuff sticks on and is shiny without being goopy. You apply it with a brush, which is more precise than out of a tube. I like.
Borgeois Liquid Liner in Black 21. ($15, Sephora.) Oh my god, liquid liner is so so hard. But every now and again, I get it right, and it's stunning. Pair a chic cat-eye with a pale, shimmery silver-white eye and a red lip. It's a really classy look.
Borgeois Coup de Theatre False Lash Illusion. ($15, Sephora.) It took me awhile to get the hang of this. You first coat your lashes with this white primer stuff, then paint on the mascara. The result is very long, spiky-looking lashes. This doesn't look natural, but it does look cool.
Maybelline City Shimmer in Gold Pagoda. ($6, drugstores.) For date and special occasion makeup, you have to use illuminator. I hear Stila has a really good one, but I've yet to try it. This, I got from Rite Aid, and it's a fairly non-sticky liquid formula. Blend a little into your temples, browbones, and a tiny bit on the bridge of your nose. You might want to use a pressed powder illuminator, and that's cool, too.
If I'm in the mood for color, I usually do a hint of green. I also love metallic silver eyeliner, which looks really neat when paired with hints of metallic gold eyshadow (Cover Girl eyeshadow in Golden Sunrise looks fantastic if you have blue or green eyes). You'll have to play around with what colors work for you. I love MAC's eyeshadows, but $15 is a lot to spend on something that may not work for you. I'd suggest ordering the super-cheap samples from Aromaleigh.com and experimenting with those first.
The Best of the Rest: Other stuff I love.
LUSH Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. Your face, or a baby's ass? You'll never know.
LUSH Ocean Salt exfoliator/cleanser. I get really flaky around my nose, despite my oily skin. This stuff fixes that and smells like a margarita.
Skindazzles' Whipped Body Frosting. If you have dry skin, this stuff is awesome. Plus, Candy's packaging and customer service is wonderful, and she's got a gazillion different scents to choose from. You can get a trip of 2 oz. jars for $8 US.
FeMaledictions Shea Butter Soap. This stuff is silky smooth, and sCara's presentation kicks ass. Merry Hallowe'en is my favorite scent.
Villainess soap in Pimp. This stuff exfoliates like a champ and the kaolin clay really calms down pissed-off red breakouts. I need to get another bar.
LUSH BIG shampoo. If you have limp, oily hair, you need this. Just make sure you've got a nourishing conditioner, because it can leave hair a little dry. But seriously, the difference is amazing.
My lust list.
Next for me to try: when I have money, I want to try Stila's stuff, because the pallettes look so cool. (Example 1 / Example 2 / Example 3.) Also, the Kajal eyeliner and the lip glazes look like fun. And I know it's BPAL heresy, hut it looks like Midnight Bloom might tickle my fancy. Plus, my Sephora list is forever expanding. Ah, winning lottery ticket, come to me. :)
Also, note to self-- pick up some Biore Pore Perfect cleanser.
Yep. That wasted an hour. Can I go home now?
Makeup for n00bs.
I get asked a lot by people who don't have the Makeup-Fu where they should begin in the journey towards Makup-fu havingness. The thing about starting out with makeup is that "sheer" is key. You want to enhance your skin tone and add touches of illumination, not paint on thick color. Too much matte will make you look stuck in the 80's, but if you go too shiny, you'll look like Jamie Lynn Spears. Let's not.
So here, a list of products anyone can wear that are pretty, fairly natural, and easy as hell to put on:
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation. ($7, drugstores.) It doesn't get any easier than this stuff. You can apply it with your fingers, and it's soft and creamy and really blendable. It's got pretty decent coverage that doesn't get cakey. And the texture is just so neat. Apply it over bare skin or skin moistened with an SPF 15 moisturizer.
Revlon New Complexion concealer. ($7, drugstores.) These come with two colors per round-- Light/Medium, Medium/Dark, etc. This is really handy because there are subtle diffences in skin tone depending on where you're applying concealer-- under your eyes is different from your chin. So this is versatile. It's also finger makeup, and it's creamy, so it doesn't cake on.
Revlon Skinlights all-over-color in Sunny. ($6, drugstores.) I use this for a really natural blush. It's a cream blush (fingers, again!) that blends really nicely, and this nudey-pink color shimmers without looking garish.
Revlon Creme Shadow pallette in Skinlights. ($6, drugstores.) Four really sheer, blendable, finger-applicable eyecolors. Brown, rose pink, light pink, and champagne gold-- like this, only about $30 cheaper. Use the light gold as a highlighter from the top of your lid to your eyebrow bone. The mid-pink goes on the lid, and if you chose, use touches of the darker hue close to your lashes to add depth. I love the Skinlights line to bits because it's really illuminating and natural looking.
MAC eyecolor in Gleam. ($15, MAC.) This layers really well with Skinlights stuff. It's a shiny gold-pink that also looks good on cooler skintones. You have to use a brush with this, but it goes on sheerly enough that you don't have to be all that precise with it.
Cover Girl EyeSlicks eyeliner/eyeshadow stick in Cream Soda. ($5, drugstores.) You know how some mornings, you wake up and your eyes are all sunken looking? This stuff is really good for making our eyes look brighter. Line the eyes with it, and pencil in the inner corners. It's a sheer silvery white that doesn't look freaky-mod. I love this stuff.
Rimmel blush in Bronze. ($4, drugstores.) You'll need a blush brush for this, but it's the perfect warm nude blush. It creates a flush that's not scary pink.
Maybelline Expert Wear eyeliner. ($6, drugstores.) This is a really soft gel liner that glides on much smoother than pencil liner. You'll also never need to sharpen it, and it comes with a little eraser on the end to smudge or touch up mistakes. Use brown if you're new to makeup and have light hair, black if you want something a little more dramatic or have dark hair.
Revlon EyeGlide in Nude. ($7, drugstores.) It's the perfect soft shell nude pink. This stuff is ridiculously easy to use, and it also comes in lots of neutral colors to try (I like Toffee and Champagne, too.) If you want to try something new, Jade is a nice soft green that blends really well with the pinker shades.
Maybelline Shinylicious lip gloss in All Red-y. ($6, drugstores.) This stuff looks scarier than it is. It's actually really, really sheer with just a touch of tint. It makes my face look brighter without being overwhelming.
L'Oreal Panoramic Curl Mascara. ($8, drugstores.) I hate to say it, but curling your eyelashes really does make a difference. Unfortunately, it's also irritating as fuck. This stuff is the next best thing.
Bourgeois Effet 3D lip gloss in Beige Theoric. ($15, Sephora.) This is the best nude gloss I've found, hands-down. In fact, I really want to try some of the other shades-- Miel Acrobatic in particular. You'll probably be able to find a cheaper drug-store version, but this stuff is just great.
Special-event makeup.
Need saucer-sized eyes? Marilyn Monroe lips? It takes a little more skill and time and makeup remover wipes to fix all those mistakes, but I have found some winners.
Bourgeois Rouge Pop Chic lip lacquer. ($15, Sephora.) I have the worst time ever finding a red lipstick that works for me. With all the pink in my skin, I've found the next best thing-- Raspberry red. Pourpre Chic #9 looks wonderful on me, and makes me want to try more in this line-- Rouge So Red #8 and Prune Glycero #4 in particular. This stuff sticks on and is shiny without being goopy. You apply it with a brush, which is more precise than out of a tube. I like.
Borgeois Liquid Liner in Black 21. ($15, Sephora.) Oh my god, liquid liner is so so hard. But every now and again, I get it right, and it's stunning. Pair a chic cat-eye with a pale, shimmery silver-white eye and a red lip. It's a really classy look.
Borgeois Coup de Theatre False Lash Illusion. ($15, Sephora.) It took me awhile to get the hang of this. You first coat your lashes with this white primer stuff, then paint on the mascara. The result is very long, spiky-looking lashes. This doesn't look natural, but it does look cool.
Maybelline City Shimmer in Gold Pagoda. ($6, drugstores.) For date and special occasion makeup, you have to use illuminator. I hear Stila has a really good one, but I've yet to try it. This, I got from Rite Aid, and it's a fairly non-sticky liquid formula. Blend a little into your temples, browbones, and a tiny bit on the bridge of your nose. You might want to use a pressed powder illuminator, and that's cool, too.
If I'm in the mood for color, I usually do a hint of green. I also love metallic silver eyeliner, which looks really neat when paired with hints of metallic gold eyshadow (Cover Girl eyeshadow in Golden Sunrise looks fantastic if you have blue or green eyes). You'll have to play around with what colors work for you. I love MAC's eyeshadows, but $15 is a lot to spend on something that may not work for you. I'd suggest ordering the super-cheap samples from Aromaleigh.com and experimenting with those first.
The Best of the Rest: Other stuff I love.
LUSH Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. Your face, or a baby's ass? You'll never know.
LUSH Ocean Salt exfoliator/cleanser. I get really flaky around my nose, despite my oily skin. This stuff fixes that and smells like a margarita.
Skindazzles' Whipped Body Frosting. If you have dry skin, this stuff is awesome. Plus, Candy's packaging and customer service is wonderful, and she's got a gazillion different scents to choose from. You can get a trip of 2 oz. jars for $8 US.
FeMaledictions Shea Butter Soap. This stuff is silky smooth, and sCara's presentation kicks ass. Merry Hallowe'en is my favorite scent.
Villainess soap in Pimp. This stuff exfoliates like a champ and the kaolin clay really calms down pissed-off red breakouts. I need to get another bar.
LUSH BIG shampoo. If you have limp, oily hair, you need this. Just make sure you've got a nourishing conditioner, because it can leave hair a little dry. But seriously, the difference is amazing.
My lust list.
Next for me to try: when I have money, I want to try Stila's stuff, because the pallettes look so cool. (Example 1 / Example 2 / Example 3.) Also, the Kajal eyeliner and the lip glazes look like fun. And I know it's BPAL heresy, hut it looks like Midnight Bloom might tickle my fancy. Plus, my Sephora list is forever expanding. Ah, winning lottery ticket, come to me. :)
Also, note to self-- pick up some Biore Pore Perfect cleanser.
Yep. That wasted an hour. Can I go home now?