Tell me about your make-up

R

Road2ANewMe

Cathlete
I am trying to get myself back. I am one of those 'awful' women you see on Oprah who had completely lose themselves in their family. I have not had new clothes, clothes than fit (after losing weight), or worn makeup of any kind in 4 years. I also do not fix myself on a daily basis. I do shower, however!

After a lot of soul searching, and delivering my 3rd child, I have decided I needed to get the 'me' back that I used to have. I am so excited!!

My first step is to start wearing makeup. Something so small can go so far! So, i used to use Clinique, but not sure where to turn now. Any ideas? I will likely go to the makeup counter and ask them to pick colors for me. I'm also working on fixing my hair daily and looking presentable. I fell into the trap that since I was 'just' a SAHM that I didn't need to bother getting dressed and being cute.

So, what can you recommend for me? Any reading, makeup, anything...i'm in recovery:)

Jessica
 
I agree that you'll feel so much better about yourself if you do a few little things for your apperance even if you stay home all day. I am a SAHM too and I don't wear makeup everyday but I do wear cute but comfy outfits (i'm more casual than I used to be but they are still cute). I fix my hair most days.. and if I don't want to go all out with makeup a quick brushup with mineral foundation helps. I also have started to do my nails at home. I use color on my toes and clear on my nails. They get too beat up to keep color nice. ha. Get good quality polish, it matters. So I feel better now that I'm working out regular and taking more care of my appearance. It is not to show off to others but to make me feel good about myself.
I use bare minerals now from sephora.com. They have a nice starter package that works great and comes with a dvd on how to use. I like it cause it is so "lite". I didn't like the cakey/clogged feeling of liquid foundation anymore.
I love Target and Ross for shopping. You can find some REALLY cute stuff cheap. Target always has clearance racks going too and I've found some amazingly great stuff for so cheap. I like knee length denim skirts alot cause they are cozy and casual/dressy at the same time. I can wear it with a nice top to church or with a cute tshirt type top and flip flops at home. I usually wear mid thigh length shorts. Target has great ones. And basic but cute/trendy tops. (my style anyway take it or leave it). I used to be super trendy before my last son and always had a necklace on and cute uncomfy shoes. lol. I feel I look good now but am a bit more relaxed. Chasing kids does that to ya!
good luck and have fun!
 
I'm not a SAHM but I can definitely see how easy it would be to fall into that trap. When I'm on vacation I'm sometimes less likely to knock myself out. Still, I never leave the house without foundation, no matter what. You know, people are always telling me I have "peaches and cream" skin but I really just have peaches and cream makeup. Believe it or not, I use the Cover Girl foundation in the bottle with the green label. It doesn't have any fragrance and it goes on like velvet. I also use the coordinating powder. Recently, on a trip to Greece, I had a few days on a cruise ship and had to go wake up another woman in our party. I wasn't wearing any makeup when I knocked on her door and wasn't thinking about it when she kept insisting that I didn't "look well." When I finally realized what the problem was I said "Oh.... I'm not sick, honey. I just don't have my makeup on." She looked doubtful and I realized at that moment that my foundation was nothing short of magic in a bottle. The one drawback: It comes in a very limited color palette (about ten shades). Since every product I've ever loved gets discontinued, and since my skin is very light, I live in fear they'll discontinue IVORY. I should probably start begging them not to right now so they know WE'RE out here. I will say you should troll the aisles of Target and try the less expensive cosmetics first. I remember reading once the only real difference between department store and drugstore cosmetics is in package design (A Chanel compact is going to hold up a whole lot better in your purse than one from L'Oreal but you could buy every shade of L'Oreal eye shadow, twice over, perhaps, for the price of a single Chanel compact). Everything I put on my face comes from DISCOUNT department stores and nobody knows and, for what you spend, you can get a lot more stuff. More stuff means more opportunities for experimentation until you get it all right. I will say Target is the exclusive retailer for Sonia Kashuk makeup (compacts that hold up very well in my purse) and her lipsticks are so luscious and creamy. I wear LILY, which is flattering against a huge range of skin tones. Good luck.
 
Might seem silly, but how do you pic a color for you? That is the whole reason I was going to a dept store...I need them to tell me my color!

Jessica
 
I love love love my mineral foundation from Everyday Minerals. You can go on their website, www.everydayminerals.com, and order a free sample kit and try out the makeup.

I second the above recommendation for Target for cute and reasonable clothes. Be sure to check Kohls and Old Navy too!
 
In college (over 20 yeara ago) I went from working in a gym to working at a Merle Norman. At the time I'd never even worn maekup.
At MN we would do free makeovers. Always testing the foundation on the chin and jawbone area to find the right shade. You could still go to a makeup counter to see what they do and make notes. Maybe there'll be one or two things you want to buy from them. The notes you make and hints and tips can help you if you go to Target. At MN we never expected someone to purchase everything from us - and WE never put pressure on anyone. The makeovers were always so fun and happy. I loved helping people see how beautiful they already were.

Recently I was with a friend at Ulta (retail beauty store). The walk-around workers there did some testing and tried some stuff on us. We had so much fun laughing and playing...I found some neat stuff.

I don;t have kids - but have my office out of the house. For the first year ot so I didn't dress up every day and was not working out. I felt a little like I'd lost myself a bit too. I decided to dress and get back into fitness and do the makeup. Like you, not for anyone else but for me. I feel 1000% better. More in charge and more empowered.

Seeing only the best for you.
 
I am a stay at home mom too, I know what you are going through. DH was posted overseas for a year so I had no reason to look cute anymore, I really let myself go.

I am going back to school and that helped me take better care of myself, I wear minimal makeup: maybelline mascara ( sometimes add a liner on the top lashes), Rymmel blush, and
Sally Hansen lipgloss. I just started wearing Neutrogena concealer around my eyes and it has made a huge difference, I don't look tired anymore.

As you can see, all my makeup is from a drugstore. My mom used to buy for herself and for me expensive makeup, but honestly I don't see a difference expect for the frangrance in the expensive one brand. I avoid frangrance.

I also wear sunscreen on my face everyday, I had a facial last week and the esthetician was very impressed with my tone, I don't think I should have issues with the tone of my skin at my age but she commented about it and asked me what product I used, I am gave credit to sunscreen!

Good luck, it will be a lot of fun.
I would check a drugstore, definately target especially if you need new makeup brushes ( Sonia Kashuk) check MAC counters too!
 
>I love love love my mineral foundation from Everyday
>Minerals. You can go on their website,
>www.everydayminerals.com, and order a free sample kit and try
>out the makeup.

I also love Everyday Minerals - very affordable and excellent quality. I also love that you can get free samples, so you can find your perfect shade BEFORE you buy. :)
 
Bobbi Brown is a good place to start if you are looking for someone to help pick the right shade of powder and foundation. Then you can buy all your other makeup at Target or a drugstore!:)
 
I second Everyday Minerals .. thanks to the girls on this forum I tried it .. and LOVE it .. very light .. very natural .. and VERY affordable! The free samples help a lot too!

I also second going to an Ulta store .. that store is simply awesome .. and the girls do a great job of reccommending products .. they carry EVERYTHING - from hair, to nails, to skin, to body, to perfume .. anything you would need ... they also have bare minerals and will do a free makeover there in the store .. (although I am convinced Everyday Minerals is a better product and MUCH more affordable) ...

I am not a SAHM .. but do beleive everyone should have "me" time and everyone deserves a little pampering every now and then ... IA w/the others a little goes a long way!!:D Good luck to you!
 
Thanks for posting about Everyday Minerals ladies. I've though about looking for another mineral powder that was organic AND affordable. If you say it is I'll check it out. I'm looking at the site now and hope to find the free samples? I don't see it do you have to ask?
We are getting a new HUGE shopping center down the road from my neighborhood. It will have an Ulta and I'm excited cause I've never lived near one but visited one by my mom. If I stick with Bare minerals I can get it there instead of online too. And I remember them having the yummy colonial at home candles. ;)
 
I also say go for Everyday Minerals! I've never found a makeup more agreeable with my skin, and my skin is bad. I'm very red, scarred, and full of pimples. The sample kit is fantastic for finding the color that is right for you. First of all, their range of colors is amazing and they very clearly show you the color of everything online; secondly, you can order as many sample kits as you want to find the right colors for you. In my first sample kit, I ordered 3 foundation colors. They were close, but a bit too light, so in my second sample kit, I ordered three more, and now I mix two colors for the perfect color. The intensive concealer is amazing, as well, and you can pick one of those for the sample kit. You pay nothing but $3.00 for shipping. If you have anybody who could help you look online while you pick colors, that may help. Or hold a mirror while you choose.

I, too, have really let myself go in the last couple of years. It started with my acne being so bad that I couldn't wear makeup anymore, and then I've just had a year full of being sick and stressed and poor which has ultimately led to depression. Now I have mono and haven't worked out in months. I'm a wreck. So I'm slowly trying to see about getting myself together, physically and emotionally. Finding makeup that doesn't hurt my skin was step number one. Figuring out what to do with my frizzy, poofy hair will be next. Clothes shopping after that :) Then hopefully, I can get back into shape.

Good luck :D Even the process of caring for ourselves again makes us feel better, I think, so enjoy.
 
Hey Jess,

If you click on Makeup and then click on Custom Kits it will bring you to all of their options. In the middle somewhere is "Free Sample Kit." You add it to your cart and then start dragging the colors you want into your cart. Good luck! I love the stuff.
 
I'll echo the recommendations for Everyday Minerals. In fact, it is my latest obsession. I have so many items that I created spreadsheets to track what I like.... sick I know. :)
 
>Hey Jess,
>
>If you click on Makeup and then click on Custom Kits it will
>bring you to all of their options. In the middle somewhere is
>"Free Sample Kit." You add it to your cart and then start
>dragging the colors you want into your cart. Good luck! I
>love the stuff.
>
>
>
Oh thanks!
 
I have nothing to add make-up wise, as you've already received great suggestions. I simply wanted to add that:

a) I understand :)

and

b) I'm happy to hear you're dedicating time to yourself a bit. It's easy to get lost.

Jess's description sounds a lot like me. I don't wear a lot of makeup (blush and lipstick most days, eyeliner if I feel like ramping things up), but I do try to look cute each day ~ it makes me feel good. Target is a favorite store of mine for all kinds of stuff. Plus I invest in a great skin care line, which helps my skin look nice enough to avoid the use of foundation and powder.

Consider getting your hair done. Maybe even something new and daring. It's a lot of fun and can make you feel totally girly again.

I'm a fan of "What Not To Wear." Ever see it? After watching it for a few months, I reorganized my closet, donated stuff I never wore, and slowly replaced what was missing with affordable (Target, Walmart or Kohl's) clothes that I love and look good on me. That's a huge mood lifter.

Welcome back. :D
 
Jessica, good for you for taking the first step in your journey! :)

I am a make-up gal and have everything from Chanel to Jane (cheap drugstore powder--like $3.49!) in my bag of tricks. I second the recommendation for Bobbi Brown. Her palate is very neutral for the most part, easy to wear. For busy mommies I recommend the under-eye concealer (it works MAGIC!) and the eye-shadow sticks. These are creamy, glide over the lid, and with one swipe, you have color that lasts all day long.

I also like a Christian Dior lip-gloss/lip-stick combo that is a 2 for 1. The colors are beautiful and they taste like white tea. So fun!

For reading, I recommend The 5-Minute Face: Quick and Easy Makeup Guide For Every Woman by Carmindy (she's the makover lady from What Not To Wear.) I personally do not have this book BUT have heard really good things about it and if it's like what she does on the show, this would be right up your alley.

For clothes, I love Ann Taylor Loft. They have great sales and if you sign up for their e-mail, you get all kinds of special offers and advance notice of good sales. Antropologie's web site has good sales on fun clothes, too.

And I have been where you have been! I gained 45 pounds with my baby and it took a lot longer than I thought to get back into the swing of things.

So like you, I started small. Just buying the new Christian Dior lip product made me feel a little better. Then I chopped my hair off like Kayla Brady on Days of our Lives, started Cathe only rotations, dropped all pre-processed food from my diet, joined some mommy groups to meet new people..and where am I now? I'm back to my college weight, incredibly fit thanks to Cathe, recently got some stylish new work clothes at Ann Taylor Loft, found this wonderful forum with you great folks, and I feel really good about things! So you can do it, too, I promise!
 
What is your coloring? The color/tone of your skin, hair, and eyes make all the difference. Blue eyed girls, for instance, should steer clear of blues because blue actually makes their eyes look less blue while a soft brown makes their eyes pop. Lighter girls tend to look better in muted tones, while darker girls can wear the same colors in much higher intensities (lucky). For instance, a darker girl can usually wear a strong true purple well but the violet I use is considerably grayed-down. If you put the two versions of that shade side-by-side you would see the difference immediately. I do use a very bright lapis blue in my lid crease but I'm careful to keep it light and use a good brush to dull the intensity and blend it well with the gray-violet. Then there's the whole cool shades vs. warm shades. You can see the differences between warm and cool when you compare lipsticks or foundations. In foundations, if you compare two pale shades, one may have pink undertones (cool) and the other may have warm (a yellowish cast). In lipsticks, if you compare reds, one may look vampire-ish due to the blue undertones (cool) while another is a firey shade with yellow undertones (warm). Because I'm so pale I use cool shades everywhere but in my foundation. I use a warm foundation to counteract the pinkish cast to my super-pale celtic-germanic complexion.

As I've aged, I've made changes. For instance, I stopped wearing anything BLACK around my eyes at about age 30, lest I wind up looking like a 1970s hair-band groupie. I have red hair and green eyes and have learned the colors that work best around my eyes are shades of deep gray-blue and raison (with gray-ish undertones), applied carefully with really good brushes and blended well. You'll often find the colors the manufacturers put together aren't always the exact colors you should use. I have a Loreal quad of grayish-violets and I use one as an all over shadow and the darkest as a soft liner. I never use the other two and I add a deep gray-blue from an entirely different manufacturer for accent. I use brown/black mascara (the Cover Girl mascaras in the red or orange tubes are the best) and Almay's Raison eyeliner (soft and malleable). Most women are very particular about what they put on their lips. It takes a lot of trial and error to find the perfect lip stuff. I may require a creamy textured lipstick that's just opaque enough that I can apply it without a mirror, while walking. And I don't mind applying it as often as I apply hand lotion. Other women like their lips super shiny or super matte. Still other women want whatever lip color they use to stick like glue and last all day, while I hate that. I finally discovered the perfect lipstick FOR ME in Sonia Kashuk's Lily but you might hate the texture.

Someone here mentioned sunscreen. I've tried a million moisturizers and always come back to Oil of Olay's Sensitive Skin (fragrance/color free) 15spf moisturizer. It's not designed for serious sun exposure but it's just enough to get me from my car to work and I love that I can smear the stuff all over my face and neck and not worry about getting it around my eyes. I use the one without sunscreen at night. It's the best basic no-fuss, minimally-packaged, squirt-bottle moisturizer on the market and it's reasonably priced.

Applying makeup, when you don't know what you're doing, has a lot in common with learning a new step routine at home: Remember, nobody's watching. You can play, get it wrong, wipe it off (those cleansing towelettes are THE BOMB) and try something new. I can't say enough about the importance of good brushes in getting a softer, prettier, more natural look. I am still using an Avon blush brush (for eye shadow, actually) I got in junior high school. Invest in a good set (Sonia Kashuk's brush sets at Target are affordable and quality) and take good care of them. I NEVER use the brushes and applicators included with compacts. They make doing a good job of blending nearly impossible. You don't realize how much better a look you can get until you use good brushes.
 
{{{I'll echo the recommendations for Everyday Minerals. In fact, it is my latest obsession. I have so many items that I created spreadsheets to track what I like.... sick I know}}}

Autumn ... not sick .. I too have so many items from Everyday Minerals I have 2 different make up bags to keep the assortments in!! I didn't think I would like the eye shadows but received a sample in one of my orders and I was HOOKED (that is how they get you) .. but the products are so affordable and so many choices you cant go wrong w/them .. you can go "oh so natural" .. or really "glam it up" .. your choice!!:D
 
I use Jane Iredale; it's very high quality mineral makeup, no animal testing and its vegan safe. It's pretty gently on your skin and in my opinion, none of the other mineral makeup companies hold a candle to JI. Also, I was using JI before this whole mineral makeup thing became huge. They have so many choices and so many colors, I'm sure you can find something that works for you.

www.janeiredale.com
 
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