I love the way I look in this portrait, but I've also decided to "face" the facts:
I'm wearing too much makeup.
How much is too much? It's a personal thing, but for me, too much is
foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, eyeliner,
eye shadow, false eyelashes (!), brow powder, lipstain & lip gloss)
Photo credit: The Goodness Photography & Design
It’s been just over 2 months since my year without mirrors ended and I must say... I’ve been thinking a lot about
makeup lately. You may remember that my
decision to shun mirrors for 365 days was accompanied by a parallel decision to
cut back on the number of cosmetics I was using. This was both necessary (because
it’s really difficult to apply concealer when you don’t know what you’re
concealing... or eyeliner when you can’t see what you’re lining... or
highlighter when you can’t see what you’re highlighting), and also something I
very much wanted to do because I felt that my beauty habits were taking too much of my time, and costing
too much of my money. As much as I've long enjoyed applying makeup and all the creativity and self-expression that can
come with beauty routines, I’d reached a point of diminishing returns and
needed to make a swift retreat.
And so I strategically cut back to only the necessities (at least, according to me): tinted moisturizer w/ SPF, sheer powder blush, a neutral
cream eye shadow, and waterproof mascara.
Ke$ha's popular "makeunder" via Glamour Magazine.
But which one is "her"? That's what matters to me.
Of
course, one woman’s makeunder is
another women’s makeover, and I received a lot of flak from some folks who felt that I should have given up
makeup entirely during my project. All I could say then - and all I can say now - is that every woman deserves to develop her own sense of personal style, and makeup can be a meaningful means to that end. Makeup helps me feel more feminine, polished, and professional than when I go without. My sister, on the other hand, rarely wears makeup and I love this about her; it's part of her unique look, and her identity... but not mine. Some bloggers have argued that cosmetics are a symptom and reproducer of patriarchy (and that women who wear them have been duped by the system), but I believe that this is too simplistic an account, ignoring both women's creativity and their agency.
Anyway, with the exception of my wedding day, a commitment to "Makeup Free Mondays," and a sprinkling of mostly-failed eyeliner attempts, I wore the four products mentioned above without variation every single day for an entire year. I saved time and money, but - most importantly - I discovered that wearing less makeup didn't cramp my style or cause me to be taken less seriously by my friends, colleagues, or husband. Dare I say that nobody even seemed to notice!? In other words, my less-makeup-experiment-within-a-no-mirrors-experiment was an utter success!
So then why have I been thinking so much about makeup recently? Well... I've experienced a bit of a relapse. In the weeks following my return to mirrors, I went from makeunder back to makeover. I added eyeliner back to my daily look, and tried different colors on different days. I traipsed to Sephora and bought an expensive new "organic" foundation with an accompanying expensive new "organic" concealer. I attempted "contouring" on my cheeks, and tried lining the inner-rims of my eyes with liquid liner. (Okay, admittedly I didn't do all of this at the same time, but you get the gist!) My morning routine went from under 5 minutes to a whopping 25 minutes, which is more time than I'd spent applying makeup before my no-mirrors project! Speaking of mirrors, I started using a magnifying mirror (a "happy end of your no-mirrors project" gift from my mother-in-law, Sherry) to double check my pores, ahem, work.
For a few weeks this was fun. I'd earned it, right? Didn't I deserve to indulge a bit? Didn't my formerly-repressed cosmetic creativity need to be set free once more?
But after a while I didn't feel so free, nor particularly creative, for that matter. A few times I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and thought - geez, that's a lot of makeup! Then my credit card bill came in with a balance that was a bit higher than desired. Oh, and I've developed a teeny-yet-painful stye on my left eyelid. (eew.) This is likely due to eyeliner overuse (or misuse. I don't really know what I'm doing!). It finally went away two weeks ago but then showed up again last night. :(
These things have helped me realize that all of the extra makeup, and all of the "what look am I going for today?!" stuff doesn't actually feel like me anymore. So, I returned the expensive organic stuff to Sephora, and retired my magnifying mirror indefinitely (it's been repurposed as a cool lamp in our entryway!). I've actually started to time myself in the morning, to make sure I stay under 7 minutes. Sure, I'll still happily go a bit more glam on truly special occasions, but, for now, I'm back to the basics and it feels right. I'll try to post images of my bare faced vs. minimal makeup vs. maximal makeup looks soon. In the meantime, here's the scoop on my new-ish regime:
Step 1: Contemplate Michelle Williams' fresh-faced glow for minimalist-makeup inspiration!
It makes me happy to see Williams' pale skin, rosy round cheeks,
blonde hair, and brown eyes. Why? Oh, because I have pale skin,
rosy round cheeks, blonde hair and brown eyes. Duh.
Step 2: Apply Biore Skin Preservation moisturizer w/ SPF30 sunscreen.
This has been my "Holy Grail" daytime moisturizer for years,
but is now discontinued. :( I've hoarded a few bottles, but
will be seeking a replacement soon. Any suggestions?
Step 3: Mix Covergirl TrueBlend Liquid Foundation(s) and apply like face lotion, using hands.
I'm between two shades so I mix them! Only $7!!!
Step 4: Fluff on some Lorac Blush for Cheeks in "Peach"
Honestly, I have at least a half-dozen pinky/peachy blushes that work just the same.
Note to self: I will NOT buy new blush until I have used up what I already own,
OR until I turn 40; whichever comes first!
Step 5: Curl lashes and apply Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara in "Very Black"
An oldie but goodie. I can't find anything better!
Step 6: Warily consider eyeliner and eye shadow... To be continued...
My poor little left eye is still a bit tender, so I'm in no rush to glob on product.
I'll close here with a few questions for you:
1) Makeover vs. Makeunder: have you gone through either of these? Was it your idea or somebody else's? What was your experience? What did you learn?
2) Any suggestions for a fantastic SPF30+ moisturizer (or tinted moisturizer or "beauty balm") that works well for sensitive skin?
3) What beauty products (if any!) help you feel like "you"?
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