I've been kind of obsessed with makeup ever since 6th grade when my older sister put some shimmy purple eyeshadow on my lids and silvery purple gloss on my lips and sent me off to church feeling like the hawtest (that's how I spelled "hottest" in 6th grade) human to ever grace the face of the earth. My sister didn't know the can of worms she was opening and she got really annoyed that every single day after that I begged her to put makeup on me. Then, in high school when I wasn't working at Subway or with Cristen hanging out at the video store, grocery store, or Denny's, I was staying up late putting my hair in ringlets and trying out different types of makeup. Through the years I've had lots of makeup hits and misses, like everyone. I went through stages where my face was a different shade than my neck, through a phase of tweezing my eyebrows WAY too thin, through a phase of putting body glitter all over my entire face and wearing dark blue eyeshadow to my cross country races, and through a phase of wearing so much makeup that you could have scraped it off of my face the way people scrape paint off of houses.
After all those hits, misses, and experimental phases, I've finally found a routine that works great for me and is also REALLY fast. My current daily makeup routine takes me between 5-7 minutes to complete.
For some reason I have a very vivid memory of my favorite English professor in college saying something about how if our homes caught on fire and we had to replace everything, our makeup and toiletries would have made an insane dent in our checking accounts. I don't know why that stuck out to me so much but I thought it would be fun to post about how much my face costs.
1. Primer. If you aren't using primer, you need to start. It makes SUCH a difference! It makes everything so smooth and it also makes my makeup stay on longer. I use the green redness correcting primer from e.l.f. at Target. I apply one pump all over my face (including eyelids - but lightly!) using my fingertips.
Cost = $6
2. BB cream. BB cream is like foundation, but way lighter. I think there's also a difference in the way it affects your face but to be honest, I haven't looked into that too much because it seems science-y and that doesn't excite me.. I love this BB cream because it gives me coverage and doesn't feel too heavy! I've tried the Cover Girl brand of BB cream and I can't tell you how much I hated it. I figured out the trick with BB cream is to not use too much. I use about a pea-sized amount and rub into my face using my fingertips.You can always apply more if you feel like you need it.
Cost: $6.29
3. Concealer. I don't use concealer every day, but when I do I use the FitMe concealer by Maybelline. It lasts for a long time and I love the coverage! When I use this I usually use it on the zits on my chin and around my eyes. Just dab it where you need it and then pat (don't rub!) it in with your fingertips. When patting around your eyes, use your ring finger. It's the weakest and will keep you from stretching and pulling on that delicate skin. I also like using it on my eyelids because it acts as a primer if I'm going to wear eyeshadow, or if I'm not, it at least evens out the skin coloring.
Cost: $5.49
4. Powder. Continuing with the Maybelline theme, I love the FitMe pressed powder. I use a cheap powder brush from e.l.f. to apply it. I never use the sponge thing it comes with ... but does anybody use that to apply powder? That's a serious question. I need to know. When you're applying this make sure to try and blend into your jawline.
Cost: $5.49
5. Blush. I'm not a big fan of blush because I have naturally rosy cheeks so I don't always put it on. I tried jumping on the bronzer bandwagon, but mixed with the red cheeks it just made my cheeks look weird. What I'm using now is this bouncy blush by Maybelline. I just rub a little on my fingertips, smile to make the apples of my cheeks pop, and lightly apply it there.
Cost: $5.50
6. Brows. I'm sure you're aware that 2014 was the year of the brow, right? Well, I'd like to think that I'm ahead of the trend in that I've been coloring in my brows since 2007. That's EIGHT YEARS, people!!! It all started because I had a job at a certain amusement park as a certain redhead which required me to color my brows red during every shift, and then when I wasn't working I felt naked if I didn't color my brows in, so I used some random brown eyeshadow and a stiff brush and colored in my brows. (Say "brows" one more time, Juliette.)In the eight years I've been doing my brows I've never liked the look of a pencil. For me, I feel like it looks way too harsh, so I opt for a stiff angled brush (I got mine from Sephora two years ago and it's the best $21 I've ever spent) and some eyeshadow. This is what I use to color in my brows. I'm looking for a lighter color, but until I find one I just go light on the coloring. When you're filling in your brows I'm BEGGING you not to go to dark. You don't want people to look at you and think, "Oh wow, she filled in her eyebrows," you want them to look at you and think, "Wow that girl has fantastic natural eyebrows!" Start lightly and just apply over your natural brown line. DO NOT PRESS TO HARD. IT WILL NOT LOOK GOOD. I MEAN IT.
Cost: $2.19
7. Eyeliner. If you're one of those people who is awesome at eyeliner then I partially hate you and I partially want you to come over and show me your secrets. I'm serious. I'm awful at eyeliner, so I don't use it the traditional way. I tightline. To tightline, pull your eyelid up so you can see the waterline of your lid, and apply the liner to the base of your lashes. It sounds freaky and it's hard to get the hang of at first, but here's a video to help you, you're welcome. Start at the 5:25 mark. I use a really cheap eyeliner by NYC that I get at Target. I only use the retractable eyeliner because does anybody REALLY have the time for sharpening pencils? No. No we do not.
Cost: $1.97
8. Mascara. Mascara is absolutely one of my favorite things. I am constantly buying new mascaras and then hating them and going back to my old tried and true: the colossal cat eye by Maybelline. I LOVE this mascara, and I've been using it for years. Seriously guys, I've tried mascaras with primers, I've tried the battery operated ones that vibrate, I've tried thick brushes, thing brushes, straight, curved, angled... and this is my favorite. You know how sometimes lashes look really thick, or clumpy, or spidery? I HATE THAT. It's the worst. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, here's a trick: place the brush at the base of your lashes, and wiggle it upwards. I usually do two coats of this and then use an eyelash comb to make sure the lashes are separated the way I want them. Also, don't use waterproof mascara on a daily basis. It's bad for your lashes.
Cost: $4.99
The total cost for these products is $37.92. I went through a period of time when I was spending $40 on ONE item (powder from Clinique/Mac, so this price seems kind of awesome to me. I think the average length of time I can use these products is a month and a half, which comes out to $.84/day. LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY.
What are some of your favorite products?
Is there anything you love that you think I should try?
Have you tried and hated any of these products?
I NEED TO KNOW.