on beauty
From top left,: Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque, Boots Original Body Cream, Shu Uemura Depsea (their spelling, not mine!) Replenishing Emulsion (I think they mean moisturiser), Kiehl's lipbalm, Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia Cologne, Biore SPF 50 sunblock (I would include my concealer in the picture, but I might have left it behind in Bali.)
True story: An acquaintance of mine had been dating a girl. One day, arriving at her place to pick her up for date, she told him, I'm not ready, why don't you come up and wait?
(cue hysterical laughter, mine.)
In Asia, it's popular amongst some style tribes to wear contacts that make your irises look bigger, to wear fake eyelashes and shovel on the eyeliner, even contacts in hues no Asian has (blue, green, purple). I have seen Taiwanese variety shows that make a sport of getting these girls to appear make-up free on TV and then demonstrating the transformation to a live audience.
I don't get it? How do they feel when they remove their make-up at night, and look at the mirror in the morning? For some it may be a bit of fun, but often I can't help but think it's saying something about their self-esteem.
I think make-up can be fun, and it's expected in some professional settings, but I would never, ever allow myself to feel that I can't be seen without some coverage. I'm all enhancing your features, but performing the equivalent of cosmetic surgery with foundation and eyeliner will always disturb me.
My idea of make-up: concealer for spots, lip balm.
I do pay a fair bit of attention to skincare though. I must have a good moisturiser and cleanser, and I wear sunscreen daily. From time to time I like a deep cleansing mask, and I also use a facial scrub every now and then. I have been trying, but failing to use eye cream regularly.
What do you think about make-up? What's your make-up and beauty routine like?
Comments
I can see why some people need to use makeup though - I'm blessed with pretty good skin and I've avoided the plague of the single eyelid syndrome or whatever seems to be unattractive to Asians so I try not to judge when some people have to slather their face with foundation an inch thick and dilate their eyes with circle lenses and eyeliner.
Could I do something to make myself look better? Probably. But at the end of the day, it's too much effort and it really isn't worth the time to keep up.
I don't like to much makeup. I prefer to take could care of my skin. I wash my face with Cetaphil and then use Mario Badescu's Aloe Vera Toner. I moisturize and apply sunscreen. Once or twice a week I exfoliate. I'm blessed with pretty great skin (I don't break out), but dryness (especially in the winter) is a huge issue for me.
When I wear makeup, I want it to look natural and like I'm not wearing any. I like to curl my lashes and apply mascara to the top lashes and a very natural lipgloss. On days where I've had a late night at work I apply a little concealer around the eyes and maybe a little bronzer to warm up my cheekbones. I look like a child wearing makeup if I do to much.
But what about people who have bad skin (I dont mean a spot or two, or a bit of pigmentation here or there, but 'terrible' skin which cant be fixed with skincare)should they leave it natural for the world to see? I dont know... I would like to hear your honest opinion?
Like Amanda said, the worst is when people cake on the foundation, it just makes you look matte! If i need that extra coverage I'd opt for a tinted moisturiser.
Luckily, the acne is gone, and while I have far from perfect skin I don't feel like I have to 'hide' something anymore. My skincare products are all from La Roche Posay, my makeup routine consists of a thin layer of foundation on my nose and chin, some powder and mascara.
Great post btw!
I love products so I have quite a few in my daily routine - but like you, I enjoy the skin care part so much more than applying make up. I remove my make up with just normal make up wipes, cleanse, tone and moisturise. I then have a primer, tinted moisturiser (never foundation - too heavy) a light power to fix, blush and a flick of liquid eyeliner. I don't think (and hope!) I don't look overly made up with a painted face, just natural and clean with added polish would do! I'd hate having so much make up on that I hide my actual skin - I like seeing my freckles peeping through!
I think because I have a fringe I need to define my eyes or they get lost, so thats where my make-up attention is mostly focused.
Your products look lovely - love Jo Malone fragrance and anything Kiehl's always works so well.
xx
that said, i dont try very hard to pile on the years! my philosphy is "look like me but better" when it comes to makeup, so a bit of concealer, eye liner and blush helps.
skincare-wise, a proper makeup remover, cleanser and moisturiser are the only things i will use. probably dont use as much spf as i should!
I am like you, skincare is key, especially a good sunscreen and a decent cleanser.
As for makeup, I always wear blush, tinted lip balm, and mascara, and occasionally I wear a red lipstick or a little bit of kohl. Any more make-up and I am itching to take it off within minutes!
but i do like a tiny bit makeup. basically a very subtle layer of liquid foundation that contains sun block, as a layer to combat with environmental damage. i don't trust the air during the day enough to go out with bare face. i need some protection, that's it. so my issue with bare face has more to do with my concern with air pollution. however nowadays i'm not bothered to apply mascara or anything like that. but i do like a slight pouty lip look, and burt's bees lip shimmer is a life saver. it's a lip balm and a shimmer. way better than lipstick, the look is so natural, subtle and lovely and make my lip looks fuller, and it's also just so nourishing. i guess i'm really into lips, ha.
i think as long as you keep the makeup minimum, it won't make that kind of dramatic difference. at least not with me.
btw, i hate those contacts trend in asia, it makes people look like dead dolls, plain scary.
But as much as I'd love to be makeup free, makeup also emphasizes features I thought I didn't have like high cheekbones. I just discovered them two weeks ago and I feel much prettier with a bit of blush/bronzer. Haha. But I'm eager to invest in good skin products and get perfect skin so I can release myself from mineral powder and concealer. Now I sound like someone who wears a lot of makeup, in reality yes I wear a lot but it doesn't look like I'm wearing anything.. and I find it annoying that I have to put stuff on my face to look natural, haha.
When I don't wear some form of eye makeup (even just mascara) and cover up my sunspots, without fail someone will ask me if I'm either sick or hungover. I'd love to be able to go out without makeup on, but being asked that each time is just depressing, really.
once every few months i might apply nail polish. it's rare.
nothing goes on my skin except for moisturize. i keep it very basic - cleanse, bi-weekly scrub and mask, toner, spot treatment as needed, then cetaphil moisturizer, aquaphor on the eyes. no makeup besides lips and eyes.
i like a good-smelling shampoo and conditioner.
I have recently started using less make up on daily basis, I've switched foundation to a tinted moisturiser and I use less eye liner. I have always had a good skin, a bit dry in the winter but nothing extreme. I am probably the worst person to talk about skin care, I remove the make up and moisturise in the evening and after the shower but I forget about everything else. I will use a cleansing mask every now and then, whenever I remember its existence.
danica: You must apply it very artfully and effectively then!
editor: Thanks! I do think my attitude towards make-up will change over the years, it will be interesting. And I know what you mean by raising the bar; my sister often says she can't see her colleagues without make-up know, because she would look so drab in comparison - we spoil people with our efforts, it seems!
I've only recently started to appreciate good shampoo and conditioner, after I received Christmas gift - I've always been lazy since I have short hair and anything unhealthy just gets snipped off anyway. But a good one feels really good to use!
Meri: I feel so helpless with make-up that I wouldn't know what to do even if I wanted to add colour to my face, haha. My sisters love make-up, so I suppose I can always turn to them for help!
yes, that bar is a tricky thing. raising it increases flattery but also expectations, and therefore effort. it's a bit of an evil cycle.