OKay, here’s the deal, I have to shoot at a wedding on Saturday, and I need some makeover help, and figured I’d turn to the internet to do it,since it typically never lets me down. Here are the rules:
Cheap — any type of product has to be easily purchased at Target or a drugstore or something.
Simple — dude, I have a BABY, and I never had time to do anything like this WITHOUT a baby. I’m thinking like, 5 steps/products, max.
What stymies me every time I consider makeup, et al:
I wear glasses, and I like my glasses, but then, what do I do about makeup BEHIND the glasses? Totally don’t get it.
I have dark circles under my eyes, always have, and it’s not so much a fatigue thing as it is an allergy thing, I think. Dunno.
Postpartum, my skin seems all fucked up — dry on the cheeks, but when it’s muggy I feel greasy, and bleh. Here’s the before picture, taken less than a week after I had Ingrid:
What I do typically, is wash my face in the shower, and uh, sometimes remember to put on a sunscreeny moisturizer. And that’s it.
Internet, help me look a little more professional (by Saturday!) without looking like a street whore or circus clown. Inexpensive and simple. You know?
(isn’t that just the perfect Before pic? Totally look like crap, and it was just minutes before we had our outdoor pictures taken — in Ingrid’s album — but that’s the difference between a D70 + Speedlight and my own Olympus and it’s onboard flash. D70 DROOOOLLLL)
Also, Mirena? I cannot BELIEVE how simple it was. I guess your cervix DOES change after you’ve pushed out more than 8 pounds of baby, because with the preemptive 800mg of Advil, I literally felt NOTHING. NOT ONE THING. I was in SHOCK that it was over, and the only thing i FELT was the speculum going in and coming out. Nulliparous, the souinding rod had me clawing at ceiling tiles trying to get away, but … parous? is that the word? was easier than a pap smear. Unbelievable. And now I’m covered for 5 years, and will likely not have a period again until I get it removed, and all for a $15 copay. Think of the savings on both monthly forms of BC, and tampons! SWEET!
Concealer is my best friend. I have DAAARK circles under my eyes and with a little concealer, a tiny bit of clear, setting powder, I am good to go all day. That, and not that I need it right now, bronzer. A little bit of bronzer works wonders. But that could be my skin tone. But concealer. Its the best.
Plus, they make mascara especially for people with glasses (like my mom).
Another thing that is REALLY easy is put some highlighter right above your eyes and under your brows.
P.s., I put the concealer all over my eyes (above and below) and then dab with powder.
(Yeah, Brooke doesn’t need the bronzer right now at all—she’s a tan goddess from all her beachy weekends—but half the time I’m like “how are you so golden and tan?” and she roll sher eyes and says bronzer. It works. I should try it.)
Undereye concealer is wonderful, but I don’t know any cheap brands, it’s something I splurge on (currently using M.A.C, previously used Stila). I would look at tinted moisturizer from Neutrogena, as well–it will go on thin and smooth.
What you need:
-Almay or Max Factor mascara (I wear black, I advise you to do the same. I sometimes don’t wear anything but black mascara, undereye concealer and lip gloss. If you want a mellower look try black-brown.
-Neutral eyeshadows, maybe covergirl or max factor. Try to get a little trie that has a medium brown, a lighter brown, and a creamy pale color. Not too sparkly–matte is better for a professional look. To apply, use your fingers. Smooth the palest one all over your lid, thinly, to even tone. Then smudge the medium one over the lid below the crease. Smudge the darkest one (in moderation) right against your lash line.
-Tinted moist. + undereye concealer, and I’m sorry I don’t have brand advice here.
-Do you have a Bath & Body Works at your mall? If so, go there and buy the C. O. Bigelow “Mentha Lip Tint” in whichever color you choose. They look dark but are nearly clear. Super minty, perfect gloss, I reapply it all day and never wear lipstick.
I am a big fan of liquid to powder foundation, it comes in a compact like a powder and it goes on as easy as a powder, but it covers like a liquid (great at hiding zits/dark circles/randomness). I use covergirl, but I have used others without any problems.
I also wear glasses sometimes, when I do, I just wear eyeliner. Dark brown b/c my eyes are dark brown. Put it on and smudge it a little.
Finally, a dark tinted lip gloss which gives you coverage, but you don’t have to be as coordinated as you apply it, can do wonders in a short (as in 3 minutes) amount of time.
I love the Neutrogena tinted lip balms. They moisturize really well and give you a hint of color.
For foundation, when I wear anything at all (which is rare) I just use a Neutrogena concealer (they’re the only one light enough and still neutral) and the Physician’s Forumal mineral powder, which gives really good coverage without looking cakey. Make sure your skin care (wash and moisturize) is done properly to get the best results.
For eyes, Almay mascaras are great, and neutral eyeshadows – highlighter going up towards the brows, and something a bit darker on the lids or in the crease. I suck at blending, so I usually use the crease as a dividing line between the 2 shades.
Good luck, and be sure to post some after pics!
I’m with the MAC love, so I’m not much help. But hair products, I can help with that.
Get yourself to stop and shop and look in their fancy hair section for some sort of Curl Activator. Actually, I think I found mine at Target. Anyway, any curl activator will work-my hairdresser uses Biolage, but I found some called samy get curls that works pretty well. Then, after your shower, put a healthy dollop in the hair, starting with the underlayer and then work your way to the top. Don’t blow-dry, but do crunch the hair. and then- and this is the secret- then select out segments and finger curl them some more. Just crunching will give you frizz, while spending a few minutes doing the finger curls will get you nice defined curls. Let it air dry and resist the urge to constantly finger curl because that will cause more frizz. summary: curl activator + wet hair + crunch and finger curls + hands off= decent humid weather curls for people with remotely curly hair.
And fancy shoes. Fancy shoes go a long way toward upgrading a look without making a post-partum mom freak out about body image. I loves me some fancy shoes. Something with a little heel that isn’t too chunky.
But you knew all this already. 🙂
You have a lovely face!
For dark circles touche eclat is my favourite but is a little pricey. If you are looking for concealer try and get a liquid one preferably with a applicator brush (hate those sponge things)and look for the words “light reflecting”. Generally I like to go a shade lighter then my skin for good coverage.
Eye shadow, a pale neutral cream of light gold colour just to sweep over the eyelid and I reckon a sage green or light lavender/purple colour would look fab on you. Try and get ones with a shimmer. Thing I find about glasses is eye makeup can be a little hidden so no point doing it in painstaking detail. In my mind mascara is mascara. I just use the regular oul maybelline and instead of eyelash curlers I wait til my eyelashes are dry and press up slightly with a finger. Dunno if you are into the plucking thing but a quick sweep of and eyebrow brush defines the face.
Foundation. Depends on how you feel about it. If you hate the thought of something covering your skin then tinted moisturiser is yer only man, if you want something a little more substansial then revlon skin highlights is my pick. Or you could mix some foundation with sunscreen for a lighter coverage.
Lipstick. Tinted lipbalm. Preferably one with a little shimmer. Nuff said
Blush. If you are the type who gets flushed running around then best go without. Otherwise cream blush might be good if your skin is dry. Dunno if you get it over there but rimmel is a good brand to look for. Cheap but nice quality.
Powder. I like to keep pressed powder and a makeup brush in my bag. A quick sweep over the T zone and bye bye shiny face. Again maybelline is my choice (think its the all day stuff)
Hair: low pony tail with front bit in side parting and swept behind ear and secured with clip (maybe a pretty sliver one)to keep out of face.
Last but not least my best purchase makeup wise was a foundation brush. None of the whole blending and smudging in with your fingers or damp sponge crap, you simply paint your face in a light layer of foundation like you would paint a wall and touch up the bits that need going over. Easy peasy
Might seem a lot but will only take about 15 minutes tops.
Clothes, well you want something comfy seeing as you will probably be running around. Im a fan of black myself but maybe try a deep purple, I think that would look lovely. If you are a jewllery wearer sliver would look good with your colouring. Those bellet pump style shoes are very comfy.
Damn I love giving girly assvice!
blowdry your hair upside down, pile on head with clip.
WAIT UNTIL YOU CAN BREATHE AGAIN, then do face. . .
wash,dry, apply lotion to dry areas only,AND under your eyes. Use yellow stick under eyes, without rubbing too hard. Use the green (I saw it behind your sink – buy yellow in same section)on pimply stuff. Buy a trial size of liquid bronzer, close to your color. Apply to cheek bones, a little on forehead, nose and chin. . .very little. Curl your frigging lashes. . . .this will make wonderful things happen. I know your eyes, do not put shadowOR eyeliner on. . .use a little bronzer just below your brow) Use a brown mascara – nothing too expensive . . its ONE day. . .try to get something smudgeproof. Pick up some carmex, put a little on, then a little dap of color on puffy part of lower and upper lip, rub lips together a little.
Total time, about 5 minutes.
Your face looks best when not too much shit, YOU feel better when you aren’t overwhelmed with too much PRODUCT.
Put a little something in your hair before you blowdry it for some volume, try to dry your roots first, kay. . .lift it up a bit off your scalp.
Thank you for letting me bathe ingrid. . .ugh, miss that part.
I finally figured out what good hairspray is a month or two ago (yes, I am product-impaired). I use L’oreal’s Finishing spray after blowdrying my hair partway (at least the front bits), and it keeps the frizzies from coming back. If I decide to go curly, I’ll spritz it after I get it looking like I want and then it actually STAYS that way for more than 20 minutes. Hold the can out about a foot from your head and spray a big cloud all around.
No beauty advice here, just a story. I found myself at about the same time post partum with V all of a sudden, for the first time in YEARS (a decade, maybe) feeling the need to girl it up for any and every occasion. I went out and spent a fortune on Aveda cosmetics (just liquid/powder foundation, mascara, and under eye cream that you can put in the fridge for instant puffy-be-gone) and contact lenses which I normally only wear for snowboarding. While I still feel like I need to feel more put together, now that I am a mom, especially since I am ‘at-home’ and don’t want to fall into a rut or a cliche, the ultra girly beauty needs have run their course. I think it may have been all that extra estrogen or something.
Maybelline Purestay is this this all-in-one powder foundation that takes away the shiny without much effort, and their palest shade (10- nude) is perfect for me.(It evens out my skin tone but doesn’t make me look or feel like I’m wearing a mask.) I’m pale with both yellow and pink undertones. Another option is a tinted moisturizer, like Neutrogena’s.
When I wore my glasses, I would wear a little eyeliner and a little mascara, and curl my lashes. You could totally skip one or the other.
BURT’S BEES tinted lipgloss ALSO WORKS AS blush. A dab on both cheeks, a good rub, and voila.
For hair, pulled back into a chignon always looks pro! Simply comb your part, comb back your hair and oull into a low pony tail. If it is long enough to twist around, use a couple of bobby pins to stick it into place. If not, no sweat. Low ponytail is pro!
My favorite skin care products are Vaseline and Bag Balm. I have very combo skin and use these products only where my skin is very dry. I use them on my lips, on my eyes, to tame my eyebrows,and to tame my hair since I have very weird hair. Don’t be afraid to slick your low pony tail back for the day.
As you know, photographers (like sign language interpreters!) usually dress low key at big events so not to draw attention away from the event. I have had great luck at Contempo Casuals in the mall (I think we have one in our mall) with polished outfits that were comfortable and low key. I had one outfit that I taught in for years and once I finally ruined the pants somehow I actually used them as pj’s. Point is I sepnt a hundred bucks on coordinates and they more than paid me back in usage.
Good luck!
I just found a picture of us from my bon voyage party in 1992! We looked really perky!
Makeup: concealer (better advice above), wet/dry foundation (I use beauticontrol, but that’s an order-only), blush across the apples of your cheeks, mascara, and lips. For lips, I’d recommend going to Vile-Mart and getting a Love-My-Lips or whatever the cheapo brand is called now lip pencil in BRONZE. Just remember the $0.93 BRONZE lip pencil, and you’ll do okay. Line your lips with that, and then use chap-stick to blend the color into the rest of your lips. I’ve done that for 12 years, and always get complimented on the color. Plus, it doesn’t wear off easily and doesn’t get messy on napkins, glasses, etc. Overall, you’ll get a quick, easy, not-very-made-up look.
I don’t ever wear foundation, because I can’t wear it without looking like I have a mask on. And being very itchy. Or blush. Apparently I never got over coming of makeup age during the early 90s.
Undereye concealer is worth it’s weight in gold. Maybe even platinum. I use Origins but any one that blends well is fine.
Cover girl extreeme lash or something like that (purple tube, weird pink silicone brush) works really well and doesn’t clump. You could probably apply it with one hand, not really paying attention and not fuck it up.
I use Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother. They feel nice & cool on your lips and smell a little bit citrusy. And if you get a light color you can’t tell if you misapply it.