Quote:
Originally posted by leagleaze
Ok here's a question. How the fuck do you keep your lipstick from wearing off?
We haven't irritated the men with a makeup discussion in quite some time, so, please, brand suggestions for the woman who hasn't worn makeup since junior high.
Thank you.
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There are some "long-lasting" lipsticks out there now, which you can probably find in your drug store, I think most of the mainstreet makeup makers make them now (CoverGirl, Revlon, maybeline, etc.). Usually they seem to be in two parts - part one is basically a stain, which dries onto your lips and, well, stains the skin, and the second part is basically lip balm, which goes over the top to put some moisture back into your lips and make you look like you are wearing lipstick instead of paint. It's not too horrible, but you do need to practice putting on the first coat, because if you color outside the lines and don't immediately clean it off, you will have stains outside of your lip line. The color does seem to stay all day, but once the balm stuff wears off you still look like you have dry, chapped lips, just darker.
If you are really getting back into makeup, know that foundation is back so long as it isn't matte. Even if you don't particularly like foundation, it is an easy way to remember to put on sunscreen each day, and you can get really sheer stuff that doesn't look bad at all but is SPF 15 or 20 and very subtly smooths out your complexion. I think foundation is one of those things it is worth spending some money on if you find something you like, but it is entirely possible that the stuff you like happens to be $3.50 a bottle.
But if you do foundation (unless it is really, really sheer) you probably have to go into blush. With a clean face, pinch your cheek, hard. See that color? That is what you should aim for. It is probably some sort of pink - not brown, not peach, not "bronzer", not plum, not dusty mauve, but pink. That's the color that will look least obviously made up on you. Put it wherever your face turns red when you've been outside in the cold too long (probably apples of cheeks and end of nose, maybe end of chin, but probably NOT the "all along the cheekbones, up the temples, under the jaw line, at the hairline" thing the teenybopper mags told us to do back in the '80s).
Otherwise, I think lipstick and mascara is the key combination of "no makeup" make up. You get the most bang for the least amount painting. And you don't feel like your face will crack if you smile. The key to mascara is "no clumping" (aka: no "tarantual lashes"). Put on very thin layers of mascara, and go back and put on additional coats if a thin layer isn't enough. If you are swiping at each set of eyelashes more than 3-4 times in one coat, you are putting on too much at once and going to fuck them up. Get get an eyelash comb with scary looking POINTY BRASS TEETH to comb through the clumps, and practice with it. Very little, almost undetectable, mascara can make a big difference in making your eyes visible. Stick to putting it on your top lashes only unless under the supervision of a trained professional - it's really easy to screw up putting it on lower lashes and come out looking like Liza Minelli. Some people swear by eyelash curlers, but I find those mostly useful for frightening my husband out of questioning my grooming routine.
BR(I've also found that neat eyebrows - not plucked thin, but "strays" cleaned up to give them a decent arch - greatly reduced the amount of makeup I have to wear to look like I made an effort to pull myself together)C
