I've become more interested in highlighters, glowing looks. One night I was at Nordies in a moment of low self esteem and was caught by a Burberry Beauty makeup artist. She did a full face on me. I bought a bunch of products, but ended up returning 1/2 of it. I did keep these things and I really like them.

@annagybe, how is the contour pen working out? I was looking hard at it for an easy contour on the face and in the eye socket but can't figure out how it might differ from the eye contour stick in almond. No one sells Burberry near me so I would have to order it online without testing and that's not my preferred method....

I do wear makeup most days and like to think, ha, it's along the natural lines, though eyeliner & mascara are pretty obvious.
I like to update, but I don't think it's really " style" - meaning adding a catseye or metallics of something( for day, anyways), it's more about moving target of colors and? finish( matte vs. Shiny vs glow stuff) and how my , um, CHANGING skin handles the product.
So I've about tossed all deep lipsticks and wear , not pale nude, but variations of MLBB plus a few medium- berry tone,, though I am always on the lookout for a lipstick something like what Gaylene said, a fresh color, but that doesn't veer garish.
Also to echo her again, I'm in the market for just skipping any undereye efforts , or using something much more moist & subtle. Really, more " mistake- proof". I can't afford to be heading out & later find I'm seeing
creases or lack of blending. I'd rather have dark circles!
Like Suz, I hate to get something to try and then just throw it away. I wish it were easier to do trial samples cheaply. Msy spend mord time at Sephors using their little swabs & such.
I need s new tinted moisturizer that's a great natural but brightening shade. Again, foolproof for the easy- blending. I have trouble getting it right because I prefer to go paler tathef than risk going into tanned of fake territory, but then have to avoid looking chalky- pale.
And a true cream blush that is fluffy, not sticky like lip gloss.

I love makeup, with Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown being my go-to brands. I also have an Ulta nearby so I poke around there. I always get better results from asking a makeup artist about colors; it's funny because I am good at choosing clothing colors. I recently did an online consult with a Bobbi Brown makeup artist, and even though I did not even manage to upload a photo, she gave me very good recommendations based on my self descriptions.

I discovered it the hard way, when my taupe nude lipstick was about t finish, I searched for a similar product and found, None. That's when I realised the concept of makeup trends...

Suz, I couldn't have said it better, faces look good or bad with make up. Without makeup, I won't judge unless I know the person well.

I've been using eyeliner since in my 20s. I don't use a mascara because, oh so clumsy, straight eyelashes, contact lenses.. So, tight lining is difficult, even though it's a trend now!

Ornella, just to add my vote, why fix if it ain't broken?

Very informative thread, as one who is pretty much in the same camp as Ornella and Suz.

Totally a "drug store" buyer too - I can't imagine using a dept store!

I haven't managed tightlining either, and only started wearing eyeliner regularly since Angie posted about it.

So in reading this thread I learned that cat eyes are A Thing these days. So I tried it this morning. No one ever says what to do with all those eye wrinkles that I hadn't fully comprehended that I have. Luckily, my glasses obscure a lot so DH didn't laugh and spit out his breakfast.

Although the diversity of fashion is broad, I think that it's still possible to look dated with makeup, and perhaps frustratingly, it is more challenging to see how the makeup look will look dated years on. This is just speculation on my part, but here are some ways in which make-up can look dated:
a) Eyebrows: Thin vs thick, pencil vs shadow tint
b) Mascara: Obvious vs natural, upper and lower lashes, or just upper
c) Eyeliner: Thickness, colour, and cat-eye, crisp vs smudged
d) Lips: Liner contrast, matte vs glossy, high or low contrast, even colour vs staining, clean lines vs bleeding into skin
e) Blush: Powder vs cream, blush placement
f) Foundation: Photo-ready vs tinting

I could go on, but these are a few that come to mind. Colour and contrast are probably key to defining the era. l think of coral, for example, as very late 80s.

I have just learned about ipsy.com and am interested to know if anyone on the forum subscribes to it. I am a makeup minimalist, but at $10 a month I am tempted...

I have sparse eyebrows that are turning white, and my eyelashes are mostly white, so I have to do what I can to look like I have a face. It may be dated, but that's my reality.

I have such oily skin, makeup just "melts" off me. If I could figure out how to get it to stay put, I'd use it more. I have tried primers, but they don't seem to work either. I want to look polished, but just can't seem to get this to work for me.

Also, so much makeup causes cystic acne on my face, particularly the mineral makeup--so I'm afraid to do much experimentation.

I love makeup and use products that are fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist-tested, when I can find them.

Lancôme Rénergie Lift Foundation
Nars loose powder

Anastasia brow powder

Chanel under eye concealer

I generally stick with two basic lipsticks and one is Chanel Rouge Coco in a rosy color and the other is the drug-store brand, L'Oréal, a long-lasting Infallible in a soft berry-fuchsia color.

I have a variety of current mascara choices and haven't settled on one I like. Although, oddly, Maybelline Full 'N Soft seems to be working just fine now. I have tried YSL and am using two Chanel samples at the moment.

Thanks to Meredith's recent makeup post, I purchased (and am really liking) the Hans eye shadows (luscious colors with holding power) and Evelyn Iona gel eyeliner. I also bought the Captain Blankenship dry shampoo and Sea Salt Spray for hair.

Thanks, Ornella, for starting this post!

I think it's good to experiment with minor tweaks regularly to update things. Buying a very good high 15x magnification mirror and using it in a window is a great way to really see everything. (if you are brave, lol).

I like to look at before and after images and how to tutorials as others have mentioned above.

Recently my own main "update" to makeup has been to stop using eyeliner pencil and spend more time on my brows. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed the very muted plum or blue eyeliner shades I used on the top lash line only, but using more color on my eyebrows and defining them more has gotten more compliments on my eyes than I have in years. I use a brow powder that is for blondes so it doesn't look too unnatural. I keep my brows as full as possible and use the powder to help with that look. Sometimes I use a brow pencil for further definition. I do wear mascara as my eyelashes are light - I've tried blue recently and it's fun, but dark brown is still my standby.

Another "update" very recently has been to stop using tinted moisturizer or foundation (I use plain moisturizer at night) and instead only use a tiny bit of foundation mineral powder on any spots I want to camouflage and then finish with a very light, pink shimmery blush that is barely there. I wanted to let my skin have more chance to breathe and to be more natural. I don't wear concealer under my eyes as I don't like the effect on me and I don't (think) I have terribly dark circles or anything. Concealer can accentuate puffiness by "highlighting" it.

I like to update lipcolor more than other items. I prefer a natural lipcolor and for me Burts Bees in Peony color is the current choice.

I recently bought a lighted mirror that has magnification on one side. Dear Jesus, I now see a lot of stuff I didn't know was there! My close-up vision is not very good, so this is a necessity for applying makeup and plucking stray eyebrows.