Makeup updates? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Makeup updates?

deb

Veteran

Are any of you planning on updating your makeup along with your clothing style? I had not thought about this until I read this. We talk about our style monikers here and creating outfits that say who we are and I wonder, is makeup a part of this? what are we saying when we wear no makeup or too much? Honestly, I have no idea because I have not thought about it before. I do know that I have preconceived notions when I see someone with a lot of makeup on but no makeup? not sure. What about you?

Dressing

40 replies

Latest reply was from Ariadne

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I haven't clicked on the link yet, but I find makeup a personal thing. Some love it, others don't. Someone here recently said it's imperative for style, along with attention to hair style. I don't think so, but to each their own. I often feel I look weird too made up. Could be my features on such a small face seem exaggerated or something. Or it goes against my casual style to be too 'done'.

shedev

Veteran

I don't have any notions about the amount of makeup a person wears, I just think of it as a preference. I actually like glammed up makeup looks. I'm not a diva, or high maintenance or any of the things that would be associated with the look. I'm like an athletic tomboy in personality. I was having the makeup conversation with two of my coworkers and they said mine looked pretty natural. The beginning of the year will be a great to edit my makeup.

Elly

Veteran

Makeup is one of my style goals for 2014. I'm a natural girl at heart, but after developing health problems that took a toll on my circulation (and therefore my skin and eyes) I know I can use some help on occasion. Pre-illness I was a pretty decent hand with the occasional makeup, but my makeup collection hasn't been updated in ages (except the foundation, concealer and powder I regularly use) and I seem to have lost my touch when it comes to doing much of anything. I would like to look a little more awake and alive at work without looking made up, and would like to be able to add a little bit without taking it out of pretty and natural territories for date nights and the such.

That said, I plan on staying true to my style persona and not introducing overt glam or lot of pink makeup into my rugged menswear vibe (but maybe there is a little room for rock n' roll for evenings).

rachylou

Veteran

I have moved to the 3-in-1 makeup stick. One product, three uses. I did update sorta over this holiday: Got a new stick in a new colour.

I do think makeup adds polish, but to be honest I don't wear much and not often. Makeup is not clean, sorry to say, and not allowed on the production floors of the places I work in. And because it's not clean, well, you're basically putting dirt on your face. Clogs the pores.

But it is fun!

JAileen

Veteran

I kind of did this in 2013 when I let my hair go silver. I changed eyeliner and lipstick colors. I now use a purple eyeliner and a frosted coral lipstick. The old colors just didn't work anymore (eyeliner was brown, lipstick was brick). I got a lot of comments, nearly all positive.

Kristin L

Veteran

I think my makeup is still in pretty good shape. I don't wear much and I've found myself sticking more to what I know works.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I tossed all the stuff I don't use so I just have a very streamlined plastic tub of my favourites Makes getting ready in the morning easier!

kkards

Veteran

I'm planning an update. I was blondish for most of last year, but I'm a redhead now,so it's time to update my colors. I wear foundation everyday to work, but if I wear makeup on the weekend, I usually just wear a BB cream. Mostly what I want to focus on this year is skincare.

Parsley

Veteran

Gosh, that article made me feel guilty. I am so bad about not getting rid of my old stuff.
I am a believer in updating makeup looks regularly. I enjoy wearing makeup, so you'll rarely see me without at least some eye makeup and lipgloss, and that's unlikely to change. I don't wear a lot of foundation - mostly just a tinted sunscreen. This year I've started using a little highlighter, though, and I like the way it adds a little glow.

bj1111

Veteran

As i age, i spend my time and money on stuff that goes under the make up. I switched to korean products plus my trusty eucerin hyaluron filler. I did add a new korean bb cream ( tinted sunscreen + whatever voodoo products they include to make it "bb"). My skin has never looked better.

I did rediscover a powder blush from t leclerc that i used about 5yrs ago to give myself more color. I do like nars the multiple for summer...more subtle but a touch sparkly.

MRL

Veteran

I am planning to go to Sephora and have a makeover. I wear makeup every day but have been wearing the same products/colors for a few years now and it's time for an update.

I think that most people look a little better wearing a little makeup. I have a few friends who rarely wear any and when they do look so much more polished. It really helps finish a look ( in my opinion at least).

deb

Veteran

Rachy, I never though of makeup being 'not clean' but I can see where that could be. Are you able to put anything on your face while on your work floor? I imagine any face lotion would have the same issues.

Sam

I (now*) see makeup as a part of my outer presentation, right alongside hair and clothing.

I'm pretty good about the things mentioned in the linked article. One thing that helps with keeping track of expiration dates is keeping a silver sharpie at my vanity. When I first open a product, I mark the date right on it.

(Something not mentioned in the article: washing makeup brushes. A lot of women on other forums have mentioned washing their brushes more frequently as one of their goals/resolutions.)

My makeup goals for 2014 are:

Find a better foundation/concealer match. (I have a couple of fairly acceptable matches, but I want something for days on which I just want to dab on a bit of concealer and that's it.)
Aggressively use products I've started the timer on, because I want to have completely used up at least some of them.
Once a quarter, place an order with Hakuhodo for my brush collection. They have some unique brushes I've had my eye on for quite some time, and I have a bunch of basic brushes I'd really like to upgrade.
Toss or give away the products and samples I haven't used and have no intentions of using.

*Some context about my relationship with makeup: 2013 was a rough year for me. Sometime in April, I developed adult-onset acne. I didn't have acne as a teenager, and it really messed with my self esteem to see my previously flawless skin slowly get covered with cystic acne and dark post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation marks.

I started using makeup to cover up my skin and get me to a place where I could stand to look at myself in the mirror and not feel bad. Now that the acne is gone and the marks are fading, I'm realizing that I've had enough fun with makeup to keep it as part of my life.

deb

Veteran

Oh, Sam, that is terrible about the acne. Do they know what caused it? Will it go away?

shedev

Veteran

Sam, I'm really glad the acne has been resolved.

Sam

(TMI-land directly ahead, last chance to turn around before the next paragraph!)

deb, the dermatologist said that my acne was in a classic hormonal pattern (jawline extending into cheeks, sides of neck, chin, lots of cysts and painful inflammation) and that she suspects it may have been the result of my weight loss triggering a hormonal imbalance. She put me on spironolactone to counteract excess androgens, and finacea (azelaic acid) for reducing inflammation on my face, fading hyperpigmentation, and increasing cell turnover. I've been on the regimen for eleven weeks now, and the acne is nearly gone. I've had at least five completely blemish-free days in the last couple of weeks (today being one of them!) and the hyperpigmentation is nowhere near as dramatic as it was in my "before" photos.

cheryl

Veteran

I love makeup and wear it almost everyday. I belong to two monthly subscription boxes so I get new makeup, skincare and haircare products monthly. I am very adventurous with these items and will try everything so I am constantly updating my products. In fact this month one of my boxes contained false eyelashes and at 48 years old I tried them for the first time and I actually liked them, although I don't see myself buying them or wearing them very often in the future.

deb

Veteran

Sam, I am glad it is under control and the pigmentation is going away.

karymk

Veteran

Deb I usually keep my makeup pretty neutral throughout the seasons. The only thing I might deepen or brighten would be the lip. But I always use the same cool colors in makeup and have a very simple daily makeup.

I like the Bobbi Brown theory that makeup should be pretty natural and used to enhance what one has....But I understand how more dramatic and creative types would gravitate toward lines like MAC.

When I wear black tops, or brighter hues up top, I usually just add more makeup. for night the same.

In daylight at 49, I don't want to overdo it.

Thinking about how this rmakeup question esonates with my style sensibilities I should probably be a more "natural" classic than the "twisted" classic I have identified myself as the past years.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for the link Deb. I need to remember to change out my mascara not just when it's empty.

I don't wear that much face make-up, not BB creams or foundation. I just live with my aging skin. I do love eye makeup though, from liner to shadow to mascara to eyebrow pencil. I have a different look for day vs. night. I will use darker eyeliner and different color shadows for night. And for YLF pictures I always put on lip color although that is not my normal routine. I just put it on for pictures because I feel it transforms my look by adding color. The problem is, it doesn't stay on me well even those supposed 10 hour lipsticks!

It would be fun to explore new make-up looks in 2014 but whenever I go to a makeup counter they put so much on me, I hate it. I feel I look absurd with all of that stuff on.

WingGirl

I just purged my makeup collection today! I don't wear much makeup day to day, and some of it was scary old and had not been touched in years. Even if the shades were current, it had to go.

Now I have trimmed it back to a few products I use consistently. I think I will be able to live happily with what I have left, and look forward to adding some new items this spring.

deb

Veteran

karymk, the only makeup I wore up to two years ago was tinted moisturizer and mascara. Then I noticed how my skin coloring has changed as I aged so I started adding blusher. Now I need to add eyebrows. I also add definition to my eye sockets because they have fallen down around my eyeballs. My glasses have also gotten thicker even though I have the thinnest lens available for my prescription and without eye makeup, I have no eyes. I have always had thin lips so they are now becoming just a line and really, who wants a red line on their face?

Denise, I understand about the makeup counter. I now tell whoever is applying to go lightly. Nordstrom counters are the best for this, I have found.

Catnip

Veteran

I wear some but not a lot of makeup. Years ago I realized that too much makeup just makes a person look older. There's nothing sillier looking than a woman of around 55 trying to look 19. I'm now 70,,, yes, 70, and I wear a light concealer under my eyes, a flick of powder, eye shadow for special occasions, just a touch of blush, and lipstick or lip gloss. On most days, I skip the eye shadow and substitute chap stick for the lipstick. I've found that, if it takes more than 5 minutes, it's way too much.

Most important, change the mascara often, even if there's still some in the tube.

Staying out of the sun, not drinking too much alcohol, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding stress does much more for one's appearance than any makeup ever could.

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm definitely in the minimalist camp when it comes to makeup because I prefer to spend my time and attention on skincare. My personal routine is to not keep any makeup for more than a year (with the exception of mascara which gets tossed every 3 months). This routine forces me to keep a very small makeup kit so I can use up most products within that time period, but the side effect is that I am constantly updating products and techniques when it's time to replenish and replace. For what it's worth, I think that it's even more important for a makeup minimalist to keep updating than someone who is more into makeup--we minimalists don't usually have the patience to play around and experiment so we need our few products to be good ones.

Greyscale

Veteran

I'm also a minimalist about makeup. I'm happy to have learned how to use it to subtle effect over the past few years. I do notice shifts in makeup style - most recently, I realized everyone is wearing blush, which wasn't true at all when I was in my 20s. I decided to give it a try (toned down to match my subtle makeup) and I'm glad I branched out, though if you're going for a natural look, there's no need to change to fit trends if you're happy already.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Hm, I use the same stuff over and over, so I never have a hard time running out and replacing. For 2013 I did add a contour color and an eyebrow filling kit to add polish for work. Planning to keep it up for 2014. In general I think it's like a hairstyle and sometimes you just need a change!

Suzanne (ambergreen)

Veteran

I've been having fun with makeup in the past couple of years since I discovered that many of today's drugstore products are of much higher quality than they used to be (as opposed to so much else being sold today...!). So I could say I've updated my collection already. But my biggest learning curve is technique--got to work on that. Must keep checking out YouTube!

Louise

Veteran

I'd never really bothered with makeup regularly till a couple of years ago. I'd always found foundation 'mask like' which then needed loads more makeup to give me features, I have very sensitive eyes and mascara always ended up either making my eyes sore or in panda rings under my eyes and I had pretty good skin. Then a couple of years ago I started noticing pigmentation appearing and felt I needed a bit of help. I started the journey of discovering makeup that fitted the bill and wasn't tested on animals. Currently I use Lily Lolo loose powder foundation which evens out my skin without leaving a mask. Blinc mascara and brow gel, my eyebrows are a strong feature so I keep them plucked and slick on coloured brow gel to make the most of them, for evenings out I use brow powder to fill in the sparser bits. Jane iredale blusher and bronzer depending on whether it's summer or winter. I'm trying to finish these things before buying anything else as I've previously ended up with bags of makeup I never use but I think I could have the tendency to get stuck in a rut. I'm still on the hunt for lipstick that doesn't disappear or dry out my lips and eyeshadow which doesn't make my eyelids sore x

Krista

Veteran

I wear full makeup for work every day for two reasons (1.) I enjoy putting it on and get a boost from doing so and (2.) it helps me feel more sophisticated and polished in my job because I get a lot of comments like "Oh, you look awfully young to be doing what you do," which I find insulting and always leaves me struggling for an answer. I know the person means it as a compliment, but it doesn't feel like one - do you know what I mean?!

That being said, I have found that wearing full makeup most days of the week, makes it harder to go without makeup or to wear less because I have become used to seeing my face a certain way. So, I would like to update my makeup look this year by wearing less on the weekends and becoming comfortable with how my face looks. I wasn't always a "full-makeup" person and so I'd like to return to that more often.

The other thing I need to do is cull my makeup collection and clean my brushes more often. Rachy's comment about makeup being "dirt on your face" really got me thinking because it also means that makeup brushes that aren't cleaned regularly are basically full of dirt. Gross! I need to get on that!

12