Over the last several months I’ve been making the transformation from low-maintenance girl to FANCY LADY. It wasn’t exactly calculated or anything, but my tastes have changed. Maybe it is the evolution of my vanity? Who knows. As my wardrobe filled out, my low-maintenance routine didn’t clash well with the “polished” look of some of my outfits. It felt out of place. For a lot of things (school), it was fine but I needed a more updated, sophisticated look for job hunting, networking, etc.
Much like my hair situation, which I have somewhat fixed… I needed to update my makeup routine. As a teenager, I wore a moderate amount of makeup. Inspired by mother’s bathroom drawer – a plethora of makeup from the 80s, I started my own collection. The drawer contained all kinds of of magical, metallic, shiny WONDERFUL things. Shortly after, I had a collection of brightly colored eyeshadow, weird lipstick, etc. to adorn my face. But by high school I was done. I stuck with Clinique powder and cheap mascara until a couple months ago.
I loved this hat from For Love 21 so much that I had to buy it.
One problem with makeup has always been that I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I have three younger brothers. My mother doesn’t wear much makeup. I had friends and cousins who were more versed in the ways of putting gunk on your face but I also wasn’t really that interested. I could clean up okay. I got by. I just never liked the feeling of heavy makeup on my face. Or how different I looked with it on!
A few months ago, I bought some products from the drug store as recommended by a friend. Natural stuff – mineral powder, foundation, etc. which worked okay. It still took a long time to put on, so I only wore it for “special occasions”. It would also melt off my face when it got hot. Twice as fast if I got a little sweaty. Which happens as a fat girl running around San Francisco, believe me!
So I figured, there has to be something else. Problem with the drugstore is that those endless shelves of product can’t help me. I’m clueless! So after recommendations from friends, family and reading reviews online… I decided to go to MAC. This solved my problems in a few ways. I didn’t have to know anything, someone could HELP me.
I actually walked into MAC a few weeks ago with the intention to just buy red lipstick. My drugstore mineral makeup hadn’t quite ran out yet. But I was there… so why not see what it was about? The girl was actually super sweet helping me – I won’t pretend I know anything about makeup and told her as much. I knew what color red I wanted, but that was about it! She even suggested a red lip pencil and put it on for me. Yes, I am that lame. After she asked me questions about what I’d want from my foundation – coverage, staying power, mineral, etc. and found/applied what I needed. I also discovered the magic of brushes. Which make things SO much easier. Better coverage, evenly applied, takes less time… and the best part? I’m not orange. The previous mineral foundation I was using had a tendency to look like fake tan.
I’m actually really pleased with how light the MAC stuff is. I ended up getting a water-based foundation and a mineral power. I’m lucky to have pretty good skin, so for the most part it is to even out my skin tone. It feels pretty great on my face, doesn’t melt off and wears well.
Here was the outfit of the day, for the last minute “We’re bored!” mall trip:
Skirt – Thrifted
Top – Elle via Kohl’s
Necklace – My grandmother’s
Bangles – Torrid
Shoes – Torrid (actually I was just trying them on)
The funny thing about carrying a camera around is how people react. The MAC staff didn’t mind at all. The Lane Bryant associate would have probably posed for a picture with us (she was really excited about it!). Nobody in For Love 21 cared. And we got the, “No photos allowed in the store!” treatment in Torrid.
I’m curious – have any of you tried taking pictures of yourself or friends while shopping? Maybe to see how they look? For fun? What kind of treatment did you receive? One of the above? Honestly, I don’t see why it is a problem unless customers are uneasy or if you are obviously photographing merchandise, not people. I can understand some have issues with their photo being taken… but in an empty store? How do you feel?
In matters of makeup – my next goal? To master black eyeliner. A daunting task! Any makeup tips or tricks to share?
