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What made you fall in love with beauty/makeup?


What made you fall in love with beauty/makeup? Share your stories!

For me, it was MAC pigments shortly after I started my freshman year at college. I was a late bloomer for makeup, but I fell hard and fast–and it’s been a rather expensive love affair ever since!

Thanks to Malia for today’s question! Got a question idea? Submit yours here.

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KaylaK Avatar

I actually got a job in cosmetics when I was 19 and in my first year of college. I loved the dramatic looks in magazines but never knew how to do it myself but somehow cosmetics found me and I have been addicted ever since! A very expensive hobby I agree.. I at least always feel good that now I get a compliment once a day on my makeup! 😀

Nora Avatar

I’d always been interested, but I was never really in love with it until I discovered the YouTube gurus. Panacea81, xSparkage and especially jjacks48 are who I attribute my love for bright colors and just makeup in general, not to mention the fact that everything I learned about application I learned from them!

Nancy Avatar

I’ve always loved makeup and beauty. The hard part was learning to apply it properly. My boyfriend though, got me addicted to MAC and high end luxury makeup brands like Tom Ford and Chanel. He initiates my makeup obsession..

Elysia Avatar

I was like 3 or 4 when we got a clinique add in the mail, and i remember circling everything in it and telling my mom that I wanted it all! lol. I have been smitten ever since

Jennifer D Avatar

fafinettex3 youtube videos. i randomly came across her videos during my christmas holidays back in 2008. i watched her videos until 4am. hence my youtube channel started in march 2009.

K Avatar

The internet!! Livejournals by young ladies who are still kickin’ around and doing very well for themselves in the makeup industry, actually. They got me hooked on MAC and I’ve never looked back.

Cynthia Avatar

For me, it was also my freshman year in college! I enrolled in a stage makeup class for my theater class, and we had to buy a palette of eyeshadow. When Halloween came around we had to create a Halloween look. I looked up on youtube makeup halloween looks and got to juicystar07’s mermaid tutorial, a looked at her other videos, and started building up a starter kit and I fell in love! Slowly but surely. I went from Sephora to drugstore, back to Sephora, and now I’m slowly getting into MAC products and having a mix of drugstore products & high-end makeup products. I now know how to play with makeup and what’s so fun about it! I love the creativeness and how many different looks you can do with makeup to make your eyes pop!

Kelsie Avatar

Definitely the artistry aspect of it! I love getting creative, and makeup is the perfect way to express my style and my personality on a daily basis. I practice, perfect, and wear my makeup solely for me and not for anyone else!

Kathy S. Avatar

Winged eyeliner and makeup a la the 1960’s. (For those who love Mad Men looks – you know what I mean and, yes, it was fabulous.) Once I realized that people would not only let me put makeup on them, but wanted for me to do it, it was all over but the really high cost of doing business.

Christine, I got a giggle from your response. XD This was a darned good question and I liked reading what y’all wrote!

Joyce Avatar

Honestly it was stumbling across Temptalia about 2 years ago! I didn’t know there was SO much to know–different brands, limited edition collections, product ingredients, etc. I wanted to know everything about everything. That’s why I spent about 3 weeks reading through all posts on Temptalia!

Ever since, I’ve dappled through all kinds of brands and products and keep falling harder and harder!

Hend Avatar

I love how it transforms how people look,
and it is a way of self expression ,
It started with me since high school but I was just collecting lip glosses and mascaras,
In my freshman year I started to wear foundation and more dramatic makeup,
Now I do contouring and all kinds of trick and have a collection of makeup ,
expensive hobby for a student though 😀

liz Avatar

I always had a thing for makeup and nail polish, not really sure why but my parents never minded. But the time that I really, really, got into it was probably 2005 or 2006 – stumbleupon + livejournal communities *cough* eyeshadowsluts *cough* + old cheapo makeup palette I got for my birthday = love forever.

Jyoan Avatar

I also started in my freshmen year, when I ex told me I would look even better with light makeup on.

Previously, I already loved playing with my mother’s small but still fun collection. And I already like how there are so many colours, that one can just paint on the face.

What really got me started was how I can be creative, and use my face as a canvas. With this, only the sky is the limit! I could create and create looks for myself, draw inspiration, learn, improve, it was a whole new school altogether, in which I wanted to excel.

Michelle Avatar

Having had trouble with excessive oily skin, I never thought I could wear eye shadow. That is until I discovered UDPP. With UDPP, shadows actually stayed on my lids longer than one hour! Then of course all the youtubers and bloggers fueled my addiction. Before that, I always thought the most I could do was a bright lip.

Yazmin Avatar

my mother hated the fact i was a tomboy during my highschool and beginning of my college years, she assumed i would never find a husband and asked me to be a bit more feminine. not having many girlfriends (who had no clue about makeup too)at the time but a hell of a lot of guy mates, i went on youtube and typed in how to apply makeup, and i saw all these fantastic makeup tutoriols and as soon as i got a job, ive been obsessed about makeup since then. I think my mother thinks ive taken being a bit more feminine to a different level now lol

Sofia Avatar

When I was very little I used to play with my mom’s makeup. Then in my first teen years I started reading teen magazines that had this makeup tutorials and I bought the magazines only for them. But what really got me into it was panacea81, I still remember I was watching a music video and her video was on the side I clicked it and spent that day and the next one watching all off her videos. The second person I found was dulcecandy87 and the third juicystar07. And now i’m subscribed to almost 300 beauty gurus! So yeah I started my passion and learned everything I know because off the lovely people on youtube!

Brooke Avatar

Talk about late bloomer, I just fell in love with beauty/makeup this year, and I’m 28! Never too late, right? 🙂 For me, it started with beauty gurus piquing my interest and Mac making me fall in love with it. Now I’m branching out into other high-end brands and “down” into drugstore. Expensive hobby but so much fun. 🙂

Sunny Avatar

I also started getting into it way late. I had some experience with makeovers and makeup in high school/college, but was never very happy with how eyeliners poked and dragged on my eyelids, how eyeshadows didn’t show up well/last on me, and how thin the ladies would always trim my eyebrows, so I more or less gave up (I’m also not good-looking in the mainstream sense in Asia. I am too “dark-skinned,” my eyes are too small, and I am too “big-boned.”). At the end of last year my best friend managed to persuade me to try gel eyeliner, and that made the difference in the whole world! I managed to lay my hands on the Naked Palette, and realized how much cosmetics has evolved in a matter of several years (eyeliners that don’t poke and primer that helps eyeshadows look the way they do in pan). On top of that I found my guru Jen from From Head to Toe, and realized I can totally play my eye shape to my advantage! My love for makeup has helped me conquer my lifelong complex and believe I am beautiful in my own way. It has empowered me. Even if I wear full-face makeup only about once or twice a week, I now have this conviction that will never leave me.

Kim Avatar

YouTube. Once I found out about the beauty community on YT I was hooked. I loved that there were women and men, showing the average (Joe) girl like myself.How to apply and blend make up like a pro. I am now addicted pretty bad. It’s a good thing cuz it boost my self esteem makes me happy.

Mariella Avatar

I honestly think it was MAC eyeshadows…primarily the neutral ones but even more, it was finding eyeshadow primers which prevented creasing and made the shadows look great all day long rather than for just a few hours.

heidi Avatar

Its hard to say exactly when it began. I always played around in my mom’s makeup when I was itty bitty. I wore red lipstick to kindergarten, without my mom’s knowledge. My dad dropped me off at school and he was too unaware to notice. When I turned 12 my mom took me to Clinique to get my makeup done and bought me almost everything. I was also in dance and theatre and somehow ended up being the makeup artist for all the shows. For my 21st birthday I got my makeup done at Mac. Then while looking at hair tutorials on YT, thank you Pursebuzz, I discovered the “beauty community” and it just keeps snowballing.

stacey Avatar

Went to this all girls high school and so it seem that everyone wore makeup and some wore so much makeup that it look caked on so I started to dabble into it just to see what was so great about it and before I knew it, I was buying makeup from the high end counters.

Adrienne Avatar

Alls I wanted was the best flat iron out there so I stumbled upon allthatglitters21 on YouTube. . It was like I was transported back to when I first saw clueless ( computer closet!) and I just started my first job outta college, I barely had any makeup so I went all out lol. I regret not being that into makeup in college when I was going out more ( literally used my fingers to apply everything, had no clue what primer even was hahaha)

Yelena Avatar

I was obsessed with lipgloss in high school and spent hours on the sephora and MAC website looking at them. Then I discovered youtube videos late high school and then I fell for eyeshadows and everything!! Ahh I love it. 🙂

Allie Avatar

I really got into make up my senior year of high school. I happened to be on youtube watching random videos and an xsparkage video came up and I watched it. I then started watching multiple gurus on youtube. I stated with MAC Pigments as well. I have spent a lot of money on make up since then and I love every bit of it.

Wendy M. Avatar

It was definitely after purchasing my first MAC eyeshadow, back in… 2005? Electric Eel. I saw the other eyeshadows in display and just felt overwhelmed, wanting to look at all the colors and textures. Then, I started watching JulieG’s makeup tutorials, then it’sJudytime’s… I agree, it’s quite an expensive hobby, but it’s so worth it. 😀

JEN Avatar

Wow…this is a great question!

I actually never wore any makeup through middle, high school, and college. I managed to make it through all my school years without foundation or even eye liner. I didn’t even know what a “blending brush” or “eye liner” was, surprisingly. I used to HATE makeup as well. I thought it was for naive and vain girls who only cared about appearance.

Until I stumbled upon YOUTUBE! I wanted to learn basics, like how to blend eyeshadow and found some of the ORIGINAL gurus: xsparkage, Makeupgeek, MakeupbyRenRen, and Misschievous. I’ve been hooked ever since and added a few more gurus I’ve learned from over 5 years now. I wouldn’t call myself and expert but I do know basics and much more. Now, people around me are asking me opinions about makeup brands and wanting me to apply makeup on them as well.

Also, I remember coming across this blog and it has been my guideline to purchasing ANY makeup product. I always go to this website to see swatches, reviews and oh how I LOVE your foundation matrix!!!

So thanks to gurus, blogs, and youtube…I have to say…

**My name is Jennifer and I am an addict**

I find it more of a hobby and guilty pleasure at the same time, just not without the extra calories.

Em Avatar

I remember going into MAC and seeing all the colors and thinking how beautiful every thing looked, but I didn’t know how to wear makeup and I didn’t want to buy anything. But then I discovered YouTube beauty videos and Allthatgliters21 and Makeupbytiffanyd inspired me to start wearing makeup.

E Avatar

I love the challenge of it. There’s so much makeup out there, and you have to find the colors, formulas, etc that work for you. I love when you work hard on something and are proud of the finished project. Every time I buy a cosmetic product and find that it works for me, it’s a victory.
Consciously, though, it started as self-expression for me. I was going through a weird time (early teenage years -shudder-), I wanted to find a way to stand out, and that way was my clothing and makeup.

Lyss Avatar

It was a three part process

The first was at a young age, browsing Avon catalogues and convincing my mom to buy me the odd product. This lead to my first black eyeliner (the absolute staple of my make up bag now) and trying to emulate Avril Lavigne’s look in my early teen years.

The second was being cursed with horrible skin and eventually learning that foundation and concealer are magic. Those two products went a long way towards restoring my self confidence when I was in university and still breaking out every other week.

The third was the discovery of Urban Decay eyeshadows. They were my gateway drug into high end make up, and while I’ve now branched out in to other brands and other products (I’ve recently developed a lipstick fetish, for example), I still always go back to my palettes whenever I need to come up with a look.

Joanne_ Avatar

I fell in love around my junior year of college. I think the oppurtunity to be creative is what attracts me to all things beauty. I love how subtle or how dramatic one can be with makeup. 🙂

Tamara Avatar

I have always liked makeup but resent some of the things that went with it. like the women who wont leave the house without. the fact that not wearing it to job interview can hurt your chances of getting the job, things that have to do with feminism and stuff. I’ve had makeup phases before i went through a neutral phase when i was young a goth phase when i was a teen which i still love and now I’m in to bold colors. i love colorful eyeliner and mascara and nail polish. i dont think it makes me prettier i do think it is representation of my boldness and power . to me a bold color on my face is a way to say here i am i know what i want and i will make it happen.

Sara Avatar

I used makeup on a “once in awhile” basis throughout high school and early college, pretty much reserving it only for special occasions. Articles in magazines and on the internet, and especially reviews and tips from “girl on the street” ordinary users, furthered my interest and skill in make-up. Then at one point, I FOUND A GREAT FOUNDATION, and started using moisturizer regularly, and it helped me realize that DAMN, I CAN LOOK REALLY GOOD with the right make-up (as we all can!).

I’m far from a crazed make-up addict, it’s not my hobby or anything (I just can’t afford to get that into it!), but now I know that the right stuff is out there and a little knowledge and skill goes a loooong way toward looking great and feeling beautiful.

(Whoops, accidentally just posted this under the wrong topic a minute ago!)

Mar Avatar

I’ve always liked makeup but it was a school dance that made me fall in love with it. For the first time ever, I wore black winged eyeliner and I got so many compliments that night. On school days, I got picked on for having acne but that night I realized my skin wasn’t my only feature. I started learning about products and on how to use them and after highschool I became a beautician :-).

Michelle Avatar

The first time i ever set foot at Sephora when i was 12!! My first Sephora experience was with my older sister. Just to look at all the pretty colors and shades made me so excited. The place just overall gave me a good vibe. I nagged my sister to get me an (opaly blue) bourjois eyeshadow and a pink urban decay eyeshadow. Still have them today! i was the first kid in my grade to wear makeup. And it felt good to get so much attention and compliments!

Zulaikha Avatar

I never used any makeup until i was 18. :/
and only after graduating from school i began learning how to use a cake foundation and blush. i started to like how i looked with the correct application of foundation and blush and ive been hooked since! learnt all makeup techniques from youtube guru “michelle phan”
going online and checking out new makeup techniques/products/reviews/looks is a hobby of mine 🙂
but i only buy what i need and what i really badly wanna have!
and since ive discovered temptalia ive been hooked!
i love you temptalia and Christine for sharing such a lot with us! <3

Jess Avatar

I’m a ‘plus size’ girl and found it hard to express myself through image. When I discovered makeup that completely changed for me. Makeup fits no matter what size you are. I was able to be creative, fun, sultry, natural, daring – whatever I choose to put on my face each morning reflects how I feel or image I want to portray that day. I fell in love with being able to change my look and express my creativity – and I was able to do that through makeup.

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