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Do you ever just play around with makeup?


Do you ever just play around with makeup? Not because you’re going out or heading to work/school, but just because you feel like playing around?

I don’t get much time any more to just play without purpose – I surely play plenty (in my mind), but I think the context of the question makes it seem like “work.” I routinely test new products and they won’t always make sense together (like I’ll wear two blushes or two different eyeshadow combinations).

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breyerchic04 Avatar

Often I will put on totally different makeup after school/work, just to try out things and make myself feel better. Sometimes it’ll be harder eyeliner than I possibly can do at 7am, or crazier lip colors than I’m willing to wear if I can’t touch up often. But sometimes I’ll try things to get the perfect concealer working or something.

xamyx Avatar

I wish I had the luxury of time, LOL. Actually, I do find time once in a great while to come play with new lipstick/gloss combos, or figuring out new uses for products that don’t work for their intended purpose (ie, foundation in the wrong shade).

My latest “project” is looking for a way to “dupe” MAC Grey Friday (or at least find something comparable), but I haven’t gotten started yet, although I have some ideas. Also, I’m searching for a new cream contour shade, so I plan to try some pigments with foundation that just doesn’t work.

As far as playing with full “looks”, I typically only have one chance to get it done, so what I end up with is my only option. Needless to say, I usually just work with what I know.

Miss J Avatar

I definitely put on makeup just to play. I have SO. MUCH. MAKEUP. It needs to get used one way or another, lol. When I put on makeup because I’m going somewhere, it seems I’m always rushed, so I often resort to one of a handful of go-to-looks. I like to get creative, so usually when I can’t sleep or am staying in for the night with little to do then I will resort to playing with my makeup.

Leenie Avatar

I did in the past, but not anymore, I barely have time to get myself together and get out the door on time, and when I do have time I’m too tired to play in makeup or I have other things I have to do…But I wish I could.

r0saL1n3 Avatar

Yes I do…alot. I love the makeup products of now-a-days. The qualities are a lot better than it was years ago. And some of the designs are just so cute. Especially, the urban decay palettes. I end up mixing eye shadows and coming up with some weird or awesome eyeshadow combos or discover that a product can actually be multifunctional! I end up mixing foundations with moisturizers to get tinted moisturizers. Or mix foundations to get the right shade of my skin. Or I find out that I can use certain eyeshadows for contouring or as eyebrow fillers. Make up is fun! Finding out I can do new things with my makeup is even better!

Terri Avatar

Oh yes, I play around all the time, for two reasons. The first is that I like to try out new looks/products as a “trial run” before I go out in public, in case things don’t work out. The second, and most important reason is that I just LOVE makeup so “playing” with it makes me happy!!

Jennie Avatar

lol Christine, I’m imagining there’s a comic book villain in there somewhere. All mismatched eyes and cheeks bc she’s testing makeup and there’s some sort of “accident in the lab.” 😉
I love playing with makeup. If I’m home for the rest of the day and I want to experiment with lip tars or change up my eyeshadow, I will totally go crazy. Good way to find out what doesn’t work.

Jade Avatar

I have an aversion to playing around with makeup with no intention of going anywhere – it feels wasted! Though of course, if I remain too intimidated to use a product because I haven’t played with it to figure out how to wear it, and I hardly use it, then it’s truly wasted. Often I’ll have a play then just wear it out of the house regardless!

Rachel Avatar

Yep, quite a lot. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to wear flashy, creative or more intense make up since I generally only wear it for work. Sometimes in the evening after work, when I have a decent base of foundation already on, I’ll try things before I cleanse properly. That way I have a few ideas in my head next time I go out and can wear something different!

Mariella Avatar

All the time! I’m fairly conservative with what I wear on a daily basis so makeup “play time” is a chance for me to have fun and maybe come up with something a bit more daring that I might actually wear to work!

KaseyCannuck Avatar

Always!! When I get something new I dive right into it and experiment, before “going public.” Most recently was the Urban Decay Smoked palette…I just had to try out every color!!

katie Avatar

I do! I am new to makeup and recently got the UD smoked palette so before I wash my face at night I have been practicing a smoky eye using the instructions that came with the palette. So much fun!

L Avatar

Sometimes I will sketch out eye looks with bright colours and then use one of my more colourful eye palettes and play around with it. Once I took off and re-applied shadows WAY too many times, and made my eyes super irritated! ah! It sucked. But I usually don’t wear colours out of the house before practicing them because it could turn out horrible and I don’t always have the time to fix it.

VickyM Avatar

Very rarely, few times when I was at home and had nothing to do I tried to mix lipcolors with very little to no succes lol. That´s why I´m a big fan of products that are perfect by themselves I don´t like to have to mix or do any effort for my products to work lol considering how bad I am at mixing and making them look different.

Yazmin Avatar

i used to when i first started with makeup. Usually if i have a big event like a wedding or a special occasion, i will play around with some colours days before to get an idea of what products i want to use, and how i want to look like.

Monica! Avatar

I have been playing around with my falsies, I am determined to learn how to apply false eyelashes I love them!! so I look funny with my sweatpants and my glam eyes LOL

Dinitchka Avatar

Mum didn’t wear much make-up when I was growing up (she didn’t need to. Her skin was and still is beautiful). I did like to put her lipstick on though. Since I missed out on that as a kid, I do take advantage of playing around now. I like to see what various combos work for me. For instance, I use a turquoise e/s cream as a base for copper e/s. It works perfectly for me and had I not been messing around one morning, I would have never known. I’ve been having a blast playing around with different polish combos. Most of the time I do wear them out and about.

jasmine valistreri Avatar

Just playing with looks and colors is actually where the majority of my makeup goes. I probably use most of my eyeshadows and blushes up experimenting at home.

Cat G Avatar

I do, but less often now since I’m back in school. The year before though, I would just play around with my makeup because I wanted to practice and get better! Also, it is relaxing for me, like therapy.

Brenda Avatar

I did a lot – I’m a bit of an insomniac so it would usually be at night after work. I lived alone so didn’t feel like I was neglecting anyone! I don’t anymore since getting married and having a baby.

Ruca Avatar

CONSTANTLY. I can’t believe my husband can stand living with The Seven Faces of Eve (joking) because I am known to change my lipstick at least 3 times a day, but up to 10, and I have been known to change up a complex eye look at least once by either modifying what’s there, or removing and starting from scratch. I really should buy stock in makeup removers–I go through them like water. I have even switched to using olive oil from the kitchen to remove my eye makeup 90% of the time just to save money.

I hate mentioning that I am a Makeup Artist in here in my posts because I feel like I sound pretentious, and I also haven’t fully accepted that this is my career now since I was an MA-level English Professor for a CSU campus before state budget cuts made me unnecessary (and that sounds pretentious, too), but I guess I have to bring it up for this question. I love makeup, and I really do LOVE to just play in it for the sake of playing, but there are so many techniques and so many tricks and even better–so many combinations you can put together of colors, products, and techniques, that I do this on days when I don’t have a client to visit or a wedding to do so I can experiment with what clients may ask for as well as test out the wearability (time) of a look before attempting it on a paying client. Before an event, I tend to practice some unique client requests on myself several times to make sure I understand the concepts or have simply identified the best application method. I was asked earlier this year to dupe the brown smokey eyes with gold shimmer glitter that Christina Aguilera wore on The Voice (I always get requests for Christina’s current looks from that show), and I actually had a tricky time figuring out which glitter (Lit, or MAC Pro?) to use, and a harder time perfecting that application and which base to use (Lit, or Glitter Glue?) I thought the answer would be in my Lit stacks, but it was Reflects Gold stippled onto lightly applied Too Faced Glitter Glue over the smokey eye.

Bottom line: I have to create original looks AND I have to duplicate popular trends and celebrity looks regularly, and it’s all changing and evolving on the daily. For that reason (along with the fact that I actually enjoy it), I do play in my makeup several times a day, every day, even if I’m not going anywhere (especially if I’m not going anywhere!).

Nicoco Chanel Avatar

I do, but only when I NEED to try this/do that RIGHT THEN. I’m way too lazy to schlup all the way to my make up dresser most of the time, lol.

Kristin Small Avatar

When I was first trying to master a smokey eye, I used to practice at night right before getting ready for bad. Some of my first attempts were not so great, so it’s good that I washed them off right away. LOL

Elle Avatar

I have a question to submit linked to this question: how do you get a good lighting set up in your room for make up? I feel like I have lots of really soothing yellow lights in my room, but they aren’t ideal for getting a good view of the product on my face. Should I be taking pictures or can you recommend some good mirror/lights that I could use?

Audrey Avatar

Usually with the new purchases, figuring out how to make it work, inducting it into my “mental” library containing all the products I own so that later on I can easily plan how to combine them.

Case 2 is prior a major event, putting together my “appearance”. Dress, hairstyle and the matching makeup.

Melissa Avatar

I love creating new looks or some i’ve seen on youtube with new products or one’s I have. If I never practiced I would have never learned the smoky eye. 🙂

Nikki Avatar

Occasionally. Most days I like to stick to natural make up because I enjoy the “no make” look; however for special occasions, I like to dabble in color. If I’m going to a special occasion or a night out, I will pick out my outfit, accessories, and shoes days in advance. Once I’ve decided on the outfit, I come up with a make up look that will compliment my clothing. To make sure I like the combination of color choices, I try on the look a day or two in advance to make sure that it will look ok before I wear it out in public! 😉

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