I usually start with a product I really want to wear, whether that’s an eyeshadow palette, color type (maybe a teal eyeshadow), or new lipstick. Then I try to build around that product! This is not my routine on a daily basis, but that is how I’d go about it for a personal day 🙂
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I don’t have a set way. Usually, I pull inspiration from a color in my clothing or accessories. Often, it just depends on my mood. Other times, I have some new makeup I want to wear so I plan my look around the item(s). If I’m going to some kind of event or function, that will play into my color selection as well.
I try to keep colors from clashing. I most likely won’t be wearing bright purple lips and bright orange blush together, for example. If I’m wearing a vampy or “dead” lip color, I usually warm up my cheeks with a warmer or brighter blush. Though sometimes I want to give off a more goth or icy look; it depends on the outfit.
Since my mood usually determines what colors I will probably wear that particular day, I tend to run with that. Although if I have a new(er) lipstick or eyeshadow palette, even just a new single shadow, I will most definitely find a way to incorporate it into whatever I come up with! Sometimes where I’m going plays a part, too.
Today’s look went sideways, but instead of fussing (or cussing!), I just went with the flow! But I will probably never wear a taupe e/s look with bright teal eyeliner again anytime soon….oh, and CP Boogie Lippy Stick too! That’s okay, I was only going to Wal-Mart!
I rotate my stash around, so I never wear the same look twice. I base it first with the blush I feel like wearing for the day and base it around that.
It depends on my mood, my outfit, and the occasion. I always do a bold look for evening but sometimes for day, I’ll punch it up with color, shimmer, etc. if my outfit calls for it or if I have the time to experiment. If I’m not feeling it or if I don’t have time, I’ll just do my go-to face….gray eyeshadow (MAC Knight Divine), pink blush (Chanel Pink Explosion), and pink lipstick (MAC Sophisto). It’s my perfect polished 5-minute face. 🙂
Being somewhat of a makeup hoarder, I always have new products that are in my new bin begging to be worn. I try to start there and build a look around that product. I try new products on days where I have the luxury of leisure. Otherwise, I go through phases with my daily go-tos. Right now I’m having a love affair with both chocolate bar palettes and recent TF Boys haul. For the past couple of weeks since receiving the new Bon Bon palette, I’ve been exclusively wearing and building complete looks around my eye makeup. I’m smitten with Cafe au Lait on inner corner. Such a great eureka not too warm toned shimmer shade.
Unless I have a new lipstick or eyeshadow that I want to try out, I usually pick my clothing first, based on what I’ll be doing that day, the weather, and what’s clean and available to wear. Then I’ll plan my makeup — I look best with something bright on or near my face, so a neutral or black-and-white outfit calls for a bright lipstick, usually a purplish-pink, blue-red, or bright pink. Then I’ll coordinate eyeshadow and blush with that. If I’m wearing a bright top or scarf I might choose a bright eyeshadow that matches or complements it in some way, then choose (probably less bright) blush and lipstick to coordinate with the top and eyeshadow. If I’m wearing a red top, the lipstick that works best for me is either a red (keeping both reds either warm or cool, but not trying to match them exactly), or a strong cool neutral, like Tom Ford Stavros, MAC Stone, or Laura Mercier Milk Chocolate over OCC Sebastian lip liner. So those are some of the ways my thought processes can go!
I tend to play up my eyes most often, so it starts there. For special occasions, I try to make sure my eye colors don’t clash with what I’m wearing (but they don’t have to match exactly, either). Then lip and blush colors are determined by the eye look.
I rarely deviate on the daily. For special occasions, I plan ahead a little.
I’ve wondered for awhile how other people decide, so I’m glad to see this question! Looks like a lot of people pick the same way I do – it usually starts with something I’m in the mood for, a lipstick or eyeshadow palette, and build from there. Or around a particular color I want to wear. I am always looking for ideas, though, on pairing blush with lipstick, eyeshadow etc. I often hear, especially from Marlena at MUG, that if she has cool eyeshadow, lipstick, etc., she’ll “warm it up” with warm blush, etc. I don’t like matchy-matchy for sure, but that approach on me always looks like it’s clashing, even though on her it always looks perfect. So I usually play it safe with neutral blush. Please post a question about pairing up colors Christine! Merry Christmas to all!!!
Hi Shaun, maybe this will help. 2 days ago, a question was posted “What makeup technique still eludes you?” and I put that I didn’t know how to pick out a coordinated eye look, and that I didn’t know how to match my blush and lipstick, or my eye look with my blush, etc. AngieGCarp was kind enough to answer:
“Try matching the tones of your lips and blush. For instance, if you are wearing a peachy pink blush try to go with that tone lip color. As far as matching it to your eye, what might be helpful is to study cool vs. warm colors and just try to stay in color families. For instance, if I was doing a gray or blue eye look I would probably go with a pink blush and lip but if I was doing a brown eye look I might go for a peach or coral lip and blush. It really depends on your coloring.”
I tried this today and it worked! This sounds like the formula I’ve been looking for because the other way was not working, no matter what I tried. Sometimes it’s hard for me to tell what is cool toned or warm toned, but I think I’ll get the hang of it with some practice. I was all over the place before because I’d been following Marlena’s advice of warm eye look, cool lip or vice versa and it never worked out for me. I always looked like a muddy, over-done mess when I tried to do a makeup look on my own following that advice. To be fair to advice given, though, I think I was trying to do the warm and cool undertone thing within an eye look, like a cool transition shade and a warm lid color and a bold/dark outer v, etc. I know placement and technique are key as well as textures, but I think the looks I tried to create always clashed because I was trying to keep everything contrasted (not staying in color families) instead of complimentary. I always had to wipe everything off and pull out my face charts that I’d saved from makeovers. Anyway, I hope this helps. 🙂
I pick out a look for the week, and that usually dictates what clothes l wear. Odd I know, but it works with a neutral, black and jewel-toned wardrobe, ha. I do this on Sundays – I need my weekday mornings to be streamlined and everything ready so I can have time to apply everything properly and not leave looking harried. I plan my weekly looks so I make sure I’m getting good use of my stash.
If I have the luxury of time (on the weekends or day off), I will usually base it around a product I want to wear – a new one or one that I haven’t worn in a while.
Sometimes I just feel like wearing certain colours and I will plan my makeup around that. Or I may have a new eye shadow palette to play with and will wear clothes that suit those colours.
At other times, it depends on where I am going and what I will doing during the day.
Mood.
I play around with my eyes a lot and I usually start there. I’m still not the best at pairing lips and eyes so I’ll have a general idea–turquoise eyes and coral lips, grey and mauve, neutral shimmer and red–to work with. Then I just match my blush to something close to my lips and pray I look half decent.
Then of course none of my outfits match because I wear a lot of masculine tees and plain jeans but *shrugs* that doesn’t impair my selfies or self-confidence!
I’ve divided my makeup into ‘warm’ & a ‘cool’ toned colors sets.
If I’m wearing warm colors that day I use the warm set of makeup, if I’m wearing cool colors I use the cool set.
It depends on the color of my clothes as to what makeup colors I choose.
The clothing I am wearing usually determines what I decide to do but sometimes my mood plays into it. I am trying to use up some products or at least hit pan on some as I have a lot of makeup, so right now I am trying to consistently use certain products every day or a few times a week.
I generally wear a pretty natural look so I don’t have a lot of different color ranges to work with. I just go with whatever I feel like wearing – sometimes a little more shiny or sparkly, sometimes a more satin finish on my eyes, but it’s always pretty tame so nobody would really notice if I was wearing something “different”!
I don’t really have a set way, and I tend towards neutrals anyways, so I usually base the colors for my makeup on my outfit (I usually pick it out the night before because sleep is my favorite thing ever) and things like the season or occasion.
I choose my outfit first and coordinate my mu with that. Once in a while I do it the other way around if I really want to wear a certain mu look.
It depends on my nail polish mostly. I like for my make up and my polish to compliment each other. I choose my polish based on my mood and season.