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How do you decide what products to use each day?


How do you decide what products to use each day? Share your methods!

It’s completely dependent on what I’ve photographed and swatched! Or if I know I need to get a certain collection done that day, then I’ll usually wear it!

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Miss J Avatar

It really depends. If I don’t have a lot of time then I just grab for my basic, staple/go-to products to create a simple and quick look. If I have an inordinate amount of time, and if I am feeling creative then I will just sort of play in my makeup until I create something. Sometimes I will get an idea of a look then I start thinking about what products to use to create it; in that case, I will either go grab the products and set them out or I will write the look/products down. If I feel like I’m in a rut, or if I feel like I need to start using more of my products then I will just start tossing random items into a basket that I can set out, so I force myself to use only the items in the basket for a week or up to a month. Heck, sometimes I reach into my single shadows without looking, pull a few out, and make myself build a look around those even if I think it’s an unusual pairing.

Rachel Avatar

Considering the main reason I wear make-up is work, it’s generally the same face products each time. As far as eyes, it depends how much time I have, how long it has to last and whether I’m doing anything after work.

Anne Avatar

It depends on what I’ll wear, sometimes on my nails, on my mood, and of course on the time I’ll have!
I usually have an idea of the kind of makeup I’ll do in the morrow before I go to bed.

Dominique Avatar

Well, it really depends on my mood swings ! Today I purchased MAC Haute Altitude, Après Chic and Ruby Woo, I don’t know when I will try them in fact ! This morning I am just wearing a Kiko quad on the eyelids and a lip balm but tomorrow… is another day !

Joyce Avatar

Lately I’ve just been using my “go-to” products for the day.

But whenever I feel I should use my collection that seems to just be collecting dust, I’ll mindlessly grab 3-4 products and I *have* to use them all to create something cohesive 🙂

Mariella Avatar

It depends on what I’ll be doing that day, how much time I have and then just what I feel like wearing (often, if I have the time and it’s not a work day, I’ll wear something I haven’t worn in a while, just for a change, whereas on work days, I fall back on some easy, quick neutral looks that don’t take much time and are less “makeup-y looking”.

Jade Avatar

Recently I’ve been trying to use different shades each day, so that plays a part! It mostly depends on what I’m doing and where I’m going, for example if I’m going to work I will use more neutral/natural shades, and wear looks that aren’t high maintenance. I do like playing with shades though, I look forward to the weekend for that!

Lauren Avatar

Where I am going and how much time I have are big factors. For a typical work day, I’ll wear my regular foundation (these days, Tarte Amazonian Clay) topped with my Smashbox Halo face powder. I will choose an eye shadow combination based on my mood. If I’m running late, I’ll probably just do a wash of color on my lid. I always wear blush, curl my eyelashes, and wear mascara. If I have more time, I might add a bronzer, highlight, and fill in my brows. If it’s a weekend, I’ll wear my Smashbox BB cream or Tarte tinted moisturizer, face powder, blush, a cream shadow (maybe), and definitely curl my lashes and mascara. If I have an event after work, I will definitely wear a nice eyeshadow combination, fill in my brows, contour, etc. I will also wear Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation as it is my longest lasting foundation (but less comfortable than Tarte).

IndianGlamPrincess Avatar

It totally depends on how I’m feeling, really. 🙂 If I’m feeling fun and girly, I wear fun and feminine colors, and if I’m feeling bold, I wear bolder colors.When I feel that I have to rush out of the door, then I follow my quick everyday neutral makeup routine! 🙂

Cat G Avatar

Depends on what I’ll be doing and who I’ll be with, my mood, how tired I am (no really, if I’m dead tired it won’t be a real makeup day) and how much time I have to do makeup, what clothes I feel like wearing, the weather, and lastly, I try to mix it up in terms of looks and products used so my collection doesn’t go to waste…. I think that’s all 🙂

artemis Avatar

depends on how lazy i feel..and the time. since i spend ages doing my face(bad skin and on top of that flaky even though it’s oily…i noticed it gets worse if i don’t spend any time in the sun :/ any of you have that problem, btw? it could be dermatitis, the oily skin one..but then again, i don’t have wounds or yellow scabs..just flaky skin >.< plus some acne and the dreadful blackheads..so idk)sorry for that rant, lol.
when i go to school i ALWAYS apply at least some pretty dark or intense eyeshadow in a v shape on my upper eyelid and crease(beside the face stuff+mascara)-when i'm lazy. when i'm not, i apply eyeliner all around my eyes in a cat-eye shape+very dark eyeshadow on my lower eyelids and also use blush and maybe even lipstick or gloss(tho it's not rlly good because i usually eat on my way to school or in the first break so i'll eat my lipstick out and it'll look yucky). when i have more time on my hands and i'm not sleepy, i'll do a dark smokey eye.
my mood also influences my choices.

artemis Avatar

i sometimes wear red lips with my cat eyes 😀 or coral or pink 😀 creamy and shimmerless <3
lol, i've been having a HUGE lipstick obsession this past year and bought some crazy colors i wouldn't have worn before..(i thought even reddish nivea balms were too much, even if i always loved heavily defined eyes and worn black eyeliner since 12) but i rarely use them 🙁 …either cause i know i'm gonna eat cause i got dry lips that i pick at :") so they look bad at most times. if you bite your nails or have other bad habbits, you know it's like a vicious circle of stress or boredom followed by frustration.

TrippyPixie Avatar

It depends on how I’m feeling. I’m a student, so I have to get up early so I can drive to school. Normally, I’m usually exhausted because I stayed up late to do homework the night before. Also, I have ocular allergies, and it really depends on how badly it’s acting up that day. Normally I just use face moisturizer, sunscreen, and lip balm. I might apply a lip color later in the day.

Alley Cat Avatar

Depends on what I’m wearing, where I’m going, and how much time I have for make-up. I use only one set of face products (foundation/BB cream, powder, contour and highlighter), so it’s mostly a question of what lipstick or eyeliner I’d wear for the day. I used to wear heavy eyeliner with nude lips most of the time, but these days I find myself wearing red lips with lighter eyes more frequently (probably because I’ve become more confident lately!).

Kate Avatar

I usually try to pick one product I want to wear and build around that. Lately, I’m trying to discover ways to speed up my morning routine, since I’m always running around late for work, so finding makeup I can do quickly and that still looks office-appropriate (and that I like!) has been my challenge.

Ellen Avatar

Mostly I think about what colors/palettes I haven’t worn in a while, but when I’m in a really bad mood, I pile on the dark eye makeup and/or liner. It helps me get it out!

Nicole Avatar

I have my every day produkts like foundation, powder and e/s primer on my vanity. My chosen eye shadow depends on the cloth colour I wear and then I decide, what looks best. I have some lipsticks in my bag and decide what to wear when I’m in the elevator to my office.

Alyssa M. Avatar

Primer – I only have 2 that I use, the MUFE HD in green (color correcting) and the Hourglass Veil Mineral. I like them both, however unless I am having a lot of redness I generally reach for the Hourglass.
Foundation – I have several I use (Dr. Jart Premium BB, MUFE HD, UD Naked Skin, Tarte 12hr Full Coverage, Kat Von D Lock-it 24hr). I choose a foundation based on coverage needed and wear time (ie: grocery shopping trip vs 8hr work day).
Powder – I have 2 favorites, Laura Mercier loose setting powder and MUFE HD setting powder. I use Laura Mercier if there is a chance of flash photography (ie: going out with friends), and MUFE HD if there isn’t. I’m fair, so there isn’t a white cast on my face except in flashback.
Concealer – I have 2 that I use daily, Laura Mercier Corrector (undereye) and MUFE Full Coverage (blemishes/around nose).
Eye Primer – Toss up between UDPP and TFSI for lid, always use Benefit Stay don’t Stray for undereye concealer.
Shadow – Whatever goes best with my outfit/mood. I have mostly UD shadows, with a few other palettes thrown in. I reach for my Naked 1 palette for most work days, but I have several build your own palettes that are color coordinated (crease/highlight shades, blues, greens, purples, brights, neutrals) and a bunch of their other palettes that I mostly just go by color to match what I’m wearing or the look I’m going for.

xamyx Avatar

Considering I’m a “stay-at-home-mom”, my days typically consist of walking my daughter to school, bringing her lunch, and picking her up, so my makeup routine is fairly simplistic.

In the morning, since I *never* leave home without sunscreen, that’s the first thing I put on. If we wake up a bit earlier, and I have time for a shower *before* school, I’ll also throw on a TM, maybe some powder, and do my brows. After I come home, I’ll do the rest. Mascara is simply what I’m using currently (I only have one in use at a time), and I’ll just grab the first simple eyeshadow palette my hand touches (I usually just go with one of my tarte palettes for a simple, casual look). Then I’ll throw on whichever lip balm is at hand, and I’m done.

Weekends, when I’m not on a tight timeline, and if I don’t have too much to do around home (ie, cleaning, laundry, etc), I’ll grab one of my more “colorful” palettes, eyeliner, and cheek products (which I pretty much stick to the same products because they’re already in a basket). Every few weeks I have the urge to rotate my products, but for the time in between, I really don’t stray much from what’s already out.

Now that I have alot more space to display my makeup, and things are (finally) reasonably organized, and I don’t actually have to “dig” for things, I plan to vary my routine a bit more. I’ve also gotten into nail polish again, so I’ll likely start coordinating looks around my manicures.

Pookie D Avatar

All of my product decisions depend on whether I need or shouldn’t have high SPF and whether I’ll be out socializing. All my moisturizers, primers, foundations, powders can be divided into with SPF or without. If I’ll be out in the sun at all, I’ll layer up on the SPF products. If I’m going out to social events where I will be photographed at night, I will definitely be careful about not using products with high physical SPF numbers and will definitely wear blush and try to contour. If I’m going out where I will be heavily socializing, I will wear more flashy eye shadow like L’Oreal’s HIP duo in shade 510 “Electrified” along with waterproof mascara, because I tend to laugh and my eyes tear/water when I’m socializing. I never wear nude lip color, so that’s one decision I don’t have to worry about, although choosing which color from the berries, plums, reds, etc. depends on my mood.

charlotte Avatar

My choice of base is usually dependent on the weather, and my intended activities for the day. Color is based on what I choose to wear, I always pick my outfit first then coordinate my makeup. I choose individual brands/products based on rotation.. I have too many to keep on hand so I rotate from storage into my makeup tray weekly (approximately) to ensure I actually use the items in my collection. Then of course there are the new items, which get an immediate spot in my tray because I need to test them so decide if they will be kept or returned.. and because I simply can’t wait to play with them. Depending on my buying level I can go for quite a while just using the new items.

Nikki Avatar

I pretty much wear the same products on a regular basis with the exception of changing up my blush and lip gloss. Blush and lip gloss are chosen based on my mood or colors that will coordinate with my outfit.

Amanda Avatar

I use a few of the same things daily: illuminator, blush, eyeliner and mineral foundation. The only thing that ever really changes is whether I use lipcolor or not. What I use depends on where I go. For a casual outing I’ll put on my lighter colored Korres lip butters (or nothing at all) and for parties I’ll either wear lipstick or a darker shade of my Korres lip butters

Hana Avatar

Usually depends on my level of laziness. If I’m feeling lazy or am short on time, I’ll just use BB cream instead of foundation and do my eye makeup. If I have more time or want more coverage, I’ll put on a full face of makeup but I choose my lip/eye/cheek colors randomly.

Maggie Avatar

Hmmm…that depends. At the start of my day, I figure out:

1. What am I working with? (acne vs. clear skin? flakey vs. oily skin? Oily hair versus frizzy hair? undereye circles or no?)
2. How much time do I have to get ready? (I might skip some steps and get only the necessities done if I don’t have time)
3. What will I be doing today? And how long will each activity take?
4. Will I need to change up my look later in the day? (If I do, I won’t start with makeup that’s too hard to wash off–I like to start over with a fresh look)

LauraR. Avatar

Total crapshoot. I have so much to choose from at this point that I don’t want to get repetitive.

Usually before I start I’ll decide if I’m going warm or cool based on what I’m wearing (it doesn’t have to be matchy-matchy but I wouldn’t wear an olive green eye and with a raspberry colored sweater). Then I decide if my lipstick is going to be bold or subdued, and that helps me decide how bold to do my eye look, since I do my eyes first. Then it’s pretty much anything goes once I’ve got the basics down. I just start grabbing things. Sometimes it doesn’t come out as I envisioned, but since i do my eyes before my foundation I just swipe it off with a makeup wipe and start again if I’m not happy.

Chester Avatar

Easy. I use whatever is out on my vanity!

Every once in a while, ca. every 3-4 weeks, I rearrange my daily rotation. Everything except the basics (foundation, setting powder, black kajal, mascara) can be changed. I usually start with rearranging my eyeshadow palette and from there on I decide on 3-4 kajals, 1-2 blushes, 1-2 highlighters and several lip products. For a special occasion I might still reach into my drawers and use a product that’s not in my daily rotation. In general I stick with my daily rotation products though.

Melada Avatar

Depends on what I’m gonna do that day, where I will go, who I’ll be with, how long do I have to stay outside.

But the most important thing is my mood that day. XD

tracy Avatar

Depends on how much of a rush I’m — the answer is practically “always!” LOL!

Oh, and what products I already have spread out on the table.

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