How have your makeup habits shifted in the last five years?
I have worn it less by choice, though I have certainly wore tons of it! I also feel like I am less creative/inspired.
— Christine
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My makeup habits have changed a lot. Before the pandemic, I was very experimental, using a lot of colors on my eyes and bright lipstick shades like red and purple. During the pandemic, I was working at home and not wearing any makeup at all. Then, when we returned to the office, I started wearing makeup again, but very, very natural shades. Since then, I have not returned to the colorful looks, preferring neutral eye shadows and lipstick. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I have worn less by choice but i still love wearing makeup.
I’ve almost entirely stopped wearing eyeshadow and eyeliner. My eyes are quite hooded, I’m always tired in the mornings, and on my *particular* face in my *particular* life (I know this is not a universal truth! I love seeing it on others!) bold or bright shadow tends to make me look overdone—especially since I love blush and lipstick and hate toning either of those down to accommodate a strong eye.
I just wear less overall, I guess? I don’t highlight very often, only bronze when I remember, virtually never contour. Part of that is probably just following the changing trends, but I think some of it is relief that it’s not the standard anymore!
I have always been a makeup lover, but as the years tick on I find I go for lighter foundations. I used to only like a very full coverage “perfect” face look that covered ALL imperfections. Seems like now every year I go for lighter foundations that are not as aging and make my skin look better although not as perfect. My eye makeup is still pretty much the same althought I now gravitate more towards neutrals rather than bright colors.
Not a whole lot. I’ve branched out into some more subdued/brown-based burgundy shadows and I do try to “do” my brows more but really, that’s about it.
My makeup habits actually changed 4-5 years ago and stayed the same. I’m mostly having one item of each, live out of my custom made eyeshadow and blush palette, keep repurchasing the same stuff mostly. Oddly, I don’t feel limited in my “makeup creativity”, I play more with techniques and keeping things constant just saves me a lot of time and mental capacity.
As I’ve grown older I’ve found that cream products work better for me, especially now my skin’s drier. So, I use cream eye shadow and creamy lipsticks, no foundation or powder though (I hate that it settles into my fine lines and accentuates them). Just one coat of mascara will usually suffice along with a one-and-done eye look, and I’m ready in no time.
These days I tend to stick with more neutral shades, although occasionally I will have a Red Lippie Day 🙂
I’ve gone back to using gel nail polish, having had a hiatus for a few years when I worked in a bakery and nail polish wasn’t allowed. Currently experimenting with the cat’s eye look …
You and me both, Christine! For me personally, it’s been slowly going into a rut these past 3-ish years. It’s not that I don’t still love makeup and color, but I have no mental or physical energy for it like I did previously. Plus, I have ZERO patience for my whole allergy eye tears wrecking all my work even before I get to apply mascara! Jumbo waterproof eye pencils DO help with that, but after literal years of struggling with it, I’m burnt out, I suppose.
1. I prefer cream, liquid, balm, or gel to powder formulas these days.
2. I wear eyeshadow sticks, for my eye looks now, if not, for the overall complete look, at least for a base. I am enjoying Laura Mercier, Thrive, Mally and I want to add some Rare Beauty to my collection during the next Sephora sale.
3. I’m getting rid of all that God-awful drying matte lipstick formulas that I have. Are used to add a bomb topper or lip gloss to try and at least get a certain feel but I’m just over it.
4. Even though I might have the template or tutorial for a bold or a statement lip, it’s just not my thing and I’m getting rid of most of my bold statement lipstick colors. I’ll save a few because I like the color, I’ll just tone it down a bit with my too-beige lipsticks.
5. I have been more willing to except sunk cost and bin or donate things. I feel like my collection is all the more beautiful and meaningful when I keep it well edited.
Nobody cares but I hate the random comma adding you get when you speech to text. It should say:
2. I wear eyeshadow sticks for my eye looks now and if not for the overall complete look at least for a base. I am enjoying Laura Mercier, Thrive, Mally and I want to add some Rare Beauty to my collection during the next Sephora sale.
I don’t care if the first was more grammatically correct than my correction here, it’s an eyesore for me.
By choice, I stopped really caring about makeup or even skin care, a decision I heartedly regret. I dropped into a bit of a funk which is different than a depression but not by much. I only came out the other side as I divorced myself from the news and for the most part from television. As I have returned to makeup, I have changed my preferences quite a bit. While I continue to agree that older women can wear whatever they like and makes them happy, I have cut back on the amount of products I use on a daily basis. I use to routinely use huge eyeshadow palettes and applied tons of different colors to my eyes everyday. As I have mentioned before, I am using less colors but I think I am still using fairly colorful shades. I am leaning more towards one and done shadows so that does limit the shades. I mean, a bright purple all by itself, spread over the lid and nothing else, would look a bit juvenile. A purple with some depth and distinction would be lovely. I have found the hunt for those types of shades has been very interesting.
I became a minimalist in June 2020. Due to the pandemic I wanted to live in a home, not an apartment. So I culled MUCH including makeup. I withered it down to what and only brought me joy. I don’t have to search now, it’s all in front of me. I still love makeup and swatches and tutorials but my little basket of true loves is enough.
Since the pandemic I’ve worn makeup less often, I still love wearing it but it’s toned down a lot.
My makeup habits have not really changed at all in the past five years, except to appreciate more neutral shades with the pop of colour for my eyes. I have also drifted away from darker shades, both in eyeshadows and lipsticks, prefering lighter, more natural colours. Once upon a time I would never have worn a lipstick shade like Mauve for Me, but now I love it.
I know that during the pandemic lockdowns one of my great joys was to choose my makeup for the day and I know that since then, the makeup landscape has really changed. I can tell by the kind of products being released.
I wear foundation less often and wear tinted sunscreen more often. I’ve noticed, though, that it is more difficult to remove tinted sunscreen than to remove foundation. I’ve always used a double-cleanse with an emulsifying oil followed by a cleanser, but I’ve found that some emulsifying oils just don’t cut it with some sunscreens.
I’ve focused on skin care, learned more about skin prep, and still love a well placed bit of shimmer, sparkle and pop of color 🙂
Eyeshadow used to be the main focus of my makeup. I have started to enjoy blush more and more, and would nowadays always prioritize blush over eyeshadow if I am short of time. Are brands also offering a wider variety of blushes (different finishes, formulas and more shades) in recent years than 10 years ago, or have I just started to pay more attention to these as my interest has shifted?
My makeup habits have changed a lot since the pandemic. I definitely focus more on good skincare. If I’m wearing makeup at all (sometimes if I’m home all day) I’ll only wear tinted sunblock and an eye base to cover discoloration. When I go out of the house, I’ll wear powder foundation and blush and a very natural eye look with or without mascara. I got lazy about having too much eye makeup to remove at night. My two and three step cleansing at night doesn’t happen often! My eyes feel better without irritating eye makeup, so I just don’t bother with lots of eyeliner or heavy mascara.
Less purchasing and less doing my makeup.