I can actually appreciate neutral eye makeup! When I started, I was all about brights. I also understand why some prefer mattes, and I use them more often in my own looks. I’m able to go with a sheerer base (or no base) without feeling like my look is incomplete.
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If anything, I am more adventurous. Nude/natural one day, a blue lip the next. I’m confident in myself & my makeup skills, so I’m not intimidated to go out on a limb, or to reveal myself in a subdued look.
I started wearing makeup when I was 13 and I am now 63 so I have not only seen a lot of makeup trends come and go but the changes in products and the availability is overwhelming. Like most teenagers I went through my blue eye shadow all the way to my brows phase but thankfully it was short lived! I have mentioned on the blog before that I had a great teacher and mentor in the mother of a girl friend and she worked for the Borghese brand which was very high end so I was exposed to really good makeup at a young age. I am a registered nurse and worked over 20 years of night shift. My makeup consisted of powder and lipstick and that was it. I had my daughter and never really anticipated that she would be a makeup lover but she is and her passion reignited my love for makeup. In some respects, I envy young women now as they have access to so much more than I had when I was their age and now that the products are out there I am considered too old to use many of them. Add the changes to my skin and facial structure related to aging and it has almost been like starting over, learning to apply makeup to my older skin. There are days when I feel like I should give into age and just follow the “rules” for older women doing makeup, no bright colors, no shimmery shadows, no bright lipsticks, etc. and then there are days when I think my 63 years entitle me to do whatever I want. The ;biggest difference for me now is that I have learned that the base in the start of everything. If you don’t have a good base or foundation then nothing you put on top is going to look good. So, my focus is more on getting the base right, and I don’t just mean foundation. I mean learning how to apply shadow for the shape of your eye, lipstick to enhance the shape of your lips, etc. A few years ago I would never have thought to mix foundations to get not only the right color but the perfect finish. Those are the biggest transitions I have made in my makeup journey.
Love this! I’m 47 and much the same applies. It seems like there’s always more to learn, and taking care of yourself to create a great canvas is the start. I change my hair color up all the time, and it’s so fun to discover what works best when I’m blonde, brunette or redhead (or right now, bright pink). I always say my makeup collection is the equivalent of when I was little and LOVED the biggest box of Crayolas. So many options, and even what I thought were the ugliest colors have their uses!
I’m 47, too, and right with you. When I was little, I was all about the 64 box of Crayolas. Now, I’m an eyeshadow palette and lipstick hoarder with bright magenta/red hair. 🙂
I commend you for not bending to these ridiculous rules made by faceless corporations and magazines. They try to pretend that you must look a certain way depending on your age but it’s all marketing and really, who made them boss? My 69-year-old grandmother wears bright colors and shimmery textures everyday. She doesn’t care that shimmer emphasizes her wrinkles or that other people may think the color bright pink is reserved for young women. She’s always been a huge makeup lover, and there’s no way she’s not going to explore all the choices we have now just because “older women must dress their age”. To her, there’s no such thing as “too old for _______”, because statements like these hold no real truth and ultimately only serve to limit oneself.
Both Deborah S. and your grandma are awesome. #Lifegoals
I am loving all these comments. I am 57, I wore glitter eye shadow out on Saturday night and I don’t think it drew any attention to the wrinkles that are starting on my eye lids I think it was stunning. I love wearing black lipstick or bright eye shadows. Rules smules! I will do as I please until the day I kick it!
Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful role model.
Lydia, your grandmother sounds like a fabulous lady 🙂 I’m also 60 years old, and I was just having a conversation the other day with my 59-year-old “baby” sister (lol) about how I’m buying the new Tarte shadow palette, and I’m going to rock those shimmery lavender, green and teal shades, and I really don’t care if anyone thinks it’s not appropriate for someone my age. Appropriate is feeling beautiful, no matter what age – or colour, or gender, whatever – you are!
At 48, I identify with people about 15 years younger than me most of the time, so when reading magazines or looking at websites, if they feature style and beauty by age, I automatically look at the pages geared for early 30s. I might glance at the ones for my age, but I identify more with the generation after me. On all my beauty subscription boxes, I shave 10 years off if they ask for a birthdate, because I don’t want to be shut out of getting the cooler stuff in favor of the “woman of a certain age” products.
Love this, Deborah S! Thoughtful and borne through the crucible of close observation, experience, and maturation.
You are entitled to do anything you want to your face no matter what your age! Artistry is artistry and I think it’s so inspiring to see interesting looks on women of any age!
Brava!
You go lady! I plan to continue my love affair with makeup and increasing my skills until the day I die or bored with it. Whichever comes first. ?
Bravo Deborah S.!!!!! I bow my head to you in praise of loving what you wear and never letting age stand in the way. Sometimes I too feel the same way. I now only wear neutral colors, never wear bright lipsticks any more, worry about how does this look ??? Its a crazy world out there and we are all part of it. Cheers.
This is possibly my favorite discussion thread ever on this site. You’re all amazing!
You are definitely entitled to do whatever you want, style-wise.
Yes. I switched from eyes only to lips only to mixing it up. I started using bronzer. And I started putting color on my lower lashline. Occasionally.
Honestly, I do much bolder, more intricate looks now than when I was in my 30’s or 40’s, I think because it felt like I had missed out during those years for so many reasons. So I’m making up for it now. And yet more polished than in my late teens and especially my 20’s, because now I know how to things that we weren’t doing back then. Plus, earlier Punk wasn’t exactly *refined* by any stretch! Now I can go full glam with a Chanel red lip, neutral smokey eye and cat-eye liner. Or do nouveau Punk; colorful, but put together, and feel equally great in either or beyond.
Not a whole lot. I try to make a point of doing a bit with my brows when I have the time, though I still despise that very artificial, wide, drawn on looking brow. I’m wearing red lipsticks more than in past. And thanks to the skinny Marc Jacobs liners, I tightline my upper lash line daily, even when I’m wearing a pretty pared down eye….that tightline really makes my eyes look awake and open against my pale skin.
I’ve added a few things to my routine like eyeshadow primer, highlighter, bronzer etc but a lot of my preferences over time have stayed the same: neutral eyeshadows/lipsticks wearing mascara/ eyeliner to the top lash/line etc. When things work for you, you stick with it but I’m not so closed to trying new things:)
When I was just starting to do eyeshadow I was all about neutral shimmers. Now I feel like I prefer neutral mattes and bright colors! I used to think I wouldn’t look good in bright colors or matte shadows, but I think I just had to get used to seeing myself in makeup before moving on to the bolder colors. I also didn’t think I would look good with pink toned shadows but I find myself wanting to use those more than browns and taupes now.
I used to wear mainly dark lip colors, but now I find myself gravitating towards medium and medium-light tones as well. Perhaps its the seasonal changes!
I’m the complete opposite of Christine. For years I was all about neutrals, either browns or plums, and MLBB shades. Now I love playing around with colour, and even my neutral looks will have a pop of colour with my eyeliner shade. Berry and purple lipsticks are my new MLBB shades. I don’t get to wear makeup every day anymore so when I do, I have fun with it!
I used to be all about 1-2 basic neutrals; quick and done. Now I use a broader range of shades, finishes and techniques. So I’d say my approach has deepened, become more sophisticated and more creative. And I just use a lot more stuff. It’s more fun now.
Ease and speed still matter; I don’t go too far on colors, because my work environment is still relatively conservative and on weekends I go more simple. However, now and then, especially for nights out or special events, or for accents like eyeliners, I’ll do much more in finishes, e.g. sparkles, and color.
Way less goth. I love it still but a harsh dark look isn’t great as you age nor for everyday life. I still wear dark colors and love drama, I’m just doing it in a softer way.
Two major changes:
1) Skincare and base products are first and foremost. If my skin isn’t looking its best, then nothing that follows will look its best. I experiment all the time with products and application tools in my stash that will give me the most youthful looking skin. For me, that means products that will give me moisture and a subtle ‘glow from within’ look. Concealer is its own story as is sunscreen.
2) Color makeup is now softer (regardless of shade) and more strategically applied. No harsh, dramatic lines anywhere. It’s aging. I really concentrate on blending. Gone are heavy or metallic or frosted eyeliners. Gone is any eyeshadow that isn’t matte, except for the mobile lid. Hello to subtle cheek highlighters. Hello to cream blushes. Hello to many gelee color products. Yay! Hello to products that give me the best, most natural looking brows and eyelashes I can find. Hello to tightlining my thinning eyelashes. My lip shades have always been on the colorful side, and that’s never going to change. I don’t, won’t and can’t do nude lips. And, absolutely no lip liners that are visibly darker than the lipstick color. So harsh looking and aging.
Bottom line: I wear less, but the application time is longer! (Go figure.)
The nude lips!!!!!! Hahahaha. Nude lips were so light, so very nude when I started doing makeup and it took me years to accept that a light and god forbid PEACHY nude is probably the literal least flattering makeup I can wear. I’m so glad you mentioned nude lipstick.
What products do you like for natural brow looks? I’ve been an Anastasia Brow Wiz and/or Powder Duo loyalist for many years now, but you sound like you know your stuff.
I feel we must have been starting off on our makeup journey at around the same time because I also remember that nude lips were THE thing to be wearing. God forbid one wears a pink or coral, that was deemed to be so passe by the magazines back then! Unfortunately, I am also one of those people who look deceased in anything that light. Took a while for me to stop trying to make it work though.
Hi Blue. I really don’t know my stuff, I just know me, and that comes from a lot of trial and error, mistakes and lessons learned. But, thank you. For my eyebrows, I use two colors of Anastasia Brow Wiz. My eyebrows are actually jet black, but I’m using graphite in the inner corners, ebony on the arch and graphite on the tails. I love the control I can get with them. I can make tiny little strokes. I fill in my brows with a now discontinued product by Chanel (boo!), a 3-pan cool color palette that I can mix for a softer effect, like lighter in the inner corners and darker toward the middle. I especially like this formula because the powders are more hard-packed and I can better control how much powder my brush picks up than the now-softer formulas that are so popular. I personally feel the Anastasia powder is a bit too soft and unmanageable, but that’s just me. And, I like a very stiff, small brush. I like to slowly build up my brows with small strokes. In the end, it makes them look more natural I think. I finish up with a brow sealer. I have several and use them all — Anastasia, Maybelline and Studio Gear. I don’t like any formula that leaves them crunchy looking or too shiny. There you go. Love sharing.
Hi Anne!
I could have written this! Fantastic!
What do you like for concealer and sunscreen? I am interested in what you have to say about brows as well!
I have always been adventurous, but now I am adventurous but I am starting to know what I am doing. Skills, techniques, and strategies learned from blogs and videos, and also experience have changed how I approach makeup. I am more likely to try something before saying no way, or before saying ok to new concepts or products.
Weirdly over time my skin has gotten much oilier than when I was in my teens which has forced me to buy makeup that is longer wearing and eye shadow palettes that are much more pigmented to combat fading/creasing and thus I have better looking make up now. Still learning how to wield eye shadow brushes and techniques to help my look be more polished as well.
I still love most of the things I did when I started wearing makeup over ten years ago. Red for both eyes and lips, occasional glitter, a strong lip without added blush, and a slightly goth/punk sensibility overall.
The biggest change that isn’t specifically a result of trends changing since then is that I wear less gold on my eyes now, and am much less inclined toward warmer tones in general. I wanted glowy warm undertones so bad as a teen. I was basically in denial about being on the slightly cooler side of neutral and often bought orange toned blushes to enhance my imaginary golden undertones. lol. They didn’t look bad, but it didn’t change that my skin has a lot of pink in it.
In terms of trends influencing my makeup, there are a few big examples, which I think are probably true of a lot of us. When I wear a smoky eye, it’s usually got some brown tones to it and I only put black on the waterline these days when I’m going for a lot of look. I’ve definitely followed the shift from a heavily powdered finish on the skin to a shiny, often unpowdered complexion. I also very rarely wear the kinds of super pale, mega shimmery or frosty lipglosses that we all used to love. In retrospect it makes a lot of sense we were wearing our skin so matte-those gooey glossy lips were the exact opposite of the bone dry mattes we have now. Doing the texture of the skin in contrast to the lips is a smart way to enhance and balance them out.
Until last month I’d also been avoiding all discernible shimmer on the cheeks (It gives me high school flashbacks.) and instead opting for satin finish blushes and highlighters with the most discrete microshimmer. But I picked up MAC’s Show Gold highlighter which is defo a shimmer bomb for my birthday. Even though it’s not an everyday product for me it’s REALLY fun to wear. Between it being so shimmery and so warm toned, I 10000% would have reached for it in high school, but I guess that’s retro now. 😉
Lol, I was in denial about my skin tone too when I started makeup. I disliked the yellow tones in my skin and actually chose pinker foundations to try to disguise that! I wore it all down my neck too. Guess it’s just as well that I actually liked a heavier, powdered look back then, because there is no way that ever looked natural especially since it was either Estee Lauder double wear or MAC full coverage. Nowadays, that is just too much hassle and I’m not battling my skin tone anymore!
Oh yeah I remember how lip glosses were de rigueur back when I started using makeup. I’ve come to realise that I actually hate that stuff because my hair always get stuck in it and now I don’t even own a tube!
I have a few lip glosses, but I almost never reach for them. I do like some of the lipsticks with a glossy finish coming out right now, though. I can’t stand the tacky finish either. Were you gradually put off by Lipglass’s thick, sticky finish too? lol
Yeah, I do remember owning a few lipglasses and man, were they gloopy!
As I have learned, I have adapted. As I have aged, I have adapted.
For decades I never knew it was “OK” to change foundation shades in the summer. (Duh.) Mix shades? Never would have occurred to me! Truly, I just never knew. Now I pursue what I need to do to look my best.
I will say that my look hasn’t changed much over time, but my procedures have. As I have aged, first and foremost is good skin. Foundation that enhances and is lasting is my priority. Powder that is finely milled as can be is not just a desire, but a must. Otherwise, setting foundation is a very aging, unflattering step.
What I love most in makeup has not changed since I was a teenager. I LOVE blush, and I LOVE lipstick most of all. A peachy or berry cheek still remains the most flattering, even 40 years later. I look better with a brighter lip color than I do a nude, so I stick with that. I have learned to line my eyes in this way and that to add dimension and pop.
Since my very young days, I like a classic Audrey Hepburn type look. It suits me. It makes me feel my best. It might be boring to many to stick with the same relative theme for 40+ years, but it works for me. xoxo
More eyebrows and more mascara. Generally stronger color all over. I use to apply just enough color to show up, and it would barely show up in photographs.
I’ve gotten more subtle in its use – more natural colors for pretty much everything. One thing that I haven’t changed, tho, is my love for using lots of volumizing mascara!!!
I too used to think that I must wear foundation whether there is much to actually cover or not because wearing (just about) everything else without base would be odd. Nowadays, I skip foundation. The biggest issue I have to hide is my dark circles, and concealer would do for that. Just as well, because I really did not enjoy putting on foundation, it always look odd or balled up and didn’t play nice with the underlying skin care or something like that. Also, I think another reason I wore foundation was because the magazines at that time said that color makeup like blush needs something to adhere to. Face primers weren’t a thing. Now I just use primer and translucent powder and it works fine.
For the longest time, I just wore a sheer wash of champagne shimmer over my mobile lid. I’ve since come to play with dimension with darker colours in the crease. Now, I’m trying to incorporate more colour into my eye looks. I’m comfortable with the warm spectrum (golds, oranges, reds), but still find blues and greens really challenging!
I’ve been wearing makeup for about 35+ years now, so my look changed over time for sure. TL;DR: Modern times are nice, because I can bring back the best elements from decades past, update them a little, use better products, and it’s all cool. About the only thing that hasn’t changed is that I’ve always gone for matte foundation and powder (because I’ve always been paranoid about my super-oily skin).
PRETEEN: Light cream blush and Village Lip Lickers lip balm or Maybelline Kissing Potion. MIDDLE SCHOOL: We all wore shimmery neutral, light pinks, light blue, or purple eyeshadow, and brown eyeliner on the bottom lashline only, black mascara, and frosty lipgloss. HIGH SCHOOL: Eugene, OR was not a mecca of makeup wearers, even in the 80s, so I wore more makeup than most (my school didn’t even have Punks or Goths). I got to indulge in lots of liquid black eyeliner and cat eyes. I used the brights, unconventional colors, shimmers, and glitters I loved. Eyeshadow was brought all the way up to the eyebrows, which no one plucked or groomed much. I was rare in that I did a white shimmery browbone highlight, which was a trick my mom taught me from her modeling days. In the mid-80s, I got into black-gray smokey eyes and red lips in a big way (I blame Goth musicians and Robert Palmer music videos 😉 ).
COLLEGE: I was still into creative looks, though not as intense as high school. My love of monochrome looks started. I stopped using blush on the apples of my cheeks, and started draping (contouring my cheeks with those kits that had the three blush shades for contour, blush, and highlight). I found better foundation matches. I switched back to eyeliner pencils and didn’t fuss with liquid that often.
1990s — EARLY 2000s: I got married, worked, and had kids. Time, energy, and money disappeared. I still loved brights and drama, but just didn’t have the will or means to keep up. I switched to the brand new mineral powder makeup, which held up against my oily skin (this was before primers). If I even wore makeup, my “uniform” was Bare Escentuals Original Foundation, Mineral Veil, and All Over Face Color in Rose Radiance (on my cheeks, bridge of nose, hair line, and chin); a shimmery nude shadow all over the eye; a pop of blue or purple on the lower lashline, black mascara, and Wet n Wild lipgloss in what I think now is Cherish (it was just a number in those days). I stopped draping/contouring and went with the more natural 90s look. If I had more time, I played with grungy dark eyeshadow, messy mascara, and brown lipstick. I was also REALLY into that shimmery lavender-taupe shade that’s made a comeback these last few years. I skipped the super-thin eyebrows and nude lips trends. By late 90s, I started dying my hair various shades or auburn and red, and used burgundy mascara (Physician’s Formula Raisin Quartz) on my eyebrows to match (no colored brow gels back then).
MID-2000s — PRESENT: I added those new-fangled primers (game changers!). Upon hitting my 40s, I started updating my makeup collection. I started waxing my brows, so they were full but groomed. I had always favored super-light blushes because I’m so fair. Now, with the better blush formulas, I feel like I can pull off darker and brighter blushes. I contour with greyish-taupe shades, and I do my cheeks, chin, and nose. I’ve revived my love of bright everything, unconventional colors, colored mascaras and eyeliners, shimmers, duochromes, glitters, etc., but I’m more refined with them than when I was younger. I apply them in a way that is suitable to a modern look and changes due to aging skin, etc. I also have stretches where I’m really into fantastic nude/neutral eyeshadow palettes. I wear nude lip colors now, as long as they don’t give me “concealer lips.” The last couple years, I’ve come to appreciate matte eyeshadows and lipsticks. I also line my upper waterline, and frequently fill in my brows to match my new bright magenta/red hair. Since hitting peri-menopause, I’ve started wearing liquid foundations again, and wear more varieties than ever before. My skin changes on a weekly or sometimes daily basis, so a foundation wardrobe is a must now. (So is good skincare, everyday.)
My makeup style is pretty different now compared to when I started!!
I would slap on too much foundation, and would double up my foundation as concealer, I would NEVER wear concealer. Even when my old cystic acne was flaring up, or with my dark undereyes. Now I wear a thin layer of foundation, and then use concealer on anything that needs to be covered!
I would NEVER wear ANYTHING on my cheeks. I wouldn’t wear blush, bronzer, or highlight!! Now I wear it every day no matter what! It gives me life.
I used to wear winged liner every. single. day. I’v realized that winged liner doesn’t suit my severely hooded eye shape!! It makes my hood look more puffy and fatty!!
Also, with me not being in school anymore, I feel more safe to experiment with my makeup!! I can wear teal lipstick, I can wear neon red on the crease!! I feel like I can wear and do whatever I want makeup wise, now that i’m not a lil awkward teen anymore!!!
I remember using Maybelline cake mascara, it was pretty much the only mascara around. Thank goodness their are more choices but sometimes I think their is too many and too many brands, As I’ve aged I have learned to apply so much better so that’s good. I still wear a full face with eyes everyday too.
First of all, I was into shades of grey or navy blue and fairly cheap little quads at that.
Then I discovered this blog, far better quality palettes,quints and quads containing a range of colours. I lean towards greens, olives and blues still.
After awhile I decided to try neutrals – and bought UD Naked 1. Now I love my neutrals – and discovered the true versatility of the taupe shade range.
My age is 62 years and I have always loved makeup, but I wear now what I like and what suits me. And I love my shimmer eye shadows and bright lipsticks. Looking after my skin properly is one of the other best things I have learnt along the way.
I too used to go bright but that was back in the ’70’s. I no longer where powder eye shadow as I’m in love with shadow sticks thus no longer need primer for my oily lids. I use a creamier lip color now usually mixing two shades for my own look. I also spend a lot more on my products. I am more not neutrals too but other than that I pretty much go with the flow.
I don’t take makeup or life as seriously now, 40 feels good.
On a side note, I can see the changes that you spoke of in your application through the years; you have a natural gravitas in wearing makeup,
I’ve been in love with makeup since I was 11. I used to prop up Seventeen magazine next to my dresser mirror and I would replicate the look the best I could. My preferences are circular, in 8th grade I wore the same orange brown cover girl palette (swiped from mom) the entire year. I actually had a classmate beg me to wear different colors. Then in 10th grade I was rocking teal green eyeshadow with matching eyeliner & mascara with lots of hairspray.
During my 20’s and early 30’s it was pinks and nudes with same on my lips. In 2012 I really became invested in the quality of the product and mastering as many beauty techniques I can. Because my technique, knowledge and stash has grown I confidently wore a pale green smokey eye (KVD Metal Matte) with berry Matte lip today into the office (banking) at 44.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that less is definitely more and NEUTRAL is always the best way to go. My look doesn’t vary that much. I have a couple of eyeshadow shades and a couple of eyeliners shades, a coral blush, a natural rosy blush, an apricot lip glaze and a rosy-brown lip glaze. Of course, mascara, foundation and eyebrows are a given. The different color shimmery shades I wore in my 20s and 30s just don’t cut it anymore. Likewise, the matte shades for eyes, cheeks and lips, in my opinion look chalky and aging on 40+ women. The bright and bold lips don’t look the same as they once did. If I’m going out for an evening and dress up in a LBD or black trousers with a silk blouse, I keep a couple of tubes of a bolder lipstick for those occasions.
Use liquid eyeliner now, big change. Wished I started that 10 years ago!
Biggest change is now I do my brows with the purpose of using the brows to balance my facial features (with a brow shape that veers from my natural brows). Previously, just plucked a few strays, filled in one blank spot, called it a day. Now I really create a newer brow shape. It”s so hard, though!
I used to be very self conscious about my complexion. I now know it was red with frequent breakouts BC I treated it harshly and have rosacea too. For that reason, I wore very opaque foundation that I suspect looked very obvious. I generally only used one eye-shadow combination and one or two lip colors. All of that has changed. I also lessened skincare and found a great dermatologist. Whew!
So many changes!
My first makeup was just champagne and charcoal eyeshadow, every day. Minimal lip and cheek color.
Then I wanted to emulate the makeup of Jrock musicians with cut creases, crazy colors, glitter, neon, and dramatic eyeliner. Again, simple glosses and sheer blush.
After that, I settled for just bright colors of any finish and started experimenting with more pigmented glosses and cheek colors. But, I tended to match my makeup to my outfit.
And as I began to learn more and more about technique and application from youtube, I started wearing more neutral eye looks with brighter lips and cheek colors.
Now, anything goes! But I still try to keep it balanced and wear makeup that complements my outfit rather than matches perfectly.
Hmmmm……
Well, I have to agree with the previous commenter Deborah S in that there is sooo much more available nowadays in the world of makeup than when I was a teen in the 80’s it is amazing. Great products at every price range too.
When I was younger I used to wear a lot of heavy and dramatic eye makeup. Yup, we’re talking double strip lashes that would make a drag queen blush and a smoky or Arabic eye to match. Now I’ve toned it down to a double coat of mascara, kohl kajal, and only 1-2 light shades on the lid.
I now have to pencil my brows. It is no longer an option. I had lush brows that rivaled Brooke Shields’ but now they’ve thinned to the point that they need emphasis. (I never plucked my brows either, when the 90’s skinny brows were in I gelled them into a thinner shape.)
I now spend the bulk of my makeup budget on quality foundations & concealers rather than trendy color products like blush, eyeshadow, and lippys. I can’t get away with cheapies anymore as they tend to augment fine lines & such.
No brown, red, or orange lip shades. I could maybe pull it off when I was younger but now it’s just too harsh. I think you need to wear brighter shades as you age, more definition and more color. I wear shimmery pinks, roses, and mauves almost exclusively now.
I have actually really come to like the finished look of foundation and powder. Up until about three years ago, I never wore powder and I would only use a BB or CC cream as my foundation. It was probably the advent of beauty blogs such as this one that got me into exploring all of the fabulous foundations out there! Now I love foundation; I have several different ones in my stash, and I wear it regularly. Powder is trickier because I have dry skin and I live in Canada where it’s cold and arid for five months of the year, but I have found ONE – La Mer loose – that looks amazing on me and doesn’t make me look dry at all 🙂
Love this thread, esp. comment about how much longer it takes to do get it together. I spend almost as much a.m. time with skincare as applying makeup. Frankly, I don’t enjoy applying makeup as much because I feel I have to pay so much attention to application. And it takes more products to get the subtle, glowy look I want.
Do want to suggest getting a scrip for Latisse for anyone bothered by skimpy brows and lashes. I no longer bother my derm when I need it; just go to any skincare spa. Latisse is so effective on lashes that I never apply more than one coat of mascara. Had to stop using on my brows (off-label use) ’cause they grew too long and bushy!
I used to only do “full” eyes. I never really wore any cheek products and wasn’t really into skin care or any type of skin routine. Now I like to do a full face with a lot of time spent on skin prep and dimension for the face (blush, bronzer, highlight). I like a natural but radiant finish so I use a few primers (illuminating or radiant), a couple of powders (setting, finishing) and a setting spray whereas before I would just slap foundation or powder on for the coverage and that was that.
The change for me is wearing any m akeup at all! All through my teens and twenties, I didn’t really wear makeup. I tried out a product every now and then, maybe a little lipstick, but that was it. A friend gifted me a beauty box subscription a few years ago, and now everything has changed.
I’m still happy with a bare face, but I learned about skincare and color products enough so that I have two priorities – skin care first, and fun second! And I never feel obligated to wear makeup to cover flaws. In fact, when I was sick recently and the skin on my face was dry and red from blowing my nose, I actually stopped wearing color products for a week to let the skin heal. Makeup is now, for me, just about having fun with bunch of products and colors and feeling good about myself.