Blush! I love the effect of blush on the cheeks, but sometimes blending and diffusing the color to the right intensity and coverage takes more work than I’d like!
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Tightlining, curling my lashes, and adding my mascara! Tedious!!!!
None too thrilled filling in my brows, either. They never look as evenly filled as I’d like. But all these steps are very necessary, as I am a bit lash and eyebrow deprived and wear glasses out of necessity, so without doing all that, my eyes just seem invisible.
Blush – I’ve been picking blush on my own with my eye looks lately and sometimes it’s a miss. And then there’s the placement; sometimes I get a little heavy handed or end up covering too big an area. It’s usually fixed with the finishing powder but I think I would enjoy it more if the process felt more automatic and I felt like I knew what I was doing with color choice or placement. I always kind of feel like, “okay, deep breath, here we go” when it comes to the blush part of my morning routine.
Heh, you just described how I feel about eyeshadow. 🙂
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I would suggest focusing less on coordinating with your eye look and instead picking the color that matches you when you’re naturally flushed. By going with something in that shade, it will look more like you – only boosted. Less is always more on first application too. You can always go back after you’ve finished everything else and add more!
Thanks, Lea!
Brows, and eyeliner. It seems one side is always more difficult, and it’s hard to get them completely even and to get the wing on my eyeliner matching in both sides. Concealer also is tricky. I’m always nervous I won’t blend it out, or set it perfectly and then I’ll have creased under eyes all day
Foundation probably. It’s just a chore to me, I take no joy in it lol.
mascara & eyeliner. It’s so difficult for me to apply mascara without hitting the lids with the wand tip & applying an eyeliner line evenly across my whole lid. I usually have to go in with a q-tip to even out the eyeliner & remove the stray mascara. This is fine if I’m not wearing eyeshadow, but it screws up the whole works if I am. Can you believe I’ve been where mascara & eyeliner for almost 50 years & I still haven’t mastered it. UGH!
You should try applying your mascara first. Then it’s easy to clean up without ruining your shadow.
This is what my younger sister does, but it doesn’t work for me 🙁 my eyelashes are pretty curly, so it makes it a lot harder to apply eyeshadow after without getting it everywhere. Or worse, I can’t get color close enough to my lashline.
My sister can do it because her lashes are more straight.
That never works for me! If I do shadow after mascara, shadow gets on my lashes and dulls the mascara. It’s the same reason I don’t put any powder on after mascara. If you’re hitting your lids with the mascara, just do the underside and not the top.
I only apply mascara from underneath. Applying mascara first was only a cheat I used when getting used to a new mascara which had a particularly large wand. Once I mastered it, I switched back to the regular order. I don’t recall having issues with getting powder on the lashes, but it’s been a while since I used that trick.
Undereye concealer. I have epic dark circles and I find them difficult to cover up without caking or pilling due to too much product.
Same here. I would love for this to be an easier more natural appearing process.
Concealer (because I don’t wear foundation), it’s like sometimes it comes out great and other times it’s not so good. I don’t think I do anything different between applications, yet it’s somehow always a gamble. Also, I totally agree with you on blush! I tend to over-apply so it’s a little nerve wracking, even though it’s easily fixable
Concealing. I have so many scars, so either I do all of them or none at all.
Brows, no question. I hate them.
Mascara ! I took me so much time because i have sensitive eye and short , thin eyelashes .
Foundation. Don’t get me wrong – I love the finished effect, MOST of the time. But it’s the trickiest step of all for me. Same product, same technique and maybe 85% of the time, the results are fine but that other 15% – sometimes, it’s patchy between my eyebrows or settles into pores alongside my nose. The products are the same, the prep is the same and the techniques/tools are the same but some days, it just doesn’t work, and that is always at the back of my mind.
SETTING SPRAY!
I feel like I never get an even application; I just feel like I sprayed one particular spot REAL good and then barely mist the rest of my face. 🙁
They should really make an aerosol one…
– M
Concealing my undereyes. 100% necessary, 0% fun.
Mascara. Smallest mess up, clumping, etc. shows quickly, matters, and is harder to clean up than other makeup.
I’d say undereye concealer and powder. Not necessarily because it’s difficult, but because it never quite looks perfect. It’s so hard to find the balance between good coverage and enough powder not to crease but also keeping a good texture. Also, there’s this one patch just above and to the side of my left nostril where if I blend the concealer/foundation/powder too much, it always always always lifts off. I have no idea why that particular spot, but it’s frustrating.
curling my lashes. I hate it.
Eye makeup, because it takes F O R E V E R.
Eyeliner. It’s the toughest aspect for me and takes the longest for me, particularly if in a rush or to avoid racoon eyes.
Eyeliner, my eye shape and asymmetrical face plus unsteady hands equals application nightmare.
Lining the lower lash line — don’t know why I hate it as much as I do. Tedious, and many days I think I hit it 85%.
The foundation process has a terrific payoff, but it’s not much fun, IYAM.
1. Liquid eyeliner. I’ve been doing this for many years, and it still stresses me out so much; I find it hard to draw that perfect little wing that are the same on both eyes, sometimes they are too dramatic, sometimes not enough for my eye look…
2. Eyelashes. Don’t get me wrong, applying mascara for me is super easy, because I’ve only got those little sparse and short eyelashes, so there’s no need for me to work on them for 5 minutes or build more layers. It’s the end result that I really don’t enjoy. Sometimes I wanna just apply falsies everyday, maybe that’s better than applying mascara… but I hate cleaning falsies after each use.
3. Highlighter. Yes you read that right… I really like the look of appropriately highlighted cheeks, that looks obvious enough that you have a glow, but subtle enough that is seamlessly blended into blush and bronzer. But on a daily basis where I’m grabbing a brush and some highlighter before rushing out of the door, I’m really not enjoying the process. I guess highlighter for me is what blush is for Christine; I am always worried about not diffusing it enough (that it looks like a stripe) or putting on too much. Some days there are texture shown that I’ve got to worry about. But everytime I check the finished look outside, it always looks actually quite well done. That stressful application though! I don’t have high cheekbones either, so maybe that’s why I struggle with where exactly to place my highlighter (meanwhile I’m relatively good at blush, weird)..
Have you considered a stick highlighter? Or a cream? Easier to control the placement.
BROWS! I have to remind myself (all the time), they are sisters NOT twins.
Lips. I can do a pencil and a regular lipstick all day but I love liquid lipstick and it always takes me awhile to get it perfect/even. It becomes frustrating if I go to far outside the line or if it looks lopsided and then its a hassle to remove it so I can fix it.
Have you tried not putting it all the way to the outside? Concentrate more towards the center, where it wears off first anyway, and rub your lips together to distribute to the outside, where it seems to want to go anyway.
Tightlining: It tickles and the smallest of mistakes takes a lot of time to fix.
Eyeshadow–I have hooded eyes and very little lid space, so it can be frustrating trying to recreate cool looks! (And even more frustrating when I just have to accept that I might not be able to shove seven different colors on my tiny lids.) 😉
Oh, and tightlining–I inevitably get eyeliner smeared on my contact lenses (and have learned the hard way that Marc Jacobs Highliners are VERY waterproof and longlasting).
I have naturally very hooded eyes and eyeshadow is difficult. I enjoy doing it, but i feel your pain. I have never understood why a halo eye is considered to work for hooded eyes when you can’t see the lid anyway except when blinking the eyes.
Lips. If I’m not feeling energetic, I skip it entirely.
Blush for me too! Especially since some blushes I own (especially brighter Nars shades) require a light hand while others including a couple from Tarte and Smashbox can really be piled on with no worries about it getting too dark. I love my Nars Unfiltered blush palettes but some of the matte colors, especially in the warm palette, go on strong and it takes a bit more effort to get them blended out.
Mascara!!
My eye lashes are super curly, so I need a wet mascara to un curl them, and they get wonky looking, and they clump easily. etc.
And honestly, it takes me longer to put on two coats of mascara than it takes me to do a light coat of mascara and pop on falsies! So when i’m running late I just do falsies! 😛
This is a new thing. But ever since my tumor was removed, I now have SEVERE nerve damage in my bottom lip and chin. So I cant feel either of them at ALL. So I have to apply lipstick differently now. And i’m still learning how to keep it in the lines and neat! So that’s pretty stressful!
Probably just base products, as they feel more like work to me.
Right now is finding a comfortable primer. I need a matte one that isn’t going to suck the life out of my face lol
Not a primer, but MAC Oil Control lotion under my primer has helped me out with not turning into an oil slick sooo much!
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll check it out!
I’ve had good luck with YSL Blur Primer!
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll check out this one too!
Tight-lining! ouch! But, they make my lashes look fuller and darker so I don’t have to wear mascara, which is sooo tiring. It’s easier than putting on mascara and having to clean up those marks on my eyelids.
Sometimes brows. (They’re bushy and full but also have bald spots, not to mention curls and cowlicks and three different hair textures/colors.) Much easier now that 90% of them have grown back but still tricky to fill the sparse/bald areas (heads, one area in the middle). Any graphic liner is also a pain, as I have super crepey lids, weird folds and odd shaped eyes.
Ultimately, it’s taking all the crap off. I don’t know if it’s part of the makeup routine, but I hate taking it off. I do it, religiously, it’s just getting started that’s the booger.
Mascara for sure. It sounds like a humble-brag but my lashes are especially long and thick because I have double eyelashes (it’s a minor mutation. Liz Taylor had it too. Can make your lashes grow inwards). But mascara still makes an eye look more complete at times so applying it is terrible for me. The black smudges on my brows and upper cheeks are a pain and so many wind up clumping my lashes together. And my eyes water easily. Just gotta be patient and picky about mascaras.
My left eye waters on the outer corner every morning. It bugs me to no end because it messes up my eyeshadow on that area.
Foundation and brows!!!
BROWS! They’re so important and i always manage to screw them up!
Brows. Not a doubt about it. I’ve been doing them for years and still can’t get them right.
I loathe doing them so much, I’ve thought about shaving them off and just drawing them on everyday. Well, the 90’s are coming back….
Depends on the day! Sometimes it’s eyeshadow because (funnily enough) my comfort zone is reds/pinks/warm tones & when I try to switch it up with a darker or more neutral-toned look, I find that it ends up looking muddy and then I just have to put on super thick liner to cover up my life problems. Other times it’s concealer, especially under my eyes, because I absolutely have to set with powder or it creases — but the combination of concealer and powder always turns a bit cakey from up close. I’ve honestly just stopped concealing my dark circles because it’s so frustrating; yes I’m tired, yes I look tired, thanks for letting me know! Haha
Yes! Isn’t it weird how concealer+powder can do that?! I swear my concealer actually looks a lot better before setting powder, but I’m not confident it won’t turn into a mess later on if I don’t set it!
Having to wear spf always even under an eclipse. Specially if I have to follow with moisturizer then very light foundation just to even out canvas. Hate feeling any sort of a cakey when I have clear skin. Must must protect. Another one would be raccoon eyes mascara when waking up in the morning when I thought my facial cream cleanser had removed it all.
Eyebrows
I hate curling my eyelashes and applying mascara; I’m always worried about getting mascara on my eyelids.
Doing my brows – an important, but boring part of my beauty routine.
Lipstick. My left side is thinner than my right side and it looks very obvious to me when I wear lip color so I need to line the left side slightly outside my natural lipline, keep the right side just on my natural lipline and then color my whole mouth in with the pencil so that everything looks even before I apply color. For years I just skipped it but at my age now, I really do need the color.
Omg mine too! I hate it!!! I never really noticed it until a few years ago & now that I have it drives me insane! I’s literally like someone just deflated the left side of my lips, top & bottom. The right side is way more plump. It’s torture.
* it’s, not “I’s” lol
Brows!!! I have brought and tried so many products and watch so many videos and I still can’t get them to look good
Trying to get my eyebrows even ? I have heard that it’s “sisters, not twins,” but I swear, it’s like mine aren’t even related. One is higher. The other is longer. They are patchy and I have black hair. The natural arch is in a different spot on each side. It’s a nightmare.
Sounds beautiful! Revel in your uniqueness. Assymetrical can be very cool.
I hate doing my eyebrows. I have trouble getting the inner portion of my brows nearest my nose right. Blush is second for me. I am able to get the intensity correct by starting out with a light hand, but I have trouble get the blush to match on both side–not in color intensity, but in coverage area. I always feel like it is off.
Falsies for sure! Eyebrows take second place. (Both of which I only do for special nights out lol)
Agreed! Eyelashes then brows.
Taking it off! Lol!
Brows! I suffer from tremors and need to fill in and lengthen them. So every time I do them I dread it. I manage but it is difficult.
I’d say doing the eyeliner for my left eye when I’m trying to to the cat eye (always think since I’m a righty – the left eye won’t be as straight as the right’s cat eye), blush – bc I think I’m not distributing both cheeks evenly – and concealer bc I worry I’m over or under doing it.
Beautyblender makes a little tool for Cat Eyes. It’s really just a plastic straight edge – you can probably use a piece of cardboard if it’s think and not frayed. You just hold it at the edge of your eye to draw the flick in a straight line, like you would use a ruler to draw a straight line on a paper or wall. I almost never do a cat eye, but I got this in a subscription box with an Inglot black gel liner and a Morphe brush, and it did work. So even if you don’t get the took, some type of straight edge might help you.
Which box has that awesome combo?? I get Sephora & Ipsy and am so bored with both of them.
Ricky’s NYC Cult Crushes. It’s a new sub, in its 5th month. Link:
https://www.rickysnyc.com/cult-crushes.html
You might like the Ricky’s NYC website in general. It’s a NYC beauty supply store.
Ty! That’s a great mix up of prods. I had no idea Ricky’s was doing a sub box, ty dude!
The least enjoyable part of putting on my makeup is without a doubt my mascara. I used to have such pretty, long lashes. Now they are short and grow straight out. I try to use eyelash curlers but after a while it is as if I never curled them. In the grand scheme of life this is nothing, but it still makes me sad.
Mine are an okay length but are straight also. I’ve found that curling them, then setting the curl with a waterproof mascara (has to be waterproof, regular mascara won’t hold the curl for me) helps hold the curl.
Thank you so much for the tip – I will definitely try this. Yay!
Yay!
I hate curling my eyelashes but I love the effect. it just takes too friggin long to get a proper curl XD
Mine is getting better but I’d have to say eyebrows. I’m 58 and what brow I haven’t lost is gray now. Stinks considering I don’t have very much gray on my head. Years ago I had RK on one eye and had plucked pretty good so tape wouldn’t pull them out. The lazer stopped hair from growing back and I can’t get them to look like real brows. Well if I had 45 minutes to spare in them, maybe…lol.
Foundation/concealer….I’m always trying for that perfect coverage yet natural look.
Interesting you find blush least enjoyable! I love putting blush on lol but I hate putting foundation and concealer on, it’s a necessity as I don’t have the best skin. It’s hard to blend and get it looking good. I also don’t like putting on mascara as it always smudges and I have to clean it up.
Curling my lashes and putting on mascara. I can never get my lashes to curl in the same direction or not end of bent at weird angles. As for mascara, I end of hitting myself in the cheek/browbone/inner corner/nose and end up messing up my base or eyeshadow scratching it off after it dries.
Eye makeup, the primer, the eye shadow, the eyeliner, the eyelash curling, the mascara…it’s a pain and takes way too much time!
That’s easy. Getting my eyebrows right.
MASCARA
I find anything related to eyelashes tedious. Especially, curling them (I always want to blink and sometimes they rip out). Adding mascara is so time-consuming for me because I can’t do that quick layering technique I see in makeup tutorials. It always looks clumpy and spidery on my lashes, so I have to do smooth, root-to-tip drags.
At first I thought nothing…I enjoy it all, but then as I was mentally going through the process I came to curling my eyelashes. I would love to skip that step but my lashes are stick straight. :/
Under eye concealing and colour correcting. I have dark parts under my eyes and of course the darkest part is where the skin is at its worst. I also have a pigmentspot under my right eye at the lower part of the thinner skin, if that makes sense.
Covering these parts and making it look good isn’t fun at all. I have to do it though, but I have had to go and take everything off when the crepeyness (sp?) and the normaly not to deep wrinkles gets so enhanced and it’s cakey, dry and just lookes like a hot mess.
Not my favourite part of makeup and I’m quite often trying out new products, hoping for a HG product.
I agree. I just said eyeliner, which is definitely one of my least faves, but concealer too. Many of the things people mentioned I also agree with, but I just avoid those things, like setting spray. But there are days when concealer is necessary. No matter the form, it’s difficult to get it to cover and still look natural. I think It Cosmetics makes the best one I’ve seen for undereye – goes on easy and does get the job done. That and a British brand, Balance Me, are the two best undereye concealers.
I must check those brands. Thank you for the tip!
I’m not sure I can get It Cosmetics here, wouldn’t it be a good thing if all brands shipped worldwide.
Thanks again!
Probably eyeliner, because my eyes tear and it’s the easiest to mess up.
Brows! I hate doing my brows. And they are the first thing that I put on when I’m doing my makeup.
eyeshadow – this takes way too much time for given my time crunch in getting ready in the morning.
Used to be brows but I recently had them tattooed so all I have to do now is touch up a couple of lighter spots. I used to have to draw/fill in the whole thing. So now the least enjoyable part is removing it at the end of the day!
Tie between lashes & brows. My lashes are a pain to work with bc they’re completely straight & as much as I wear falsies, it’s still a struggle sometimes.
I also barely have any brows! I grew them in like a mf, so it’s a lot easier than it was a year and a half ago, but still a pain. Now that I’m weighing the two, I’m going w/the lashes. They take longer!
Blush, eyeliner, and eyeshadow looks with multiple colors are always time consuming for me. Also, mascara, I love it but I get it everywhere.
I have anxiety about mascara! One errant move and there’s black smudges everywhere. And concealer, sometimes I get right, sometimes its a cakey mess. But hey, practice makes perfect!
Brows. Mine are naturally really thin so if I get them groomed there’d be nothing left (so I can’t achieve that perfectly sculpted brow look), and they always look drawn on if I go too crazy because there isn’t a lot there. They’re also blonde, so I kind of have to fill them in or I feel like I look weird. Concealing is also tedious. All my zits stand out a ton because I’m pale and so I just can’t skip covering them but it takes so much time. I honestly wish I liked my skin enough to wear nothing like Jkissa, but alas! Maybe someday…
Eyebrows. I still don’t feel like I’m really good at them, though I keep improving. My eyebrows are naturally so unalike, that it’s frustrating.