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What's your advice to someone who's in a makeup rut?
What’s your advice to someone who’s in a makeup rut? Share!
Have someone you know pick what colors or shades you should wear. Look for something you never wear and try wearing it (obviously not if it creases on you in an hour or causes your lips to bleed!). Recreate a look from your favorite movie or television show. And if all else fails, photos of flowers always inspire me!
Thanks to Evelyn for today’s question! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
I love your ideas, Christine!
And, uhhhhh, spend all your money on Urban Decay’s Black Friday events? Who would do that…? (Maybe I would.)
I also say, don’t wear any makeup for a while until you feel inspired again. I know that this is not exactly apropos the question, but I think that makeup shouldn’t feel forced or like something that anyone “needs” to wear. I like to compare it to my hubby’s tie – an accent that dresses me up, makes me feel put together – only way more fun! But everyone needs a casual Friday once in a while. As much as I love putting it on, I think it’s a good idea to take breaks from makeup every now and then.
I echo your sentiment, Chris – if you’re not feeling like wearing makeup, don’t wear it, or if it’s become a chore, take a step back. Sometimes clarity is good 🙂
1. Buy makeup kits. Along with safe, neutral shades, they usually contain shades that you normally wouldn’t try. I bought some eye shadow kits that had the usual brown/taupe/cream shades, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the pink, purple, and green eye shadows, so I went out and bought more of those colors. And the holiday lipstick kits allowed me to try more vibrant pinks and warmer reds on my lips.
2. Sort through your makeup stash and put the more unusual, unused, or little used colors into a tray and vow to try something from that tray at least once or twice a week. I usually try them out on the weekends, while I’m hanging around the house, so if the colors or formula doesn’t work out, no one will see it except for my husband.
3. Look in magazines, ads, internet, you-tube to get ideas.
4. I also like looking at the Sephora Beauty Board, because it shows real people with some great makeup looks, and links to the products they used to create that look
The recreating a look from your favorite movie/tv show definitely helps. In a similar vein, so does making a look inspired by a favorite character. If all else fails though, Pinterest always has some interesting makeup ideas.
I find it’s inspiring to get something from a brand you’re not already familiar with, especially smaller brands with unique products and colors like Colour Pop or Fyrinnae.
– Shop your stash, see if there are shades you haven’t worn in a while.
– Find inspiration from the internet (MakeUpBee, Pinterest, Instagram, beauty blogs, etc) and recreate a look you like.
– Do weekly make-up challenges. We hold weekly challenges for both nail and make-up on the Femme Fatale Fiends Facebook group.
– If all else fails, take a break from make-up. Sometimes it’s just what you need.
I think everyone has a certain product and/or color they secretly covet, but are afraid because it’s not “them.” When you’re in a rut: Buy that item in that color and wear it. In public. All day. Bask in the compliments people will give to the new you.
Snap! This was the first thing that sprang to my mind too. 😀 I feel like we’ve all probably got a few things like this already in our stash. I also like to go through and find a few things (almost always lipsticks or glosses) that are halfway done, and commit to using them up. The feeling of (joyously trivial) achievement is a real boost, and when you’ve slogged through finishing one up, suddenly the rest of your makeup collection seems so exotic and exciting again, LOL!
I once went three years without buying new lipsticks, and using up some I owned. You do feel like you’ve accomplished something!
A lot of us probably do have such an item in their stash already. I see many people here say “shop your stash.” Absolutely great idea!
Grab a palette- use contents (not necessarily all at once! Especially if it’s a 20 shade UD palette…)
If they feel they’re in a rut, I’d suggest they check out some youtube videos for a bit of inspiration or maybe take a trip to Sephora and get a SA to help they try out something different from the panoply of great stuff that’s available there. But I’d only offer this advice if the person herself said she felt she was in a rut.
Force yourself to put away your ‘daily’ make-up items and reach for the things you’d normally ignore. You might find some lost gems in your stash and discover some new colors and combinations.
I like to reach into my palette drawer blind. I just grab what I grab and I make it work. Another thing I do is every month, I pick a set of makeup products that haven’t been used in over two months and I use them for an entire thirty days. It really helps spark your creativity and rediscover products you already love!
I always feel like makeup inspiration starts with what you buy. I never buy something, from lipstick to palettes to foundation, if it doesn’t inspire me. If I don’t wonder how I can wear this and what looks I can do with it, I don’t purchase it. It’s kept me from getting too much stuff (though I often tell myself that the newest and shiniest lippies have me inspired!) and it makes sure that I can pick up any palette I have and say “Okay, I haven’t used this in a while, let’s do something!” without sitting there all day trying to think of a look.
Also it help when me to just let myself play with makeup sometimes. I’ve done full glamour looks when I wasn’t planning on going out (and often still don’t end up going out) just to foster the creative process of just digging into a palette and seeing what comes out. And I love that feeling of looking at yourself when you’re halfway done with a look and getting really concerned that it’s not gonna turn out right, then finishing and realize that your makeup is PERFECT!
I keep a file of inspiration photos and a file of face charts, for when I am in a rut. If that fails, I let my 3 yr old daughter pick something for me!
Go to the drugstore and buy a shade you’ve been hesitant to try, never thought about, or just plain been scared to
When I’m in a makeup rut, I look for inspiration from the media (magazines, movies, tv, etc.) as well as beauty blogs. I pay especially close attention to people who have similar coloring or features to me and try out their looks/ideas. I also shop my collection–I usually find something I’ve forgotten about that I would like to try.
I was in a makeup rut myself. And what I learned to do is reintroduce myself to the products I already own..! Trying to hard to find new products was upsetting. Shopped my stash like I was in Sephora LOL… Sometimes having so much is overwhelming , just love what you have , make your life so much more easier. We have enough to stress over in life, Makeup shouldn’t be one of them. It’s suppose to be fun and take us away from the stress..!
Here it is:
Note to Self: Take the plastic off the damn cobalt eyeliner and just use it.
Ask them to trial different eyeshadow colours to complement their looks. Get them to go through their stash and throw out anything that is old, worn or broken so they can start afresh. Look at any deals that are coming up in the local beauty stores to help them restock their beauty supplies with fresh, new products. Research with them the sorts of looks that they like and buy accordingly.
Emily Noel of beauty broadcast made a video addressing this. Its full of great useful advice!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kToEnED-Em4
Its called escape a makeup rut and the channel is called emilynoel83
i take them to my favorite make up artist at my favorite makeup counter packing champagne and raspberry liquor and make Kir Royales. Then I let the make up artist and my friend visit. In the end my friend leaves with a fresh approach, the artist makes a nice sale, if not by my friend, then certainly by me, and we’ve had a nice social while doing it! That’s how we roll in the South!
i like to browse the looks on pinterest. i keep a board of color combos i love and another for shapes and techniques i’d like to master. when i’m bored, i’ll look through the two boards and pick out a few to try out for the week. i’ll occasionally ask my boyfriend what color combinations he’d like to see on his days off and create a look off his comments.
after being inspired by a beauty blogger’s project make-a-dent, i also go through my entire stash once a month and select 1 neglected palette. i commit to using that palette at least once a week, if not more.
I think it really depends upon the situation. But in general we enter ruts for a reason. Sometimes it’s because we need to slow down and gain more experience so that when we feel out of the rut, we know exactly what’s up and how to go about achieving it. Being in a rut can be a blessing for it allows us to get back to ourselves naturally and truly ask ourself if we are creating a projection of a makeup rut due to personal reasons that we need a break from all that dolling up & mending to focus on. Sometimes the real problem surfaces and then we feel excited and celebrate with confident new makeup! Other than Christine’s advice and things skin to that, I would just add that a rut is just a place we sit until the best good for us becomes instinct to choose.. Sit tight, and just go with what will work for now, and if nothing is, perhaps its your skin that needs attention, and otherwise, all sorts of coloring books are amazing at inspiring creativity with color, shading, observing, and playing, so enjoy whatever it is by having faith you need to be there and will emerge better than before! 😀
Go and check on your green eye shadows and take it from there. <3
On days when I’m simply bored, I shop my stash! I pick out something I’ve been afraid to wear (love the brights/jewels/vamps, but have a very conservative personality/friends/husband/workplace) and find a way to make it palatable. Rocked a stark, dramatic peacock blue-teal smoky eye yesterday, and all my friends (and boss, and husband, and even my very very conservative mother) complimented it! Gave me warm fuzzies and made me want to try more bold looks.
And on days when the idea of doing my makeup exhausts me, I just throw on foundation (old acne hyper pigmentation) and mascara (blonde lashes). I haven’t yet had someone say “ewwwww! Look at that hideous female!” as I pass, which reminds me that I wear makeup because *I* want to and refreshes my perspective–it’s supposed to be a fun method of self-expression, not a sexist mandate. 🙂
hear hear!
teal blue smokey eye sounds really alluring. teal is a wonderful color that somehow always gets neglected in my stash once summer ends! i’ll have to remember to bring it more into rotation. what are you thinking of trying next?
Try out some make up tutorials you would never usually wear on youtube, you might end up finding a look you love
I’d suggest trying out a new mascara, or trying a nice primer before putting their mascara on (old or new) and if they are more adventurous to try out wearing some false lashes they think look pretty from the drugstore so not alot of money is invested. Also, I’d suggest switching to gloss if they are a usual l/s wearer and trying out l/s if they normally do gloss. Another thing I’d suggest is for them to “switch their face” look (I know that sounds crazy!) by putting the focus on their lips if they are usually heavy on their eye looks or switching the other way, doing a heavier eye and less bold lip.An idea I use alot when I’m in a rut but also in a hurry- I do a bold cat eye/wing using bright color. I like to use MAC Fluidline for this but since they don’t seem to have any bright colors too often I use a cream shadow applied with a brush that once dry really stays put. (I use the discontinued Urban Decay, the colors “Grass” and blue “Radium” look great on brown eyes.) My last suggestions would to be try out contouring and highlighting- you could go bold or minimal with just the cheeks and cupids bow and inner v of the eyes to brighten your face, and lastly, I’d say to try lining the inner rim when doing eyelooks if they don’t already and are not against doing it.