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Which product in your makeup routine do you most enjoy applying? Least enjoy?

I love applying eyeshadow! While I love the impact of filling in brows, it’s probably the one step that I’m not that excited to do but NEEDS to be done!

— Christine

82 Comments

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Nancy T Avatar

Fellow eyeshadow aficionado here! Doing my eye makeup, especially eyeshadow and liner lets me get as wildly creative as I please or can just do something to make them more subtly stand out. My lids are my coloring book!
Now for least favorite: applying mascara! Tedious as heck it seens. And doing my pre-lipstick exfoliating because it’s a bit painful.

Cat Avatar

Yep, separated at birth… LOL! I love doing eyeshadow and HATE applying mascara! I especially hate doing the lower lashes. If I ever lose an eye, it will be while attempting to applying mascara to those tiny, little devils! And, for shadow, how often do you tell yourself that you’ll do something simple, only one or two shadows, then end up applying ALL THE COLORS!?!? 😉

My second least favorite is doing my brows. It’s easier now that I’ve discovered a better brush and better products, and I know that your brows are supposed to look like sisters, not twins, but there are days when mine look like different species!

Nancy T Avatar

Yep, Cat! My idea of a “simple” eye look always, always involves a minimum of 4-5 shades! An artsy look? I don’t think I would want to admit to an actual number, but more than 5. LoL ?

Mascara is a necessary EVIL for me, but just yesterday, due to me excitedly and hurriedly applying my mascara ; I actually DID poke myself in the eye! And not with a normal brush, either. Mine, which I absolutely adore, has a curved brush with hard plastic brush on the outside, and a hard comb on the inside to deposit a decent amount of product. The outside nailed me!!!

Btw, I don’t find doing my brows fun either, because of what you said: mine are two sisters at war with eachother!

H.J Avatar

Me too!!!! My eyes are my canvas. Whenever I’m coming up with a look I start with the eyes and the lip and cheek color, highlighters etc just fall in place so easily….people usually decide what they want to wear someday…I’m like “what kind of eyes or lips I want that day”
And yeah I really really don’t like mascara! I have yet to poke myself with it…but my eyes water sooooo much when I use any (literally ANY) eye product…and mascara exacerbates the watering so I’m always saying my prayers while applying them!

Maggie Avatar

I love doing my eyeliner. It always amazes me how much impact it gives my eye. Even subtle eyeliner opens my eyes up and makes me look more awake. Love it. I hate applying highlighter. I love highlighter itself, but for whatever reason, it always feels really hit and miss to me. Is it going to make me look glowy and lit from within or oily on pore-y?

Sherry Avatar

I used to dislike highlighter too as it accentuated my pores. I was using benefit’s watts up back then. When I switched to bobbi brown’s bronze glow, it changed my view on highlighting completely. Also, nars pore filler is another option if you don’t want to switch highlighters.

Pearl Avatar

As for the most enjoyed, first would be eye shadow, then it’s a toss up between face products (moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, foundation) and cheek products (blush, bronzer, highlight, contour). I don’t think I have a least enjoy – I love putting it all on! But if time were any indication, it would probably be lip products – they are my least fussy application.

Joy Avatar

I really most enjoy all the steps of my skincare. But if we are talking after that and beginning with primer: I most enjoy applying eye color to my eyes. It’s fun and inventive! I least enjoy applying foundation. It doesn’t look bad though I prefer the feeling of a clean face. 🙂

Katherine T. Avatar

*Most enjoy- massaging moisturizer into my skin
*Least enjoy- I love wearing eye shadow but applying it can be tricky due to my oily lids. I usually have to figure out which primer or cream base to use with what shadow, how best to apply (with brush, foam applicator, fingers), and deal with fallout if it doesn’t stick. And when I wear 4 different shadows on my lid (inner, middle, outer lid and browbone), there’s plenty of room for error!

Arpita Avatar

Most loved : applying lipstick… I take particular care while applying lipstick and I really like to wear different shades… Like to play with colors. Least loved: Makeup removal at the end of the day. It is an important step but double cleansing, then scrubbing on some days and then toning… Really becomes combersone at the end of the day.

Anne Avatar

It changes from time to time which product I like applying most. Sometimes it’s blush, or highlighter, or even concealer or foundation. I like applying eyeshadow, but I find that to be the trickiest part for me so I think I probably don’t enjoy it that much.

I least enjoy eyeliner, as I find it tough to get the upper line right, and stuff like tightlining is just havoc on my sensitive eyes as I can’t stop blinking. Sometimes mascara is annoying as well as since it’s the last thing to go on, messing up is a b*tch.

Nati Avatar

I love applying blush! it is like the moment of truth: from zombie to human transformation! luv, luv luuuuuuv it!
least enjoy… mmm… probably concealer. I need it, but it never works as I expect, so frustrating. I skip that one most days and use it only on special occasions or when I’m taking pics of my makeup.

Momo Avatar

I love applying bronzer or contour powder to give my face dimension. The Ƹ & Ʒ brush strokes really puts my mind in a state of zen.

On the other hand, I despise doing my brows and my eyeliner. In my experience, eyebrows and liner share the same rule: they’re not twins, but sisters. Riiiiiight. Sisters. Frustrating, off-kilter, crazy-looking, “Oh, would you just look good already!!” sisters. Sometimes the application process feels as though only a couple of minutes have passed, but then you glance at the clock, and it’s been over 10 minutes since you’ve started!! The torture for beauty.

Charlotte Avatar

Momo I so agree. I’d be happy if my brows looked like distant cousins, nevermind sisters! I wish housework went as quick as doing my face. It’s like I enter a new time dimension 😉

Áine Avatar

Eyeshadow application has to be my favorite part of my makeup routine too, it’s so relaxing.
My least favorite part is definitely setting my undereyes. If I accidentally use a sweeping motion with my brush instead of a tapping motion, all that carefully-layered corrector and concealer shifts and the darkness starts showing through again. It’s so ridiculously….delicate. It has no right to be as stressful as it is, honestly.

Tracey E. Avatar

Most enjoy: Applying lipstick. I live how it can pop a look, change a look, etc. It’s the one makeup item I have on everyday.

Least enjoy: I dislike applying eyeliner, expecially the gel pencil/pot variety. I’m amazed by those who do it well.

ouineque Avatar

Applying eyeshadow and blush/bronzing powder is the most fun for me. Everything that I do before feels just boring: foundation, concealing my dark inner eye corners, filling in my right (a bit sadder) brow: it’s more correcting then creating something new.

Natalia Avatar

I love applying liquid foundation.. I do 🙂 It feels so gratifying seeing the smooth and even canvas it creates. Highlighters as well, quick and easy, but it gives your cheekbones such a nice glow.

Do not like applying eye-shadows (blending, applying the base, all the brushes, etc.) and concealers (always worry that it will crease, that I applied too much, not enough, still seeing my dark circles after applying 🙂 ).

WARPAINTandUnicorns Avatar

Eyes and lips because that’s where I get to add pops of colour.

Contour and highlighting as well. Let’s sculpt my baby face! 😉

I also hate doing my brows, but only because I HATE my natural placement of them on my face. Literally on and below the brown bone ridge. There are day I wish I could just shave them off because when I fill them in I look like a man… an angry man…

Astrild Avatar

I agree with you Christine, eyeshadow is for me the most enjoyable part of the makeup routine. It’s the most colorful and creative one in my opinión. Although there’s something magical in the foundation application when the imperfections disappear and suddenly the face looks renewed.

Julia Avatar

Eyeshadow is my favorite!! I love my collection, I love applying it and how it looks, and I think it makes the biggest impact on my look. My least favorite is liquid foundation – I have always hated the feeling of wearing it and have never found a great match, so I use it very infrequently (I usually just use concealer and pressed powder) and I just feel like application is so tedious. A special mention goes to waterproof liquid eyeliner though! I love my UD 24/7 Liquid, but I know if I mess up it’s all but impossible to correct or remove. I’m getting anxiety just thinking about it, lol!

Victoria Avatar

The reason I submitted this question is that I realized some time ago that there are some parts of makeup routine that I look forward to doing, not just for the results it gives me but also for how fun it is to do, and wondered how that was for others. For me the process of applying beautiful foundation with a beautiful brush is an pleasurable process, the smoothing, the buffing in. Ditto highlighter strategically applied. Also beautiful eyeshadow (though there I’m in a daily battle for restraint!). On the other hand, mascara, which is totally necessary to my makeup routine because of my blond lashes, is my least least favourite process. It’s not that its hard, and it’s hugely impactful but I’m really not into doing it. Brows are something like it too, a bit of a drag to do, only there’s still enough of a mystery and challenge around them that I find it more engaging.

Brandi Avatar

I love applying eye shadow. There’s so many colors and techniques and ways to change your look just with eye shadow! I hate the whole concealer, foundation, and powder routine. Ugh. Yes, it may hide my blemishes and smooth my face out but it’s soo boring! It’s no fun! I need color and pizzazz!

Fran Avatar

Lol, Christine, my feelings exactly! Eyeshadow is fun and creative; eyebrows are necessary but fussy, and, if you get them wrong, a disaster. Mine are pretty full, so I can get away with just a swipe of tinted brow gel, but, if I take the time to kind of emphasize the peak of my bit of an arch, my face looks a bit less tired/old/worried/angry. If I’m too heavy-handed, though, my brows take over my face — my features aren’t strong enough to support Instagram-worthy brows.

Celia Avatar

I’m the same as you, Christine. Eye shadow is the most color-intensive and therefore the most fun for me since you can get as artistic as you please. Highlighting is also super fun since I love figuring out which of my creepy, ethereal, fae-looking highlights goes best with my eye shadow and blush choices. Lips are fun too. But brows are not that fun to do and require pretty careful work.

ElKay Avatar

I like applying my foundation. I use a brush or a beauty blender depending on the foundation. I buff it in for a long time. I least like eyeliner. I have hooded eyes and have given up on the wing.

Leslie Avatar

My favorite is lipstick and lip gloss because it’s the finishing touch that lights up my face and pulls everything together. My least favorite is probably a tie….eyeliner and mascara. I always mess up and have to dip a Qtip in makeup remover to remove mascara from my lid or eyeliner that is too messy. Not my favorite thing to do lol.

chris Avatar

Applying eye shadow is my least favorite. Probably since I apply my make-up in the car. That being said – I have not mastered applying lashes as well.

My favorite is applying any blush shade. It instantly wakes up a face with a healthy glow.

Claire L Avatar

I love to apply lipstick, it’s so quick and easy to get a pop of colour. I do love to do my eyes and cheeks but it takes time to do them properly and clean up mistakes like mascara etc. Foundation and concealer is a faff to apply properly, it’s my least favourite part of the process, but it’s a must since I have a few blemishes.

Marissa Avatar

i love applying eyeshadow and putting on lipstick… oh! and highlighter!! i think it’s my favourite part. the least one could be the mascara, i blink too much, sometimes i find contour tedious because i need a bit of time to blend everything because i don’t want to look patchy or muddy.

xamyx Avatar

I enjoy everything equally… If there’s something I specifically don’t care for, I just don’t use it. Gel liner is probably the one product I don’t care for, but I have plenty of liquid & cake liners to choose from. I also don’t care for the way mascara feels, but I have no issues applying it.

Raeanne Avatar

Most loved: Blush.

Least favorite: Mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow (combined). I have really poor vision and depth perception in my left eye, so it’s extemely challenging for me to see my own left eyelid. I never wear eyeliner for this reason. I always end up poking my eye if I use a new mascara wand that I’m not used to, so I tend to stick to the same brand over and over again.

Rachel Avatar

I actually love applying mascara. It’s the final step in my routine and really makes everything come together. My least favorite step is definitely foundation.

Anita Avatar

My least favorite is eye liner – I’m so bad at it that I’ve given up using it at all.
My favorite is anything shimmery! Blush, eye shadow, etc!

Lulle Avatar

Most enjoy: eyeshadow, just because the result can be really pretty without that much effort :p
Least enjoy: probably blush, because I systematically have a problem with symmetry. I think one of my cheekbones is slightly thinner than the other or something, so my cheeks never look exactly the same and it drives me nuts… I also dislike applying undereye concealer in the winter, because despite my best efforts it always looks slightly dry or cakey. Sigh.

MissJae1908 Avatar

My least fave is probably eyeshadow…there’s sooooo much blending involved (or at least there should be). I don’t like harsh lines.

Rachel R. Avatar

Most enjoyable: I love using eye colors. Eyeshadows, liners, glitter…I love it all. I can use so many different colors and do so many different styles. It’s where my creativity really comes through and I have fun.

Least enjoyable: Brows and mascara. Brows are just a bit hard for me, especially since mine are nowhere near the same to start with. Mascara can get really messy, especially if the wands are bigger. I’m a klutz, and I find it hard to get mascara on my outer corners without getting it on my skin. God help me if I sneeze why applying mascara.

Paganini. K Avatar

most enjoy: blush, every time I applied my blush I feel I’m alive again
least enjoy: eyeliner, we all know it needs practice, and the inner eyeliner really made my eye watery and itchy, every time, guh!

JESSIKA Avatar

Most Enjoy: Applying Eyeshadow
Least Enjoy: Eyebrows

I get to be creative with my eyeshadow looks and I really enjoy it, but my eyebrows are a different story. They take up majority of my time. I have to be precise and careful. It’s just so annoying and tedious. 🙁

Judy H. Avatar

To be honest, I despise putting on makeup, it is a total hassle for me. I know I need to wear it, I know I look much better with it and I would NEVER go without it, but every fiber in my being hates “the process”. The one thing I especially don’t like to do is my eyes, the eyebrows, eye shadow, eye liner and mascara make me crazy! I guess if I had to choose one thing I hate the least, it would probably be my blush. I use a creme blush, it’s easy to apply and blends very easily. Oh, lip liner and lipstick are right up there with the eyes. I’m probably the weird one in the bunch, but, oh well, guess every group needs the odd woman out.

SMITA Avatar

My least fave is applying concealer because of darkness under my eyes and how it’s so easily gone when my eyes water. Also I hate screwing it up with mascara.

But I love my skincare routine and applying the rest of my makeup.

Milisgirl2005 Avatar

I love applying concealer to minimize dark circles, because it makes the most impact on my look. My least favorite to apply is mascara. It makes me nervous and tired, but I could never go without it!

Bren Avatar

I love a flawless canvas so applying a good foundation, concealer that doesn’t crease and a luminous loose powder are my favs. I dislike eyeliner and mascara but these are a must

Melissa Avatar

I mostly enjoy applying my highlighter I just to see the glow that the highlighter brings. As for the least favorite I have to say eyeliner especially a wing liner ugh I just have a hard time getting it to be perfect it usually is a hit or miss. I must say though it is a very important part to the complete makeup look.

Amanda Avatar

I hate applying my base. I have really bad acne and scarring and find trying to cover everything up just a giant pain in the ass and way too time consuming. My favorite part of my routine is my brows! ♥

Vanessa Avatar

I love applying eyeshadow! It’s the most fun and creative part of my makeup routine! I sometimes go a little crazy with glitter shades! ?

I don’t like applying concealer. I have very dark discoloration on the sides of my chin up to the corners of my mouth, (one of the results of a medical condition), so it takes me several steps to conceal it. I apply a small amount of shadow primer to prevent creasing on the corners of my mouth, yellow corrector, light dusting of setting powder, peach corrector, powder, a full coverage concealer, powder, and lastly, foundation where I also apply a light dusting of powder all over to set. I apply everything carefully so as to avoid it looking cakey, only using slightly more powder after foundation. Even then, some of the discoloration peeks through, but most don’t know unless I say something. It’s tedious, but I have to for my self-esteem, even at 3 or 4 am.

Lisa Avatar

I suppose I enjoy applying foundation. On bad skin days, it’s nice seeing my skin look more even just after my first step of my makeup routine. I also like applying mascara and bronzer. I have short wimpy lashes and mascara really makes a huge difference. Bronzer because it starts to add dimension to my face.

I don’t particularly like concealing. It sometimes takes longer than I’d like. Also winged liner. Ugh.. Getting them to match is dreadful. I’m so jealous of anyone that can do it effortlessly.

Jaclyn Avatar

Most enjoyed: eyeshadow
Least enjoyed: contour :/ although it makes all the difference and is well worth the struggle once the look is complete.

Bibi Avatar

Brows are boring, but they add so much structure. If you want your feline flicked eyeliner to POP, you must emphasize the arches & tails of your brows.

I hate futzing with foundation. I will definitely pay more for a quality foundation I don’t have to use primers, sponges, brushes, and magickal incantations to look like glowing, beautiful, flawless skin.

Lindsay Avatar

Favorite applying lipstick the finishing touch

Least favorite foundation because I have chronic pain and it’s hard to get it all on my face without causing pain. I’ve been learning new ways to use my arms to figure it out though other than that it would have to be liquid liner because I suck at it LOL

Meredith Avatar

I love applying lipstick. It’s such a great finisher to your makeup routine and brings the whole face together and alive. I hate applying mascara. I have long lashes and a sort of puffy, forward brow bone so the mascara always gets up onto brow bone skin and messes up the whole thing. Frustrating! Fun question!

Kate Avatar

I love applying eyelashes and lip color. I love big dramatic lashes because they do so much for my face and I think the thicker the lashes, the easier to apply.
Lip color is definitely one of my favorite steps too. I love slightly over-lining and getting a pouty look.
I think my least favorite is either eyeshadow or eyeliner. I get so intimidated by both because they can get messed up so fast.

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