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claire_de_luna

When was the last time you updated your makeup?

claire_de_luna
17 years ago

I'm shopping with a friend and we walk into our new Sephora at the mall. She's looking at the Bare Escentuals makeup, and I'm interested in the eyeshadow. I was told by the...(what would you call them?)...consultant...''Honey, you need to throw away that brown eyeshadow; I have something you'll really like.'' I have greenish/blue eyes and she tried the Camouflage Colors Blendable eye collection on me and it really made a difference. I did switch to Bare Escentuals makeup about a year ago, so I thought I was updating! Now I find out I'm wearing the wrong color eyeshadow, which is somewhat humiliating although I find the new colors are much better. I just guess I need Help! Now if I could find someone to help dress me, I'd have it made.

When was the last time you updated or made a real change in your makeup?

Comments (43)

  • celticmoon
    17 years ago

    I set myself up with the Bare escentuals stuff 6 months ago.

    The look is great, but I find the mess from all those brushes and powders a pain. Sink and counter are trashed when I'm done. Tending to backtrack to smearing on some Skinlights & blush and I'm on my way, age spots and all.

    I'd love to hear any tips for controlling the Bare Escentuals products better.

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Celtic, I know what you mean. Powders are just messy, aren't they? I try to only shake out as much as I need, but I'm not always successful. Getting it back in the container is where I seem to have trouble. I'm having better luck with the eyeshadows and blush, since just a little bit is needed. I put all my products on a tray on my dressing table to try and keep it somewhat contained.

  • rococogurl
    17 years ago

    I update every few years though mostly its eyeliner colors or eyebrow color combos. I recently have been experimenting with different mascara brands after using Lancome forever.

    I decided to stay with the same eyeshadow tones after a makeup artist at one of the stores did my makeup with the "new" purple tones and made me look like I'd been mugged in the middle of a bout of jaundice.

    Since then, I'm way careful with the eyeshadow and switch off brands (Mac to Chantecaille recently). I also really like the Chanel mixers and their lipsticks are great for me (though so is one Revlon color which is half the price).

    I don't wear face makeup as I cannot bear the texture, powder makes me look like Mrs. Haversham, and rouge is not needed as I have a ruddy complexion.

    Can someone explain the Bare Essentials thing to me? I've never seen it sold where I live. People on the board rave about it but I can never exactly tell why.

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Jane, I switched after the stress of kitchen remodeling and menopause caused my face to break out like it never did even during puberty. (My sister came for a visit and was shocked!) I tried a lot of things, but this makeup doesn't clog your pores, or leave anything in its wake. Because it's so light, it just brushes on, but doesn't look like you're wearing makeup at all which is what I think the appeal is. There are no visible jaw lines, and there's complete coverage. You can put on an extra little bit for concealer, and it really does cover up those flaws. It's pure, so if you have a break-out it doesn't do any harm. They say you can sleep in it (and I have) without consequence. Your face just kind of glows after applying it, yet looks very natural. For someone who had terrible skin for a time, I now get compliments on my skin, which is always a bit of a shock to me!

  • seekingadvice
    17 years ago

    Weeeeeeellll...I recently bought a new thing of mascara from the dollar store. Does that count?

    All right, honestly? There's not much difference in my makeup routine now than 35 years ago except that I stopped wearing eye shadow in my 20s and started wearing eye pencil somewhere in my late 30s. Do eyes shrink or recede into your face as you age or something? I found the pencil helped make my eyes appear bigger (they used to seem nice and large with no help). I still use cheap foundation and I still use cheap mascara and I still use my (dollar) lipstick for blush (don't use lipstick on my lips) and I still wear "natural" lipgloss. I did add a lip pencil to my makeup case and use that for lip color (all over, not as a liner) combined with Vaseline. I really really miss the good eyelash curlers of the past, as these days I seem to have to buy a new one all the time because they quit doing the job so quickly. Maybe that's an age thing, too. Do eyelashes stop responding to an eyelash curler at some point?

    My sister, who is quite dedicated to knowing all about makeup, has thrown up her hands with me as I can't be broken from my makeup on-the-cheap regimen.

    Oh, one little vanity trick I've always used, which is kind of embarrassing: I touch a bit of brown eye pencil in the cleft of my chin and blend it a bit. It makes my dimple (which I quite like) stand out :)

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Seeking, How funny! Well, I confess to having used lipstick for blush as well, for many years in fact. (My mom used to do that, and it seemed like a good idea!) And, yes, I think your eyes do shrink or something...and I can't get my eyelashes to curl much no matter what I do.

    I have a cleft chin myself, courtesy of my Dad. I never thought of ''enhancing'' it though!

    As I've grown older, I think I just need a lot more help than I used to.

  • pecanpie
    17 years ago

    I did go in for an overhaul last month when my hair turned out too dark and the highlights didn't really take. Bad, bad day at the salon...

    Apparently they couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything immediately- and the wash-out factor was too great to comprehend. I had one of DivaD1's buddies at a makeup store warm me up a bit and I was pleased with the look.

    She showed me how to use (powdered) bronzer- a far, far cry from the orangy Bonne Belle gel that stained your cheeks before you'd had a chance to blend it in. Also picked out a good blush color and showed me how to use it and not look clownish.

    And seeking, I will try the brown pencil trick- I've always liked my cleft!

  • Boopadaboo
    17 years ago

    I usually am a lurker over here but I had to comment. :) Bare Minerals (the kind on QVC) actually has a powder that is made to do exactly what seeking is saying. It is a dark brown powder. I think they call it contour and highlight. Unfortunately I use it to make my cheek bones and jawline look more defined since I have gained some weight. I bought and didn't use it for awhile. Then one day I saw it in my cabinet and said what the heck. That whole first week I started using it people asked me if I lost weight. I have been using it ever since! :)

  • weed30 St. Louis
    17 years ago

    Oh, hmmmm...during the Bicentennial maybe?

    Just kidding. I am a Walgreen's girl...the only thing I get at the dept. store is Clinique foundation. However, I am really interested in trying Bare escentuals. My skin is starting to show it's age, and this stuff sounds pretty good. I've begun researching, but it seems kind of overwhelming. Just finding the right foundation shade sounds tricky. Well, not really tricky, but expensive during the trial and error period.

    They have a place near me that sells it, so I might go there to check it out. Should be fun...it's in the ridiculously wealthy part of town...a place where I am studiously ignored at all retail outlets. Sometimes I think the staff actually wash up after I leave ;)

  • rococogurl
    17 years ago

    Weed -- the password is samples. Go to the counter, finger the bottles, seem unsure. Test a little. Let them rub stuff on your hand. Ask for samples. Promise to return.

    I go from counter to counter for samples. I am shameless, knowing they are there just for me. La Prairie, Chantecaille, Chanel. At the hairsalon they have a whole rack of Chanel creams unattended. My hands get soooo smooth there from the $$$$ night cream. Oh, and when they give me some samples I always ask for a few more, shameless cosmetics hustler that I am.

    And don't overlook the perfumes. Those samples last for several applications.

    The other day I forgot to bring lipstick and was going to an appointment near Bloomingdales. So I went to the Chanel boutique, asked her to clean the lipstick I needed, put on the lipstick and then said I wanted to walk around for an hour.

    This is most effective in a neighborhood with multiple department stores.

  • lori316
    17 years ago

    If you are interested in the Bare Escentuals, check out the beauty and fashion forum here. There's alot of info on it, including a thread with a link that has a video on how to apply it. Watching that video really helps. I looked for it, but it's buried in there somewhere. I actually have it bookmarked at work, so if I remember to, I'll post it Monday.

    Weed, if you can try it in person rather than buying it online (Sephora.com is a good place), you'll probably save alot of headaches trying to figure out the right colors, not to mention saving money. I found a place about 45 minutes from me, so I don't buy it online anymore. And most places have samples, and they'll show you how to apply. It's definitely got a learning curve to it. But well worth it.

  • lori316
    17 years ago

    Found the tutorial!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bare Escentuals Tutorial

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Weed, Don't you have a Sephora in the town where you live? They will take off your old makeup and try it on you so you can see how it looks. They did my eyeshadow right there in the store, which convinced me to buy it. It's the only way to get the right color! Jane is right about samples. They gave me a sample of their very expensive eye cream, which she claimed had botox in it. (I thought that stuff had to be injected!)

    Pecanpie, love the idea of contouring.

    That tutorial is pretty good!

  • pecanpie
    17 years ago

    rococogurl, you seem to have this sample business down to a science. Now if they only handed them out in the shoe department...

  • weed30 St. Louis
    17 years ago

    rococogurl, I like your style! I use the same M.O. at the deli counter of Whole Foods {{gwi:529114}}

    lori & claire, yes, there's a Sephora here. I think I'll go there and also to the snotty place. Probably get two different recommendations, and more importantly, twice the samples. (Am I doin' ok, rococogurl?)

  • mahatmacat1
    17 years ago

    lori, that tutorial is amazing! Although I do think that she looks best in the second to last photo. I'd like *that* look. I'm now convinced that I will go and try the B.E. stuff when I work up my courage...like weed (claims), I just don't look like I belong when I wander into places like that. Maybe it's the saggy jeans and Keen sandals...but I don't think she looks "made-up" at all in the second to last photo. I'd be really comfortable with that outcome.

  • weed30 St. Louis
    17 years ago

    flyleft, don't get me wrong, being ignored by the self important clerks doesn't bother me at all. I find it rather amusing. I go to Nieman's once a year, Dec. 26th, for the Christmas ornament sale. While there, I always visit the fine jewelry counter, to drool and wonder what the people that can actually afford that stuff do for a living. Funny thing is, that is the one counter where I am totally attended to. They approach right away and ask if they can help me, and I say, "No, just dreaming", yet they still encourage me to try on whatever strikes my fancy. I usually pick something that costs as much as my remodel did ;)

  • housekeeping
    17 years ago

    You guys are going to think I'm hopeless, but I confess I don't even own any. This is peculiar, I know, and it's not because I think I have perfect skin, or looks; I just don't find that I look better with make-up, than without. I suppose if I got a really expert job, I would, but then I think I'd also look pretty made-up and people might think who is this old dame (I'm 56) kidding? I worked in TV (on-air) 30 years ago, so I had to wear it on the job, but haven't really since then. I splash water on my face, do my teeth and brush my hair and I'm good to go!

    I steam right past the cosmetic sales ladies, who are probably secretly hoping I don't veer towards them. If the "not really wearing make-up look" ever gets popular I'll be ahead of the curve.
    Molly~

  • dekeoboe
    17 years ago

    Molly, You are not alone. I saw this thread and thought I would read it, but I don't wear makeup either. I just can't be bothered. I'm a jeans and t-shirt, natural look, type woman. Okay, I do confess that I now get my grey hair covered. I didn't for years, but a couple of years ago I figured it would look better if I started. I'm not sure how long I'll keep doing that though.
    DeeDee

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Molly and DeeDee, I don't *always* wear makeup. In fact I tripped off to the Farmers Market, and a few garage sales this morning without a speck. I certainly would never judge anyone who doesn't!

  • rococogurl
    17 years ago

    Lori the woman in that tutorial is 13 years old. You could make her up with Crisco and she'd look great. Find me a tutorial I can relate to -- one where the powder fills in the lines around the eyes and shows you how to get rid of the line between the jaw and the neck.

    Oh, and something I can do when my glasses are on because I don't see so well without them. I could never get the color right twice. Never. I need Bare Escentials for Idiots, clearly.

    I'm not putting it down. Some people can draw too. I have trouble getting both eyebrows on to match. I need dust and run.

    Weed, you clearly have the right stuff for samples if you've honed your technique at the deli counter.

    Pecan, the closest I ever got to a sample sale in shoes is 3rd day at Manolo, after the line stopped and they got the backup shipments in. It's how I acquired red and purple satin shoes with diamantes at 50% off and black pony stiletto ankle boots that I sometimes can walk in.

    flyleft -- where I live everyone wears jeans and Keens are the coolest because you cannot sprain your ankle falling off them.

  • mahatmacat1
    17 years ago

    claire, you made me LOL -- I always have to restrain myself from staring at the ladies who make themselves up and dress in their "upmarket peasant Orangerie chic" to go to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays...with the "darling" African baskets to carry their things...more power to 'em, I say :) (and speaking of garage sales, I got an $80 pole pruner for $20 this very morning from a moving sale! Went right out and pruned some high branches off that were overhanging our house! I am woman! Without makeup, even! :)) Now we have to go out for the day, including to a special tour of a *gorgeous* Chinese Garden here in town arranged by a math teacher at my daughter's resource center. I'll try not to look as schlub-like, but I haven't been to the B.E. counter yet...I just can't bring myself to tell my DH I want to go there.

    So housekeeping, I'm there with ya on the wash-and-go look--don't do a *thing* to my hair (except color it myself in honor of my late piano teacher, actually, but I don't blow-dry it or anything)...but the BE look has me intrigued now...I've always wanted to experience what it would be like to have really perfect looking skin, if even just for a day...(I've had really dark circles under my eyes since I was a girl, and my daughter's got them too) I'll report back from this very low-makeup-tolerance girl's point of view...

    Actually, part of my low tolerance comes from the fact that I *really* don't want my daughter to get into thinking that she's not beautiful enough as she is. I'm biased, of course, but I want her to think of herself as a *subject* of action, not an *object*, iykwim. No platform sneakers for her. Do you know that Stride-Rite sells platform sneakers as small as size 1? :( :(

  • Bizzo
    17 years ago

    makeup? What's makeup?

    really, I'm lucky to remember to replenish my drugstore lipstick! I do keep a tube in the car, and try to keep one in my purse... (Like seeking, though, I switched from eyeshadow in my 20's to eye liner in my 30's... now in my 40's... well like I said above!)

  • demicent
    17 years ago

    1. Our eyes don't get smaller, our nose and ears grow more enormous as we age ;) Well ok, maybe our eyes sink into our skulls a bit.

    2. I did switch from mint flavored Chapstick to mint flavored Burt's Bees a couple of years ago.

  • weed30 St. Louis
    17 years ago

    I did switch from mint flavored Chapstick to mint flavored Burt's Bees a couple of years ago.

    LOL!

  • hamptonmeadow
    17 years ago

    I have makeup and even BE but I am so wrinkled that I am still waiting for the wonder stuff to make me 10 years younger (OK 15 years younger) before I put powder in my crinkles and wrinkles.

    I agree that we folks who have aged need to find stuff that doesn't emphsize our sun and smoking folly.

    So is there anything that really works to get rid of the craters in my face? And don't bother telling me to stop smoking. My wrinkles want to tell you it is far too late for that little bit of advice.
    And my EARS! When people start whispering Dumbo, you know they have grown to the point that you might be able to flap them and fly off.

    Actually, I look just like Gwenyth Paltrow. For real. Yeah, thats right. You betcha! Uh huh. Yes sireee.

  • mahatmacat1
    17 years ago

    I'd be happy if I looked like Blythe Danner.

    If the BE/others don't do well with wrinkles, I'm out of luck. Oh well.

  • rococogurl
    17 years ago

    So can I get a B.E. "sample" makeup at a Sephora? Where can I go to see what it is/how it works and if it might make me want to hide after an hour?

  • pecanpie
    17 years ago

    I do wear makeup when at all possible, but I don't want to look like I am wearing makeup. Herein lies the dilemma. The older I get, the more I find I need MORE products, applied with a lighter hand. I use soap and water and Caudale emulsion (DivaD1 found this $55 state-side priced product for $15 at drugstores in Paris and brought home quarts of it) and these days I do look better with concealer, some contouring and a dab of blush, and less 'visible' eye makeup. Gotta do the lips, though, or I look like a chicken.

    Any suggestions for jowls? I just got over my teen/adult/menopausal acne, so wrinkles are not a problem, but my mother's jowls are gaining on me. Anyone remember Tom Hanks' dog in "Turner and Hootch"? I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there...

  • CaroleOH
    17 years ago

    Well I use Bare Escentuals too (sometimes!) and have a tip for the powder mess. Take a kleenex or a few pieces of toilet paper and put it under the lid/container. The excess will fall onto the kleenex and you can just wad it up and throw it away! I do like this stuff, but my only problem is I have dark circles and wrinkles under the circles and I think sometimes the powder tends to make my wrinkles more noticeable.

    I also love Estee Lauder stuff. I have their concealer - can't remember the name but it's waterproof/tear proof/sweat proof! Comes in a little white square plastic bottle with a foam applicator. LOVE, LOVE this stuff. Covers up my circles and if I don't use alot around the wrinkles, it's lightweight enough to not make them too obvious. Then I use the bare escentuals for the rest of my face. I also like bare escentuals powder eye shadow, but do also use the drug store variety - cover girl/revlon 4 colors in one pad.

    Estee Lauder powder blush is the best and I like their More than Mascara or curling mascara - it's pricey but lasts about 3-4 months. Doesn't smear/melt or cause dark smudges on my already dark under eye circles. Best yet, it washes off without smearing black all over your eyes!

  • PRO
    acdesignsky
    17 years ago

    I've never worn make-up at almost 35 but am getting to that age where what was once "Too young and pretty to care about makeup" now reads "Too busy and frazzled to care about her apperance".
    I'm always afraid to try anything new, since 75% of the time, I have a reaction. esp now since everything has sunscreen it it. Well, I'm allergic to sunscreen it makes me break out in tiny, bumpy, swollen rashes.
    Forunately, I don't get pimples, am still wrinkle-free, and have a smooth even complexion. It just would be nice to take it up a notch when I get dressed up and to hide the dark circles under my eyes. Right now, that means vaseline (lips, cheeks, forehead-not as scary as it sound it just makes your skin glow) and mascrara.
    I wanted to try BE since it claims to be chemical free so I'm less likely to have a reaction. Anyone who tried it have truly sensitive skin?

  • claire_de_luna
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I have a tip for those who have a few wrinkles and don't want the powder to emphasize those ''character'' lines. I realized this when I was watching the Sephora makeup person (who seemed all of 30) put the BE makeup on my friend who is 56. She got too much powder around her eyes and made her look instantly older than she did when she first walked in. I had to think about what was different about our techniques. (Moisturizer first, then let it dry before you apply!) I had a little trouble with this when I first got BE, before I had time to figure it out.

    I tend to put the first application of powder on my cheeks, chin and forehead, blending it in...then I use what is left on the brush to go around my eyes. That way, you don't overapply the powder in places where it doesn't do you any good. I have a dark spot under one of my eyes (my sister had never seen it before) which I use the concealer brush on, but only the spot. I don't put powder anywhere else around it.

    Jane, I don't know if they'll give you sample makeup at Sephora, but they will make you up so you can see it on your skin for yourself. My friend wondered if it really stayed on all day, and was surprised that it does after having the chance to wear it that long.

    angc, I have sensitive skin. I'm pretty fair, and during my menopausal zit phase, my blemishes resembled open sores. (It was very bad, but so was the stress.) Even if you don't suffer from this problem, you have to know that when your face looks like that, it's hard to go out in public and not want to do some kind of coverup. When I changed my make-up, everything disappeared because there is nothing in the makeup to irritate your skin.

    It sounds like I sell it doesn't it? I don't; it's just so nice to find something that works so well after all this time, and looks so natural. Without lipstick, eyeshadow or mascara, it doesn't look like you're wearing makeup at all. What is interesting to me is that people think I have such good skin and I don't!

  • rococogurl
    17 years ago

    I'll check out the scene at Sephora. Should be good for a few laughs. I cannot conceive of how someone creates makeup today without chemicals so I would love to hear the spiel. I'm also allergic to sunscreen and get the same effect as angc. Turns out I'm also allergie to Off! which is not so felicitous in the country.

  • pecanpie
    17 years ago

    Claire, does the BE offer any sun protection? (ie: barrier rather than chemical) I can't wear sunscreen either.

  • lori316
    17 years ago

    When using BE, always use a moisturizer on your face first (of course something specifically for your eyes around your eyes). It gives the powder something to grab onto.

    With BE, a little goes a long way, and this is especially true around the eyes or anyplace else there may be wrinkles. It's tempting to brush it on endlessly, but too much will make the lines look magnified, same with your pores. Go easy, a little at a time.

    As far as coverup for dark circles, I use the bisque (BE concealer) and it still doesn't seem to be enough for me. I'm so fair and my circles are so dark. Carole, I'm going to try what you recommended!!!

  • lori316
    17 years ago

    Oh, and yes, Pecanpie, BE is SPF 15

  • mahatmacat1
    17 years ago

    Has anyone tried the Jane Iredale powder cosmetics? If so, how do they compare to BE?

  • PRO
    acdesignsky
    17 years ago

    OK, I'm going to give BE a try. I don't think we have a Sephora nearby though. Can you order sample sizes anywhere online? I really need some sort of sun protection, avoidance and big hats can only do so much. If it can look natural, not cause a reaction, and offers SPF, then it's perfect!

  • mary_228
    17 years ago

    I've recently switched to Paula's Choice line of skin care and makeup because of a thread on the Home Decorating Forum's Conversation section. I don't wear makeup daily but find her foundation to be give excellent coverage. So much so that I don't even need concealer anymore. I apply it with a foundation brush that makes it easy to get into all the little grooves.

    Last fall I had the Studio Gear makeup artists at Ulta give me a makeover and loved the new colors. The artist had salt and pepper grey hair so I knew she would make me look age appropriate (50+).

    On a cruise they made me up with the powdered foundation (might have been the BE stuff you guys are talking about) as part of a sales pitch to a roomful of ladies. I honestly couldn't see any difference.

  • mlaj2000
    17 years ago

    I am a makeup junkie and have tried every known department store and other "expensive" makeups. ya know what, I always go back to maybelline. BE made me break out and didn't give me the coverage I like with liquid foundation.

    For moisturizer- I like Oil of Olay products. I bought this ridiculously expensive "Creme de la mer" -- I hated it. I wont even tellyou how much I spent.

    My skin is okay. I just hate the crepey lines and slight puffiness under my eyes.

  • celticmoon
    17 years ago

    Rococco, sure. Sephora should have a BE counter and a tech to play with your face.

    I was in Chicago last night and dragged my makeup phobic friend into the BE Boutique at Woodfield, (Mecca itself, only two in the midwest I think) for a makeup application. Had to ply her with a glass of wine first. We'd been up since 5, driven 3 hours, then had a tedious all day conference - our 50s faces were not exactly dewey and fresh...

    When they were done, she looked great!! Another convert.

    BTW BE is "15 spf", but you use so very, very little that I doubt it is sufficient protection.

    Oh, and on the messiness of the powders. I'd forgotten to swirl the brush in a bit in the lid, and was kinda dunking it instead. Duh. The lid and the Kleenex tip did the trick. Thanks.

  • gardenerupnorth
    17 years ago

    Well, I'm of the chapstick crowd. But the vaseline suggestion is really very good. I'll consider that my heavy "dress" make-up for now. I thought maybe when my hip length hair turned gray, I might color it. It has become silvery, the black still shows when I wear it loose. I'm still just a wash and wear project. Someone helped me with blush when the kids got married. That would be the key for us novices. (I'm too old to be a novice at just about naything else! How did that happen?)but I loved this topic, very interesting.

  • demicent
    17 years ago

    I was at Woodfield with my older daughter this weekend. We were shopping for her wedding dress and bridesmaids gowns at some of the area bridal shops...I had no idea what hard work that would be! How do you take a break from that? You go shopping at the mall, of course!

    I did notice the BE store for the first time. Older Daughter is pretty much a nature girl, no makeup, but I did hear her say that she was going to wear makeup so her wedding pictures looked better. I guess the camera likes a little makeup.

    Maybe when she comes back to town next time I'll take her in BE and get her made up, as an engagement gift.