Thursday, December 3, 2015

Thanksgiving Day Makeup


Recently, I posted some photos from my Thanksgiving dinner out in NYC. That day, I was so happy with my makeup, I thought it would be a fun time to discuss some of my makeup tips/tricks for everyone. Also, I'll include a product list down below. 

Okay, first off, it's taken me years of practice to learn the makeup skills I do have. I see people on /r/MakeupAddiction or Pinterest and I am blown away by their skill. When I look at their work, I swear I feel like I'm smearing axle grease on my face. While blindfolded. And fighting off an army of angry marmosets. 

Never close your eyes. That's when the marmosets ambush.

Well, either way these are the skills I have, so let's get talking about how I apply them. Now, I'm not going to show a before-and-after on this, just because I hate showing my guy face online. So you instead just get to see my pretty face.

The first step for me is to shave my face twice; first going with the grain, then again. Then I spot check for any spots that feel coarse or that I might have missed. Then I wait for my neck and/or chin to stop bleeding. Okay, that totally does happen. Not all the time. I just started laser, so I'm hoping that one day I can skip this step. 


Next I put lotion on my face to moisturize. I'd like to think that this means your skin absorbs the moisture in the cheaper lotion and not the expensive makeup. That's what I tell myself. 

For foundation, I use Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse which is nice and thick and I think it makes a good beard cover. Seriously, I keep three or four different colors on hand throughout the year so when I get more sun I'll have makeup to match. Next I like to put a powder on top to provide a more matte look. Contouring is a little more advanced, but I do a simple verion where I just use a lighter powder and a slightly darker bronzer. Currently, I'm enjoying the bolder NYX blushes, though I understand why some people might want to avoid an artificial color and go with a more natural. 

As natural as it gets for me.

For my eyes, I use an eye shadow primer, though I'm still not convinced it's all that important. But better makeup artists than me have recommended it. There are a lot of good shadows on the market, and I have a few different pallets, though I usually try for a blended smokey eye pattern. I have hooded eyes, so I've found some tutorials on that. For the shadow, I just use the little brush/spoon/Q-tip things that come with the shadow. You tell me what they're called! But, I do use a blender brush to smooth everything out. 

Luckily now, many eye shadow palettes come with instructions, which is great. When I was growing up they just had one little color per box and you just figured it out, I guess? The little guide is definitely helpful. Many years ago I would do my eyeliner first, figuring that if I messed it up it was best to be able to start over without messing up the rest of my makeup. But now I do the shadow first. I'm fairly confident in my liner game.  

For liner, I cheat a little. I'll use a pencil first to trace out along my lash line, then do a wing with a liquid or a felt tip eyeliner marker. The pencil will give you a little more control (and won't smudge as easily) but the liquid or makers look better. Luckily, my hooded eye hides any slight screw ups for me! 

Can you spot seven screw ups in this picture? 

Now for brows! This is a game that I've only just figured out. The NYX Pushup Bra for Eyebrows is seriously the best product I've found. If they ever discontinue it I'm gonna have to stock up like some sort of bunker survivalist. I'll have fifty gallon drums of these pencils buried in a converted school bus twelve feet under my Montana farm.

This product is so great because it also has instructions! It's easy to use but really gives you the perfect way to highlight your brow bone, brighten your eyes and do your brows. It's awesome and I love it! Also, I regularly pluck my brows and that really helps too. I strongly urge all the gender rebels out there to do it (unless they're female-to-male of course).




Lips I do last, mostly because they're so easy to have rub off. I start with a dark red liner that I use to color in my full lip (going a little bit outside on the lower lip). Then do whatever color lipstick appeals to me that day. Usually I'm for bold red, but that's just my style. I will do gloss some times. Gloss tends to be sticky and your hair will get all caught up in it, so sometimes, if it's windy out or something, I'll wait until I'm at my destination and then maybe gloss up then. I do like how gloss looks though



Full Product List: 

Foundation & Contouring: 
  • Covergirl TruBlend Minerals #410 Medium 
  • Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse #4 Light Nude
  • Rimmel Natural Bronzer #001 Transparent 
  • NYX Baked Blush Illuminator BBL02 Statement Red.
  • Covergirl Instant Cheekbones
  • BareMinerals ID #38745 Faux Tan
  • BareMinerals ID #26165 Bisque 

Eyes:
  • Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eye Shadow #570 Luscious 
  • NYC City-Proof 24 Hour Eye Shadow #655 Madison Square Park 
  • Wet & Wild Coloricon pencil #656A White
  • NYC Kohl Pencil #921 Jet Black
  • Covergirl Bombshell Lashblast Very Black
  • NYX Eyeshadow base #ESB02 White Pearl
  • NYX Pushup Bra for Eyebrows 


Lips:
  • Prestige Lipliner BL-12 Rosewood
  • NYX Matte Lipstick #MLS10 Perfect Red
  • Smashbox Legendary Lipgloss 

By the way, I was not paid for any of these product mentions. Though I'm willing to be. NYX,
Maybelline, give me a call any time! 

The best thing I can say for anyone who wants to get good at makeup is get lots of practice! It's like any skill, be it bowling or setting kites on fire from a distance using only matches which you spit out of a straw. It always takes practice to get good. And don't be too intimidated by expensive makeup like Sephora or MAC. I like those stores, but drug store brands are perfectly good too, especially if you're just starting out. 

So get out and practice! But also check out Youtube and Makeup Addition and other sites for great ideas, tutorials and products. 

Good makeuping everyone! 

Bonus dress pic. 

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