This weekend, my mother started her latest campaign of Robin Self-Improvement. Since she can’t kvetch about my weight or about my career choice, she made a huge thing about needing to wear makeup. I’ve never been all that vain about my skin because, truthfully, most makeup makes me break out into nasty, oozy zits or a nasty, blotchy rash. Yes, I’ve gone through the entire cosmetics counter at the department store at one time or another, as well as the drugstore stuff, and the results have been pretty uniformly negative. I simply cannot wear the stuff. (I also can’t afford the very high-end stuff, so that’s eliminated.) Fortunately, my skin is already pretty rosy, so I don’t look like walking death. She did suggest that I see a dermatologist for recommendations, but I already know that my insurance won’t cover it for purely cosmetic (heh) reasons; I have to have an actual disease, which I don’t have.
So I’m not asking for advice, but I am interested to know what your thoughts are on the whole makeup issue.
Nitpick: guys can wear makeup too. There are some guys who look great in eyeliner (besides Johnny Depp).
Anyway…
I limit myself to lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara, but I hardly ever remember to put it on before going out. I look better with something around my eyes (stupid lashes turn blond halfway out), but usually I’m so busy thinking about what to wear and what I need to grab that I forget to put on make up.
If you don’t want to wear makeup (and it sounds like you shouldn’t), then don’t.
Even on the very worst days, I will use brow gel (cuz I look like Einstein if I don’t) and long-wearing lip color (cuz it acts like chapstick, except you don’t have to keep reapplying it).
On average days I will also wear eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara.
On good days I wear perfume.
I used to wear foundation every day but I really hated it; it meant I had to wash my face at the end of the day, which I don’t do now. It did give me lovely coverage though. Made my skin look like peaches and cream. Then again, I was ten years younger.
I’m not a woman but I work closely with five of them. Two I’ve never seen wearing makeup at work. The third will occasionally apply it at her desk at the end of the day when she’s going out after work. The fourth wears lipstick (and has such freakishly perfect alabaster skin to the point where I secretly suspect she may be a constructed alien spy–it’s pretty). The fifth wears full makeup (skin powdery stuff, blush, lipstick, eye shadow, liner, and mascara) every day, except for when she doesn’t and comes to work in sweat pants.
Keep in mind that this is a chemistry lab. They and I wear jeans most days. I also realize that well-applied makeup can be quite subtle, but the nature of our work requires a certain amount of uncomfortably close in-your-face time. You can tell.
I don’t own anything but a tinted moisturizer but occasionally, and I mean like maybe three or four times a year, I’ll borrow some of my daughter’s make-up.
Most days it’s hit or miss (figurative speaking). Standard is usually:
–lotion (Oil of Olay, the basic stuff–nothing fancy-schmancy),
–mascara (my favorite is L’Oreal Double Extend mascara since the older I get the thinner and shorter my eyelashes become)
–Clinique eyebrow stuff (ditto on the eyebrows)
–Face powder to take down any shine
–Vaseline on the lips (to cut out any dryness and chapping)
If I’m feeling really adventerous, then I’ll throw on some eyeliner and/or some eye shadow, but that’s less and less these days.
I didn’t vote, because it’s somewhere between “never” and “professionally”. I wear makeup when I need to look good for pictures, or when I’m dressing up to go out. Sure, I like how I look when I wear makeup, but it’s more effort than I’m usually willing to make.
I voted sometimes. I used to at least wear mascara all of the time, and always wore full eye makeup when going out. I have never worn face makeup, blush or lipstick. The most I’ve ever done is a faintly tinted lip gloss. I’m not “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” but my skin has always been one of my (out of a whole 3 things) best features. Almost completely blemish free (even in HS) and a nice peaches and cream, though now that I’m old, it’s mostly just a bit ruddy but not too bad. Now makeup is more of a special occasion kind of thing.
If I ever decided to date again that would change though. Fair-skinned girls can’t really get away with no mascara and still look halfway decent.
I try to make a habit of wearing makeup to work, but often don’t. I really don’t like it. I do, however, look like I’m still in high school. Makeup doesn’t necessarily make me look older, but it does make me look more professional, which helps.
Mostly I hate taking the extra time to put it on/take it off. And then having to remember not to rub my eyes all day. Ugh.
Sometimes, but it’s more like never. I own makeup, and will occasionally put on a little concealer, mascara, a little color on my lids. I also own a tinted lip balm I use sometimes. Only if the mood strikes me, which it very rarely does. I don’t wear makeup when I know my photo is going to be taken, etc.
Why don’t I wear it more? I’m lazy, and I look good enough without it.
I spend plenty of time on my face, though - I wash and moisturize every night, exfoliate regularly, carry my lotion with me everywhere in the winter to treat any dry areas, apply lip balm all day, tweeze my brows and upper lip, and spend a lot of time looking in the mirror.
I usually wear some cosmetics when leaving the house, but my entire routine takes maybe a minute and a half. I never wear foundation, powder, that kind of stuff. I do cover my prominent undereye circles (heredity and chronic allergies) with a bit of concealer. Most days I wear eyeliner, mascara, and a bit of blush. Rarely lipstick - I’m sure other people think it looks fine on me, but I always feel overly painted when I look in the mirror. (Same with eyeshadow.) I wear Chapstick when going to sleep or when it’s dry in the winter so my lips don’t crack.
I wore makeup when I was younger, but then some stuff happened and 20 years disappeared, and now I have no idea how makeup works on this aged canvas so nope, I don’t wear it any more.
If I’m leaving the house I put on mineral foundation, mascara, and lip gloss at the minimum. For work I add eyeliner and blush. I’m pasty-pale, my eyelashes are blonde even though I’m a redhead, and I just like lip gloss. I need some color on my face.
I wear makeup almost every day. Definitely to work. Also if I’m going out in general (other than a quick stop at the local shop or a pint at the local bar). Sometimes if I’m traveling or not meeting anyone in particular (for example, if I have a tutoring session) I’ll cut down to just under-eye concealer, powder and eyeliner.
On most days I wear concealer, foundation, powder, blush, eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, and eyeliner. I am blessed with good skin and wear the lightest of foundations just to even out my skintone.
I hate lipstick. I carry around lipgloss and apply it when necessary.
I wear it when I feel like it. Sometimes this is twice a week, sometimes it’s once every few months.
I wear foundation, concealer, eye primer (so that my shadow doesn’t end up buried in a crease at the end of the day), shadow, mascara, lip gloss, and blush. I don’t look super made up (even though it sounds like a lot) but there’s definitely a noticeable difference when I don’t wear it.
If I am going out other than just to run the Kiddo to and from school, I wear make up. I usually wear concealer, foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, eyebrow gel. Sometimes I wear blush, but sometimes not because I tend to have natural color in my cheeks. Oh, also lip liner and lip gloss or lipstick. It takes me about 5 mins to put on my make up even though it sounds like a lot.
I wear makeup on work days, but people sometimes remark that they’re surprised I have any on, so I must be doing it right
I almost never wear any makeup on my days off, if I do it’s just mascara and a tinted lip balm.
The sad thing is that I have a real love of lipstick, I must have more than a dozen in really beautiful colors, but I never wear them. It just makes me look too done up. I wonder if I’m just not brave enough, or if it really looks a lot nicer than I think it does.
