Tend Skin is a good exfoliating agent, too. Not exactly cheap ($36 for a regular sized bottle), but it beats having to go to a doctor.
Don’t use more makeup than you need. For years I wore the “works” every day. Foundation, concealer and powder.
I’ve gotten my makeup done a bunch of times before, but one lady that did it asked what I wore daily. When I told her she was horrified. I have naturally nice skin and no wrinkles yet (I’m only 32) and there was really no reason to wear that much, it made me look older.
So now I only wear light foundation on my face and blush (pale skin, look like a corpse if I don’t.) My skin looks a lot better.
Also, only get hair cut while dry (very curly hair) and shape curls with my fingers. My curls have a mind of their own, they kinda go everywhere. If I have the time and the patience, twisting each one around my finger while wet or even doing pincurls, really helps with control.
Toothpaste (paste, not gel) works great on zits. Clears those suckers right up.
I learned this recently. I used to do foundation every day, probably more out of habit than anything, since I used to have bad enough skin that I basically wanted to cover it all up completely.
Now that it’s better for various reasons, I only spot cover where needed and use a bit of mineral foundation, and much less of that than what you’re “supposed” to use.
Also, the cheap stuff shouldn’t be overlooked. Queen Helen mint julep mask is the best, and it’s a great spot treatment for pimples.
Try a different powder. What powder are you currently using?
Almay Clear Complexion, a pressed transluscent powder. I dust it on lightly with a wide fluffy brush. After the dusting, I see every wrinkle and line in my face… and am generally horrified to finally be looking my age. 
I’ve had good luck with MAC powder - their mineral line. Laura Mercier and Bare Escentuals also get good reviews. Or you might want to try pressed powder and see if that works better.
I’ve discovered that to discover your “holy grail” for a certain makeup product you just have to try a bunch of stuff out. http://www.emakemeup.com was a good resource for me during my makeup phase. The ladies there have tried every brand of makeup under the sun and are always happy to give suggestions and advice.
Or you could just not use powder. 
For myself I don’t use foundation, only powder, but some of my friends are the other way around.
Dogzilla, I have that same issue with the powdered mineral foundation if I buff it too much. It gives me a glow from a distance, but up close it’s like putting high-gloss paint over questionably-finished drywall. Near as I can tell, it’s for the same reason–the extra buffing increases light reflection just like a high-gloss paint does, so you have extra light bouncing off all those little irregularities and making them show up better. What I do is a) not wear makeup if I don’t need to and b) just barely blend it and then call it good.
Bolding mine … I needed to pick up new shampoo and conditioner anyway, so on your recommendation I grabbed the Burt’s line for each. I’m used to paying bottom dollar for cheapie brands like Suave, so we’ll see if going a little more upscale than that is worth it.
I do like the idea of using products with fewer artificial chemicals, so thanks for the recommendation. Doper ladies usually know their stuff.
No offense, I swear, but … why do you keep doing the same thing every day when you’re horrified by the results?
Not just dissatisfied, but horrified?!?
I wear Maybelline PureStay Powder Foundation and always get compliments on my skin (it’s the makeup!). It’s like a foundation in that it’s thickish and creamy, yet it’s a powder but doesn’t look powdery. Great coverage, but limited amount of colors available. From 6.99 to 9.99 each.
Oh, I don’t wear makeup every day. Pretty much only when I go out. Usually, I don’t wear makeup at all to work. People don’t see me much and I have good color naturally from sun damage. (assuming tan = damage)
But for big meetings, or maybe nights out, I’ll do full makeup. Lately, I’ve been skipping the powder completely. When I’ve been horrified by the effect of the powder, I shrug and figure… I’ll be in a dark nightclub and it’ll all rub off by then anyway.
I just read yesterday but now can’t remember where that women that wear makeup are seen as more professional and competent business-wise, and approached more by men, romantic-wise. Do wear makeup, just learn what to use and how to use it.
I do understand.
I’ve received a lot of good counsel through the years:
Avoid the sun when possible, and protect your skin when you can’t avoid exposure. My red-haired grandmother was the product of a time when tans were “low-class,”* (only women who had to work were tanned,) so I always wore sleeves and sunhats under her tutelage. I didn’t appreciate the inconvenience when I was a kid, but now that I’m 40, I get compliments on my complexion all the time.
Reach for the moisturizer before reaching for the towel after your shower. (Perhaps not so much for others, but if you have thin, dry skin like mine? Priceless!)
“You’re not classically pretty, so you gotta work with your unique looks.” Advice from a drag queen friend of mine from college. She made me realize that I don’t have to have perfect features to be attractive. If I sit down and analyze my features, my nose is definitely too big (and kind of lumpy,) my mouth is too big, my jawline is too angular, my eyes are puffy, my teeth are crooked, etc. As a whole, though, I have an interesting face, and am considered to be reasonably attractive.
Finally, smile. It’s simple, cost-free, and really does improve people’s perception of your looks. In addition, smiles tend to be pretty contagious, which leads to a nice feedback loop for you - less stress, easier interactions, etc., which tend to improve your mood and prevent wrinkles and frown lines.
*Which I always found funny, because that grandmother was the least class-conscious person I ever met. But she always described me as “the most high-class-looking baby” she ever saw, and she did me a great favor by preventing so much sun damage.
This. Back in my early teenage years, I’d get haircuts that were not suited for my hair (which is thick and curly), and I had to wrestle it into submission with round brushes and blowdryers. It didn’t work; no matter what I did, my hair looked like a toupee. Then my mom and my hairstylist suggested a classic curly cut, which I reluctantly agreed to, and it looked a million times better. I’ve been getting “curly” cuts since, and I haven’t looked back.
I’ve had people suggest that I straighten it every day, and I just wonder why. Not only would that damage my hair, it would take about an hour every day to blowdry AND straighten. I’d rather spend that time sleeping! And besides, what the heck is wrong with curly hair?
I was once told a woman should wear makeup that enhances her features, not overpowers them. As time marches on, those formerly blah neutral tones are like a good friend; the turquoise eye shadow, bright red clown lips, and heavy foundation are like fair weather friends you USED to have.
Mine is the opposite. If you can pay people to make you pretty, and you can afford it, it is OK to spend money on it.
I pay a nice lady $10 to wax my brows. I get my legs waxed. Once a year I have my hair chemically straightened (Japanese Thermal Reconditioning) which takes 2 stylists 4 HOURS, the results of which I love more than mere words can describe.
So so so so worth it.
I’ll do that as soon as I find some that doesn’t turn my skin into something resembling road rash. >sigh< Skin allergies are no fun…
At least I’ve had fewer skin infections since giving up makeup (and folks around here know about my epic skin infections)
If it makes you happy go for it - although I don’t “get” brow waxing. Then again, I don’t “get” women who entirely pluck their eyebrows then draw them back on, either. While my brows are a bit darker and heavier than most women with my pale skin I think they have a nice shape naturally and in no way detract from my features.
Heh. Once someone suggested to me that I should straighten my hair more often, because “it makes you look so much thinner!” I responded “Wow, would that it were that easy for all of us.” :dubious: On the other hand, someone else said “It’s pretty, but now you just look like everyone else. I like it curly.”
I like to straighten mine every now and again for fun. I love being able to brush it, and it’s fun to be kind of incognito for a couple of days (seriously, I’ve had people walk right by me with no recognition), but I can’t imagine spending an hour or more every day on my hair.
Personally, I think “if it takes too much time and money, accept it” and “if you have the time and money and it makes you happy, fix it” aren’t mutually exclusive, or even contradictory, and both are good advice.
If your eyebrows met in the middle perhaps you’d “get” eyebrow waxing. Nice for you that yours naturally look awesome. If mine did I wouldn’t fuss with them.