Ooooh, chemicals. So terrible. Guess I should skip the acne cream, too. And soap. :dubious:
Back to the subject. (And, long post! Hope something’s useful to someone else, I didn’t realize I’d do such a long brain-splat, but here you go.)
I use Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear loose powder as a foundation and concealer. I tossed the brush and use a cosmetic sponge to apply, and to cover spots I use my finger dabbed in the powder and blended out. Very effective, and nice on my super oily skin. I actually get some clearing of acne if I wear the powder regularly.
I’m not sold on using brushes. I can’t be bothered to clean the damn things. So I stick with cosmetic sponges, larger rounds, smaller rounds, and triangles. Maybe they take some practice? I’ve been using them so long I’m used to them and I think they’re great for blending and when they get too loaded with product/oil, I just toss them and get another one out of the $1/dozen package. I also use fingers and q-tips when they’re called for, which seems to be about as often as those who use brushes in the YouTube how-to videos I’ve watched.
I go through an occasional tear with makeup, funny mine has been over the last month, too. I’ve bought more makeup in the last 30 days than I have in the last 5 years. I have a new pair of rimless, anti-reflective glasses and can see my face so much better, I wake up and find myself saying, “ugh, need eyeliner.” And then find myself saying, “hm, would look more finished with some lip color.” And next thing I know, I’m filling in eyebrows and applying concealer before I feel like things are consistent enough looking to go out the door.
I’m also loving NYX for eye stuff. Haven’t ventured into the rest of the face, except for a finishing spray that does seem to keep things in place longer, my foundation doesn’t transfer as easily when I blot, for instance. I won’t use it every day, but for a night out, for sure.
I dislike lip colors that transfer, though. I really prefer the Maybelline Super Stay 24 and Cover Girl Outlast. Some people find them drying, and I do need to re-apply the balm, I’ve also found a silicone-based gloss works well and lasts a little longer than the balm that comes with the lip colors. But the trade-off? So worth it! Stays on through entire meals (unless oily, even salad dressing can be a no-no) and drinking and kissing. I take it off with coconut oil at the end of the day (eye makeup, too).
I’ve really found watching YouTube tutorials helpful lately, just to get the gist of what the kids are doing these days!
Also, since one drawback of drug store buying is more difficult returns and inability to swatch stuff before purchase, I’ve learned to have a little patience. I find colors I think I like and then Google the name of the color with “review” or “swatch” and everything I’ve searched for has a blog or video or just pics in the image search that are really helpful for me to figure out if it’s a color I really like or whether it will look good on me if the person reviewing has a similar skin tone. It’s been worth it since I love everything I’ve bought as a result.
All that said, I will say I took my first trip to Sephora a few weeks ago and didn’t regret it. Okay, maybe my pocketbook did, but I went in with a budget in mind and stuck to it. My friend I was with and I both did a brief (free) consult with one of the makeup artists and we both benefited (me, for a nude waterline liner, her for eyebrows that aren’t the same since growing back from chemo). I also asked one of the associates about a specific lippy I was looking for (which I was not finding on my own) and she ran around the store to swatch four different ones. I wanted a very dark, vampy red that doesn’t transfer (as mentioned above) and I wasn’t finding in the drug store lines. One was absolutely perfect, and I never would have looked at it between the color it looked like in the tube (brown) and the color as described on the display (raspberry). But, it’s perfect. Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge in #11, it was $25 and worth every penny! But still, won’t be replacing it right away once I use it up. Got some nice free samples and a belated birthday gift at checkout, too.
