From none to done | A little journey in makeup
For no reason, a personal anecdote
I love makeup. I’ve always loved it. From the second I was allowed to put on a bit of ‘80s lavender eyeshadow, I slathered to excess. I think I was about 10 when I first wore a bright red lip to the pub, much to my Nana’s complete shame.
Her favorite story to tell about me is that she made me take off my lipstick before going to a Brownie disco, because “Brownies don’t wear makeup.” Upon arrival, I clocked several girls all done up and immediately whipped a lippy out of my purse. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready, as they say. (Thanks Chichi DeVayne <3)
Of course a bold lip leads some weird experiences; old UK pub men tend to issue their opinions as freely as the ale taps they occupy—as if my face has anything to do with them whatsoever. (Or anyone but me, frankly.)
I’m still somewhat vexed by this relatively crusty elder telling the 12-year-old me that one day I’d be “a real heartbreaker” on account of my attempt to look like an elegant filmstar from the 1940s.
Some years later, another opinion-haver in the Lake District charged himself with letting me know that peach “really wasn’t [my] colour” and that he didn’t much care for it on me. Cool story guy, thanks for that.
Anyway. I guess my point is, you do you for you.
Stages of facial progress, a.k.a. what I done
Primer
Stage one is the “primer” phase. Real talk, I hardly ever use primer because I’m lazy. But if I’m trying to do it all properly, I’ve found it makes a difference. I used:
Smashbox Photo Finish Reduce Redness Primer
Illamasqua Satin Primer
With a little powder to take off the shine, I think this would be fine to walk out the house in. (Also, no makeup is fine, but you get me.) This is exactly why I decided to take a photo journey: I wanted to see just how the products work in a before-after kinda way.
Smashbox Photo Finish Reduce Redness Primer $39
It’s smooth, gel-like, and a little goes a long way. It’s hard to see the difference live, but taking these photos has helped show me the difference. I normally use a brush, but I have no idea what I’m doing really.
First of all, I think it smells lovely! And a teensy bit goes a very long way. You can mix it to thin out foundation or apply as a light base. It’s not transparent though (it makes my face paler) so bear that in mind.
Foundation
Next up, foundation time. I went with an old favorite, Illamasqua’s Skin Base Fond de Teint, £33. It doesn’t spread very easily, which is where mixing some of their satin primer comes in handy. That being said, you only need a dear little bit for good coverage, in my experience. (And then a lot of elbow grease brushing it evenly.)
Contour
The only reason I know anything about this is RuPaul’s Drag Race. That being. said, that’s the only reason I know a lot of things. I think the flash of the camera bleached out some of the effect here, plus I went for a subtler shade from the palette, but I can definitely see how the highlight brings out certain features.
Pre blending
Post blending
Naturally, I recommend Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit $40, because it seems like it’s what all true queens use. I also have the powder kit, so watch this space for a side-by-side.
Blush
Now that I’m writing this, I realise I leaned on a lot of old faves for the makeover, but Illamasqua’s Gel Sculpt £22 is definitely up there. It looks like it might be discontinued, but hunt around—you can still grab a stick from Selfridges.
It gives an awesome vibrant glow. My preference is to draw it in a chevron from cheekbone to eye bone, but an apple also works.
Neon orange blush
It glides on and has a cool, wet feel. Blending is light and easy, but it can be a little tough to reduce. Add it gently, not generously.
There’s also a neon pink version that’s equally vibrant, but for my tones I prefer the peachier end of the spectrum.
Eyebrows
Here comes another brand staple: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Pomade $21 in taupe.
The taupe is definitely striking enough, but go easy—it says it’s for blondes but it can be pretty dark. Oh, and I have a very asymmetrical face, so it takes me a little while to get these brows looking related.
Apparently they’re sisters, not twins. Sometimes mine are cousins twice removed by divorce or something, but this time worked.
Eyeshadow
All right, well this was a nice surprise—I didn’t plan this look exactly, but sometimes the colors all just come together.
For my eye shape I like to extend the depth a little on the outside. Adding a touch of dark underneath on the outside and emphasising the “almond” shape makes them look a little bigger and gives a bit more definition.
The old trick of using a little light sparkle on the inside of the eye does indeed add to that effect.
Urban Decay After Dark eyeshadow palette $49 is my go-to set, but only really for a few colors. Here I used the “Off duty” shade, a glittery brown, around the outside.
I used Violet Voss® Fruit Sorbet $18 for the other colors, matte yellow, orange, and red. I used the light pale brown for the lid and the sparkly white inside the eye.
In Extreme Dimension 3D Blacklash Mascara $24 from MAC is my current mascara. I like that it adds immediate definition, but it comes on very thick and dries before you can really unclump it.
And there you have it: From none to done, that’s my little journey in makeup.
By no means is this meant to be a tutorial or an advertorial or in any way an attempt to be a voice for beauty.
Just one person’s love of exploring fashion, colours, self expression, and all that kinda stuff.