My thoughts on makeup, let me show you them

[cleolinda]

Bear with me as I lead into this, because I have some philosophical ramblings about beauty products that guys (i.e., people who do not wear makeup and may not understand the appeal of cosmetics) may find interesting.

So. I have gift cards to Sephora, and also a promotional code from their newsletter that expires today, and then three free mini lip glosses as a birthday promotion, therefore: it's economy-boosting time. My on-and-off obsession with makeup, as previously documented here, is somewhat peculiar, given that I wear very little of it. I mean, number one: I don't leave the house much. I have sensitive problem skin, so there doesn't seem to be any point in irritating it with the constant application and removal of makeup that no one's going to see, you know? What I really love is trying out different colors, because if I wear anything, it tends to be eyeshadow and lip gloss--I really need to wear foundation and concealer, but honestly, when I do, all I look like is someone very obviously wearing foundation and concealer, so I figure the flawed natural look is preferable at that point, and I'll just have fun with my favorite eyeshadow palettes (Hard Candy's Suede and Star). Hence the recent fixation on Aromaleigh, because the samples are so cheap that I can play all I want, and I'm hearing from other patrons that their face powders do a really good job of blending and disappearing, so I'm going to get samples of those and see if I can finally achieve the no-makeup makeup look ("Like you, only better!").

As for why girls--some girls--get so obsessed with makeup, even someone like me who rarely wears it, I can tell you very simply: it's the promise of transformation. Philosophy has a moisturizer called Hope in a Jar, which pretty much sums it up. Or--to jump to a different area of retail--you know the Headset Vince informercial for the Slap Chop? The one where he declares, "Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life"? Which is a bizarre leap of logic--if your tuna sandwich is marginally more interesting, your ENTIRE LIFE will be a new thrill every minute from here on out. I mean, obviously. But that's advertising: not selling you a tangible thing, but a new life and a new you. There's a line in The Women (the original, not the crap remake) where Norma Shearer's wise old mother says something (I'm paraphrasing from memory here) along the lines of, men have affairs in order to see a new version of themselves reflected in someone else's eyes; women just go get manicures, and if men would just move their office furniture around now and then instead, they'd be a lot happier. It's not the most progressive sentiment--remember, this movie was released in 1939--but I think there's a kernel of truth in there regarding makeovers: the idea that a superficial, cosmetic change will ripple all the way down to the core of what makes you unhappy. Stop wearing a boring lipstick: stop having a boring life.

So to me, the most alluring cosmetic lines are the ones that create an entire persona. Benefit is a really, really good example of this; the product names and packaging create this kicky retro girl-on-the-go aesthetic, both coy and confident. "That Gal" (quotation marks theirs) brightening primer! Get Even pressed powder! You Rebel moisturizer! Ooh La Lift concealer! (Fun fact: their Ms. Behavin' lipstick was used on the first Twilight movie. Guess who had to wear it.) On the other hand, there's Urban Decay, with all their gritty, "edgy" trying too hard eyeshadow names: Asphyxia, Midnight Cowboy, Grifter, Smog, Oil Slick, Roach. (The latter of which is actually a really great color that I'm not sure I could ever bear to put on my face.) I feel like if I was wearing these, I would go out and something badass would happen to me, and I would totally be ready for it. You know, all because my eyelids were sporting "lavender with blue sheen." In short, cosmetics are selling you a fantasy that most likely won't come true, but they're selling you so many different of flavors of fantasy that there's always something new to play with, some new means of reinvention, always some new hope.



(I ended up spending my gift cards on the Get Baked eyeshadow palette, the "That Gal" primer, and the Realness of Concealness kit. Happy birthday to me.)


(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

Comments

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

I love Benefit, and the fact that Shopper's Drug Mart now carries it so I can play with it in the store as opposed to driving several hours to the nearest Sephora.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Are their samples less nasty than Sephora's? Because apparently only people who were raised by wolves are allowed to shop at Sephora.

[wenelda.livejournal.com]

I have a love/hate relationship with makeup, really. I am literally glow-in-the-dark pale, so finding any makeup that doesn't make me look like a clown is nigh on impossible, and when I do, I suddenly have absolutely no reason to wear it, which frustrates me. (I, too, don't leave the house much, so why bother wearing any?) Yet I love lipstick and lip gloss to the point of obsession. I will wear that around the house all the time, for no real reason. But I have to be careful what shades I wear because, again, being so very pale bright reds merely make me look either like a clown or a whore, or a sad clown-whore, and I would rather look more like an upscale kind of woman.

Er, but anyway, I rather agree with your ideas about makeup. I always feel, when I do buy new makeup, that something in my life will change, even if that never actually happens.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah--of all the makeup lines I've browsed on Sephora (so many, many makeup lines), Benefit is closest to the person I would like to reinvent myself as, I think. It's the attitude, probably. So confident! So breezy! So tongue in cheek! Also, the packaging is really, really cute.

[stateofserenity.livejournal.com]

I've become a MAC Whore-in-training thanks to a good friend of mine. No funky names - but the colors are AH-MAZING. I've recently had my eyes opened to the world of department store make-up lines (I've been a "drug store makeup girl all my life). I get what you're saying about their marketing strategies...i found myself saying I'd FEEL prettier in makeup that was called (insert name here).

with regard to MAC I believe they have sample eyeshadows and what not for about a buck fifty. Just to enable your addiction. *grins*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh, awesome. They're not on Sephora, are they? I think that's why I'm not as familiar with them.

[rina2o6.livejournal.com]

Oh man, all I got was a $15 of of $50 coupon to Sephora and it took me hours hours to decide what I wanted on their website. Part of it was that I was trying to pick out gifts for friends that wouldn't break my bank and part of it was that I was trying to figure out what was dissimilar enough from the stash of makeup I already own to buy for myself.

I'm with you on the transformative powers of makeup - I'm a complete sucker for kits, like pretty much everything from Bare Minerals. Its a new look, a new personality in a box!

Hope you have fun playing with your new makeup, especially the concealing stuff. My friend came up with a pretty genius 'no makeup' look - use a mineral concealer, dab a little into a blob of primer, and smooth over your skin. If the color is right, it just evens out your skin tone a little, doesn't look cakey or heavy at all. I follow it with BE's mineral veil.

And also a very happy belated birthday to you!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted because I had already spent many hours window-shopping on the Sephora site. It still took me about an hour to decide.

Oh, the concealer/primer idea is really good.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

My collection of makeup is ... rather astonishing. The amount of lipstick I have acquired in looking for The Perfect blackened pomegranate/cherry color, oh dear.

But I've mostly switched to Aromaleigh, because I do feel their products are the best value out there, and work incredibly well. (In fact, I'm waiting for an order to show up that contains a jar of the "dazzle" Twilight powder.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee, yes. Once I finish the Vampires e-book, I think I'm going to treat myself to a thematically appropriate set of those powders. They mix so well with stuff!

[labonnefille.livejournal.com]

I think I can definitely get on board with what you're saying. I had a long fetish with sexy panties for that reason. I was pretty heavy and I had low low low self esteem, but wearing sexy panties made me feel that much more sexy and confident, even thought no one Ever saw them.

Now I have pink hair for much the same reason. I feel like a super hero, or a celebrity, cause everyone can see my pink hair, and everyone remembers me.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

See, exactly. Lingerie has a very similar appeal, really. The same with hair color, except you can't change that as frequently as your eyeshadow--it's a bit more of a commitment.

[lady-guenievre.livejournal.com]

I rarely wear makeup, or at least that used to be true. Then I discovered Bare Minerals. They don't have the *persona* of Benefit, but OMG their stuff is fabulous...

[headphone.livejournal.com]

OMG, yes to Bare Minerals! Their eye shadows are gorgeous and I love the foundation. The little containers seem so expensive but they last forever.

[anonymeet.livejournal.com]

I like your theory about the transformative powers of make-up. It's a very good way to explain those who wear make-up for self-gratification purposes - to look better, feel better about themselves, etc. I also generally subscribe to the theory that make-up is modern warpaint. For those who wear make-up for external purposes. In the war for whatever it is you want - success, attention from others, a man, to be desired, etc.

Both probably apply to all of us, at different points, Certainly, both have applied to me in the past . . .

[kitsunec4.livejournal.com]

I too, subscribe to the theory and practice of make-up as warpaint. I'm rather lackadaisical about regularly wearing make-up, but when I have a presentation? An exam? Yeah, I've got the warpaint on. :D

[renshai.livejournal.com]

My favourite quote on the subject is from Martha Rogers (played by Susan Sullivan) on Castle - "What men don't understand is, the right clothes, the right shoes, the right makeup, just... it hides the flaws we think we have. They make us look beautiful...to ourselves. That's what makes us look beautiful to others."

I'll admit that I still don't get makeup, but I do now get the sentiment.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

That's a really good insight into the whole thing--that it's a superficial/physical change that has the greatest effect psychologically rather than visually.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

I'm at Sephora, like, every two weeks. It's pathetic. I can name my favorite colors in my favorite products from my favorite brands instantly. Every time I start a new costume, one of my favorite parts is figuring out EXACTLY the right shades to be applied in EXACTLY the right way.

I'd like to think I'm immune to the "makeup will make you a new, improved, more exciting person" business, but I never did get over the joys of playing dress-up as a kid, and wearing makeup is part of that. It's illusion, it's fantasy, it's transformation. This morning I can look alluring and mysterious, tonight I can look fresh-faced and innocent, just by swapping out my eyeshadow and lipstick.

P.S., I swear by Bare Minerals, but I do hear good things about other mineral makeups as well. I can't wear most cream or liquid concealer/foundation because they are really obvious, but the mineral makeup provides great coverage and blends invisibly. I hear people with dry skin are better off staying away from powders, but my skin is most definitely oily and it's not a problem for me.

[ninepointfivemm.livejournal.com]

You know, I have oily skin, but I can't wear things like Bare Minerals and other mineral foundations. They make me break out like crazy, and they don't make my skin look natural. Oh, yeah, and they tend to make me sneeze.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

I am an absolute Benefit girl. I have the powder foundation, the primer, the Benetint. Love it all. And That Gal is some fantastic primer, you'll love it.

I personally prefer Sephora over MAC because the Sephora girls are nice and MAC girls are bitches. (At my malls.)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh, AWESOME. One of the reasons I was interested in the That Gal was the idea that I could wear it instead of foundation if I was just going to run out to lunch or the mall or something.

I'm still undecided as to whether I want to try the Benetint and/or the Posietint. I just can't wear gel or liquid blush because I break out, so I'm not going to get that use out of it, but everyone raves about Benetint as a lip color.

(Which of the box powder blushes do you like?)

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

I think I'm mostly too lazy to bother with makeup in the morning. It takes time and I'd rather sleep, so unless I'm wearing a costume or going to something dressy (which is rare), I don't bother. :-)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I would generally only wear makeup to a specific event, probably at night, unless I just wanted to play. The whole not leaving the house/working at home thing means that I'm almost never going to get up and put on makeup first thing in the morning.

[beansalad.livejournal.com]

If I was a girl I would probably be obsessed with Make up too. I already wear it for costuming and theater and such. Make up is just too much fun. You get the chance to change your look any day. I think that's something really cool. I mean, of course, in moderation. The more you wear make up, the more people get used to you with make up and the more expected you are to wear it. Plus I've seen what it can do to people's skin and eesh, that's no bueno.

But still, if I was a girl I would go CRAZY with make up haha. That's probably why I was made a boy. But a homo can dream...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's almost like a drug that way--if you stop wearing it, you even kind of look cracked out. I remember how haggard all the girls in high school looked once they got senioritis, stopped giving a shit, and stopped wearing makeup halfway through the year. I figured never wearing makeup meant that at least I wouldn't start looking worse at that point.

[ninepointfivemm.livejournal.com]

I am a complete and total makeup whore. I learned all my mad skillz on drugstore brands. I love using a thin layer of Smashbox's photo finish primer (which evens out the quality of my skin), and then Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse over it. (That's the only foundation I've found for me that is both pale enough for me and sheer enough for me. MAC's foundations are a smidge too dark.) I don't do the whole mineral foundation thing. It breaks out my skin badly. If I'm just going out with friends, I generally skip foundation, because I have fairly good skin.

I started using Clinique, because it was what my mom used. But then I found out I liked their reds and pinks a lot -- they had this great reddish pink lipstick called Ginger Flower that was good. And I like their mascaras a lot. I think "my" brand that's not a drugstore brand is Smashbox. I love Smashbox. It has good, clean packaging, fairly standard colors, and it doesn't fuss itself up a lot.

[jackieocean.livejournal.com]

Two thumbs up for the Dream Matte Mousse! I love that stuff. I don't like wearing foundation over my whole face, and that works great for blending over problem areas.

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

Philosophy has a moisturizer called Hope in a Jar, which pretty much sums it up.

I must admit, I love that stuff. I hate the fact that I spend so much on it, but I haven't found a cheaper equivalent.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

I just bought a new tube of the On a Clear Day moisturizer. $40! But like you said, for the results it yields I have yet to find anything cheaper. Their skin products are GREAT.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

I feel like I don't have time to properly devote myself to makeup anymore, I just wear the same basics (mostly NARS) nearly every day.

Speaking of makeup...it looks like someone has had a rendezvous with glitter paint:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tonner-Twilight-Edward-Cullen-Repaint-SPARKLE-ooak-doll_W0QQitemZ330387437583QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4ceca0380f

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

WHY YOU DO THIS.

(Besides: I'll say it again, Aromaleigh's Dazzle powder is an EXACT match for the movie effect. Use that if you're going to go there, people.)

[jackieocean.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge makeup user, but I agree that eye shadows are so much fun! I tend to go for a lot of golds, browns, coffee type colors. Color wise I find myself going for that "natural but better" look.

In terms of foundation/face makeup, I don't really wear foundation (just Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse blended over a few problem areas), but I love the face products by Physicians Formula. I use their Mineral Wear Pressed Powder in Translucent and their Mineral Blush powder on an almost daily basis. Works great, helps with my somewhat oily skin, and doesn't make me break out. I tend towards the pale side of the spectrum, so their colors work out very well for me (as in contrast to my younger sister (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=424400&l=fb2d2426df&id=501697178), who is of the school of tanning, bronzer, and liquid eyeliner).

I have yet to shop at a Sephora, but only because I worry that my wallet would get sucked in to a black hole and I'd wind up buying too many pretty colors that I would never really wear in a daily setting.

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

There are definitely good drugstore products out there, but eyeshadow is the one product I've never really found in a drugstore that's comparable to the more expensive brands I splurge on.

[the_rainbow_jen]

Random makeup story time:

My pastor's wife has very dry eyes. Has had them cauterized, and pretty much anything that can be done has been done. She's searched for years for a face cream that doesn't aggravate them, and this summer, someone gave her Hope in a Jar. For the first time in years, her eye's aren't irritated by her face cream.

I only pass it along because it gave me cold chills when she told the story, because the person who got it for her followed an impulse, and had no idea she had problems with her face cream. We all decided it was divine intervention, and appropriately named.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Cauterized?

(Wow.)

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

I (and I think a lot of guys) feel this way about gadgets. I mean, I like gadgets for whatever utility they might have, but there's also just this feeling that as you activate or assemble or configure this shiny fascinating thingy, your life becomes shiny and fascinating. You become shiny and fascinating. It's silly and of course the feeling fades in about a week after you've bored all your friends talking to them about the thingy or showing it off to them.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's actually a really interesting idea--that probably is what it is. I think makeup has a similar excitement, in that buying it and trying it the first time is the most interesting part, and it's diminishing returns from there. Seriously, the act of sitting here today and picking out what I wanted and buying it, and thinking of how awesome it'll be when it gets here, is probably by far the most satisfying part of the process. It'll actually get here, I'll try it on, and it'll be like... oh. My life did not drastically change. Huh.

[heartlessempath.livejournal.com]

There are some really great books on the psychology of makeup... My favorite is from a historical perspective, since I was a history major. It's called Hope In A Jar: The Making of America's Beauty Culture by Kathy Peiss. It's well written and fun, and full of all kinds of trivia for those of us who love that sort of thing.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I love that kind of thing. I read a book last year called--"A Scented Palace," I think? About one of Marie Antoinette's favorite perfumers, who also did cosmetics and whatnot. I'm just fascinated by what people have come up with through the ages. Like using belladonna to dilate women's eyes, never mind that it's a poison.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Speaking as an anti-makeup woman, I found this a really interesting read. I'd never considered the transformative aspects of its psychology. I don't think it's going to make me start supporting the idea, but at least I can understand a little more why people do it.

Thank you :0)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I completely support anyone not wanting to wear makeup. I don't tend to think of it as something I wear to cover myself up or to please/attract men or conform to a social standard or whatever. I tend to wear makeup--again, mostly color, rarely concealer/foundation--to feel fun, or express a mood or my personality. I mean, I'm certainly not wearing three shades of shimmery purple eyeshadow to conform, and I doubt a guy is gonna be like, "That girl right there going to the trouble of putting on purple eyeshadow but not bothering to even out her skin tone? I GOTTA GET A PIECE OF THAT."

[fleshandfantasy.livejournal.com]

Very well-put. I got into theatrical makeup as a hobby a few years back - talk about going even further down the rabbit hole into the realm of using cosmetics to pretend you're someone else. I don't necessarily see anything wrong with it; sure, it would be great if we could all love our lives just the way they are, but that usually doesn't happen. I think makeup is a lot of fun just in general!

[phorie.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I get the philosophy... but I just like playing with colours because they're pretty.

foundation alternative?

[corbyjane.livejournal.com]

Someone probably already said this, but one option is tinted moisturiser instead of foundation. It's more like a lotion. I use BobbiBrown tinted moisturiser, which was about $40 but lasted me almost a year.
I don't even use tinted for every day; I just use Dove facial lotion, put some finishing powder on over it (supposedly "sheer", but I find it does do some subtle covering-up), and whammo: my skin is protected, and I'm not wearing clown makeup.

Re: foundation alternative?

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

I agree. I hate using foundation, but I've found that Kiehl's tinted moisturizer is great.

[raanve]

I love Benefit. LOVE.

What you are saying here is a great summation. This is part of why, sometimes when I have a depressive episode coming on, I really have to fight the urge to go to Sephora & spend a gazillion dollars. If I just found the right sparkly thing, I would be SO MUCH BETTER in EVERY WAY!

Also, I have a few cosmetic items (Benefit's MoonGlow, Benefit's Throb powder, a couple very very awesome eyeshadows) that almost always make me feel like I am going to kick someone's ass in a superhot way. Like the way warriors used to get painted up.