BEAUTY 101

I thought it might be sort of fun to get away from the norm with this post {look...I am even using a different font color!}, and do something fun. I am always talking about cooking, or decorating or little trips and I thought this might be a post that included everyone and we could all participate in the comments. A BEAUTY post! I thought I would share some of my tips and products I use and then you could all join in.

We spend a lot of time on our homes making them beautiful, do we take the same time with ourselves? I will be the first to say it...I have the time but not so much the interest. I'm talking about cosmetics in this post. Do we wear make up? Where, when, how often? I'll be the first to admit that I have been in a slump. Why do I need to wear make up on my face to go to the grocery store or the library? Who needs the hassle? I finally reached an answer to that for myself and it was very simple: self respect. Being the best I can be. I wear so little most days, I probably am not qualified to give advice. But I thought I'd pass on to you some of the things I have in my make up bag and we could go from there. These are some of the products I love. I have very pale skin and if I could change anything, it would be the purple colored circles I have under my eyes {even if I get 12 hours of sleep!}, and maybe my freckles. So, for everyday I wear concealer and a little powder. If I am going out to dinner or a party, I wear foundation, too. Smashbox is my favorite. Back to everyday...I really have a love/ hate relationship with mascara, I despise taking it off at night. So my trick is to wear eyeliner. I use gray so it is not so obvious and it adds a little color. If you keep it close to your lashline, it looks like you have thick eyelashes and you don't have all the hassle of putting on and taking off mascara. My all time favorite eyeliner is Maybelline Unstoppable in Pewter. If you have brown eyes like me, it adds a tiny pop of contrast.
Eyeshadow is a tricky subject for me. Since my eyes are brown, it seems odd to have a color, like blue on my eyes. It looks so...blue!! Mostly colors like wine and rose looks best on me since those colors go with various shades of my skin. Peach colors, too. If you can get away with other colors, great. Share that with us!

Another problem I have with eyeshadow is how much is enough? For Christmas I received a palette of colors by Urban Decay. Big, bold colors with sparkle, some almost black. Yes, there is a charcoal eyeshadow in there. Someone out there knows how to use this stuff but it's not me! I guess you just need a light touch. And blend. I do remember this from the 80's when we wore SO much makeup and didn't even need it then!
Blush and lip gloss are fun for me and the answer to the old "What would you bring to a desert island" question. I need some color on my face since I am so pale... I think we could all use a bit of color on our cheeks, it makes us look healthy and for blush, I love Laura Mercier {you can get her cosmetics at Sephora.com}. She makes these little quad palettes and you can use one shade or blend all four together. They make you glow! Physician's Formula also makes these blendable palettes, so check them out at your drugstore.

And speaking of drugstores, I think they have the best lipsticks and lip glosses that you can get anywhere. I love the long wearing lip gloss that Maybelline makes, again called Unstoppable. It's sticky but it stays on forever! It's been a long time since I actually wore lipstick, it just doesn't last that long and I thought it was a little much on me. But since Maybelline and L'oreal have come out with long wearing shades, I have been picking up a few here and there and I like them. Unlike department stores where you can try on colors {yuck}, you can still bring back make up to the drugstore for an exchange or refund. One thing I have learned...lipgloss always looks darker in the tube than it really is and lipstick always looks lighter.
I hope I haven't bored you to tears yet. In a nutshell, this is what I wear when I am not doing anything special: Powder
Eyeliner
Blush
Lipgloss
A smile

If I really need to look good, I pull out the big guns: Foundation
Powder
Eyeshadow/eyeliner
Mascara
Blush
Lipstick/lipgloss
A smile
Does this sound high maintenance? I have always been a girly girl and grew up poring over the make up counters at Marshall Fields. I studied Glamour magazine like it was a textbook. We loved our cosmetics in the eighties and wouldn't even go to school without our Wet N' Wild blue eyeshadow and Bonnie Bell lipgloss! But as I said, I have been in a slump. Somedays I have to make that extra effort to even put earrings on, but you know what? The Husband notices. He notices when I do my nails or if I am wearing perfume. My daughter's don't necessarily compliment me, but I can see it in their eyes that they are glad I spent some time on/for myself.
So, although this may have sounded like a lengthy post, everything I have talked about fits right into this little bag. Honestly. Including some good brushes, but that's another post.
I'm almost quite done...I have tried different products to take my make up off with at night. I used to just wash with Dove soap but then I discovered these neat little towelettes. Being ever inquisitive, I tried these, Neutrogena and Burt's Bees and these are the hands down best. Perfect for dry sensitive skin, but no oils. You will love them.
The end of my post has come around and I am leaving you with a look at my wretched vanity. I, myself am not so messy and unorganized but Emily and Abby and I share my vanity, share our products and makeup {share our shoes, too!}. Keeping it neat is a never ending battle. Make up, hair stuff, nail stuff...it's all in here.
Ignore that reflection in the mirror of all my pillows and quilts piled up, I am reorganizing that, too. And I am reorganizing this vanity. And I will show you the results in an upcoming post.

If you found any of this interesting, informative or just plain fun, let me know in your comments. I want to hear how you ladies keep yourselves looking good, what your make up routines are. Have they changed over the years? Are your pressed for time or in a slump? What are your favorite products? What is your make up routine? Write as little or as much as you want. In an upcoming post we are going to talk about hair; our current styles, products we love, how we're dealing with the dreaded gray. And then I am going to move us on to our favorite body rituals and products for the bath and or shower, lotions and potions and all things that smell good!

Finally, after we have shared and shared and shared some more, I am going to have a giveaway with some beauty products that are tailor made for the winner. You don't even need to be a follower, just spill it. Write a book. Give advice to all of us. This will be FUN!

Now, let's get started! :-)