When She Puts Her Eyes On

It's so time to go to bed.  I said I was going to write every day, and I wanted to have something to write about today for

I decided to go with "Tutorial Tuesday" instead of "Craft-tastic Tuesday," since it would give me more freedom to do tutorials on things other than crafts.  It's also a better alliteration.  I have been wanting to make a skirt for a while, and since I had today off of work, I thought this would be a great day to tackle this project.

Unfortunately, I GROSSLY overestimated my sewing abilities.  Even now, I think it shouldn't be nearly as difficult as it has been.  And that was just the cutting out part!  I finally have the pieces cut out, and now at nearly 2am, I'm so over it.  I'll try to sew it tomorrow, since I actually want to wear it this weekend.  If it turns out to be wearable, I may post the pictures.  Actually, once I get over the annoyance, it will probably be pretty funny {as a sort-of Anti-Tutorial, or "What not to do when dealing with knit fabrics"}.  Maybe next week; maybe never.

Since I would like to post something, I'll pull out these pictures.  I took them last April, as a justification for all of the makeup I purchase and use.   Most of these pictures are pretty unflattering and unretouched, but it is what it is.  I hope you can see the transformation that occurs when I put makeup on, and why I feel so much more confident when wearing it.

**I'm not trying to sell anything; I briefly considered selling Mary Kay, but I can't be married to one brand of cosmetics.  Plus, most of them are so pushy, and I hate sales.  I really, really, really hate sales.  That's one big reason why I work in a hospital.

Anyway...here's my face with zero makeup.  Horrible.

Zits, uneven skin-tone, perpetual dark circles, oily, etc.  Ugh.  So I usually start with a moisturizer.  I have been using Olay Complete Moisturizer for a while; it's okay.  I prefer Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel {for oily skin}, but Olay is a lot cheaper.  And I guess it does the job.  I'll put it on first thing in the morning, and give it a few minutes to soak in.  I'll usually work on my hair or eat breakfast or something, then come back.

I didn't take a picture of it, but I'll put on a primer after moisturizing.  Some people think it's a waste of time, and many prefer a BB cream, which includes a primer, but for me, any primer makes a huge difference.  It makes my skin look amazing.   A primer that I really love is Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer.

I have been using mostly liquid foundations recently, though I do like Bare Minerals Original powder foundation too.  The problem with Bare Minerals is that my skin tone falls between two different shades, so I have to buy two pots and mix them.  And at $27 apiece, that's a pretty hefty investment.  It lasts for a long time, but when you can get a liquid for $7 at Target, it's worth it.  Also, as an FYI, I have tried a lot of different mineral makeups, and none of them are as good as Bare Minerals for coverage, feel, texture, etc.  This is using liquid makeup; I'm currently using Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse, which I really like.  I almost always need the lightest shade available since I'm so freaking white, but I also have to be careful with warm vs. neutral vs. cool shades.  I need everything to be very neutral--any orange or blue undertones look terrible on me!

Better, but still pretty pale.  I haven't found any concealers that have changed my life, so I'll usually just go with a full-coverage foundation.  Anyway, I then put on some blush.  This first step is Ulta's Extreme Wear Mousse Blush in Nude Glow {or as I like to call it, "Healthy Glow"}.  Throw some on, and voilà: I don't look like a corpse.

Um, in case you hadn't noticed, I really suck at taking pictures of myself.  Anyway, sometimes I'll follow up with some bronzer.  I'm not super-attached to bronzers, though if I found a really good one I might use it all the time.  The one I have now is Maybelline Mineral Power Bronzer.  It's nothing to write home about.

I'll put it pretty much all over, but use it sparingly.  I have had to wipe it off and start over sometimes when applied too heavily.  Let's do a quick review.

Then--and I think this is the most important part of the whole routine--come the eyebrows.  Having well-defined eyebrows makes a huge difference in one's face.  Some people use powder, others use mascara, but I like a pencil.  I use the Beautique Blonde pencil from Sally Beauty Supply.  It's cheap and it does the job.  I also use the Beautique silver pencil sharpener to get a really nice point on it.

Now, compare that with photo #1 {no makeup}.  I have very little natural arch, so I like the pencil to define it.  Pretty amazing, eh?  Definitely worth the time.

I have used stencils before, which can be helpful with shape, but I usually just freehand it.  I also tweeze my  eyebrows myself.  I had them waxed once, and she honestly didn't do much.  A couple of hints: don't overpluck {ask me how I know!}, and look for your natural arch.  It's supposed to hit in a direct line from your nose, through your iris, kind-of like this.

Here's a much better explanation than I can give.  There are plenty of resources on the internet, so go get 'em.  I need to move on.

Sometimes I do an eyeshadow primer like this one.  It does help with color, especially when you have perpetual dark circles around your eyes like me.  It also helps prevent smudging and caking.

Then comes eyeshadow.  My eyeshadow routines vary; this picture is using a gold and purple palette from Clinique Bonus Week {that's the ONLY time I buy anything from Clinique!}.  I don't get too crazy with colors; I generally stay pretty neutral.  I'm currently in love with Ulta eyeshadows.

Here's a pretty good tutorial for eyeshadow.  I'll usually do an all-over neutral color {like Ulta's Lustre}, highlight the browbones and inner corner of the lids with something lighter {currently using Ulta's Naked}, create some depth with a brown in the outer corners, and sometimes put a shimmer over the top.  Ulta's Glitter Eye Topcoat in Fairy Princess is my newest favorite thing.  I LOVE IT.

A note about brushes: I have a bunch, but pretty much use just one similar to this for all of my eyeshadow purposes.  Spongy applicators are okay, but they get cakey and don't blend very well.

I'll usually do an eyeliner {no particular brand; whatever is cheap}.  This one is a brown pencil; the color will depend on my mood.  Sometimes it's a black eyeliner kind of day; sometimes I'll use a liquid for a cat-eye effect, sometimes just on the upper lid, sometimes all the way around.  Other times I'll skip it all together.  I can't imagine getting eyeliner tattooed.  To be stuck with one color and one style {not to mention having those needles that close to your eye!  Yikes!} is not cool.  Play with it; have fun!

And the last step is mascara.  I go through different brands, trying to find the ultimate all-in-one.  I have yet to find it.  Often I'll go with two different ones--one for lengthening {first coat}, and one for volume {second coat}.  My usual is two coats on top and one coat on bottom.

I'm currently using CoverGirl Lash Blast in Black.  It's okay.  I really like Benefit's "They're Real!" and Clinique's High Impact Mascara.  Even so, I'm still on the lookout for the mascara that will change my life.  Let me know if you've found one!

Sometimes I'll add another {pinker} blush and/or a translucent powder over the top of everything {like this one I got from Big Lots for $3}.  Sometimes I'll do something with my lips, but more often than not I'll throw on some lip gloss.  I don't have a favorite brand of lip gloss; I like some flavor and sparkle and a little bit of {neutral or pink} color.  The Beauty Rush collection from Victoria's Secret has some that are really nice, particularly "Slice of Heaven."  I also like Bath & Body Works Liplicious has some good ones, too.  I'll usually have several flavors in my purse.  Also, when I give my Benji kisses, he'll usually lick his lips afterward because it tastes good!  He has destroyed entire tubes for the same reason.  You win some, you lose some.

And that's about it.  Here's a before and after:

Yes, it's a lot of effort; it usually takes me about 10 minutes.  But it really does make me feel better about myself.  It boosts my confidence and it's kind-of an artistic outlet for me.  I think most women fall in who don't wear makeup don't need it.  I admire them, but as for me--I'm super-duper frumpy without it.  And since I'm trying to be FABULOUS, makeup is a pretty obvious part of that for me.

Wow, that took a lot longer than I had anticipated.  I may have to skip Work-It Wednesday, but since nobody but me cares, it's not a big deal, right?  Right.  Good night/morning.