Monday, January 12, 2009

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

I've been wearing make-up since my early teens. Back then, it was a lot of Bonne Bell, Yardley of London (I wanted to look like Jean Shrimpton), and, of course, Maybelline & Cover Girl. There weren't any Sephoras or Ultas; there was a chain of stores called Merle Norman. I guess they're still around; back then they were known for catering to the "blue-haired" set.
I have never been brand loyal to any one particular brand. I think I've found something I'll stick with and then, I spot an ad in a magazine or see a commercial on tv and, boom, I gotta have it.
For 2009, I've decided to try and not be so fickle when it comes to cosmetics. A few months ago, I started buying various Bare Minerals products, wore them a bit, and moved on. A few weeks ago, I started wearing them again and noticed I was getting compliments, even if some of them were a bit backhanded. Tony, the mailroom guy, dropped off some mail to me last week and said "What did you do? You look different. You look good." Uh, thanks, I guess.
Over the weekend, I purged just about all my partially used make-up - foundations, eyeliners, mascaras, blushes, you name it - I didn't think twice. I held on to just a couple of items from Nars and Urban Decay, but otherwise, it's going to be Bare Minerals from now on.
The only exception is lipsticks. I cannot walk into any store that sells make-up - drug, department, whatever, and not at least check out the lipcolor and,more times than not, buy at least one. The problem is I'm a terrible judge of what colors look best on me. I think they look great in the tube, but, so many times, I hate the way it looks on me. The same thing goes for eye shadow. I rarely wear it because, if I try any shades but brown, I feel I look like a clown. I would love to have a complete makeover done, head to toe, like on "What Not To Wear." Anyone want to nominate me?
So, I'm curious to see how long I can do this. This upcoming weekend, the LSH & I are planning on heading to the Freehold Mall, which I don't get to very often and which has a Sephora store there. You know, I HAVE to stop there to, at least, check out the lipstick.

2 comments:

  1. I would also love to have Carmindy tell me how to do the "5 minute" face. I try my best, but I can improve w/all this stuff.
    BTY, I use Bobbi Brown products; I like her philosophy.
    Take Care.

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  2. Once in a Blue Moon I used to go to whatever makeup counter I was currently using and schedule a makeup consultation. I've used Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Mac. They all have had really good artists that didn't make me look ridiculous. Just tell them you want something simple and natural. They'll do your whole face and show you which eye shadows, blushes and lip colors are most complimentary to you. It's super fun too. Just save your pennies because if you want to buy everything they use it can be expensive.
    I love Bobbi Brown right now too Purple Flowers. I was at a Small Business seminar in NYC where Bobbi and Kate and Andy Spade were the speakers and I liked them all very much.

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