Makeup Madness

A recent post explored the mind-boggling subject of cosmetics so I thought today it might be fun to discuss my personal makeup application steps. :) (You guys may want to skip this post. I’ll understand.) I tend to err on the side of excess and the pic shown represents my bare bones, basic, utilitarian beauty needs that I dig through every morning. Yet another auxiliary container houses extra makeup and resides in the main bathroom. From a very early age I champed at the bit to begin my initiation into the wonderful world of warpaint. My early teens were spent having my darling dad regularly confiscate contraband tools of the trade as he staunchly forbid his preshus namesake from resembling “a Cleveland hooker.” Not easily dissuaded, I simply sidestepped this horn-locking dilemma by going out and purchasing more goodies. When he finally did return them, they were sad, shriveled up shadows of their former selves. A few years ago, sis and I were visiting back home and strolling downtown when we spied the ‘Real McCoy’ not far ahead of us. I got all excited and squealed that here before our very eyes was what daddy stubbornly refused to let me let me look like. Course, the resemblance might have been harder to detect considering she was black…

Never one to be faithful to one particular brand, I mix and match products with wild abandon, only staying true to a select few that I’ve found produce the best results. Therefore, my morning workday routine goes something like this: Wash face with creamy cleanser followed by popping in the contacts. Dab on light moisturizer around eyes followed by smoothing on velvety soft Vitamin C skin boost serum from The Body Shop. It feels wonderful and is a great base for foundation. Then concealer lightly applied to undereye circles. I am currently using Physician’s Formula in fair. My liquid foundation of choice is Estée Lauder Double Wear makeup in “Shell.” It has the coverage I love and lasts throughout the day and to me, it’s worth every penny. That is followed by either a pressed or loose power to cut down shine. For pressed, my favorite is BeautiControl’s Wet/Dry finish in a light shade. Just recently I read about some highly touted loose mineral powder and purchased the Physician’s Formula product in Creamy Natural. So far, I really love the results. With the exception of tweezing, minimal time is expended on the brows so clear mascara is all I use for taming strays. Mascara is always black and either a freebie from Estée Lauder or L’Oreal’s Voluminous one. Now comes the fun, creative part—colors and a lot depends on what I’m wearing and my mood. I like pencil eyeliners (Revlon ColorStay or Avon) in gray, green, navy, or plum and eyeshadows (Rimmel, Estée Lauder) in muted, medium shades of gray, taupe, mauve, lilac and occasionally green. The lower lid is coated with a liquid liner in navy or green that is applied sparingly. Lipliners, mostly Revlon ColorStay, range from pink, wine, spice, red, and nude and are paired with coordinating lipsticks from Estée Lauder (minus Maraschino, *sniff*), Revlon, L’Oreal, Almay and Maybelline. Oh yeah! I can’t forget the blush—always in a muted pink or peach depending on my outfit. Sound complicated? I can practically do it blindfolded though that might result in me resembling more of a clown than I already do. I guess this takes about 15 minutes (minus hairstyling) so we’re not talking an excessive about of time and the end result is well worth it, but then, I am the Makeup Queen. Right Kerbear? ;)