I know, I never blog on here. For one thing, I feel like this blog should stick SOLELY to "the art of housewifery", but, well, I'm kind of a crap housewife! I don't have that many useful tips to add to the proceedings. (Although I AM actually working on some tutorials that I think will be awesome!) Hell, I need more help than anyone.
So I think I'm going to just blog what I feel like as it relates to my life - I am a housewife of sorts, and this blog is about what a hot mess I am. My goal is to blog at least 30 times before I turn 30, which is October 14th. I'm giving myself free rein to blog what I feel like bloggin', as long as it relates to my life and my experience as a woman trying to be modern, mature, and domestic.
So, onto the actual entry:
I have become a big ol' girly-girl as of late. As I've mentioned before, I got lazy about my looks and dressing well in college, and since The Hubs thinks I'm cute when I'm makeup-free and in a tee and jeans, I figured, what's the point?
Well, for the last year or so, I realized that I'M the point. I'M worth being cute. As Ryan Gosling's character says to Steve Carrell's in "Crazy, Stupid, Love", "Be better than The Gap." I take that as a simpler way to say, "Think higher of yourself, and dress accordingly."(I have no problem with the Gap as a store.)
Now, I'm not saying that I've started adorning myself in high-end labels and piling on heavy layers of expensive makeup, which to ME was what I associated as being "girly-girl". I mean, I know how to do my face up nice; I read women's magazines religiously as a teenager, and I remember every tip and trick. (Studying theater make-up in college doesn't hurt, either. ;p) BUT doing my hair and a full face and then heels and uncomfortable clothes just didn't sound worth it to me, even with the idea of valuing myself higher.
So I've found my own comfort level, my own compromise between "glamazon" and "tomboy", when it comes to my day-to-day look. Clothes-wise, I still wear jeans (or shorts), but my t-shirts are not unisex anymore - they're specifically bought from the women's section and made to flatter my shape more. I also have no problem switching it up with leggings (or jeggings) and a cute top/ mini-dress. The shoes are cute flats or strappy sandals. As for the face, I wear makeup that looks like I'm not wearing makeup, so I feel like I'm a slightly-more-polished version of my own actual face. Again, occasionally I'll do up my eyes with a more colorful shadow palette, but overall my makeup routine stays relatively simple.
Best part? Takes me 15 minutes tops, hair AND makeup. Not. Even. Kidding. I've got it down to a science.
You want to know my makeup routine? Of course you do. Who DOESN'T want to have a natural-looking-but-better face in less than 10 minutes?
Products needed:
- a warm peach-tone blush (Mine is by NYC); if you're pale, you might want an actual eyeshadow that's closer to your skintone, bb. I recommend ivory or butter for pale skin.
- brown eyeliner (Wet n' Wild, baby!)
- a taupe/light brown eyeshadow (mine is part of a duo from Clinique that is, like, YEARS old)
- your preferred mascara (I keep it old-school with Maybelline Great Lash)
- Tinted moisturizer as close to your skin tone as possible. This is where I splurge on the good stuff - your skin should be where you spend the money when it comes to makeup, IMHO. Ya need a properly primed canvas if you want the painting to stand out, amirite? I use LORAC.**
- tinted lip balm. I totally scored these $2 ones at SaveMart that smell like peppermint and look good on me - I bought one of every color. $2!
Tools:
- an eyeshadow brush (I like this one from e.l.f.)
- a blending brush (You should have this no matter what. Again, I buy cheap stuff from e.l.f.)
- your fingers. Seriously. That's it.
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| The "Before" (I assure you I am wearing a towel on my body as well). No makeup, fresh out of the shower! |
Eyes - This'll be the one that takes some time, but it's also where you want the most attention if you have beautiful eyes, dammit. I have beautiful eyes, dammit, so attention must be paid. ;D
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| See the red circle? That's the "crease". Put the brown shadow there. |
- Sweep peach blush over your entire upper eyelid, including the browbone.
- Put the taupe eyeshadow on the edge of your brush, the sweep the crease of your eyelid. As gross as it sounds (if you're one of those people who get weird about eyeballs), you basically want to follow the top of your eyeball, like as if the brush was resting on it and rolling back and forth dispersing the eyeshadow.
- Lightly brush your blending brush over entire eyelid to soften your eyeshadow.
- Line the outer third of your upper eyelid with the brown eyeliner. You want a thin line, so apply it like you're trying to color in the roots of your eyelashes (a great tip I read). Then smudge it with your fingertip so it's not so harsh.
- Apply mascara to JUST THE OUTER THIRD of your lashes, one good swipe is plenty. Remember, we're going for "natural" here, not "drag queen". "Drag queen" is for going out at night ONLY.
- Apply tinted moisturizer with your fingers all over your face and into the top of your neck. SERIOUSLY. BLEND IT INTO YOUR NECK. You don't want the dreaded "brown jaw" from forgetting to blend the makeup PAST your jaw. Make sure to overlap slightly in different areas via blending. I cannot stress how important blending is, seriously.
- Apply tinted lip balm.
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| Ta-da! Full face makeup, but not overly made up. |
Now, I'm not claiming that I am OMG SO MUCH MORE GORGEOUS with this routine, but it's enough to make me feel a little more gussied up and polished. Like I'm taking what (insert deity of choice here) gave me and adding a nice glossy coat to ensure it looks its best.
**Alternately, I also use Almay's Smart Shade Smart Balance foundation when I can't afford the REALLY good stuff - and I'm a little in love with it. It's heavier than tinted moisturizer, but still offers sheer coverage, plus it really does blend in to match your skin (LOOOOVE IT) and evens out my uneven coloring while covering my redder areas. It's also cheaper. BUT you need to take the extra step of moisturizing, which is a strike against it on principle of "easy makeup application"; it also dries hella fast, so you have to apply and BLENDBLENDBLENDOMGBLENDGODDAMMIT, which is why I ultimately prefer tinted moisturizer. Still, I'm out of LORAC right now (and can't afford more), and happily using Almay in the meantime (and in the "after" picture). Just throwing it out there if you want a slightly heavier base.
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