Check in with your makeup-loving friends, because, chances are they’re wearing very little makeup, or no makeup at all, LOL!
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had a conversation over the past few months with a makeup-loving friend or a bonafide beauty buddy that included the phrase, “I really haven’t been wearing any makeup lately.”
Seems like everyone I know who normally loves painting their face is currently primarily sticking to sunscreen and a smile these days, and that includes yours truly.
I’m sitting here writing this post completely bare-faced, and ya know what? I’m cool with it, even though not wearing a lot of makeup has made coming up with ideas for Makeup and Beauty Blog posts…more challenging. (Side note: MBB turns 14 years old this February! OMG!)
The last full face of makeup I wore was about a week ago. It was a 15-minute variation of this matte brown eye look with coral-pink cheeks (MAC Warm Soul Blush) and lips (Honest Beauty Happiness Liquid Lipstick).
I also busted out a long-time foundation favorite of mine that I haven’t used in a while, MAC Face and Body, a.k.a. LOVE OF MY LIFE.
I’ve been OBSESSED with this liquid foundation for years, and using it last week reminded me why! Whenever I drift away from it and temporarily land on a different product, it usually looks heavy or obvious. But MAC Face and Body always comes through. It has the perfect amount of sheer, natural-looking coverage, and it’s so lightweight that I can’t even feel it.
I think it looks particularly fetching with a touch of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder dusted on top…
Let it be known that I haven’t entirely stopped wearing a full-face of makeup. ? I still like to wear a little, like very scaled-down eyes with just a brow pencil, mascara and liner.
Lately, my liner of choice has been a dependable workhorse — one of the skinny waterproof Chanel twist-up pencils from the Stylo Yeux line. I’ve been all about Blackwood, which is a rich matte dark brown that’s great for tightlining, but I also love good ol’ Noir Intense and Espresso.
So, friend, where are you right now on the makeup continuum? What have you been wearing as of late?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I do pretty much the same look day to day – however much coverage I need, usually not a lot (I have video calls most days for work, so I like to look put together), winged liner with my Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid liner, mascara, and a tinted brow gel (I have both the Anastasia in Caramel and Glossier Boy Brow in auburn). I add lip color when I’m on video.
Your look sounds similar to my running errands makeup (when I’m in the mood to put some on, ha).
LOVE that Clinique liner!
It’s so easy to use! Ulta had a little set with a full size of the liner, a full size High Impact mascara, and a mini eye makeup remover for $14! The liner alone is more than $20 so I bought two sets.
That’s a good deal! If I see it I’m going to grab it!
My above-the-mask hasn’t changed. Brows, mascara, pro prime and a swath of shadow for liner. 🙂 Then, it’s just clear sunscreen. I don’t have very many maskless video calls but, when I do, I am super happy to go back to tinted moisturizer/sunscreen, blush (gah! I miss it so much) and even a little lip balm or gloss. 🙂
PS The grays are growing in really nicely! You made a good decision not waiting until you were mostly gray and then dealing with a band of regrowth. 🙂
Thank you! I’m looking forward to the day when I can get a trim and take off all the leftover dye that’s hanging around! That’ll be a good day!
I’m so curious to see how the pandemic is going to affect makeup trends. Will the no makeup makeup look take over? Or are people going to go back to super full coverage products and matte lips to avoid transfer on masks? I’ve personally been loving not wearing much makeup because it saves me so much time in the mornings!
I’ve wondered the same thing too. I think for a while (at least a year, maybe even two), minimal makeup and skin care will be the big trend.
I would love to see eye shadow SINGLES make a comeback. Palettes generally only have a couple colors I would actually use and it’s not worth it for me to drop $40+ on something that has a couple miniature sizes of colors that I actually use.
I have a feeling that lip products and other high effort/coverage products will, outside the few people like me who are still using them now, come back in full force as soon as Fauci et al declare that it’s safe to stop wearing masks! At the very least, I know I’ll wear red lipstick in public the second it’s safe to do so!
I haven’t worn face makeup for about a year now! I still wear mascara, liner, a little eye shadow and I do my brows. No point wearing makeup because I wear an N-95 mask all day (now, that’s not fun). I got my 2nd vaccine yesterday, so I am hoping that the world will get better soon.
Since unless I am going out anywhere for errands, the only “people” who see me are my dogs, and they don’t care whether I’ve done my makeup or not so long as I feed them on time, I almost never wear makeup any more. I don’t spend time in the mornings putting it on and spend time in the evenings washing it off.
I do think I look better with my makeup on (concealer and mascara, especially) but for the time involved and using up my products when it’s only me looking at myself in the mirror, it’s just something I skip unless I want to go out and about without scaring anyone!
I have gone for months with just wearing moisturizer, a Becca First Light primer and Korres lip butter–I’m still working remotely and when I do leave the house, the mask covers up so much of my face I think why bother?
But then I realized that the lack of makeup application has been a factor in my pandemic slump. So I started last week wearing foundation, blush and lipstick. It’s amazing how good makeup makes me feel.
p.s. You are rockin’ those grays something fierce! Love the hair!
I try to do my regular makeup once a week or more. I need to because if I go too long, I seem to forget how to apply eyeliner lol. It’s good to keep my skills fresh.
My only makeup loving friend doesn’t seem to be very interested in talking to me. Why is it as we grow older that it’s hard to make new friends? Or, at least keep the ones you have?
We didn’t have a fall out but I’ve grown tired of reaching out and having no response in return. Chatted with my mom and she told me of her experiences of just losing friends. She said something that stuck with me. “I don’t need to beg for your friendship, or any friendship for that matter.” And this has helped me accept this “loss” peacefully.
Oh, makeup is one of those things where if you don’t use it, you lose it, for sure! I feel like in the last year my blending skills have severely deteriorated. Once upon a time I could put false lashes on in my sleep and now, I dunno.
Also I know what you mean about how it takes much more work to maintain friendships after you reach a certain age/point in life. When I was in school, and even when I was first started working in my 20s, it was easier to maintain friendships because my friends and I were always seeing each other. Plus, I was 10000% less tired and less stressed…. And to be honest I think I had a bigger capacity and more patience to handle other people’s nonsense.
Now it seems like everyone is busy with their jobs and families. Even meeting for a FaceTime chat requires a herculean effort.
I was actually talking about this to my hubs today because I’m going through something similar. I have a friend who I’ve known since I was a child, and for the past few months I’ve sent her cards and notes and haven’t heard a peep from her. Just when I think I’m ready to let go, she texts out of nowhere. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to keep trying.
Sorry about the loss of your friend. Sending you a hug.
The hair clips and your facial expression in the top photo! Lol. The other photo though? Absolutely gorgeous! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you have beautiful hair! And I’m loving the gray!
Sometimes I want to be able to give thumbs up to the other comments as I read them. Like Chelsea reminding me I need to check Ulta for specials more often, because a liner, mascara and remover for $20 is a good deal. And I agree with kellly, I would love to see single shadows offered more, maybe with some sort of click together design. There are always shadows I know I will never touch in palettes. And they’ve gotten so huge lately. And I hear Savannah on the friendship thing. I mean, even before the pandemic, how many times do I need to ask to meet for coffee before I give up?
Ah well. Like everyone else, I’ve been concentrating on skincare. Although something about the constant stress of current events seems to be rendering all my skincare moot. Even if I don’t put on foundation, I do like wearing a swipe of shadow, liner and mascara. I think it’s mostly the mascara that helps. Once a week I go into my stash and try on stuff I haven’t touched in a while. Then I either decide it’s a keeper or it needs to get tossed.
Like Linda, here is hoping the world gets better soon.
That’s a good idea. If I ever get redesign the site again (who knows?) I’ll try to remember adding that feature.
OK, so look what I found on the Ulta website! The Clinique set is available online, and it’s on sale for $12!
No need to redesign this site. It’s wonderful as it is!
Woohoo! Liner, mascara and remover all for $12! Thanks for sharing that with us!
I wear undereye concealer and lipstick pretty much every day. I don’t wear liquid foundation, but use a little Lancome Dual Finish Powder to even things out. If I do wear some powder, I put a little blush on, usually a highlighting one. I never wear eyeshadow, but I do use a little mascara on most days. Sometimes I line the tops of my lids, but only slightly. I don’t line the bottom, because I feel like it ages me. And I need all the help I can get, because I’m turning 54 next month. LOL!!
I’ve had plenty of no-makeup days recently, but I’ve really noticed that slapping on some brow powder, mascara, and lipstick does WONDERS to make me feel more put-together! Just looking in the mirror and thinking “aw I look cute!” Rather than getting a glance of the frazzle-haired monster I turn into when I’m in “work mode” is a nice change of pace ?
I’m very much the societal outlier in this day and age!
I’ve insisted on doing a full face of makeup (a new look a day, using different books and blog posts, including, this blog!) every single day of this pandemic, regardless of how tired I might be that day or how late it might be by the time I get around to doing my makeup, because it’s the one area of life that I know I can always have control and normalcy amidst all the fear and sadness. In deference to masks, if it’s a work day or I otherwise have to leave the house, I wait on the lip and cheek products until I get home, but I do make sure I get every element for that day. Like Savannah said, I don’t want to lose any of my abilities, and I don’t want to neglect my appearance and fall into Jennifer’s pandemic slump.
I still wear makeup almost daily, but usually the same soft smokey eye with a little liner and not much else. Put on a red lip today and smeared it all over my face because I completely forgot I was wearing it.
You’ve never looked better! You look even younger!
By the way, ever try Swiss chocolate blush by MAC?
What shade are you now in the face and body? I didn’t see it listed. Looks great on you!