The Magic of Make-up

the magic of make-up

At the risk of alienating my male readers, I want to be upfront and say this post is about skincare and makeup.  Next week, I promise to attract you muscle men with a more testosterone friendly post, but this one is predominantly for the ladies.  Go enjoy the game and be sure to come back next week!

When I was a teenager, I worked for a dermatologist and learned a few facts about skin.  Putting these facts to work in the service of saving money, I can recommend a number of low cost skin care products that will make you beautiful without breaking the bank.

Vaseline Intensive Care lotion - or the store brand equivalent - is a very good basic moisturizer for almost everyone, but it does not have sunscreen.  Sun damage to your skin is cumulative so the younger you start your face routine w/ sunscreen, the better - unless you have acne. 

The sun generally clears up acne, so let the sun shine on your beautiful face!  Wash your hair every day and keep it off your face.  Use a salicylic acid pad (Clearasil or Stridex) or lotion on your face daily and stay away from oily foods.  Acne may be the perfect example of "you are what you eat" and potato chips are not your friends.  Enjoy fruit and drink lots of water. 

When shopping for cosmetics, remember less is more.  Keep your face as clean as possible and look for "oil-free" and "non-comedogenic" on the label.  Almay, Neutrogena and Clinique are brands to look for, but store brands are good if they contain these key words on the label.

It's difficult to remember this when you are young, but the oil that is making you breakout now will keep your skin young looking and supple as you age.  When you look in the mirror, take a deep breath, smile and repeat after me,  "This too, shall pass."  

For general facial cleanliness, I don't wash my face.  For those under 25, mix a small bottle w/ one half-water and one-half rubbing alcohol.  This is an all-purpose cleaner/toner that replaces Clinique Clarifying lotion perfectly for pennies!  If you are above age 25 or have dry skin, remove make-up w/ Pond's Cold Creme.  You will clean your skin and moisturize simultaneously.  An oldie but reliable goodie.

So my daily make-up routine goes like this:  apply moisturizer w/ sunscreen.  Lubriderm Daily Moisture w/ SPF 15 is a great value at $8.99 for 13.5 ounces, but any moisturizer w/ at least SPF 15 will do.  After you put it on your face, rub the excess into your hands, one of the most exposed parts of your body, and one susceptible to age spots.  

Next, concealer for under eye shadows.  I was a huge fan of Clinique City Stick, but inexplicably they stopped making it (anyone know where I can get some?) so I've switched to Revlon Photoready concealer (#02), which costs $10.49, and does an acceptable job.

Next, powder.  A beautiful woman, (and former Miss Junior Miss and my former boss) Diane Sawyer advises women never to use powder because she says it makes you look older.  Fair point.  Diane is brilliant and I would never contradict her, but in my humble opinion, Clinique's Superpowder Double Face Makeup solves the problem because it can be used wet or dry.  Dampen the sponge applicator and it goes on like foundation.  Dry and it's a traditional powder - helpful for those of us with oily Italian skin.  An alternative liquid foundation that is very good is Revlon's Age Defying Makeup, which has an SPF of 20 and is oil-free.

Next, blush.  I use Clinique's Blushing Blush powder blush in Smoldering Plum.  It's worth spending money on good quality foundation and blush, because these products cover a substantial area of your skin.  Smile to get the apple cheekbones on your face. Blow on the blush brush and apply from the cheekbones diagonally up to your hairline.  If you apply too much, go over it w/ powder.

Now time for the fun part - eyeliner, which I've loved since my childhood friend & I were dressing up for Halloween one year and were playing around w/ make-up.  She drew eyeliner around one eye only and I couldn't believe how much larger that eye looked!

So I've been a fan of eyeliner ever since.  Basic black looks good on everyone, and I've been known to play around w/ blue and deep purple.  But here's the good news: buy the cheapest eye pencil you can find.  Softer ones smudge if you like that, but I find it gets sloppy and I don't like checking my makeup every 10 minutes.  

This is also why I don't wear mascara.  Many of you will find this hard to believe, but to me eyeliner produces almost the same look w/ none of the mess.  I know everyone doesn't agree, so if you are going to wear mascara, the best inexpensive brand is Maybelline Lash Discovery.  It's all in the wand!  The Maybelline site has fabulous make-up lessons for you.

In my previous life I worked in TV and had to be made up to the nines every day.  That meant eyeshadow, which looks sexy and dramatic when applied correctly.  A very light color goes right under your eyebrow (white, pale yellow, pale pink).  A darker color starts at the inner corner of your eye and expands to make an arch that goes slightly over the crease.  I'm fond of natural colors like brown and grey, though my daughter looks stunning in deep purple.  Remember that less is more and eyeshadow, like eyeliner should be inexpensive.

Last but certainly not least is lipstick.  I confess there are two things that I will not leave the house without:  earrings and lipstick!  To that end, I have a lipstick in every pocket of every coat, jacket & sweater I own! 

When I was in my 20's, I wanted lipstick that looked natural, only a bit darker than my lips.  I stumbled upon Brucci Mystic Mauve for $1.99 and I was in heaven!  Sadly, I don't know what happened to Brucci lipstick - please let me know if you do - but NYC #416 Berry High also @ $1.99 is a good substitute.

Now that I'm a little older, I've learned that our lips fade as we age and our lipstick should get a bit deeper, richer.  Today, I apply a base coat of Cover Girl Outlast in a plummy color #542, let it dry and then cover it w/ anything that's high gloss - Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm is my current favorite.  Always remember to draw your finger out of your mouth to prevent the appearance of lipstick on your teeth. 

The best way to learn about make-up is to have it done.  When I first went into TV, my Mom treated me to a make-up studio in New York that applied way too much camera-ready make-up to my young face, but it was an invaluable lesson in technique.  I learned to always blow on the brush before applying clumps of powder and I learned to blend, blend, blend.  Later when I was writing for Diane Sawyer, we would go over  her scripts while she was in hair and make-up, so I got to watch real pros making up one of the most beautiful faces in the world!

You can make an appointment to get your face done at any department store cosmetic counter. Of course, they will try to sell you their products, but you are under no obligation to buy.  If you do succumb to pressure, you can always return an unopened package.  Save your receipt.

I save money on make-up using a few techniques:  I substitute inexpensive brands for items like eye liner, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick.  I never buy premium brands unless there is a "gift bag" promotion (Clinique/Estee Lauder/Lancome, etc.).  I watch for sales at CVS on my favorite value brands, and I order cosmetics from ULTA.   

Wow, this was a lengthy post!  I hope you got something worthwhile out of it. I am really anxious to hear what you think, so sign up and leave a comment if you get a chance.  Next time, we'll tackle clothes shopping for men, women & children.  I have some wonderful tips to share!

Keep calm & carry on...Lori