Lipcare

I recently bought this lip butter by Nivea and let me say it is AMAZING! It smells delicious, moisturizes my lips, and leaves them supple and smooth. I love food smelling stuff and this is delicious smelling. Doesn't taste delicious. But you aren't supposed to be eating it.

I don't recommend leaving any tins of lip product in your hot summer car, so this is more of a home item. I leave it on my desk!

Makeup Basics

I normally wear makeup on a day to day basis. I like having a nice looking complexion and being ready at all times for social interactions and photographs. I have serious under eye circles and some acne issues. You may choose to or not to wear makeup as little/as often as you want for other reasons.

Here's my daily use makeup bag:

And here is the contents Left to Right:
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
L'Oreal Line Intensifique (now Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner)
L'Oreal True Match Corrector
Tweezerman Tweezers
Prestige Pencil Sharpener
Crappy Cheap Toothbrush
Bonne Bell pencil eyeliner (discontinued)
Cheap Kabuki Brush
Avon Wash Off Waterproof Mascara
Sephora Advanced Lash Booster Mascara
Sephora Smoothing Primer
L'Oreal True Match Powder
L'Oreal True Match Liquid



Start with washing, drying & moisturizing your face. I let my moisturizer soak in while I brush my teeth. Now, on a normal day, I'd just wear: Liquid makeup, concealer, powder & mascara. I don't use the other stuff unless I want to amp it up (eyeliner, eyeshadow) or wear it all day and then into the night (then I'd use the Primer). You don't need to use makeup to become someone else every time. I get a lot of compliments about my skin/complexion and half the time people don't realize I wear makeup every day. By not going overboard every day, I still look pretty natural. I mostly wear makeup every day to correct my flaws and enhance my natural beauty rather than to look like a clown/street walker. Though... more makeup has its time and place.


Choosing your brand and color takes time sometimes. I used CoverGirl liquid as well as powder as a teenager and really found it was giving me terrible break outs. I also used Almay for a long time because it didn't give me breakouts, but it didn't match my color very well. Although Almay Clear Complexion Concealer is still great to cover zits (not under eye circles or other imperfections! JUST zits!). And I also love Almay's Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads (I swear by them!). I liked Palladio's Wet to Dry foundation (I didn't use powder over it) because it made my skin smooth and pale. But it dried my skin out over time and honestly it was too pale for daily use. It was great for the bar though! Oh, that's a tip by the way. If you find a makeup that is a shade too dark or too light, just don't wear it in the day light. Don't throw it away and waste your money! Use it when you go to the bar!

Anyway, in the case of daily wearing makeup, less is more. I use just enough liquid to cover my flaws. Apply with your clean fingertips. Then dab your zits/scars/undereye circles with a bit of the concealer. This will all take time to get skilled at and the more you do it, the better you get at it. A couple of tips: Make sure to go past your jawline and into your neck a bit as well as towards the ears and hair line. I emphasize this because you don't want to look like you are wearing a mask. L'Oreal's liquid lets you build your coverage as needed. So if you see you didn't cover as much as you wanted, work on the other side a bit and then return to the spot to build up more after it has dried a bit.

Finish off your face with a light dusting of powder makeup. I am using a lame kabuki right now but will use it till its dirty and frayed. Previously, I was using Essence of Beauty's Stand Up Powder Brush (from CVS) for years. The bristles finally started coming out of the handle and I couldn't glue it back. Also, I wash my face brush maybe once a month with anti-bacterial soap. It could probably take it once a week if I wasn't so lazy. But this is an important step if you have acne-prone skin. It helps lessen the amount of bacteria you are spreading around.

My two problem areas are covering zits and under eye circles. I found the best way to cover them is as I described above: first liquid makeup, then concealer, then powder. This sometimes doesn't cover enough so I go back over my flaws with another layer of concealer and then use the powder sponge that comes with the powder to just cover those spots. That seems to work like a charm and doesn't make your whole face look cakey.

Mascara is amazing. If I were only allowed to wear ONE makeup item, it would be mascara. It makes a world of difference. I recommend waterproof if you have greasy skin. Also if it is humid or raining out, you anticipate tearing up at all. From crying, having contacts in, going somewhere smokey, basically I recommend waterproof all the time. I will wear non-waterproof to indoor events with controlled climate. The Avon waterproof I my mom gave me is quite nice. It has a nice brush, nice and dark black, lasts and makes non chunky lashes. The sample Sephora is alright. Same as above except I wish it was blacker and it dries and flakes off a little too much for me to want to actually purchase it. My normal brand is Maybelline Great Lash Blackest Black. It ruins washcloths and really necessitates an eye make up remover, but I love it. If you mess up, use a Q-Tip to fix!

That's it for daily-wear. I don't like blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner or fake eyelashes on a daily basis. Maybe one of those things occasionally is fine, but every day is too intense for me. If you look at my very first post, I am wearing my daily wear makeup plus pencil eyeliner.



Eyeliner, eye shadow, use of face and eyeshadow primer, fake eyelashes, lipstick and blush will all be addressed in another post. Hope this helps your basic makeup needs!

Grooming Basics

Let's start off with something very basic. Daily skin care regime, dental hygiene & not smelling gross. These are things you should do every day. I shower daily, sometimes twice if I work up a sweat and would like to smell nice later when I go out to socialize.

Here's what I use on a daily basis and in fact just used moments ago:

Left to Right:
Clear Days Ahead Oil Free Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment Cleanser (by Philosophy)
Oil Free Moisture Sensitive Skin (by Neutrogena)
Sugar Cookie Cologne Spray (by Demeter)
Hot Cocoa Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (by Philosophy)
Mitchum Power Gel Anti-perspirant Deodorant (by Revlon)
Oral-B Vitality Electric Rechargeable toothbrush (by Oral-B Braun)
Colgate Baking Soda and Peroxide Whitening toothpaste (by Colgate-Palmolive)



Ok, so why use all this ridiculous stuff?! To look and smell presentable to the rest of society! And maybe that special someone! *wink wink*

I love all these brands and personally use and endorse them. However, I wasn't paid to endorse them. And I won't be shy to share with you the positive and negative consequences of using any product. That said, here's why I use what I use.

Acne cleanser: 
Even if you don't have acne, I recommend some kind of face wash. Whatever works for your skin type. I have acne. It's a thing. Don't be ashamed, just take care of it! My skin likes to make black heads on my jawline and nose. It likes to make whiteheads on my nose, cheeks and chin (though occasionally just anywhere!) and I also happen to have cystic acne (which no amount of topical anything will help with). This particular cleanser washes my makeup off and doesn't over dry me. I use it in the morning and at night before going to bed. And any time I just want to take my makeup off.

Moisturizer:
I'm sure there are those of you out there who are like "But my skin is so greasy already!" Whatever. You need moisturizer. Just find an oil free one (like the one I use) or one with salicylic acid in it. I'm also sure there are dudes out there going "I'm a dude, I don't need that!" Yes, you do. If you want a lady to come near the thing you kindly call your face, but we secretly refer to as your sandpaper. My skin is very sensitive. To light, to peroxide, and to perfumes. I love Neutrogena because they make excellent skin care stuff for my sensitive skin. I do not recommend their bar soaps though. Nor bar soaps of any kind. Keep away from that stuff.

Perfume:
Honestly, I didn't start wearing perfume daily til very recently. So this step is totally skippable. I will say this kind wears off very quickly and doesn't irritate my skin/eyes (which is why I never wear any other brand of perfume). Wear it if you feel fancy or have a date. Find out if your date has an allergy to perfume or wears contacts first though. Also skip if you have those things!

Bodywash:
I'll be honest, I like Philosophy for their variety of food-smelling body washes. But they are not very moisturizing in my humble opinion. I skip their brand for all of the winter and use something very moisturizing like Aveeno or St. Ive's. Also, if you have perfume sensitivity, this stuff is NOT for you. I also wouldn't use this (or any other brand) as a bubble bath. They tend to lead to Urinary Tract Infections and Yeast Infections. Gross!

Whatever you pick, make sure you use your loofah to scrub your armpits, butt, and feet. In that order. Everything else is incidental. Those three spots are the most gross. I don't recommend for ladies to use soap directly on their lady area for the same reasons you shouldn't use bubble bath. And the same goes for gentlemen: if your junk is too perfumed, it might not taste too good and/or create an adverse reaction for your partner's... receiving area. Use plenty of running water and a washcloth to get those areas sparkling clean!

Lotion (skipped):
I don't lotion every day, but some people need it. I usually only do it once a week in the dead of winter. I like anything with cocoa and shea butter. I can recommend Palmer's, L'Occitane & St. Ive's in that order.


Deodorant:
I use this brand for a few reasons: its clear and doesn't get on all the black clothes I wear. It is a gel and doesn't flake chunks of white everywhere. It actually works. No other brand keeps me from sweating/smelling as well as this does and I am a sweaty ape. There are two catches: you must let it dry all the way before putting your shirt on. Otherwise, BLAM! It's just on your shirt. The other catch is I have noticed it does still leave a residue on all your clothes. Again, the more you let it dry, the less it will do that but it still does. I can only recommend to occasionally scrub the pits of your shirts to keep it from happening. The problem is the aluminum content (that's what's stuck to your shirt) and any deodorants I've tried without aluminum just don't keep me from stinking. Its the price I pay!


Toothbrush/toothpaste:
I recommend an electric over a manual toothbrush only because it is way more thorough and keeps me from pressing too hard when I brush (I have a slight receding gumline due to this!) I usually use a manual toothbrush in the morning and the electric at night though. Either way, you MUST brush your teeth at least twice a day. Morning & before bed. I also highly recommend before going out at night to a bar/date/social engagement. I don't care if you're just going to drink or eat. Brush your dang teeth. Gross teeth are a big turn off for me and its socially awkward when a friend has nasty things in their smile or bad breath.



So there you have it. Basic daily grooming. If you can manage to do these things on a daily basis, you've made it into society!