Switching up the ol' makeup routine...
Maybe it's because I'm not used to the moisture I feel when the ocean air rolls through my neighborhood, or maybe I've just gotten sweatier over the years (hot flashes, here I come!), but lately, I feel as though it's been more humid -- uncomfortably so, and so my face has been experiencing (to my disappointment) facial meltdown.
It's like...I'm too sweaty for mineral makeup (Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals) right now, or it looks like it's too much -- like I'm trying to be Kabuki in 95-degree heat.
I decided to change things a little bit to accommodate for what I like to refer to (a term coined by my friend Brooke), as "Sweat Face 2000". So far, it seems to be working out for me.
Here's my regular makeup routine (after cleansing, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen), which works just fine when it's not a million degrees outside and steamy for California weather, which is usually temperate:
- Primer: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer with Dermaxyl
- Foundation: Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Foundation in Medium Beige
- Eyeshadow Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
- Cheeks: MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Sunbasque OR Peachtwist
- Eye Shadows: MAC Matte Shadow in Bamboo (base), MAC Matte Shadow Saddle (crease) OR MAC Frost Shadow in Romp (crease), MAC Satin Shadow in Shroom (browbone highlight)
- Eye Liner: MAC Fluidline in Dipdown
- Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition in Black
- Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Whirl OR MAC Lip Liner in Caramellow, Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750S OR Guerlain Terracotta Gloss & Shine in Amber Sun
- Finishing Powder: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
Here's the new routine. I have highlighted the new items in bold:
- Primer: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer with Dermaxyl
- Eyeshadow Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
- Foundation: MAC Select Tint SPF 15 in NC40 (this has been discontinued but I had some in my makeup kit but had never used)
- Cheeks: MAC Sheertone Blush in Sunbasque OR Peachtwist
- Eye Shadows: MAC Veluxe Pearl Shadow in All That Glitters (base) OR MAC Starflash Shadow in Style Snob (base), MAC Starflash Shadow in Glamour Check!
- Eye Liner: MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy
- Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition in Black
- Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Whirl or MAC Lip Liner in Caramellow, Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750S OR Guerlain Terracotta Gloss & Shine in Amber Sun
- Finishing Powder: Fusion Beauty Mineral Makeup in Medium (also discontinued, but I'd gotten some this past spring from Ulta on sale)
I know it's not a huge change, but not only has it saved me so much more time, it's also fitting for the summer (which is probably something I should have done earlier this season, but better late than never), because now I don't have to be so precise with the eye liner or with the shadow -- it all kinda blends together and looks effortless.
The eye shadows make the biggest difference, I think, with the eye liner following close behind. Although the shadows I've been using are actually darker and more pigmented, they are more forgiving. Switching to a kohl liner gives me that slightly-smudged, imperfect look, and I'm not afraid to "mess up" like I would with the gel liner (MAC Fluidline) that I was using.
I'm disappointed that the MAC Starflash finish is a limited edition, because after I run out of the Style Snob and the Glamour Check!, then I will have to find replacements. (However, the chances of me "running out" are low because I change shadows so often that I have only ever run out of a couple shadows in my entire lifetime.)
So far -- and I've been doing this for the past week! -- the new routine is working out. I think it feels like it's faster because I don't need to carefully apply the tinted moisturizer as I do the foundation (even though it was mineral foundation in powder form, there was still some blending to be done). I think I'm able to apply the tinted moisturizer much faster because it's far more forgiving (it's sheer and I'm not trying to conceal as much as I am trying to even things out). We'll see how long this can go on for!
It's like...I'm too sweaty for mineral makeup (Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals) right now, or it looks like it's too much -- like I'm trying to be Kabuki in 95-degree heat.
I decided to change things a little bit to accommodate for what I like to refer to (a term coined by my friend Brooke), as "Sweat Face 2000". So far, it seems to be working out for me.
Here's my regular makeup routine (after cleansing, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen), which works just fine when it's not a million degrees outside and steamy for California weather, which is usually temperate:
- Primer: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer with Dermaxyl
- Foundation: Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Foundation in Medium Beige
- Eyeshadow Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
- Cheeks: MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Sunbasque OR Peachtwist
- Eye Shadows: MAC Matte Shadow in Bamboo (base), MAC Matte Shadow Saddle (crease) OR MAC Frost Shadow in Romp (crease), MAC Satin Shadow in Shroom (browbone highlight)
- Eye Liner: MAC Fluidline in Dipdown
- Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition in Black
- Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Whirl OR MAC Lip Liner in Caramellow, Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750S OR Guerlain Terracotta Gloss & Shine in Amber Sun
- Finishing Powder: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
Here's the new routine. I have highlighted the new items in bold:
- Primer: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer with Dermaxyl
- Eyeshadow Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
- Foundation: MAC Select Tint SPF 15 in NC40 (this has been discontinued but I had some in my makeup kit but had never used)
- Cheeks: MAC Sheertone Blush in Sunbasque OR Peachtwist
- Eye Shadows: MAC Veluxe Pearl Shadow in All That Glitters (base) OR MAC Starflash Shadow in Style Snob (base), MAC Starflash Shadow in Glamour Check!
- Eye Liner: MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy
- Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition in Black
- Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Whirl or MAC Lip Liner in Caramellow, Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750S OR Guerlain Terracotta Gloss & Shine in Amber Sun
- Finishing Powder: Fusion Beauty Mineral Makeup in Medium (also discontinued, but I'd gotten some this past spring from Ulta on sale)
I know it's not a huge change, but not only has it saved me so much more time, it's also fitting for the summer (which is probably something I should have done earlier this season, but better late than never), because now I don't have to be so precise with the eye liner or with the shadow -- it all kinda blends together and looks effortless.
The eye shadows make the biggest difference, I think, with the eye liner following close behind. Although the shadows I've been using are actually darker and more pigmented, they are more forgiving. Switching to a kohl liner gives me that slightly-smudged, imperfect look, and I'm not afraid to "mess up" like I would with the gel liner (MAC Fluidline) that I was using.
I'm disappointed that the MAC Starflash finish is a limited edition, because after I run out of the Style Snob and the Glamour Check!, then I will have to find replacements. (However, the chances of me "running out" are low because I change shadows so often that I have only ever run out of a couple shadows in my entire lifetime.)
So far -- and I've been doing this for the past week! -- the new routine is working out. I think it feels like it's faster because I don't need to carefully apply the tinted moisturizer as I do the foundation (even though it was mineral foundation in powder form, there was still some blending to be done). I think I'm able to apply the tinted moisturizer much faster because it's far more forgiving (it's sheer and I'm not trying to conceal as much as I am trying to even things out). We'll see how long this can go on for!