I feel pretty--NOT! THE COSMETICS THREAD

i have to tell you, it's fucking awesome

oh you guysssss <3 <3
quincie is a freakin' knockout w/ a+ hair, clothing, and makeup, so i don't know what the problem is here. but <3 u all!

Get back here soon, T!

Surm, one of my SILs put something similar in my Christmas stocking (I think it is Smashbox illuminating finishing powder or something like that), and it does seem to do a nice glowy thing without being overtly glittery!

finishing powder. do you put it all over your face? like, it's a finisher for your foundation?

yes it's kind of light, with different tones of color and slight sparkle. a dusting on your nose and cheekbones is enough, as ur finish.

nice! i will try that on your recommendation

love this thread

me too. even in my hiatus it is one I always checked.

ok so i'm gonna need a bunch of make up in the next week:
super light foundation
mascara
blush
lip stain

urgent recommendations needed! blush and lip stain: very light, natural colours. i know nothing about make up - i never wear it anymore, except for a bronzer and a bit of eyeliner. my bronzer has run out and i can't find i good replacement for it.

what price range we talking? drugstore or department store?

you can not go wrong with nars orgasm blush, no matter what your skin tone. it adds some great color/flush/radiance without looking overly 'blush-y'. i can not wear bronzer bc i am too pale, but my sis described orgasm as being bronzer-like when she tried mine. it's not cheap, but it lasts forever and imo is v v worth it.

i would rather pay drugstore prices, but it's kind of important, so i guess department store?

i should have been collecting this stuff over the last few months, rather than trying to buy it all in one go :/

also if you don't want to buy a foundation, i suggest going to sephora and describing the type of foundation you're looking for and then getting a sample of it. will be more than enough to use for the wedding.

T is right about Orgasm on all points. It's amazing and will last upwards of a year because it's very pigmented and you apply with a very light hand. Also it really does look great on most ppl.

oooh the sample thing is a great idea!

Another idea would be to go get your makeup done at a dept store counter and then just buy the essential items but get drugstore knockoffs and copy the look at home. Are you good at applying?

no, i'm terrible! i've never even worn foundation in my life! i'm lazy!!

i'm getting my actual wedding day makeup done professionally, but we have an engagement photo shoot + a reception brunch day after wedding, so i need something more than what i have.

should i try orgasm or is it too pigmented for my skin type?

i don't think it is that pigmented - i think it is less pigmented than regular blush, which is why i like it so much. it gives a "glow" and a hint of color.

Surmounter Theresa and I are both v v fair and we both swear by it. It's worth at least testing it out at Sephora. They are actually awesome at returns so you could also buy it and play around with it. If you don't like it they'll refund you with a receipt or exchange it without one.

x-post - really??? I think it's really pigmented. Funny. I can only use very little. If I put too much on it looks like I got slapped!

give the name, it should look like you got f***ed ;)

well, yeah lol

I just know that i need to apply with a much lighter hand than any other blush. Anyway Justine and Surm should try it. Why? Because it is awesome.

surm, that finishing powder - could i use it on its own, like a bronzer, or does it need to be worn with foundation?

i wear it over just concealer! but remember it's a bit shimmery, so if ur looking for more coverage, i would try something else beneath it

i'm going to try orgasm -- i could use a bit of a "flush" color!

tehresa and q you both look great while i have always been v clueless about this makeup thing, tbh. i hardly wear any and always feel kind of weird if i do. but maybe should get some blush due to being perpetually wayyy too pale. has anyone tried this stuff?
http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/gp/product/B000FBK5HW/sr=1-2/qid=1267551716/

Daria - yes, I have tried it. Some ppl swear by it but I wasn't a big fan. While the color is nice I found it pretty tough to apply correctly because it sets really quickly and if you don't blend immediately it makes dots on your cheeks. Also, it stains your hands!

just1n3 -- just an idea, but maybe "lots of makeup" for these events just isn't for you. if it's going to become a big ordeal and not feel natural, you shouldn't worry about stuff like foundation, etc.

a little concealer, mascara, blush, and lip gloss should be enough for someone who doesn't normally wear makeup. why go nuts?

i like nars penny lane blush, btw. i'm vv fair and it's just right for me. one pkg has lasted me forever.

I hate all my make-up but I don't know if I care enough to search out replacements.

Especially my foundation, suddenly it seems like a horrible choice.

i guess basically i think makeup should be fun, and if it is not fun, then why do it? pretty sure no one will recoil in horror if any of us are not wearing foundation.

Daria you have the kind of beautiful pale transluscent skin and lovely features that require no makeup! Plus cool glasses, which I think of as an eye makeup substitute.

Therese had perfect glowy cheeks, so if that was Orgasm, I recommend.

Here are my thoughts for just1n3; I am not a product junkie or anything but I am very very picky about the stuff I wear:

super light foundation: I am pale, like something very sheer (just enough to even out skin tone a little bit; I'm OK with my broken capillaries and sunspots shining through in all their glory because to cover them would require something v. heavy), and have settled on MAC studio fix--it comes in a bazillion colors so easy to match (get MAC SA to help you). I think it is maybe $25, so high for drug store but low for department store foundation.

mascara: I like Kiehl's (~$12), L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black (a thread recommend iirc; cheaper than the Kiehl's), Bad Gal ($$), and Dior Show ($$$).

blush: again, I'm pale and like a subtle blush; Clinique's powder blush in Honey has been my go-to since high school. Don't recall what it costs because a compact lasts literally YEARS.

lip stain: I don't really have on (more of a bright lipstick gal myself), but Clinique's Black Honey is OK--I keep it in the car for quicky lip color when I've forgotten my lipstick.

I should mention that the MAC Studio Fix is a powder foundation--I just use the spongey thing that comes with it (dry), and it is easy-peasy even for me.

a testament for my love for this thread--I started reading it immediately rather than my just-delivered annual performance review ahahahah.

It's spring and I'm the palest I get all year -- haven't gotten any sun in 6+ months, and the bracing winter breezes that pinkened my cheeks for a while there are all gone. Have become all one color and terrifying.

Will go to MAC counter this wkend and try the studio fix, thx q.

q otm re d: i recall lovely skin! don't muck that up with makeup if you don't have to!

i may have to check on that mac foundation. i was using makeup forever hd for like 2 years but since my skin's 'change' in the past 6-9 months it doesn't absorb as well and i feel like i have this film going on and i want to wipe my face off after an hour. like it all rises to the surface or something. v weird.

and yes, i was wearing orgasm @ ethiopian night, so there! i am also v v pale right now :( pics my friend took from that dc weekend make me look ghostly!! that benetint stuff always makes me think of the rouge gel we would put in our caboodles to use for ballet recitals. remember caboodles?!?! <3

can we get some photos up in this thread? here is a shitty iphone picture of me with my completed census form:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4441473078_238446f0a8.jpg

i am wearing makeup! not much. blush, eyebrow powder, mascara, concealer. not sure why i bother, looking at that picture.

I have been looking for an old school caboodle all week and can't find one. Anyone know where to get one these days?

what is the greatest concealer to cover the worst zit i have ever had in my life?
my. rainier has decided to relocate with me, via my chin :( :( :(

what about eyeliner, ladies? i have this eyeliner i've been using for ages, but it comes off really quickly. this normally doesn't really bother me, since i'm just wearing casually, but i would like something a bit better quality.

i don't want to actually look 'made up' - i just want to look like a better, fresher, smoother, more even-toned version of myself!

I love the L'Oreal Lineur Intense but it's a liquid liner, so you have to be good with the brush AND be okay with the dramatic, clean-edged look. NB: I think this item has an unusually good brush for its price and for being a drugstore product!

having never applied liquid eyeliner in my life, now is probably not the best time for my first attempts. plus, i think it might be a bit heavy for the look i'm going for?

Well the thing is, it never comes off. Actually it PEELS off, at the end of the day, in big chunks. So at least it has that going for it.

i have been on this mac powerpoint eyeliner for years and it's great. very easy to apply. lasts well. my color is bordeauxline but i am sure there are lots of good ones!
do not use a gel eyeliner, it will flake off!

i like the bad gal eyeliner from benefit

probably gonna make this my mission saturday morning. kind of dreading it, as make up counter girls freak me out a little :/

i wish i could go with you!

me too! i wish i could take my one friend here, but she's moving house this weekend. i need someone who knows what they're doing, bc that sure is hell isn't me.

protip: do not let any sales people do your makeup if you do not want to look like they do. if someone has way too much makeup on, etc., they are probably going to do your face similar to how they do their own. beware.