Matchy Matchy Eyeshadow, No No
Berrysmom asked in a recent comment, "How do I use eyeshadow? Do I match it to my clothes, or what?"
Berr, look at Beyonce over there. She's a gorgeous kid, but it's *so* 80's for her to have a whole load of turquoise blue eyeshadow slathered all over her lids to match her turquoise blue gown.
I mean, she's still gorgeous, but that look would be disastrous on you or me.
Eyeshadow should be, first and foremost, flattering to your coloring, not your garments. At our age (I'm over 40 and you're over 50, B's Mom), eye shadow isn't about matching our gowns but about making our eyes deeper, more striking and more noticeable.
Use your own foundation as a base to erase shadows, then use a finger-shaped brush to apply a brightening base shade from lashes to eyebrow. Pencil in the eyebrows with a light feathery touch. Curl eyelashes, apply mascara, and you can be done for everyday. Of course PeaceBang almost always also uses liner.
PeaceBang owns a wide variety of eyeliners: black liquid, black liquid dramatic with a thicker brush, blue liquid, brown liquid, and smudgy pencils in gold-flecked brown, kohl black, midnight blue/purple/gray and shimmery white (for adding a spot of brightness to the inside corner of the eye, an old stage trick that helps eyes look farther apart). She loves her some eyeliner, but she's been messing with it for decades and knows better now than to leave her eyes looking like they were outlined by some kid with a crayon. Blend, blend, blend!! If you're wearing liquid liner... well, that's an art form all its own. Maybe PeaceBang will produce a video on how to apply liquid eyeliner.
Your eyeshadows, Berrysmom, should be browns, taupes, and grays. You can experiment with how intensely to apply them based on how well-rested you are, what kind of look you're going for, and what other colors will be close to your face, or on it.
Tip: Applying one solid eyeshadow color all over one's lid and up into the crease is a surefire way to make your eyes look much smaller. The only way to counteract that effect is to wear enormous false eyelashes like Miss Knowles is in the photo. And methinks that big fluttery falsies in the ministry would be just a wee bit over-dramatic, non?
Labels: Cosmetic Enhancement, Eyes
posted by PeaceBang at 7:02 PM
19 Comments:
False eyelashes too dramatic in ministry? Say it ain't so!
More's the concern that so many churches have bad lighting, that too much lash would keep eyes from being seen at all.
Can you say more, PB, on applying mascara? I can get by with putting on other eye products. The fuzzy brushes are beyond me. It all clumps, no matter how carefully done.
And speaking of eyes - from this post and the previous one - Mary Kay has this neat facial highlighting pen in four shades. Dab and blend anywhere to remove dark circles, creases around the mouth, etc. I was recruited to demonstrate this new product at a Mary Kay consultant's meeting, and the consultants and I saw immediate and positive results.
Oh, PeaceBang, how I need your help. I'm 32 years old and never have been a habitual user of makeup, but I've been called to a new church as the rector and its time I stop dressing like a DRE. I have a bag of makup supplies that I bought for my wedding from Origen, but its many years old now and probably quite clumpy and gross. Any tips on how to get started on my new life of Episcopal glam-glam?
Do you have suggestions for mascara for contact-lens wearers? Whenever I wear mascara with my contacts, my eye itch, itch, itches. It's fine with glasses. And it's fine without the mascara. But I look rather odd with full-face makeup and no mascara at all.
And, of course, if it could cost five bucks instead of fifteen, thst would be lovely.
Last year, I bit the bullet and went to the Bobbi Brown counter and got "done". I even bought most of the stuff, which of course you don't have to do.
It was pricy, but the results are priceless. I know what colors work for me, I can put on a neutral, professional looking face in about 10 minutes, and as that those products run out I've been able to replace some of them with lower cost options (not the foundation, though--that stuff is great.) Getting someone to show me how the eye makeup works was very helpful, since I learned how to put makeup on in the early 1980's (let's just say I had lots of navy and purple--gross).
I don't work for the company--honestly--and the skill of the counter worker is much more important than which product.
As far as inexpensive mascaras go, cover girl has something with a plastic brush that I like a lot. It is in a purple case but I don't remember the name. I use contacts, and I've been very satisfied.
Thanks, Jinnis! I'll have to hunt down a Mary Kay person and find it. (We have lots of them down South here so it shouldn't be a problem.)
Has anyone tried the Dr. Hauschka makeup? I lust after it and have only tried their skin care products, which I love and have no junk in them. The product of theirs I am thinking of trying is the translucent powder (using the nice brush I got when PeaceBang gave us brush advice; it's been sitting there all lonely while I use my matching blusher and eye shadow brushes) which is pricey pricey but looks like it will last and last.
And dear Episcopal sister Mamacita, first of all, congratulations! A rector, and at age 32! Fabulous. Second, throw OUT all that old makeup. PeaceBang will tell you the same thing. It's clumpy and stale and it probably has germs and dust you don't need. The Rev. PeaceBang will give you excellent advice on the rest.
I think that purple Cover Girl mascara is called "Remarkable," but I'm not absolutely sure. I liked it pretty well, though if I remember correctly, I stopped using it because it didn't come in a waterproof formula. That's a must for me. Everything else seems to start smudging about 4 hours into the day. Also, it's good to be able to get a little misty-eyed (a tendency for me) without worrying too much that I will have black brooklets running down my face.
I wear glasses but have never worn contacts, so I don't have experience of the problem myself. I imagine it's better to risk mascara smudging or running a bit than to use a formula that irritates the eyes.
Almay used to brag on themselves about their products all being hypoallergenic. I was never impressed with the few items I tried, so I haven't bought any in years. Maybe that's a line worth checking out now, though. (I an ALL about $5 over $15 for makeup, as long as it performs like a $15 product, that is!)
Oh yes, many congrats to Mother Mamacita! I concur: PB will definitely sort all this out for you. She's had a lot of articles the past few months about basic wardrobe for clergy that it might be fun to browse around for. PB, do you think you could do (or point us to) an article about "the basic makeup wardrobe"?
lash exact is the mascara I like.
(typing tersely with a baby in my lap)
Thanks, all! I'll check out the Remarkable soon. I'm also getting new contacts, which may get rid of any crud that's on my current ones.
Ellis, do you wear soft lenses? If you do, switch to disposables! Brand new lenses every coupla weeks, at ~$25 for three pairs!
I'll never go back to non-disposable barnacles.
Mamacita, my love! Do not despair! Send me a photo and I will do you a personal recommendation, how about?
peacebang-AT-msn.com
You made me laugh calling the make-up line Origen instead of Origins. So theological of you.
Or at least e-mail me and describe your coloring and your look so I can steer you to the right line.
On mascara: I adore Remarkable Washable Waterproof by Cover Girl, and I wear contact lenses. However, a little trial and error is really important with mascara. Keep your receipts and purchase from a place with a good return policy, like Rite-Aid or CVS.
P.S. PeaceBang thinks that Almay cosmetics stink.
Is that a stretch mark or did she have breast surgery?
Just wondering.
(About the Beyonce photo I mean.)
I know. Maybe a scar?
That's a squished breast implant. I'm just sayin'.
Ah...now I remember what was up with the Remarkable. The washableness made it just a little too smearable with my oily skin. Thanks for the info on Almay, PB. Good to know it's probably not worth trying it again any time soon.
See how much trouble I'm in? I'm can't keep my cosmetics and my church fathers straight! I wonder if Origen himself had the same problem. I'll send you an email soon with my stats, dearest PeaceBang.
The fashion thing is a little tricky for us Episcopalians since we have the collar (I'm a black shirt only kind of gal, though I do have a dickie, or is it a janie?). Suits, skirts, shoes with rubber soles that don't click-clack on the wooden chancel floors, and a bright pink top and jeans to blow them all out of the water once in a while.
Thanks for giving me something to do as I avoid writing my Advent 4 sermon. Barf.
Mamacita, one of the best-dressed, snazzy yet not ostentatious priests I ever saw was back when I lived in the Bay Area -- she's now a bishop, Godde bless her, Nedi Rivera. And she was wearing her collar. Here's what was fabulous: 1) She had a GREAT haircut. (She has short hair.) Right away that says "I care about myself" - not frumpy, not sloppy. 2) She wore a bright (not Christmas pattern though, see PeaceBang's warnings on that) sweater over the collar. So you could see the collar but most of the top was a nice, warm fabric or rather knit. And good for that San Francisco Bay Area chill. The sweater was not shlumpy, it was of a good shape with nice shaped shoulders, a great color for her which I remember as having a lot of red in it (she and I have similar coloring, she's Latina so she has dark hair, drak eyes, olive/tan/light skin). This was great since a lot of Episcopal women priests' clothes just scream "clericalism" and "frump" (I'll get hanged for saying this once my pseudonym loses it pseudonymity, but it's true). So she avoided the whole jacket thing. 3) She had *nail polish* on. Again, this was just right. I remember it was not ostentatious, it didn't scream "nail polish," and the nails were short, not long, but it had a nice, bright, finished look.
4) I don't remember the shoes or pants/skirt, but they must have been fine. I don't think she had high heels, no one in the Bay Area wears high heels except drag queens anyway -- too many hills, everyone is always walking up and down them. Fortunately there are a lot of stores there (not true here in the not too deep South where I now live) which sell good-looking low- and flat-heeled shoes.
Note that this was at a public event at the local seminary where Nedi was semi-formally speaking (she was a respondent to someone). She hit just the right note (also, her presentation was wonderful and every bit as warm as her clothing) and I said to myself "there's someone I would want as a mentor."
Bingo, two years later she was elected bishop, and there she sits in the Pacific Northwest, I hope and assume still every bit as classy (and I bet she looks great in those fucshia bishop shirts). The very sweet story on that, by the way, is that her dad, who had been for many years publicly opposed to the ordination of women, and is himself a bishop, was very much there at the consecration and fully supportive. One of those nice "full circle" stories. Just thought I'd share it in this week of nastiness in the Episcopal Church.
Now I want to hear what PeaceBang says about false eyelashes. ;-) (Not for me but for Jinnis. I don't even wear mascara because I have black eyelashes and they are long enough, so that's not an issue, but I want my sisters to look good.)
Oops I meant DARK eyes, not drak, whatever that is. Sorry.
Post a Comment
<< Home