Category: Make up

Bold lipstick colours are fashionable but also kinda gross…

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

There is something that is not often talked about in the make-up world, or actually should I say, over looked: and that is the sad fact that almost all bold lip colours are made up of heavy toxic chemicals and metals, some trace, and some not so trace.  The bottom line though, is that it’s in there, and that wearing a fashionable shade of red, or the current trend of fushia, is probably loaded with not so great stuff.

the classic bold red lip.
the classic bold red lip.
Lorde made fashion waves with her bold dark lips recently...
Lorde made fashion waves with her bold dark lips recently…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was younger, say ten years ago, I would always wear lipstick.  After using the restroom, I would wash my hands and reapply that creamy stick, covering up my natural lip colour.  It looked good, so I did it, ignoring the fact that lipstick gets everywhere, on clothes, on coffee cups, on ciggy butts.  But the place that it was probably getting into the most was my stomach when I inadvertently ate it.  There are statistics out there about the staggering amount of lipstick a woman ingests over a year, and over her lifetime and it’s gross.  But we don’t need statistics to use our common sense and know that we are eating it.  Anything on our lips eventually makes its way to our stomachs.  It’s on our mouths after all.  Which is why these fashionable bold lip colours are kind of scary to wear if you want to think about it.  You don’t ever want to eat lead, or mercury, or cadmium, but it’s in almost all lipsticks.  Just do the foil test to see this in your favourite lipstick shade.

My suggestion is is that if you’re not going to a red carpet event, do we really need bold lips on a day to day basis?  Probably not.  Why not wear a tinted lipbalm?  Sure, it’s usually very sheer, and less noticable, and less fashionable, but it’s healthier for your lips.  Since I stopped wearing lipsticks, my lips have naturally turned more pink, meaning I don’t actually need thick lipsticks to put colour into my lips.  Also, I barely need chapstick because my lips stay so moist, even in the winter!  I’m a bit of a crafter, so I made my own tinted lipbalm made with coconut oil, cocoa butter and beeswax, coloured it with a bit of fushia mica, and what I got was this:

Lot's of colour in tinted lipbalms, without all that gunk...
Lot’s of colour in tinted lipbalms, without all that gunk…

So pretty, no?

Am I going back to toxic lipsticks and stains? Yes, it is fashionable, and unavoidable, but for day to day, I got this moisturizing tinted lip balm to carry me through!

 

The “no make-up” make-up look for realsies…

~ Emmie ~ 1 Comment

Nobody wants to look like a hoochie mama, with thick make-up and colours layered all over the face.  When I was younger, I would wear a lot of make-up, and for some reason, it didn’t age me.  Now that I’m getting more experienced with make-up and looking at it on faces, I don’t think more is necessarily better.  What has been on all the runways, and make-up magazine these days is this minimal, natural, “no makeup look”.  Kind of athletic, and Plain Jane looking, but polished and slightly seductive (think bronzer, defined brows and a nude lip).  The ironic thing though, is that in reality, this “look” relies on tons of concealer, shadows, primers and heavy lipsticks…

runway fashion model close-up
runway fashion model close-up
j-lo also rocking the no make-up look. but we know she is probably wearing tons!
j-lo also rocking the no make-up look. but we know she is probably wearing tons!

As you can see in the photos above, this look does work.  The problem with the “no make-up” tutorials I’ve seen are that it kind of defeats the purpose of wearing less/no make-up, which is: 1) Speed (getting ready in record time is awesome for gals that like to sleep in).  2) Lightness (wearing heavy make-up, even for the illusion of “no make up” is still gunky feeling if slathered on). And 3) Doesn’t really look like “no make-up”, because it isn’t, far from.

I think the only way to truly have a no make-up look is with minimal and light make-up application.  During the day, I sometimes want a light make-up look, that looks better and more put together than no make-up, and also feels fun and low maintenance.  You know, in case I run into an ex-boyfriend during grocery shopping or something! 🙂 But yeah, to achieve this look, I think you really have to wear less make up, instead of adding more to give an illusion of less.  It helps if you take care of your skin and have naturally nice skin too, that is half the work.

3 kinds of make up needed daily:

1.  Mascara:  Omigosh, this is so important. Without it, eyes can look sleepy, even after 3 cups of coffee, and you are bouncing off the walls.

2.  Blush: I used to always skip blush when I was in college in my early twenties.  I used to think it looked weird on me to constantly be in a state of “flushed”.  But now I can see if done with the right blush colour, and using not too much, it actually looks quite natural and good!

3.  Defined brows!  Brows are most often over-looked by people who don’t wear a lot of make-up.  For some reason, having lightly defined brows, (filling them in with a powder colour) can make a huge difference over the whole look of your face.  It’s like a frame for your eyes, and gets people to look at them!

What can be skipped:

1. Lipstick.  I actually find lipstick to be kind of gross.  Not only is it filled with heavy metals and chemicals, it’s thick and messy to use.  It also dries out lips severely.  Since I stopped using lipstick, my lips never dry out and are in a happy state of pink!  I prefer a tinted lip balm if I want extra colour!

2. Foundation.  I like foundation/bb cream when it’s needed.  For more formal looks or for going out, and for work, it’s a necessity.  Set it with powder.  But for an errand day, I don’t think it’s necessary at all.  It dries out the face, and when used too thickly, looks cakey and can amplify fine lines.  On errand days, I cut it with face cream to moisturize and cover ever so slightly.  I set it with powder if needed.

3. Eyeliner/eye shadow.  The reason I skip this on light days is that overly defined eyes always look heavy and noticeably made up.  Eyes naturally have a way of defining themselves, with lashes, and also with the shape and natural shadow they produce.  Adding liner is not a must, and while it looks great for going out and photos, in daily life, it sometimes feels a bit much.

This is only blush, eyebrows and mascara with a touch of shadow. I did sneak in tinted moisturizer...
This is only blush, eyebrows and mascara with a touch of shadow. I did sneak in tinted moisturizer and tinted lip balm, but it’s still a really light application!  But it is enough!

Conclusion: While I love make-ups and different make-up looks, sometimes I actually feel wearing too much ages me a bit.  My skin has gotten more delicate and sensitive with age, and doesn’t seem to want to be a blank canvas for me to cover with loads of make-up as I did in my youth.  They were fun times but how about showcasing good skin to begin with?  How about less focus on covering up, and more focus face care options for clean and healthy skin?

Are there any make-up trends that you agree/disagree with?  What have you changed about your make-up routine as you grew up and changed yourself?

Staying pretty while on vaca is harder than it seems…

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

There are so many obstacles to a regular make-up/face care routine while on vacation.  An inspired routine is even more difficult on the go.  At first I thought all I had to do was pack my toiletries into small bottles and choose carefully which make-ups to bring.  I didn’t factor in weather (rain, wind, sun) and I also didn’t factor in the time.  Travel and vacation trips are often about doing the most with the amount of time you have, making powdering your nose, while in the bathroom something you can justify skipping.  At the end of the day, my make-up was all smudged and barely there, my skin was tired and aching for hydration, and my body was drained.  I’m sure I didn’t look that bad, but I was hoping to get some great photos with me looking all cute riding various rides at Disney, or having a fun, while having a smokin’ hair day at Universal, but…well, I think I was only semi-successful.  I’ll post up some photos and allow you guys to judge. (but be nice!)

IMG_0306
This was the second or third ride that day! It’s a small world after all! And my make-up is giving good coverage so far!
IMG_0354
Monsters Inc. too cute! I can’t believe this photo turned out well. This is the end of the day when my make-up was literally gone. I can see some smudging on the top liner…but otherwise, it’s not too bad.
IMG_0149
The only day of good weather while we were there! My makeup is ALL smudged in this photo because of a water ride.

What I think I did right was my choice of makeups.  I went simple. Foudation/powerder to set. I pared down colours, opting for a lavender pink shadow, and a light white shimmer–if I felt like getting fancy.  Then it was black eyeliner and black shadow for smudging it.  Mascara, brow definer, and blush.  I know this seems like a lot but it actually isn’t.  It fit in a small pouch that looked like a pencil bag.  And top it off with a bit of home made lip gloss!

What were my mistakes?  I needed to carry make-up remover, or some lotion, to wipe away smudges.  I had a lot of them sometimes at the end of a rainy adventure filled day, and smudged liner at the base of your eyes makes one look tired, and it makes bags more noticeable.  Another mistake was I carried no powder.  This is because on a regular day, I am not as active as on a vaca day.  I was in and out of rides at them parks, and the wind blew off everything that I had on.  At the end of the day, I’m sure I had a bare face, which is not bad, but considering I wear gentle make-up that is not made to last, I needed to reapply some form of face make-up to take the last days photos while still looking perky and revitalized.

All in all, I know vacations are not about looking your most fashionable, but then again, the photos you keep are what help you remember the trip. I know I would prefer to look my best in them.  In a way vacation grooming and present-ability is important because even if it was one disaster of a trip, your photos you keep and show to your friends can say otherwise.  They can say, “damn, my hair looked awesome that day!”