Past Beauty Blunders
Looking back over some old pictures, I'm relieved to say that I feel like I look better than ever. I wouldn't dream of going back to the insecurities of my 20s. There are a lot of other things I'm glad I left behind. Here they are:
1. Too thick foundation. For some reason, most of my pictures from my 20s and before show me with a too-white face, washed out by the camera flash, an obvious line separating my face color from the natural color of my neck. Insecure about my blemishes (some real, some imagined), I caked on the makeup, only making the problem more obvious.
2. Big hair. My hair has always been twice the volume of my body. It's thick and long and very curly. In the 80s and 90s, it had entered into a whole new dimension of hugeness. My face seemed positively puny in comparison.
3. Too much lipstick. Too matte, too bright, and shades, like hot pink and bright orange, that were too wrong.
The list goes on and on... Have you made some beauty blunders in the past? If so, I'd love to hear them!
1. Too thick foundation. For some reason, most of my pictures from my 20s and before show me with a too-white face, washed out by the camera flash, an obvious line separating my face color from the natural color of my neck. Insecure about my blemishes (some real, some imagined), I caked on the makeup, only making the problem more obvious.
2. Big hair. My hair has always been twice the volume of my body. It's thick and long and very curly. In the 80s and 90s, it had entered into a whole new dimension of hugeness. My face seemed positively puny in comparison.
3. Too much lipstick. Too matte, too bright, and shades, like hot pink and bright orange, that were too wrong.
The list goes on and on... Have you made some beauty blunders in the past? If so, I'd love to hear them!
posted by The Beauty Insider @ 8:00 PM
2 Comments:
At March 8, 2007 11:51 PM ,
Katrina said...
Hi
I was wondering if you could help me. I noticed that you said when you were younger you wore too much foundation that it made you pale in photos.
Well for as long as i've worn makeup (i'm 22 and have been wearing it since I was 18) my face has always looked white in photos. At every family gathering there are photos taken indoors with a flash and I always get comments that "you're pale" etc, but it's just the flash reacting with my makeup I think. I don't wear foundation with titanium dioxide in it. I have acne scars and redness that I have to cover, so I NEED makeup, but I want to avoid the pale look. Can you give me some advice? Thanks in advance.
At March 11, 2007 7:49 PM ,
The Beauty Insider said...
Hello Katrina,
This is a difficult, and common problem. It even happens to celebrities. Check out this picture of Eva Longoria. http://offtherack.people.com/2006/11/photo_credit_ph_1.html
I was the same age that you are when I struggled with the exact same problems. I was very self conscious about redness and acne scarring, and because of this, I wanted to hide it at all costs. What I have learned as I've gotten older (I'm 36 now) is that, even with problem skin, I had youth on my side, and my problem wasn't as bad as I thought it was. The best advice I can give you is to appreciate the fact that you are young, and that your skin has the enviable glow of youth. Don't waste your 20s paranoid or embarassed about it.
Now on to the practical advice: Spend more time working on your skin and less time on your makeup. Have you tried Proactiv? It doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for many people. Another great option is Retin-A Micro. Go to a dermatologist (get a recommendation from a friend) because there is so much that can be done to treat acne these days. Those options didn't exist when I was your age. Ask about the Jessner peel, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, and prescription acne medication.
Second, when it comes to makeup, even if you have bad acne, less is more. Apply makeup with a lighter touch. That is the one trick I have found that works with pictures. The more foundation I am wearing, and the more opaque it is, the more likely I will be to have a white face. So apply a sheer foundation all over your face, and use concealer or a more opaque foundation over blemishes. Then dust skin with a very light dusting of translucent powder, like Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. I even recommend trying a mineral foundation, like Colorescience or Bare Escentuals, because, once you get the hang of using them, you will find that they cover beautifully and never look made up. The bottom line is that if your foundation is showing up like that in pictures, it means that you are wearing too much of it.
Don't know whether I mentioned this in the blog or not, but when I was in L.A. I spoke to a makeup artist who saw Jessica Simpson at a party, and she said that her foundation looked dark and orange. Jessica did this intentionally to avoid the white face look in pictures. She knew that, with all the flashbulbs popping, her too dark makeup would look great in pictures.
Hope this helps, and please let me know how you are doing with your skin and your makeup!
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