On a normal day, my beauty routine consists of two things: moisturiser and a swipe of lippy.
Lipstick is a must, because I need a little colour in my face. Maybe a dash of powder on my nose to hide my elephantine pores, though it’s a terrible waste – it invariably wears off quick smart due to sweat or blowing my nose (if I don’t have a cold, then I have hayfever. Year round).
The thing about makeup, for me, is that one thing invariably leads to another. Since starting to wear contacts again, I basically have to wear a bit of eyeliner to look presentable. This leads to some up close and personal time with my bathroom mirror, and far too much time spent scrutinising every detail of my entire face. I start to agonise over every flaw. My wide, flat nose. My blotchy cheeks. My hateful, stubby, stubbornly straight Chinese lashes (however, I hate mascara and you will never find me wearing it). Then this opens up the door to all sorts of criticism – my toes, my feet, my hands and nails. I start thinking about all the things I could (SHOULD!) be doing to better my appearance. None of which I really want to, and none of which you can convince me is so vital that I should be doing on a daily basis. My skin is happiest when I do as little as possible to it, and I’m far too lazy to do much anyway. (This made my year of no shopping pretty easy.)
I’ve come to realise I use my glasses as a sort of shield. The strong frames draw focus away from the rest of my face.
I once read that you should focus on your eyes, too, when looking at your reflection. When people talk to you, that’s where they’re concentrating. This helped immensely during my younger and more self-conscious days – realising that others (probably) don’t pick me apart like I pick myself apart. Because I used to be the kind of girl afraid to be seen without her ‘face’ on. I was terrified of anyone seeing me un-made up. If I was going to be out overnight, I would pray for my makeup to stay well and truly on until the morning. Thankfully, none of that applies today.
Weirdly, I think I often look at my best in the morning. Bare faced, au naturel. Skin plump and full after a night’s sleep. Hair (usually limp and lifeless) with a bit of body to it.
A little housekeeping and shoutouts
Kelly nominated me for a blog award, and I’m in good company! Hopefully I’ll get around to doing my bit to pass it on soon.
I’m in the carnival of money pros explaining why your website needs a price list
I’m also in the lifestyle carnival with my recipe for sweet chicken stirfy
To the links!
MONEY
Amanda ponders the ethics of holiday spending (I too would rather support local businesses than big chains)
Heh. Our Freaking Budget lists a bunch of things you couldn’t pay them to do
TeacHer Finance on the value of maintaining your status quo
FOOD
$120 Challenge has a simple recipe for lamb koftas and tzatziki
At Smitten Kitchen: Lentil, chard and garlic soup
And a pad thai inspired soup from Kevin at Closet Cooking
LIFE
Wealth Informatics lists 9 reasons you’re not making more money
Suburban Sweetheart talks body image and societal norms
Pushing Thirtyy on age gaps and the changing nature of friendships
As StacFace writes, it’s weird when your online and offline worlds collide and the digital one closes in on you
What is the point of goals, asks Stacking Pennies?
Some good reasons to consider eloping via the PoPs, over at Mo Money Mo Houses
Finally, I absolutely loved Dinner: A Love Story’s rules of blogging. A must read.
Gah – I hear you on the stupid, stick-straight Chinese eyelashes. They are IMPOSSIBLE. If I don’t use a curler on them when I apply mascara they will stick together. Even then, they don’t curl; they’re just less straight.
Oh, my gosh I feel the same way. My skin looks so clear in the morning (as long as I’ve washed it the night before… occasionally I’ll pass out with my make up on.) I was that girl in high school, too. I didn’t want anyone to see me without make up and heaven forbid I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and it was smudged. I’m still pretty judgmental of myself, but I’ve become a whole lot less high-maintenance. Thanks for all the good reading.
I scrutinise my face too. I’ve had bad skin my entire life so I’m constantly checking that my mineral foundation is still in tact. But that’s pretty much all I wear is concealer and foundation. I hate wearing mascara, it always ends up under my eyes and eye liner and shadow make me feel like a drag queen. I’m a big fan of the au natural look. My skin pretty much only accepts warm water and moisturiser as well so I’m fairly low maintenance and don’t spend alot on products, hurrah !
Thanks for including me in your roundup. Glad my post resonated with people. <3