Back in the day everything had to be matte. I wore the Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + for years. I loved it at the time, and it is a good product, but it didn't suit my (at the time) dry skin at all. Then you piled on some harsh contour and didn't go anywhere near blush (cries). Eventually highlighters became popular which added a bit of definition to an otherwise flat face, but it was wayyyy more harsh. Speaking of, my eyebrows were harsh. I stenciled those things in man, a serious block brow that was then lined with concealer just to make sure they were sharp. I eventually figured out how to fade the front thank god, but they didn't look natural at all.
I also wore tons of eyeshadow back then. Which I did like, I just feel like on an everyday basis I didn't need to be wearing a bronzey smokey eye. Also explains why I have SO MANY EYESHADOWS. My god. And then the matte liquid lipstick. Yikes. We're still towards the end of this era, but I'm so glad it's starting to fade. I never wore lipstick daily (same as now), but those colourpop mattes just looked so bad after a few hours. Plus I'd wear dark/bright lips with tons of other makeup and it just looked heavy. I'm glad now brands have started coming out with even just slightly creamier liquid lipsticks. No one like a butthole lip okay?
Nowadays, skin is most important to me. I'f much rather have someone compliment my skin than my foundation. I stick to lighter coverage, glowy, more skin-like bases and then spot conceal where I need/want to. Glossier Stretch Concealer is my saving grace. It really covers up but looks just like skin. I do contour from time to time still, but super minimally and incredibly blended out. Blush is my bff. Honestly, I wear blush even if I'm wearing absolutely no other makeup. It instantly wakes you up and makes your skin look super healthy. For highlight I've moved away from 'blinding glow' to a more subtle, glowy sheen. Let be real, I still love to pile it on but I like to think it looks less crazy. Right?
I have clearly embraced the bushy brow. They're getting a little out of control long guys. I fill them in a tiny bit still, just to give some semblance of a shape, and then brush them up to the heavens with all of the Boy Brow I can. I also really like the clear Bobbi Brown Brow Gel to keep them in place. If I'm wearing eyeshadow, 99% of the time it's a cream and just a sheer wash of shimmery colour over my lid. If I want to amp it up, I use MAC Quite Natural or something similar all around my eyes in a blown-out smokey eye. Think bedroom eye, but lighter. And then hella mascara, of course. Will we ever give it up? I normally leave my lips bare, or maybe pat a little cream blush into the center. If I'm wearing a bright lip I keep everything else super fresh a la Violette. Especially with a red lip. If my skin is looking nice, I'll skin foundation altogether and only use concealer. I might wear a winged liner, but nine time out of ten I'll only wear mascara or nothing at all. This way the lip doesn't complete with other areas of my face.
Maybe this sounds boring to you, but I think the freshness is incredibly beautiful. I've definitely had quite a big shift in style, but I feel so much more comfortable in my skin now. I still love makeup and have enough for a small (or large) village, but perhaps wearing less is more.
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