Hopefully this is the right place for a middle-aged makeup neophyte to ask the question that I have googled a million times and am still confused by: how do I figure out what color foundation/concealer to buy??
The best thing to do is to go in store - Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom all have good return policies; but they also have bad lighting, so put a dab on your hand or along your chin, let it dry down (foundation also changes colors as it dries), then go outside and see what matches. Sephora and Nordstrom will also give samples, which is helpful to see if something agrees with your skin before buying.
I am a recovering makeup addict, used to wear a ton but now cannot be bothered so my 17 year old daughter is reaping the benefit of my eyeshadow collection. Now I put on enough to not look like a ghoul when I leave the house. I use Ciele tint, concealer, and powder (I live in Miami so more sunscreen is better but reminder: SPF in makeup is *never* a replacement for actual SPF, I never skip this, even on no makeup days), Danessa Myricks Lowlighter for a little color, something NYX to fill in brows, and Thrive mascara (it's tubing so it washes off with water and doesn't pull lashes out). When I wear more I like an edgier look, so I go with Rituel De Fille lip and cheek products. Proper foundations I like are from About Face and Haus Labs, they also have good inclusive shade ranges (I like to support companies that make makeup for everyone).
I love Thrive mascara-- any tubing mascara is what I recommend, Kiss is good too. And also I am obsessed with everything Danessa Myricks, I just got one of her mega palettes for Christmas and am having so much fun playing with it. I did consult YouTube for some ideas because her stuff is definitely a little advanced level in terms of application.
As plenty of other people have noted, the best way to find out which color matches your skin tone is to go to a store and talk to someone who specializes in the products of a particular line. I started wearing Clinique when I was 12 years old; my mom took me to Nieman Marcus and had the counter lady show me how to use all the products. (It was a really special experience and if you have daughters who are into makeup and can afford going to a nice department store, do this. The counter workers are still amazing.) Ulta and Sephora have people who can help with this as well even if they’re not assigned to work with a specific line.
It’s important to note that, indeed, the counter clerks are there to sell you stuff, but you have the power in this relationship. You don’t have to buy anything even if they spend time with you. You are in control here. You and they will all be fine.
Lots of makeup websites will help you figure it out, but unfortunately it's always based on what you use currently (so if you don't use anything, it won't help). However, many of them will also allow you to return a foundation or a concealer if it doesn't work for you so you could try buying two or three different colors that look close to your skin tone and trying them on. The other option is to go to a nice makeup store like Sephora and ask one of the associates to help you figure it out. It's primarily based of course on your skin tone but also on your undertone (some people have cool undertones, warm undertones, Etc) and if you get a foundation or concealer that doesn't match your undertone it can look really off.
I second just going and getting matched at something like a Sephora. It was a hurdle for me to get over too but once I had the right shade in one brand, I could use that to see what shades were similar in other brands. (Sephora in particular has a shade match function on their website/app that makes this easy) and then eventually you get a sense of what will work
Sephora (and probably Ulta, I'm guessing), now have their associates use something on their phones that looks at your skin and figures out the closest matches, then the associate will swatch them on your skin and you can figure out which you like best. I love my Haus Labs foundation, found using this method. If you have an account with them your results will then will stored in your profile for later use.
1- go to sephora if you don't mind talking to people, and they'll help you!
2- if you want to avoid people, you can go to target. Buy DIFFERENT brands and DIFFERENT shades. You're trying to find your one true foundation and one true concealer. You WILL have to return bottles, so know that you're going to return 90% of everything, and in that same trip, you're going to adjust up or down in color if your first pick wasn't right. Then you will know! and it will be DONE. (I mentioned this below, but loreal true nude is a great drugstore foundation- I've done both process described above and it's my holy grail). Good luck and happy shopping!
Getting matched at Sephora is an option. (I’ve had bad experiences with inexperienced associates there, so take it with a grain of salt) If you don’t want to spend Sephora prices, almost any store that sells drugstore brand makeup will accept returns of open products. So you could buy several, try them on in different lighting and return what didn’t work.
It may be easiest to go to a Sephora or Ulta and ask for help. You can get an idea of your colors and what to do with them. You can get samples and play a little before you commit, although Sephora has a very generous return policy.
On the question of whether wearing makeup is bowing to the gods of Patriarchy: It certainly can be that, but I grew up in a world where makeup was only for Rebellious Slutty Bitches, so wearing eyeshadow was the entirety of my teenage rebellion. Openly drawing attention to a part of my body was my first real feminist moment. I note that makeup is considered ‘cheating’ by women even today in certain horrible male spaces. My experience isn’t universal, but I think it’s important to mention this in any discussion of patriarchal standards of beauty.
And now for some much lighter content: my favorite makeup brands are Clinique and MAC. Clinique is mostly skincare, but their foundation is spectacular. They also have color corrector and tinted moisturizer that just take a little redness off and feel nice. Both lines have amazing lipstick, too. My favorite is MAC Lustreglass in “Pigment of Your Imagination,” which is a light pink shade. “PDA,” a brick red, is also great. I discovered that color when I was working on Zoom all the time and noticed that without lipcolor I looked like Lord Voldemort on camera — no lips, just a gaping maw. (I supervised some people at the time and told them that while I couldn’t require it, I suggested that everyone get some tinted lip balm at least. Cameras wash out faces and a little marketing would always help.)
I think this nuance can be applied to a lot of the stuff we can choose to reclaim from patriarchy and diet culture. We often don’t know people’s past experiences and current intentions. Thanks for adding this!
You’re welcome! (In patriarchy, it’s always safe to assume women can’t win, so if there is a requirement to do something one way, bet that there is an equal and opposite requirement in the other direction.)
Here to loudly sing the praises of the Ilia Tinted Moisturizer!! Foundation has always felt too cakey for me, but tinted moisturizer makes me feel amazing. There’s a quiz on the site that’ll get you close to your color (if worked for me) and a good return policy. I put it on after my C-serum and basic moisturizer so it doesn’t get stuck in any crevices aka WRINKLES. I also love the Jones Road Balm, I just use a bit on the checks and can’t understand what people talk about when they say they’re warming it up to a liquid, are they SCOOPING it out???
One more thought. Makeup is fun, but you might want to check out Jessica DeFino’s Substack, “The Review of Beauty.” Inside look at all the politics and bullshit.
Just here as another unrepentant member of the "not washing my face at night" club! (Also a northern New England no-makeup wearer who is very intrigued by the red correct mentioned below...)
I have been wondering a lot lately if my interest in makeup (I'm dabbling) is simply due to getting older and being more aware of how my face looks as compared with how it used to. Which is maybe neither here nor there if we're choosing these things primarily because they are fun? But it's in the back of my mind as a motivation to consider.
I agree, any makeup conversations, even "fun" ones, make me feel a little ick because I can't shake the patriarchal roots of it all. If my husband doesn't need or want to use products to make his "eyes pop" or "even out his skin tone", why do I? Yes, makeup can be fun (or at least, that's been a big message to us to make the chore more palatable) but wearing it IS a choice that reflects a submission to beauty standards.
I want to know if there are any people of a certain age in here who have made the jump to Bobbi Brown Jones Road line and if it really is all that. I have a hard time wanting to schedule some sort of consultation and/or starting a whole new regime but I'm open to convincing.
I tried it and hated it. The smell was overwhelming for me. And even though it was advertised as light, the foundation still felt way too thick for me.
I really like The Bronzer in Dusty Rose. It's a neutral blush, basically. I wear it all year, and it looks great in both winter and summer. I have two shades of The Best Eyeshadow, both matte, and they are nice for a casual, everyday shadow when I'm going for minimal effort.
oh what a bummer! That's crazy. My skin has aged but still hasn't let go of some adolescent tendencies (re: oil.) Last week I got a zit right on my jowl line. Perfect.
I was interested in buying it but I saw in the instructions somewhere that the first step is to stir it because it separates and I just imagined how messy that would be. Stir it with what???
I seem to be in the minority but I did not get along with Jones Road. I live in a hot humid climate and I have oily skin, so that cute little pot of color just made me look greasy and slid off, the eye pencils did the same, and the lip gloss wasn't special enough for the price. And anything with a "clean" label gets an immediate strike - I want preservatives in my cosmetics, thank you; also see Tressie McMillan Cottom's column today about Dry January and clean living, she nails it as always.
Also Not A Makeup Person who now wears makeup. I turned 42 and suddenly I'm a user of beauty products? I digress..
The Things I Love:
erborian - cc red correct; I can't stand the feeling of foundation. This is just a really nice tinted moisturizer with spf. It evens out my skin tone nicely and helps neutralize the redness of my ruddy cheeks (plus rosacea)
Haus Labs concealer - formula includes arnica which helps with redness and the color match is so so good
Charlotte Tillbury- chic to cheek in pillow talk; I use it as blush and eyeshadow
Hourglass- instant extensions mascara; no spider lashes and I still get some lift. I have curtain eyelashes
Benefit- precisely my brow detailer; I am bad at this but I'm trying. I was not gifted with a lot of eyebrow
benefit- benetint in rose; I'm not yet comfortable seeing myself with lipstick on but this gives a nice color and I don't have to faff about with reapplying. I would love to be brave enough for a red lip after reading Rachel Felder's incredible book on the topic.
Can't wait to read about what everyone else is using!
I wish I could live up to your confidence in me! I have no idea about retinoids and vitamin A and all of that but I have had a face for 42 years and I’ve finally gotten good at figuring out what she likes. It changes depending on the weather/seasons. I use a jelly cleansing balm (REN makes my favorite), my skin likes rice water so I find a toner with that ingredient. I think atm I’m using TIRTIR milk toner. I use a glucoside serum from inkey list on the apples of my cheeks because that’s where my skin is most inflamed. Lastly, a light moisturizer. I discovered that my skin also loves marshmallow root so I use one called supermello by kinship. Other things that help are, giving each product time to absorb and spraying with Mario bedescue rose water if I need to add moisture between steps. The names really are ridiculous. I’ve never written these things out before. It’s sort of embarrassing!
It’s an incantation!!!! It’s a map to a magic land!!!! I love it so much!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing the steps and products. All that you wrote is really helpful; there’s just SO MUCH to choose from, and from your description it sounds like we are in a similar skin zone. I feel like I can dip a toe in. THANK YOU♥️♥️♥️
I have blessedly clear skin, but I use a CPAP so I frequently have redness where the mask sits on my face, so my go-to complexion product is Dr. Jart's Camo Drops. It's a slightly green-tinted product that oxidizes beige, but the green undertone helps cancel redness. I put a drop on my forehead, my nose, on each cheek close to my nose, and one on my chin, then work them into my skin with my fingers. When it first goes on, it makes me look sort of pasty because of the green, but in a minute or two it blends in with my skin and just makes my complexion a bit more even, if a little pale. Then eyeliner and a little blush puts the depth back in.
I LOVE a tinted lip balm moment for looking put together but not "done." This is helpful because I am a woman in tech, so if I roll into a meeting wearing lipstick, it's weird, but I also don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed. The Burts Bees products are great, but I got a Givenchy Le Rouge Interdit sample once (lip balm that looks black but goes on as a sheer berry) and I regret to inform you that it is great. I actually ponied up the money for the full size. It's also great on video calls when I'm not wearing any other makeup; it keeps the weird webcam lighting from making me look washed out.
I’m also using redness corrector to deal with the redness from my cpap mask. My husband uses one, too, so who knows what our kids think when they come in to get us in the night! Some kind of sci-fi nightmare
I use Dr. jart's camo drops too, in place of foundation when I want to wear makeup at all! Allergies for me + I almost certainly will need a CPAP soon so I guess more redness is something to look forward to.
I just want to say for those who are thinking about venturing into lipstick, a good place to start is Clinique Black Honey. Pretty sure it looks good on everyone. I would move on to some of Nars Afterglow lip balms, I have Wicked Ways and Orgasm. https://www.narscosmetics.com/USA/afterglow-lip-balm/999NAC0000069.html. Also I love my Anastasia brow pencil, if you don't want a gel or have thinner brows after overtweezing in the nineties like me: https://www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com/products/perfect-brow-pencil. Lastly, I love makeup. I love to play with makeup and I have always loved makeup. I had Kevyn Aucoin's book Making Faces when I was in high school and poured over it. I don't do it for other people I do it for me, because it's fun. I love matching my eyeshadow to my outfits. I love experimenting with color. Maybe this isn't everyone but it's me, and has nothing to do with societal norms.
I enjoy the makeup talking but these comments have a lot of negative self talk about what the comment writer looks like without makeup. I don't want to call anyone out specifically, but as a whole it's uncomfortable for me to see in this space.
I'm really into Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener. So many great shades! I just bought the Lilac Shimmer color, and it's such a pretty pale purple which doesn't look as insane as it might sound.
Also big into Rituel de Fille for foundation and concealer. Like others mentioned, I do not like the feel of foundation on my face, but this one is silky smooth. A little goes a long way, and it is truly dewy and glowy. I love it.
For a lower cost option for the Thrive eye brighteners, check out Julep Beauty's eye shadow sticks - they've been a great replacement for me and come in so many more colors.
Actually to expand on Miracle Balm a bit, I think the clear, original color was the one best suited to what people think of as a balm--used for moisturizing, healing, etc. As the colors expanded it's used more for blush, highlighting, etc. The 2 colors you have---that I want to try!---are for sure more blush shades. I use Dusty Rose, which is primarily a blush shade but slightly lighter than the 2 colors you have, as an all over face shade/brightener. I thin it out a lot by warming up by rubbing my fingers until it's almost a liquid, then pat on.
I like the dusty rose but only in winter when I'm pale pale, otherwise it doesn't do much for me. It really gives your face a little something and I love the look, but it does feel kind of sticky.
Thank you for explaining what Jones Road Miracle Balm actually is. I was under the impression that it was like a BB cream but was then confused as to why it was so shiny and in tones of red.
I also used to use a primer as a sort of foundation but now I use BB cream for that sort of thing. After COVID and the constant masking I stopped using it regularly but maybe it’ll start making a comeback for me
Much older than you are, and I’ve had decades of makeup use, although I use it rarely now. Gone are the days when I wore it every day. But anyway, my one contribution — for those, like me, who have trouble with redness — is Dr Jart’s Color Correcting Cream. It’s fantastic, gives a matte finish that you can wear alone or with foundation, and it’s SPF 30. Downside: It may not be cruelty-free, I can’t get a definitive answer on that. So, that’s a problem. But I wear so little else (and donate to so many animal causes!), I’ve looked the other way.
I LOVE the dr jart color correcting cream! it's the perfect amount of coverage for all-day zoom meetings, running errands, etc. when I just want to look a little more fresh. I wear it with a little miracle balm on my cheeks and it looks so natural.
Thank you for this useful, light thread, and to all have posted with your recommendations and tips. As a newly 43 year old with novice experience using makeup, and don't want to spend a lot of time getting ready each day, this has all be super helpful!!!
Hopefully this is the right place for a middle-aged makeup neophyte to ask the question that I have googled a million times and am still confused by: how do I figure out what color foundation/concealer to buy??
It is ABSOLUTELY the right place but I am hoping someone else can answer this bc same question! I threw a dart and it seems ok but truly wtf knows???
The best thing to do is to go in store - Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom all have good return policies; but they also have bad lighting, so put a dab on your hand or along your chin, let it dry down (foundation also changes colors as it dries), then go outside and see what matches. Sephora and Nordstrom will also give samples, which is helpful to see if something agrees with your skin before buying.
I am a recovering makeup addict, used to wear a ton but now cannot be bothered so my 17 year old daughter is reaping the benefit of my eyeshadow collection. Now I put on enough to not look like a ghoul when I leave the house. I use Ciele tint, concealer, and powder (I live in Miami so more sunscreen is better but reminder: SPF in makeup is *never* a replacement for actual SPF, I never skip this, even on no makeup days), Danessa Myricks Lowlighter for a little color, something NYX to fill in brows, and Thrive mascara (it's tubing so it washes off with water and doesn't pull lashes out). When I wear more I like an edgier look, so I go with Rituel De Fille lip and cheek products. Proper foundations I like are from About Face and Haus Labs, they also have good inclusive shade ranges (I like to support companies that make makeup for everyone).
I love Thrive mascara-- any tubing mascara is what I recommend, Kiss is good too. And also I am obsessed with everything Danessa Myricks, I just got one of her mega palettes for Christmas and am having so much fun playing with it. I did consult YouTube for some ideas because her stuff is definitely a little advanced level in terms of application.
As plenty of other people have noted, the best way to find out which color matches your skin tone is to go to a store and talk to someone who specializes in the products of a particular line. I started wearing Clinique when I was 12 years old; my mom took me to Nieman Marcus and had the counter lady show me how to use all the products. (It was a really special experience and if you have daughters who are into makeup and can afford going to a nice department store, do this. The counter workers are still amazing.) Ulta and Sephora have people who can help with this as well even if they’re not assigned to work with a specific line.
It’s important to note that, indeed, the counter clerks are there to sell you stuff, but you have the power in this relationship. You don’t have to buy anything even if they spend time with you. You are in control here. You and they will all be fine.
Lots of makeup websites will help you figure it out, but unfortunately it's always based on what you use currently (so if you don't use anything, it won't help). However, many of them will also allow you to return a foundation or a concealer if it doesn't work for you so you could try buying two or three different colors that look close to your skin tone and trying them on. The other option is to go to a nice makeup store like Sephora and ask one of the associates to help you figure it out. It's primarily based of course on your skin tone but also on your undertone (some people have cool undertones, warm undertones, Etc) and if you get a foundation or concealer that doesn't match your undertone it can look really off.
I second just going and getting matched at something like a Sephora. It was a hurdle for me to get over too but once I had the right shade in one brand, I could use that to see what shades were similar in other brands. (Sephora in particular has a shade match function on their website/app that makes this easy) and then eventually you get a sense of what will work
Thank you! I think I just need to suck it up and go get help.
Sephora (and probably Ulta, I'm guessing), now have their associates use something on their phones that looks at your skin and figures out the closest matches, then the associate will swatch them on your skin and you can figure out which you like best. I love my Haus Labs foundation, found using this method. If you have an account with them your results will then will stored in your profile for later use.
1- go to sephora if you don't mind talking to people, and they'll help you!
2- if you want to avoid people, you can go to target. Buy DIFFERENT brands and DIFFERENT shades. You're trying to find your one true foundation and one true concealer. You WILL have to return bottles, so know that you're going to return 90% of everything, and in that same trip, you're going to adjust up or down in color if your first pick wasn't right. Then you will know! and it will be DONE. (I mentioned this below, but loreal true nude is a great drugstore foundation- I've done both process described above and it's my holy grail). Good luck and happy shopping!
Getting matched at Sephora is an option. (I’ve had bad experiences with inexperienced associates there, so take it with a grain of salt) If you don’t want to spend Sephora prices, almost any store that sells drugstore brand makeup will accept returns of open products. So you could buy several, try them on in different lighting and return what didn’t work.
It may be easiest to go to a Sephora or Ulta and ask for help. You can get an idea of your colors and what to do with them. You can get samples and play a little before you commit, although Sephora has a very generous return policy.
On the question of whether wearing makeup is bowing to the gods of Patriarchy: It certainly can be that, but I grew up in a world where makeup was only for Rebellious Slutty Bitches, so wearing eyeshadow was the entirety of my teenage rebellion. Openly drawing attention to a part of my body was my first real feminist moment. I note that makeup is considered ‘cheating’ by women even today in certain horrible male spaces. My experience isn’t universal, but I think it’s important to mention this in any discussion of patriarchal standards of beauty.
And now for some much lighter content: my favorite makeup brands are Clinique and MAC. Clinique is mostly skincare, but their foundation is spectacular. They also have color corrector and tinted moisturizer that just take a little redness off and feel nice. Both lines have amazing lipstick, too. My favorite is MAC Lustreglass in “Pigment of Your Imagination,” which is a light pink shade. “PDA,” a brick red, is also great. I discovered that color when I was working on Zoom all the time and noticed that without lipcolor I looked like Lord Voldemort on camera — no lips, just a gaping maw. (I supervised some people at the time and told them that while I couldn’t require it, I suggested that everyone get some tinted lip balm at least. Cameras wash out faces and a little marketing would always help.)
I think this nuance can be applied to a lot of the stuff we can choose to reclaim from patriarchy and diet culture. We often don’t know people’s past experiences and current intentions. Thanks for adding this!
You’re welcome! (In patriarchy, it’s always safe to assume women can’t win, so if there is a requirement to do something one way, bet that there is an equal and opposite requirement in the other direction.)
Here to loudly sing the praises of the Ilia Tinted Moisturizer!! Foundation has always felt too cakey for me, but tinted moisturizer makes me feel amazing. There’s a quiz on the site that’ll get you close to your color (if worked for me) and a good return policy. I put it on after my C-serum and basic moisturizer so it doesn’t get stuck in any crevices aka WRINKLES. I also love the Jones Road Balm, I just use a bit on the checks and can’t understand what people talk about when they say they’re warming it up to a liquid, are they SCOOPING it out???
I love this shit!! the L’Oréal true nude is a similar product and cheaper if people are looking
One more thought. Makeup is fun, but you might want to check out Jessica DeFino’s Substack, “The Review of Beauty.” Inside look at all the politics and bullshit.
Love Jessica! She was on the podcast awhile back, talking about how skincare is just “dewy diet culture.”
Yesssss! Seconded!!!
Just here as another unrepentant member of the "not washing my face at night" club! (Also a northern New England no-makeup wearer who is very intrigued by the red correct mentioned below...)
I have been wondering a lot lately if my interest in makeup (I'm dabbling) is simply due to getting older and being more aware of how my face looks as compared with how it used to. Which is maybe neither here nor there if we're choosing these things primarily because they are fun? But it's in the back of my mind as a motivation to consider.
I agree, any makeup conversations, even "fun" ones, make me feel a little ick because I can't shake the patriarchal roots of it all. If my husband doesn't need or want to use products to make his "eyes pop" or "even out his skin tone", why do I? Yes, makeup can be fun (or at least, that's been a big message to us to make the chore more palatable) but wearing it IS a choice that reflects a submission to beauty standards.
Rant over, continue with your day!
my 5 year old niece asked if I was putting on red lipstick at christmas because my "face got SO no color now?" and......yeah.
I want to know if there are any people of a certain age in here who have made the jump to Bobbi Brown Jones Road line and if it really is all that. I have a hard time wanting to schedule some sort of consultation and/or starting a whole new regime but I'm open to convincing.
a friend of mine loves their tiny pots- might be a good (cheaper) place to try?
I tried it and hated it. The smell was overwhelming for me. And even though it was advertised as light, the foundation still felt way too thick for me.
I really like The Bronzer in Dusty Rose. It's a neutral blush, basically. I wear it all year, and it looks great in both winter and summer. I have two shades of The Best Eyeshadow, both matte, and they are nice for a casual, everyday shadow when I'm going for minimal effort.
I bought one of the foundations, and it’s so oily, I can’t wear it. Practically separated in the container.
oh what a bummer! That's crazy. My skin has aged but still hasn't let go of some adolescent tendencies (re: oil.) Last week I got a zit right on my jowl line. Perfect.
I was interested in buying it but I saw in the instructions somewhere that the first step is to stir it because it separates and I just imagined how messy that would be. Stir it with what???
I seem to be in the minority but I did not get along with Jones Road. I live in a hot humid climate and I have oily skin, so that cute little pot of color just made me look greasy and slid off, the eye pencils did the same, and the lip gloss wasn't special enough for the price. And anything with a "clean" label gets an immediate strike - I want preservatives in my cosmetics, thank you; also see Tressie McMillan Cottom's column today about Dry January and clean living, she nails it as always.
Also Not A Makeup Person who now wears makeup. I turned 42 and suddenly I'm a user of beauty products? I digress..
The Things I Love:
erborian - cc red correct; I can't stand the feeling of foundation. This is just a really nice tinted moisturizer with spf. It evens out my skin tone nicely and helps neutralize the redness of my ruddy cheeks (plus rosacea)
Haus Labs concealer - formula includes arnica which helps with redness and the color match is so so good
Charlotte Tillbury- chic to cheek in pillow talk; I use it as blush and eyeshadow
Hourglass- instant extensions mascara; no spider lashes and I still get some lift. I have curtain eyelashes
Benefit- precisely my brow detailer; I am bad at this but I'm trying. I was not gifted with a lot of eyebrow
benefit- benetint in rose; I'm not yet comfortable seeing myself with lipstick on but this gives a nice color and I don't have to faff about with reapplying. I would love to be brave enough for a red lip after reading Rachel Felder's incredible book on the topic.
Can't wait to read about what everyone else is using!
This is so helpful - thank you. I really want to try the eborian red correct. And I’m also working up the courage to try a red lip!
It’s a great product. I always make sure my skin is prepped nicely, and so the cc red correct sits really comfortably on my face.
What’s your prep routine? I ask sitting as an eager acolyte at the feet of your wisdom!
I wish I could live up to your confidence in me! I have no idea about retinoids and vitamin A and all of that but I have had a face for 42 years and I’ve finally gotten good at figuring out what she likes. It changes depending on the weather/seasons. I use a jelly cleansing balm (REN makes my favorite), my skin likes rice water so I find a toner with that ingredient. I think atm I’m using TIRTIR milk toner. I use a glucoside serum from inkey list on the apples of my cheeks because that’s where my skin is most inflamed. Lastly, a light moisturizer. I discovered that my skin also loves marshmallow root so I use one called supermello by kinship. Other things that help are, giving each product time to absorb and spraying with Mario bedescue rose water if I need to add moisture between steps. The names really are ridiculous. I’ve never written these things out before. It’s sort of embarrassing!
It’s an incantation!!!! It’s a map to a magic land!!!! I love it so much!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing the steps and products. All that you wrote is really helpful; there’s just SO MUCH to choose from, and from your description it sounds like we are in a similar skin zone. I feel like I can dip a toe in. THANK YOU♥️♥️♥️
I have blessedly clear skin, but I use a CPAP so I frequently have redness where the mask sits on my face, so my go-to complexion product is Dr. Jart's Camo Drops. It's a slightly green-tinted product that oxidizes beige, but the green undertone helps cancel redness. I put a drop on my forehead, my nose, on each cheek close to my nose, and one on my chin, then work them into my skin with my fingers. When it first goes on, it makes me look sort of pasty because of the green, but in a minute or two it blends in with my skin and just makes my complexion a bit more even, if a little pale. Then eyeliner and a little blush puts the depth back in.
I LOVE a tinted lip balm moment for looking put together but not "done." This is helpful because I am a woman in tech, so if I roll into a meeting wearing lipstick, it's weird, but I also don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed. The Burts Bees products are great, but I got a Givenchy Le Rouge Interdit sample once (lip balm that looks black but goes on as a sheer berry) and I regret to inform you that it is great. I actually ponied up the money for the full size. It's also great on video calls when I'm not wearing any other makeup; it keeps the weird webcam lighting from making me look washed out.
I’m also using redness corrector to deal with the redness from my cpap mask. My husband uses one, too, so who knows what our kids think when they come in to get us in the night! Some kind of sci-fi nightmare
I use Dr. jart's camo drops too, in place of foundation when I want to wear makeup at all! Allergies for me + I almost certainly will need a CPAP soon so I guess more redness is something to look forward to.
I just want to say for those who are thinking about venturing into lipstick, a good place to start is Clinique Black Honey. Pretty sure it looks good on everyone. I would move on to some of Nars Afterglow lip balms, I have Wicked Ways and Orgasm. https://www.narscosmetics.com/USA/afterglow-lip-balm/999NAC0000069.html. Also I love my Anastasia brow pencil, if you don't want a gel or have thinner brows after overtweezing in the nineties like me: https://www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com/products/perfect-brow-pencil. Lastly, I love makeup. I love to play with makeup and I have always loved makeup. I had Kevyn Aucoin's book Making Faces when I was in high school and poured over it. I don't do it for other people I do it for me, because it's fun. I love matching my eyeshadow to my outfits. I love experimenting with color. Maybe this isn't everyone but it's me, and has nothing to do with societal norms.
Seconding Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. It's the only makeup I currently wear, basically every day.
I enjoy the makeup talking but these comments have a lot of negative self talk about what the comment writer looks like without makeup. I don't want to call anyone out specifically, but as a whole it's uncomfortable for me to see in this space.
I'm really into Thrive Causemetics Brilliant Eye Brightener. So many great shades! I just bought the Lilac Shimmer color, and it's such a pretty pale purple which doesn't look as insane as it might sound.
Also big into Rituel de Fille for foundation and concealer. Like others mentioned, I do not like the feel of foundation on my face, but this one is silky smooth. A little goes a long way, and it is truly dewy and glowy. I love it.
For a lower cost option for the Thrive eye brighteners, check out Julep Beauty's eye shadow sticks - they've been a great replacement for me and come in so many more colors.
Actually to expand on Miracle Balm a bit, I think the clear, original color was the one best suited to what people think of as a balm--used for moisturizing, healing, etc. As the colors expanded it's used more for blush, highlighting, etc. The 2 colors you have---that I want to try!---are for sure more blush shades. I use Dusty Rose, which is primarily a blush shade but slightly lighter than the 2 colors you have, as an all over face shade/brightener. I thin it out a lot by warming up by rubbing my fingers until it's almost a liquid, then pat on.
I like the dusty rose but only in winter when I'm pale pale, otherwise it doesn't do much for me. It really gives your face a little something and I love the look, but it does feel kind of sticky.
Thank you for explaining what Jones Road Miracle Balm actually is. I was under the impression that it was like a BB cream but was then confused as to why it was so shiny and in tones of red.
I also used to use a primer as a sort of foundation but now I use BB cream for that sort of thing. After COVID and the constant masking I stopped using it regularly but maybe it’ll start making a comeback for me
Much older than you are, and I’ve had decades of makeup use, although I use it rarely now. Gone are the days when I wore it every day. But anyway, my one contribution — for those, like me, who have trouble with redness — is Dr Jart’s Color Correcting Cream. It’s fantastic, gives a matte finish that you can wear alone or with foundation, and it’s SPF 30. Downside: It may not be cruelty-free, I can’t get a definitive answer on that. So, that’s a problem. But I wear so little else (and donate to so many animal causes!), I’ve looked the other way.
https://www.drjart.com/product/29717/92633/color-corrector/cicapair-tiger-grass-color-correcting-treatment-spf-30
According to their FAQs, they do not test on animals, so you might be in luck if that is how you are describing cruelty free!
I LOVE the dr jart color correcting cream! it's the perfect amount of coverage for all-day zoom meetings, running errands, etc. when I just want to look a little more fresh. I wear it with a little miracle balm on my cheeks and it looks so natural.
Thank you for this useful, light thread, and to all have posted with your recommendations and tips. As a newly 43 year old with novice experience using makeup, and don't want to spend a lot of time getting ready each day, this has all be super helpful!!!