Friday, February 13, 2009

#529: le face.


image from here.

i'm doing my own makeup for my wedding. and sorry to say. but i don't have that 'natural beauty' thing going on for me. which means. i will be calling on my inner makeup artist to create something bold and beautiful. hi inner makeup artist. please show up.

my daily routine consists of eyeliner, blush, mascara, and filling in my brows. to kick it up a notch, i sometimes smudge on some eyeshadow. and for very special occasions, i even out my complexion with bare minerals.

i have that type of oily/glossy-ish skin that is at the same time a bit flaky. ATTRACTIVE. so i don't like using wet stuff. like wet foundation or wet concealer, either in tube or palette form. ideally, i'd love to be completely matte on my wedding day but realistically, my skin will not really allow for that. at the moment, i'm trying out MAC translucent blotting powder and i think it helps but after an hour or so, i'm back to being shiny. now i'm considering trying something like smashbox photo finish primer. i've never used it, or even seen it, but hey, if it's supposed to help, why not. i'll do a little testy test and let you know how it goes. has anyone fought the shiny-battle and won?

one thing i'm certain about...are fake eyelashes. that's not even a question. i'm going to do it and prove it. 100%. what's your favorite out there?

32 comments:

Unknown said...

Please let us know what you think of the Smashbox as I have been considering it as well! Faux lashes are a must but I am terrified of doing them myself. Guess we have to give it a trial run...or two. : )

Kelly said...

I did my own makeup too and wrote a little post about it on my blog here:(http://wikel.blogspot.com/2008/08/diy-wedding-day-makeup.html)

My favorite item is Model In a Bottle. I swear by it. It might help with your shiny-ness too? I would buy a bottle and try it if I were you. It is so amazing.

...and you are better than me. I couldn't even attempt fake eyelashes.

Jessica @ Mason Jar Bride said...

the smashbox primer works pretty well, so give that a try. i reeeeally love dermalogica's clearing mattifier, and it seems to keep the shininess in check all day, which other products can't. i put it on right after my moisturizer and it absorbs that shiny look and leaves a velvety matte finish. it also helps minimize my pores. Make Up For Ever makes a really nice matte concealer...it comes in a little tube and even though it's a liquid, it's the perfect consistency and goes on really smooth with no shininess. as far as falsies, MAC's are the best i've come across. good luck! can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Stephanie said...

I have oily skin & a dry T-Zone. Feel your pain girl.

Try: Wash your face w/ Dior Cleansing Gelee for face, lips & eyes. Follow with MAC Prep & Prime. Apply your favorite powder. I kid you not, you will be glowing, not greasy. I use this duo when I go to parties & my skin always looks amazing in pics.

Hannah said...

Let me know how it goes-- I'm going to be dealing with the same problem myself!
I may or may not be doing my own makeup-- but either way I want something I can count on!

I'm doing fakelashes too-- so that I don't have to worry about runny mascara!

Anonymous said...

Please, pretty please practice with the eyelashes! That is the last thing you should be battling with on the day of your wedding. Also, find a good, gentle remover because that glue is meant to last!

Anonymous said...

I used this stuff from body shop, something like Algae Mattifying Day Cream? Sorry I forget what it was called exactly but it wouldn't be hard to figure out, it's the only mattifying thing they've got I think. Anyway, it was 110 in Sonoma and you absolutely couldn't tell in the pictures even though I felt like I was melting. I really couldn't recommend it more.

Sweet Tea and Peonies said...

get the individual lashes as opposed to the big strips. That's all I know. I recently took a strip of lashes and cut them into tiny clumps and that worked too. Either way it'll look more naturally dramatic as opposed to drag queen dramatic.

Anonymous said...

Re fake eyelashes: You can do strip or individuals (small clusters). They require different (and not interchangable) glue. The individual glue is in a small clear bottle, the strip glue is a tube and can be either white (which dries clear) or colored (ie black). Go with white/clear. Depends on what type of look you're going for and the shape of your eyes to determine what type of lashes to use so as not to venture into the drag queen territory. For strip they need to be trimmed. I use Ardell or Andrea Mod (two drug store brands). There is little difference, IMO, between them and MAC or Shu Uemura. Curl eyelashes before and use light coating of mascara before and after to blend lashes together. Attach very close to lash line and keep eyes half shut until glue dries. Be patient. Good luck.

Rachel said...

Sounds like we are skin twins.

I only use Bare Essentials...have you tried their mineral veil to eliminate oil?

I reapply every few hours for special occasions - and its pretty much translucent so it shouldn't stain your dress.

Rachel

alissa said...

This is your product right here:
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P202638&categoryId=B70

It's great as a first layer under powder, keeps your face smooth and dry. It feels totally awesome too.

jackiewd said...

I have oily skin, but some kind of eczema/psoriasis issues from time to time with the flaking as well...For my bridal portraits (it's a southern thing) I used MAC prep + prime under Covergirl foundation (because it's cheap and I'm pale and have to buy 5 kinds to get the right color) and MAC powder and I was shine-free and flake-free from 8 am when I finished putting on my makeup until 5 pm when the photos finished (there was hair prep, and a 3 hr drive in there as well). I brought along Covergirl pressed powder for touch-ups but didn't need it. If you'd like details on the other products I used or to see how the pics turned out, please email me. jackiewd@gmail.com Hope your makeup comes out beautifully!

it's very possible that i'm over opinionated said...

please post a list of cosmetics you end up using! i'd love to know what you figure out.

Maggie said...

I'm nervous about the shine factor too. Definitely will bring OODLES of blotting papers with me. August sun + outdoor picture taking isn't going to help my situation either. Let us know what products you end up liking.

Anonymous said...

Smashbox has a new powder that is called Halo. It has gold in it and is supposed to improve the look of lines on your face in 20 minutes or something like that. I don't know about the lines, but I really like the powder! It's great at evening out skin tone and I think it could help with the shine factor, especially if you layer it over another product.

Mrs. Andi said...

Those are all some great comments! I'm going to save this post to try out some of these suggestions. I am oily all over, especially in the T-zone & even though my makeup goes on ok, but after a couple of hours, it's Shine City again.

Anonymous said...

Makeup is one of the few things I'm leaving to the pros for my wedding day. But it's just because I don't have very clear skin, and I don't want any blemishes showing! I also don't know how to do much with makeup - I'm lost when it comes to eyeshadow and liner! If I trusted myself, I would totally do my own though!

ANYway.. re: eyelashes, a friend of mine wrote a big long blog post on how to apply them, so you should check it out if you want some advice!

http://kattekylling.vox.com/library/post/how-to-apply-fake-eyelashes.html

Good luck!

ila said...

i'm not one for fake eyelashes, it just feels so heavy on my short, thin asian lashes.
for my wedding (whenever that is), i'm getting eyelash extensions done. they're supposedly all-the-rage in japan, and you can catch a japanese aesthetician in the south bay area to do it for you. it's a bit expensive, but it'll last a good 4 weeks!

Ten Thousand Only said...

but kelly. you've got it going on with the natural beauty thing. know what i mean.

but i'll try the model in a bottle. just for you.

Anonymous said...

Make sure your foundation doesn't have a lot of mica in it, especially if it's dry. Bare Minerals is like, all mica, and a bunch of MAC powders are too... Just ask. They'll send you in the right direction.

Camera flashes bounce off the mica and make your face look whiter than it does in real life!

Anonymous said...

i've heard the smashbox primer really makes some people's skin break out, but i've never tried it personally.

and fake lashes are a MUST! but practice a lot before the big day, of course. mac has some really amazing, natural but long doe-eyed looking ones that are great and you can get quite a few uses out of them.

the un-bride said...

Just had a mini-makeover from a friend who's a Smashbox artist (lemme know if you want to contact her) and I'm in LOVE with the primer. Get the one with the SPF - after a night out, I didn't have creases under my eyes when I got home.

Alyssa said...

I also have shiny, oily, and flaky skin. I would not recommend Smashbox. I love the way it makes my skin feel, but I've used it with oil free Mac foundation and I feel like my skin is even shinier when I use the Smashbox. I hope you're able to find something that works!

sofstapia said...

i agree - smashbox photo primer is a great product. it comes in an oil-free version as well. have you tried an eye primer? i use the mary kay eye primer. it.is.awesome. it really makes your eyeshadow colors pop and and will help your makeup last all night. without it, i think my eyeshadow starts to absorb some oils from my skin and the colors just arent as vivid at the end of the night. i'm not sure about other brands of eye primer as i've only used mk.

Susan Fussell said...

I just bought Smashbox photo finish primer last weekend and wasn't blown away. Someone did tell me it works better with liquid foundation. Two days after I bought it I was working with a makeup artist for an event at work and she said not to use for the wedding day, but to use a silicone based liquid foundation (I have oily skin, too) - no water or oil based for the big day. She also suggested a few other products that I cannot recall at the moment (I have them written down at work and will write a follow up post). The most important thing to remember, she said, is that powder does not like to stick to skin ... it sticks better to powder. She said my bare minerals is great day to day ... but not for the wedding day - not for maintaining my look all day and not for staying matte all day.

Susan Fussell said...

Just remembered the name of the product / foundation the make up artist most passionately recomended - Face Atelier.

http://www.faceatelier.com/face/us/web.nsf/fmPublic!OpenForm&t=catalog&cat=uf

And then she said to powder over that.

Amanda said...

I also have the same oily skin situation and found that Dermalogica has a really great pre-makeup mattifier that works wonders on my T-zone. Best of luck! I'm thinking about doing my own wedding makeup as well, though my skills are questionable.

AmyJean {Relentless Bride®} said...

I've done eyelash extensions... thats what i'm going to do. B/c that way when i'm frolicking on the beach, i'll have semblance of long curled eyelashes without any make up on... but until then, i currently use revitalash! Totally works... lengthens and thickens. But the eyelash extensions way cool! :)
RelentlessBride

Anonymous said...

I have similar skin to yours (oily/flaky). Unfortunately, there is no magic solution outside of a dermatologist (mattifying products make the flakes stand out, everything else makes me shiny). I use Make Up Forever concealer which is good for mattifying and the MUF HD foundation so far has looked nice. Try using a mechanical exfoliant before the big day to take care of the flakes and just have a little powder compact (the MAC one you are using should be good) and retouch occasionally throughout the wedding (a good BM duty to help?). There are forums like makeupalley where you can check out reviews of different primers as well. Good luck!

Julieann said...

False eyelashes don't work on me!!


ONE THING THAT IS A MUST is by MAKEUP FOR EVER. It is a spray silicone that you spray on your face after all of your make up has been applied and it adheres everythign to your face! It held my makeup on through my POST WEDDING SURF SESSION IN THE OCEAN!!! NOT A RUN OR SMEAR OF COLOR! It still holds my makeup on in the pool etc etc!!! the stuff is AMAZING

Susan Fussell said...

Trial with some stuff from Sephora suggested during a trial day-of session there:

Primer - Lorac Aqua Prime,

Eye and lip primer (same product) -Urban Decay.

Concealer - Josie Maran.

Foundation - Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet

Powder - Make Up For Ever Duo Mat

Lasted for a very long time after the trial, so I bought it all. Did a trial run myself yesterday and then worked out and got all sweaty (I know it's not good for your skin to do so, but it was the only way I could think of to really test it out). Checked the mirror and was delighted to see that the see that I still looked matte. We have a winner!

Anonymous said...

you don't have that natural beauty thing going on? are you kidding? you're gorgeous!