Makeup

[Fragile Bird]

Yeah but you aren't covering up a beard shadow from being born male :P I'm hoping that will go away with more time though. I guess the need for blush also fades as hormones work and my cheeks fill out on their own etc, but for now extensive make up is definitely needed to change how my face looks.

A friend is several years into the process and she no longer has any trace of a beard shadow.

Primer is like undercoat is to paint. I laughed when I first heard the term, but it makes your skin feel like it's been brushed with silk. Foundation then goes on much more smoothly.

[Elder Sister]

Yeah but you aren't covering up a beard shadow from being born male :P I'm hoping that will go away with more time though. I guess the need for blush also fades as hormones work and my cheeks fill out on their own etc, but for now extensive make up is definitely needed to change how my face looks.

No, I'm just a menopausal woman who needs primer to cover the ruddy fishwife complexion I now seem to have. :P. Age has not been kind to me, but what the heck. I'm having a good time. :D

Have you tried the Smashbox primer? I seriously love it. Like, I want to marry it, love it. Or at least run off with it for the weekend.

[Lady Olenna]

Karaddin: Try a really good bb cream. It's like a cross between primer and foundation but looks natural, feels light and has the SPF in it. I've read that both men and women use it to even out their skin without getting breakouts as well. I absolutely love it!

I don't know if it was said earlier but the laser hair removal felt like having a rubberband snapped on your skin. Only certain areas hurt.

[Lady Olenna]

No, I'm just a menopausal woman who needs primer to cover the ruddy fishwife complexion I now seem to have. :P. Age has not been kind to me, but what the heck. I'm having a good time. :D

Have you tried the Smashbox primer? I seriously love it. Like, I want to marry it, love it. Or at least run off with it for the weekend.

What??!!

I saw your pic with my own two eyes and you're gorgeous!

Ruddy fishwife ... Pfft. Nonsense.

I know you love smashbox, and it is great but I found a brand called Sana Pore Putty and its really good as well and like $11. But I'm on a budget so I was forced to find an alternative.

[Starkess]

I bought my first anti-aging stuff today. Sigh.

I don't know if it was said earlier but the laser hair removal felt like having a rubberband snapped on your skin. Only certain areas hurt.

That was the analogy I kept hearing, and it did not at all prepare me for the searing pain. Worth it, but something to expect. And of course I'm sure it varies over different areas and people.

[Rubies & Jade]

I use an epilator on my legs, I get about the same amount of ingrown hairs as I did with waxing (which is to say, more than shaving) but it is cheaper than waxing and lasts longer than shaving. it hurts about the same as waxing to me.

do your research on laser... it works great for some people, but for others its not permanent and/or can cause scarring. Its supposed to work best on people with very fair skin and very dark hair. In the US the FDA does not allow it (in theory) to be advertised as "permanent removal", just "reduction". It hurts, I think, but like waxing or getting a tattoo, it hurts differently in different areas on different people.

Look into electrolysis as well. its permanent. It also hurts.

[Fragile Bird]

Starkess, if you bought anti-aging stuff I fear you are getting sucked in by marketing. You can't possibly need it! I'm positive I've seen you on fb!

[Rubies & Jade]

I saw your pic with my own two eyes and you're gorgeous!

Ruddy fishwife ... Pfft. Nonsense.

this was my reaction when I saw your pic, ES! I don't see that ruddy complexion at all, your skin looks great!

[Baitac]

Yeah but you aren't covering up a beard shadow from being born male :P I'm hoping that will go away with more time though. I guess the need for blush also fades as hormones work and my cheeks fill out on their own etc, but for now extensive make up is definitely needed to change how my face looks.

Everything is a process, isn't it? In the end, it'll be worth it:)

When you said you had problems with your forehead and sides of the nose, were you talking breakouts or dryness? Sometimes, if your moisturizer is too heavy, it will cause clogging which will lead to breakouts or millae. I had to have a few of those burned off. I have very dry skin and over moisturized. This caused me trouble in those places you mentioned.

I wouldn't give up on using blush! I bet you have wonderful cheekbones. You should accentuate them (not overtly), but definitely use it to contour cheeks, jawbone and chin. Super lightly with a brush.

Thank you for sharing what you are going through with us. This group will for sure give you advice on looking healthy and pretty. We have all ages and ethnicities in this thread. Something will definitely work for you. We'll make sure of it. You've got our support. :)

[Starkess]

Just spent another 15 minutes wrangling my brows. Think they look better? At this point I have no clue.

ETA: Urgh and plus they look different at different angles...so I stand there looking in my mirror thinking okay, that looks fine, and I take a picture and it looks utterly different. Fuck my fucking eyebrows. Seriously.

Yes I realize how totally obsessive this is, but this is what I'm talking about. I should have just stuck with the orange, in hindsight. But since I had just kind of made it up on my own, I always felt like I had messed it up somehow. Yellow I hated. Green was better. Blue I actually liked, but my bf says it makes my face look fatter. Now trying to get back closer to orange again, but I can't seem to manage it. Doesn't help that despite being crazy bushy for most of it (see the red), my brows get really sparse towards to outside of my face. So I can't make a nice taper. Oh well. I should probably stop obsessing about this, but seriously. How is it this difficult?

Starkess, if you bought anti-aging stuff I fear you are getting sucked in by marketing. You can't possibly need it! I'm positive I've seen you on fb!

:blushing: Thanks! I just turned 25 in September and I've read that's around when your skin starts to reduce production of collagen and such...ie it's the time to start using some mild anti-aging stuff to delay the onset of wrinkles! So here I am spending $20 on a little tub of Olay Total Effects night cream. It can't hurt, right?

[DreamSongs]

I am afraid that my eczema allows me to claim 'the ruddy fishwife of the decade' at 1 month shy of 45. I have been trying 'philosophy miracle', but have to use prescription dermaskin in between applications.

The redness and dry flaking skin since age 15 have totally trashed my skin and my self esteem. My new strategy is super-short dark hair and RED lipstick. So far, the new hair is a winner.

[karaddin]

I don't know if it was said earlier but the laser hair removal felt like having a rubberband snapped on your skin. Only certain areas hurt.

It hurts more than this for me the first time/when upping the power but its a good description for the style of the pain. My face hurt a lot, but more so beard/chin and Adams apple. When my legs started at the knees there was zero pain and I got all cocky, then she started going down my shin and holy fuck it hurt. Other bad spot was a strip down the outside of my calf.

Went with a friend who got her armpits done and she didn't even flinch the first zap, so disappointing. Apparently was super effective for her too.

Everything is a process, isn't it? In the end, it'll be worth it:)

When you said you had problems with your forehead and sides of the nose, were you talking breakouts or dryness? Sometimes, if your moisturizer is too heavy, it will cause clogging which will lead to breakouts or millae. I had to have a few of those burned off. I have very dry skin and over moisturized. This caused me trouble in those places you mentioned.

Its already worth it and I'm only just starting :) The problem I had was dryness/flaking and that got worse when I was using moisturizer. I got a different/better one but that coincided with my skin coming good on its own, I used it a couple of times while I've been in Sweden and its helped...hoping Sydney will revive it though.

I'm generic pasty white, my approach to avoiding sun damage has been avoiding the sun :P makes my skin and hair colour perfect for laser though!

[Elder Sister]

What??!!

I saw your pic with my own two eyes and you're gorgeous!

Ruddy fishwife ... Pfft. Nonsense.

I know you love smashbox, and it is great but I found a brand called Sana Pore Putty and its really good as well and like $11. But I'm on a budget so I was forced to find an alternative.

Thank you, Lady O. You're a sweet pea. Does the Pore Putty tone down redness?

this was my reaction when I saw your pic, ES! I don't see that ruddy complexion at all, your skin looks great!

Thank you, Jade. Aren't you a redhead too? What do you use on your skin?

Thank you for sharing what you are going through with us. This group will for sure give you advice on looking healthy and pretty. We have all ages and ethnicities in this thread. Something will definitely work for you. We'll make sure of it. You've got our support. :)

Bai., you are so awesome. <3

Karradin, ditto what Bai. said. Also, I will talk all day about this stuff. I love me some war paint. :). And I'm extremely fair too, so we'll have to compare notes.

Just spent another 15 minutes wrangling my brows. Think they look better? At this point I have no clue.

ETA: Urgh and plus they look different at different angles...so I stand there looking in my mirror thinking okay, that looks fine, and I take a picture and it looks utterly different. Fuck my fucking eyebrows. Seriously.

Yes I realize how totally obsessive this is, but this is what I'm talking about. I should have just stuck with the orange, in hindsight. But since I had just kind of made it up on my own, I always felt like I had messed it up somehow. Yellow I hated. Green was better. Blue I actually liked, but my bf says it makes my face look fatter. Now trying to get back closer to orange again, but I can't seem to manage it. Doesn't help that despite being crazy bushy for most of it (see the red), my brows get really sparse towards to outside of my face. So I can't make a nice taper. Oh well. I should probably stop obsessing about this, but seriously. How is it this difficult?

:blushing: Thanks! I just turned 25 in September and I've read that's around when your skin starts to reduce production of collagen and such...ie it's the time to start using some mild anti-aging stuff to delay the onset of wrinkles! So here I am spending $20 on a little tub of Olay Total Effects night cream. It can't hurt, right?

Nora, you are seriously gorgeous. SERIOUSLY. Enjoy it. :)

[Gillio]

Just spent another 15 minutes wrangling my brows. Think they look better? At this point I have no clue.

ETA: Urgh and plus they look different at different angles...so I stand there looking in my mirror thinking okay, that looks fine, and I take a picture and it looks utterly different. Fuck my fucking eyebrows. Seriously.

Yes I realize how totally obsessive this is, but this is what I'm talking about. I should have just stuck with the orange, in hindsight. But since I had just kind of made it up on my own, I always felt like I had messed it up somehow. Yellow I hated. Green was better. Blue I actually liked, but my bf says it makes my face look fatter. Now trying to get back closer to orange again, but I can't seem to manage it. Doesn't help that despite being crazy bushy for most of it (see the red), my brows get really sparse towards to outside of my face. So I can't make a nice taper. Oh well. I should probably stop obsessing about this, but seriously. How is it this difficult?

:blushing: Thanks! I just turned 25 in September and I've read that's around when your skin starts to reduce production of collagen and such...ie it's the time to start using some mild anti-aging stuff to delay the onset of wrinkles! So here I am spending $20 on a little tub of Olay Total Effects night cream. It can't hurt, right?

When I was shown how to pluck mine, i was given a guide similar to this

http://passion4makeup.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Creat-the-Perfect-Eyebrow-Arch

(possibly a bit less complicated)

I usually just pluck out the odd ones now, but I'll need to get it waxed soon coz its getting hard to see the hairs with my glasses off!!

I agree with ES - getting older sucks, especially when you cant ignore it any longer

(My hubby teases me about the grey hairs, I tell him he'd have grey hairs too if he was married to him)

[deleted01]

Starkess, your eybrows look similar to mine. At the moment they're quite straight across, have you tried going slightly thinner as you go across? If that makes any sense :lol: Oh and you are beautiful!

I'm going to look into laser hair removal and try to find some deals on Groupon and the like. Epilation (if thats a word) never really appealed to me but my housemate swears by it. Tbh for the last few years I've not been too fussed with shaving my legs, need some extra warmth in the cold British winter! But now I'm in a relationship I should probably make some effort. Minimal effort though, if you please :laugh:

[Rubies & Jade]

Thank you, Jade. Aren't you a redhead too? What do you use on your skin?

nah, I've got brown hair and have struggled with reddish skin from all that suntanning I did when I was in my teens and 20s. I hate wearing foundation and so instead of covering it up I've tried to fix it. Retin-A has been the most helpful thing with that for my face (it hasn't worked as well on my shoulders and chest). So, basically, I just use that, a vitamin C serum I make and a zinc-based (19%) sunscreen by Devita. I use the sunscreen every single time I leave the house during the day.

I hate trying to shape my eyebrows, too. mine are different on each side so they're never perfect. I should try having them threaded.

[Starkess]

I don't know what it is about me and eyebrows. I notice everyone's eyebrows, and I'd say I probably dislike 75% of them. Not necessarily because people do a bad job on them (although a lot do), but because they're such a weird feature and so impossible to get right. I feel the same way about noses. Weird, I know!

Nora, you are seriously gorgeous. SERIOUSLY. Enjoy it. :)

:blushing: Thanks!

When I was shown how to pluck mine, i was given a guide similar to this

http://passion4makeu...ct-Eyebrow-Arch

(possibly a bit less complicated)

That's the kind of guide I've used, but I've found it doesn't really help much in the top-to-bottom shaping, if that makes sense? So I draw these lines on my face and then still go "huh, now what?"

(My hubby teases me about the grey hairs, I tell him he'd have grey hairs too if he was married to him)

I used to pluck out my single gray hair...and now there are too many for that! In the past couple years I have started to develop a cluster near my widow's peak. I've just accepted I'm probably going to be rocking a Stacy London look eventually. The funny thing is that I'd actually kind of like them (they're sparkly!) if they didn't mean I was getting older!

Starkess, your eybrows look similar to mine. At the moment they're quite straight across, have you tried going slightly thinner as you go across? If that makes any sense :lol: Oh and you are beautiful!

Yeah, I think that is what I did before that I am trying to get back to. I think I'm nervous to take too much off. And since my eyebrows are so naturally straight, I think it looks really unnatural to force so much arch into them! And thank you :kiss:

I hate trying to shape my eyebrows, too. mine are different on each side so they're never perfect. I should try having them threaded.

Oooh yeah, that gets me too. I can get one looking perfect (sometimes), but the other will NEVER COOPERATE. It doesn't help that my eyes are different sizes, so my whole facial area ends up looking kind of lopsided. (One reason my head is almost always tilted in pictures--it makes it a lot harder to notice!)

[karaddin]

Drac - another thing with laser is I'd recommend as good a shave as you can manage just before it... The longer the hair the more pain in my experience.

[deleted01]

Thanks for the tips! I'll remember that. Laser hair removal is looking more and more appealing now I've started thinking about it. How long does it last, or is that a stupid question? :laugh:

[Starkess]

Thanks for the tips! I'll remember that. Laser hair removal is looking more and more appealing now I've started thinking about it. How long does it last, or is that a stupid question? :laugh:

http://www.hairremovalforum.com/laser-hair-removal-research/how-long-does-laser-hair-removal-last/119/