Wedding Woes

PMeg and makeup peeps

I have a friend who has asked for my help with her makeup. I asked her a few questions and here's what I still need help with: She is super super fair. Very white, very blond hair, eyebrows are a dirty blond color. These is an entirely different color palate than what I work with, so suggestions for colors? She also tends to sweat rather easily, somewhat oily skin. Pores seems to be fairly small and she doesn't seem to have any blemishes. Would primer help keep makeup on better? Other suggestions? I'm sending her to makeupgeek, but are there any other great tutorials you'd recommend? Oh, we also need to shape her eyebrows, so tutorials on that would help.

Re: PMeg and makeup peeps

  • I would say primer would absolutely help.  I'd suggest a range with lighter colors, or even a white, if she's that fair she can mix that in with a foundation she really likes, lightening or leaving darker for summers or whatever.

    I also would suggest a translucent powder rather than colored, look for more ashy colors for brows, I really like iT cosmetics brow pencil-it's ashy and dark or light depending on the pressure you use, and it's got some wax and a spooly so you don't have to worry about your brows "straying".  Brow tutorials?  Nikkie Tutorials has some killer brows AND light skin, so that is a double whammy.

    I also really still like the urban decay spray if you're worried about oily skin.
  • Primer is good for oily skin. BECCA Ever Matte is pretty awesome, but she could give Rimmel's Stay Matte a whirl. For brows, I use Anastasia Brow wiz in Medium ash but I have dark brows for a blonde. 

    Tutorials- I like Wayne Goss, Makeup Geek, Sharon Farrell, Lisa Eldrige, Pixiewoo. 

     For colors, I do browns near my eyes since I've got blue eyes. I more coordinate my overall look. Warm browns mean warm blush, and a warm lip color. 
  • ::taking notes::

    I'm not fair skinned at all, but for the last ~2 months my skin has been really oily.  I've never really had this problem so I'm new to the reduce-the-shine game.  I bought my first toner today, along with blotting papers.
  • Taw, be careful with toner. For oily skin, you want salicylic acid but it can be drying. Once a day and remember to moisturize as well. Sometimes oily skin can be a sign if dry skin that has been overly exfoliated and not well moisturized.
  • So toner is fine for oily skin, just don't go overboard, right?  Google instructed me to get toner (I got an alcohol-free).

    Would something else be better to help control the oil throughout the day?
  • Disclaimer- I am big into skincare right now. So probably more info than you want to know.

    Toner is more or less an exfoliator. Yes, it is fine for oily skin. But you have to put it in context of your overall skincare regimen. I am assuming you are washing your skin. Be careful that your face wash doesn't have an exfoliator in it. This would be something like glycolic acid or salicylic acid. The former is an AHA and the latter is a BHA. BHAs are effective are reducing the oils on your skin. So you wash your face which removes most of the oil on your skin. A BHA used next will remove excess oils and lightly exfoliate your skin. It is important to not over-exfoliate. You can irritate your skin if you start using too many acids. The other piece is physical exfoliation. If you are using something like the St Ives Apricot scrub or some face wash that has those scrubbing beads, they can be really damaging to your skin. Also, a wash cloth or Clarisonic is a method of physical exfoliation and you want to limit that as it is more aggressive than chemical exfoliation.

    So wash, apply toner. Wait at least 15 minutes. You need to give it time to work. Then add moisturizer. I prefer gel moisturizers for oily skin (like Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel). Once a week you can try Queen Helene's Mint Julep Mask for more oil control.

    In the AM, wash and moisturize. If you think your skin can handle it- add the toner. AHAs also cause photosensitivity so remember sunscreen.
  • Check out Jaclyn Hill on youtube, she has great make-up tutorials and just did one for bridal makeup a couple months ago.
  • You'll also have to practice.  B/c funny enough, I have oily skin, but some cleansers with salicylic acid create terrors.  I cannot use the Murad line for example, it was hell.  I kept at it for a month before I decided it wasn't working and I think it took a few months for my face to really recover.  

    Clinique's Acne line is just fine while their oily line just wasn't enough.  But, I can't use their Dramatically Different, it causes blemishes and painful outbreaks.  I can use their Youth Surge for combination to oily skin though.

    I use the Smashbox Photo Finish for oily skin and it's amazing.  It really helps control the oil. The only other thing I use during the day is the little pieces of paper stuffs that soaks up the oil.
  • @Pmeg819, when you say warm colors, which ones?  She's actually very similarly colored to you, maybe even just a shade or two fairer, with blue eyes.  I tend to use lots of plums and wine colors and that's what I think of as warm.  Will those still work?

    Most of what I read used cool colors like pinks and apricots.
  • So for blush, Milani's Luminoso looks good on me (it's a dupe for NARS Orgasm). NARS Deep Throat looks good on me. Tarte's Exposed Blush I just got and it's neutral for me- it just comes up as a dusty pink.
     
    For foundation, I wear Make Up Forever HD Foundation in 117. Sephora sells a kit that has the foundation, primer, translucent powder and a mini kabuki brush for like $65 I think. She can get matched a Sephora and get a sample of the foundation to see if she likes it. For oil control, I use the Wayne Goss method. Basically you put your primer on, do a light layer of powder, and then do foundation. After the foundation has time to set, powder where needed (I do my forehead, nose, and chin). 

     For browns, I still think the Naked palettes are decent. I have Naked and Naked Basics and use them a lot. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette also has a lot of nice warm browns but the quality is not as nice as the Naked palettes. 

     For lips, I'm a sucker for NARS Satin lip Pencil in Rikugien. Its a MLBB shade for me. It's pricey, but YSL Glossy Stain in 102 Corail Mutin is gorgeous. It looks orange but it is a shimmery pink on my lips.
  • Yes, everyone's skin is different. A Skincare board I'm on recommends this as their beginner routine: CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, Stridex in the red box, St Ives Exfoliating Pads, then CeraVe moisturizer. Well the St Ives does jack for me. I can handle chemical exfoliation like a pro- I get no sensitivity to it. But physical exfoliation like my Clarisonic is way to harsh for me. Taw, you might just have to try it out. Give it a few weeks (unless you have irritation then stop), then maybe trying some thing else if it doesn't have the desired result.
  • Thanks @pmeg819 and @varunatt.  This helps a lot.  I'm sick of having weird skin.
  • This is interesting to see how different faces, all oily, react.

    I really can't take anything with an exfoliant anymore.  The 2 face masks I love are the Clinique Acne Solutions Oil Control Cleansing Mask -- it's amazing when i do have a blemish and it doesn't overdry; it also sets in less than 5", which is nice.  I also love the DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask.  That one takes way longer to dry and I had to be very careful with it.  I couldn't use it very often and it was potent.

    PMeg, thanks!  The NARS Orgasm has bee mentioned in more than one blog, so it's nice to see an alternative that's similar and, I'm assuming, a bit cheaper.  Also interesting, is that I'm MUF 120.  Looks like the main difference is the fair to light, both of us w/yellow undertones.  I had been thinking she was probably a pink undertone, but maybe I should have her look at yellows too.  I was going to recommend MUF to her anyway for a full foundation and maybe a tinted moisturizer if she didn't want to go the full route.
  • Sadly--my face has been the best with my prescribed anti-bac pill, and also a peroxide face wash.  And retinoids---also expensive and use only about 2-3 times a week. 

    I wanted to do the more natural route, but I tried that for 2 years with jack-squat results, so I finally sucked it up and visited my derm.  I've been happier ever since.
  • I have to admit, I always laugh at my friends who try the "olive oil" thing.  Good luck with that!  Yuck.
  • Varuna-I have a friend who loves jojoba oil and blahblahblah.  BUT IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME.

    Because my issues are hormonal which means, no matter what I do topically---it is still a shitshow.  Sometimes I want to slap her because she'll be like "I lovvvve this"  No, just no.
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