Not everyday is going to be a good makeup day. That’s a fact. Sure, it would be great if you could have perfectly groomed, brushed-up brows and eyeliner sharper than Naomi Campbell’s left cheekbone all day errday but you know what? That’s just not the case.
There’s ALWAYS going to be those days where you’re not going to have enough time to get ready… or you’re going to have to be out for a period longer than your makeup will withstand. Although you can’t control fate in order to avoid those days, what you can do is control what makeup you bring with you in order to look as fresh and… un-tragic as possible. I’m writing this from the perspective of a college student, but honestly it can be applied by anyone really.
- When you didn’t get enough sleep
These days SUCK. I wish they would never happen, especially when I’m watching all these Youtuber ‘morning routine’ videos and they’re like “oh guys I wake up at five a.m. everyday just ‘cuz” and you feel like a failure. But alas, I am a sloth and there are going to be those days when I just REFUSE to get up as soon as the alarm starts blaring.
So then when you finally do get up: you’re yawning, your undereye circles are more pronounced than ever and your eyes are looking red like you’ve just had the very, very good shit. What do? You’re not going to have enough time to actually do your makeup but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have to retire to looking tragic for the rest of the day.
L-R: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara, Revlon Matte Balm, Fasio UV Concealer
On days when you’re late and you haven’t had enough sleep, I’d recommend grabbing three makeup items to go and putting them on when you arrive to class/work/wherever your destination is. That is: a bright lipstick, a mascara and a concealer. When you’re tired, eyeshadow/eyeliner (especially BLACK eyeliner!) is just going to make you look even more tired so I’d say don’t bother. Mascara, on the other hand, makes you look bright eyed and bushy tailed so it will serve as all the definition your eyes need in these trying times. The concealer will, obviously, cover up dark circles as best as it can. If you can, bring a stick concealer instead of a pot one. I don’t know about you, but I can wash my hands a million times with soap but I’ll never feel truly clean so long as I’m using a public restroom.
Finally, the bright lipstick— preferably a red or a fuchsia— will be what you need to brighten up your face. No goth colours! The best part about these bright colours is that after you’re done slathering it all over your lips, you can pat it with your finger to remove any excess then use what’s on your finger on your cheeks as a blush. This is a tip I learned from Kate Moss in an article about her Rimmel lipsticks, and I’ve been employing it ever since— thanks Kate.
- When you’re about to do long hours
The days that I dread the most are Tuesday and Wednesday, because those are the days when my schedule is PACKED. It doesn’t matter how man repellingly fabulous my outfit is, or how it my lipstick is— by the end of the day, my lips are bare, my hair (probably) in an awful topknot and my jeans will have gone baggy. The funny thing is that the worse I look, the more tired I feel. You know one of the reasons that humans are actually bothered with things like fashion and beauty is because it makes us feel in control of ourselves. We feel on top of things! So when I find my appearance succumbing to the heat or the long hours, I find myself feeling less and less in control until, by the end of it all, I’m just a tired, unruly mess.
Clockwise: Zoeva Powder Brush, Sephora 8 Hr Wear Mattifying Compact Foundation, Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker, Innisfree Eyelash Curler
Although it would be near impossible to keep myself looking as fly and fresh at 5 PM as I did at 8 AM, I can bring myself a few makeup items to keep myself from getting too crunk and disorderly. For me, that would (obviously) include a powder and a powder brush. I don’t believe this requires explaining but regardless: everyone could benefit from some nose powdering after a couple of hours.
Other than that, an eyelash curler is great for refreshing your look. Maybe I’ve just been very fortunate with my eye makeup, but I don’t have a problem with eyeshadow or eyeliner fading but I have very fine, straight lashes which have a tendency to droop. I absolutely detest the look of having eyeshadow/eyeliner on but with sad, stick straight lashes. It just ruins the entire #look to me… you might as well have nothing on. So a few quick pumps of an eyelash curler will bring things back to form. By the way, if we’re talking eyelash curler recommendations, I used to use the Sephora eyelash curler which was… okay. I’ve never tried a pricier one so I can’t compare, but it worked just fine. Then one day, completely by impulse, I decided to purchase the Innisfree eyelash curler and now I’m a complete convert. And it’s only RM15! Luckily I managed to grab one because since then it’s always been sold out.
Finally, if we’re doing long hours I usually just say screw it to any dramatic lips and instead bring something sheer instead. You need something which you can apply without a mirror, because when you’re bored and tired and dreading the fact that you’ve got another 4 classes to go, there is no way you’ll have the energy or the motivation to re-apply your statement lip colour nicely and precisely. You’ll just end up bare-lipped which is nagl. So bring something easy that you can swipe on in two seconds.
- When you have a pathetic crush on some dude
Just FYI this isn’t me. I never have crushes, especially on dudes I know in real life. The last real crush I had was on Sonny Moore, before he pulled a total Norma Jean Is Marilyn! and became the beast we know today. Anyway, it’s totally common to like some guy in your class/work/student association/honestly what do normal people even do??? and you might want to do your makeup to catch their eye a lil bit.
L-R: NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray, Benefit They’re Real!, AVON Ultra Luxury Eyeliner, Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm
Basically, straight guys don’t like makeup. The most they can handle is two colours from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette (not even the regular Naked palettes) before they burst into flames. So what do you do when you like a guy but like makeup at the same time? Easy, use the right kind of makeup in order to catch his eye and then, once you’ve trapped him, start going back to all your old makeup-wearing heathen habits and then if he doesn’t like it, well, too bad.
So what products would I recommend for the Man Trapping Makeup Look? Simple, just pencil eyeliner and mascara (don’t forget the eyelash curler, if you suffer of the aforementioned Straight Lash Syndrome)! When it comes to makeup looks, guys are trapped in 2002, so load on that pencil eyeliner ONLY on your upper lash line, then blend the crap out of it. Guys are allergic to sharp lines. Then put on your mascara (MAKE SURE it’s a natural, fluttery type mascara). You will look like an innocent, angelic Venus princess— which is total man bait! Then wear pink lip gloss and make sure this song is playing around you at all times.
Once he’s already in love with you, throw out your pink lip gloss, switch back to your old man-repelling makeup habits and if he complains, just play this song.
**Number three is complete and utter satire. I don’t know anything about relationships, so don’t follow it!
MY LIPSTICK STAIN 