What’s your makeup story?
Mine started when I was around 10 (if we don’t count playing with my Mom’s makeup whenever I could get my hands on them) at a school party when my friends and I applied eye shadow from a palette taken (stolen?) from one of us’ Mother. And yes, I still remember how we passed it around and felt very grownup when proudly presented ourselves to the public (mostly stunned teachers and totally ignorant boys).
It wasn’t until I was 13-14 when I started to wear makeup regularly to school – not much, just some golden/khaki eyeliner and maybe some concealer. This latter was probably more out of necessity – teenage acne hit me hard.
The next few years can be characterized by one makeup rule – the more and darker, the better. Dark brown eye shadow, black eyeliner, heavy foundation, cakey powders, multiple layers of mascara, definitely too much blush, and the occasional experimentation with some trends, like blue colored hair coloring wands and glittery, shiny lip gloss. Highlighter was not yet a thing, so luckily, I passed on the golden shiny disco ball look. Thankfully, social media and phones with cameras were not a thing back then, so I have only a few mementos of this period. On the other hand, this meant we had no access to tutorials and YouTube makeup gurus either, which probably explains these lame makeup attempts. I’m actually a bit resentful towards today’s teenagers who are thousand times more chic and fashionable than we ever were. It’s kind of not fair – where’s your awkward glittery, pink eye shadow phase?
At one point, I discovered the world of high-end beauty. I think a beautiful Chanel palette was my gateway drug, and the shopping options became considerably wider (and more expensive).
By my early 20s, I said goodbye to extreme makeup trends, but I still bought a lot of makeup – 50 shades of brown eye shadow, berry lipsticks, translucent powders, natural-looking foundations, opal highlighters, an so on. I kind of already knew what colors and looks I liked, so instead of experimentation, the shopping problem stemmed from finding the “perfect one”.
Even when I loved using a product, I thought there must be something even better out there. This also coincided with the boom of online makeup videos and reviews. Wherever I turned there was a new cult product “you just simply had to have”. I didn’t buy everything, thankfully, I was not THAT interested in makeup (skincare was always more my thing), but I wasn’t totally immune to the online influence either.
Now, this should be the part when I share the story of how I woke up one morning determined to simplify my beauty routine, how I succeeded, and what the secret simplifying technique is. But I can’t really. It didn’t happen overnight and was not a result of a conscious organizing strategy.
Less is more
I simply started to pay attention to what I was actually using on a daily basis. What I reached for every morning. What I packed in an overnight or travel bag. What I used when I wanted to be confident about how I looked. I started to keep those items in a separate makeup bag and had to realize that 95% of the time, that makeup bag was totally enough. What’s more, I already had a lot of “holy grail” items – things that were so perfect for me I would never replace them.
So, I had to answer some questions. What’s the point of buying another tinted moisturizer when the one I was using was great? Why should I buy another black eyeliner when I’ve already tried dozens and finally found the one that had the perfect texture and didn’t smudge? Do I really need to look at highlighters when I keep rebuying the one I have?
My simplified, daily makeup kit:
+ Face: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, Beautyblender, benefit Boi-ing Brightening Concealer and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, the best products I found so far for undereye circles
+ Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow, Eye of Horus Black Eye pencil, smashbox SuperFan Mascara, Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
+ Complexion: rms Living Luminizer and Hourglass AMBIENT Lightning Blush in Diffused Heat
+ Lips: Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia or Kiko Unlimited Stylo in Pearly Rose Mauve
In a way, simplifying my makeup routine was an organic thing. Recognizing and accepting this required a bit more effort. But once I was honest about the misalignment between my shopping and using habits, it became much easier to refrain from shopping.
And I think that’s the secret of minimalism, simplifying, intentional shopping or whatever you’d like to call it. Knowing what we want, what we like, being honest about our lifestyle and our habits, finding something that checks all the boxes and then being content with that.
It seems like such a simple thing, but with the kind of pressure our current consumer society puts on us, this is not easy, at all. The good news is, though, that it gets easier once you start this mindful shopping journey.
It doesn’t mean that we cannot have some shopping fun – I’m not a big fan of strict minimalism. Sometimes I try out a new mascara, as I haven’t found the perfect one. Or I see a gorgeous lipstick and I buy it, even though I probably won’t wear it every single day.
But that’s the exception, not the rule.
5 practical tips to simplify your makeup routine
- Start paying attention to what you actually have and use on a daily basis
- Declutter your existing make collection (here are some tips)
- Divide your products into daily and special occasion items
- Select your holy grail products and resist the temptation to buy more from those categories
- Be realistic about your lifestyle and habits when you’re shopping
Do you have a minimal or elaborate makeup routine?
