Urban Decay Naked was my second-ever palette. I still have it, and I baby the hell out of it because it is delightful. Last October, I bought Naked2. As far as I could tell, my collection wasn’t rife with dupes (except for Half Baked, but I’m okay with this).
Last Friday, I sold it. I never even took swatch photos for the blog because I hadn’t grown to love it.
I picked it up that same morning to do a look, thinking, “This hasn’t been touched this in months.” After doing my makeup and examining my work with the cooler, smoky tones, I decided I was over it. An hour later, I took usage photos, sanitized it, and listed it for sale. The palette was claimed within the next few hours, and mailed out to its new (excited to own it) home the next day.
The colors are pretty, but the majority of the cool shades aren’t pretty on me. That’s ultimately the deal-breaker here; I’m not a professional makeup artist, I don’t need to keep products that don’t flatter me.
When I shared my skincare arsenal overhaul earlier this year, I mentioned that I was considering ditching makeup wipes. I was consistently using micellar water to remove my makeup, but at the end of a long day I was letting myself reach for the convenient option.
Well, I’m finally out of makeup wipes. I’m choosing to prioritize my skin over convenience for one month. Since last Friday (August 19) I have exclusively been using the Garnier Micellar Water I wrote about in April.
Over the weekend, I went to get matched to foundation. As usual, ColorIQ was neat but ultimately useless. I was looking to try the new Makeup Forever Ultra HD; we tried 117, 118, and a third I can’t recall. 117 seemed to be the best in the (fluorescent!) lighting in Sephora.
The sales associate eagerly asked if she could, “go grab one of those off the shelf for (me) today.”
GirlWoman, please. You work here. You should know better than anyone that the lighting in Sephora is god awful for getting an accurate shade match.
I know it isn’t her fault; she can’t control the lighting. The store has metrics to meet. I get it. But it’s worse for the bottom line for a customer to buy a foundation, have it be wrong, return it and then take a hit on the loss.
The last time I colored my hair I was fourteen and misguided. I bought a box (read: one – I have long hair!) Herbal Essences Bold ‘N Brilliant 44 Radiant Ruby. It wasn’t one of my best life choices.
Difficult to maintain (the nature of the redheaded beast) and more costly than my jobless teenage self could manage, I gave it up. I then made other great life choices such as trying to strip it, then covering it with a brunette semi-permanent dye to help it be less…stark (less like Sansa, more like jarring and unpleasant). All in all, it didn’t grow out gracefully, but after three long years, I celebrated trimming the last bits of it away. My hair has been natural (except for the occasional DIY glossing treatment) ever since.
After the better part of another decade, I’m bored.
Instead of the, “If you were on a deserted island and could only have one item of makeup, what would it be?” question, I’m examining a new one:
If I lost all my makeup in some tragic accident and had to replace it…
…what would I buy?
Inspired by tragic makeup losses everywhere, I sat down to reevaluate my collection. I’m giving myself a $150 budget. I am not including brushes in this, just the products themselves.
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner, $8 – Inexpensive, performs amazingly well (including when you are irresponsible and forget to remove your makeup before bed).
L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black, $7.50 – It’s a great drugstore mascara. It isn’t heavy on the drama, but it is perfect for work and everyday use.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, $8 – Still my tried-and-true. I use Pro Longwear now, too, but Instant Age Rewind is what I reach for when I’m in a rush and or need to keep it simple…aka most days. I really like how Pro Longwear wears, but I don’t have time for beautyblender concealer buffing every day.
Foundation, $40 – Well, I can’t buy any more Ponds Luminous Finish BB+, so Naked Skin Powder foundation…or I’d try one of the new MUFE options. I listed the price as an average between the two.
Milani Luminoso, $9 – No highlight needed with this radiant blush.
Urban Decay All Nighter, $32 – Setting spray is one thing I found through learning how to do bridal makeup that I now cannot live without. It’s a splurge, yes, shoot me.
My makeup philosophy and, perhaps, mantra is, “Makeup must be fun.”
If you aren’t enjoying it, if it is a chore, then why bother?
I subscribe to two more philosophies, though:
Makeup is a tool to enhance and flatter.
Makeup is also an art form and can be whatever the hell we want.
The ideas are not mutually exclusive.
90% of the time I operate in the former camp. Flattering makeup makes me feel good. It lets me look like my best self.
The other 10% of the time, however… well, I love Too Faced Totally Fetch (available in the Too Faced Bon Bons palette). I think that says enough. It isn’t that I want to draw attention, it’s just that I happen to find hot pink eyeshadow really fun.
For me, I generally want flattering makeup to subtly enhance my features and minimize distracting flaws. It doesn’t draw attention; especially important in the corporate world, which is where I spend 50 of my waking hours per week.
If you feel empowered by getting editorial every day and looking like a holographic mermaid, do you. I would wager that more than half of the beauty community is supportive of, “Do what makes you feel awesome.”
Where I think we (and by we I mean cosmetics enthusiasts in general) get into hot water is failing to recognize the whole, “there’s a time and place,” thing.
You might feel best in full on majestic glam, but that does not mean majestic glam is appropriate for, say, many workplaces (or, if you’re in school, it might even violate your school’s dress code or image policy). The beauty community may be supportive, but your boss or CEO might not be. Your clientele might not be. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to ask yourself, “is this too much (for this occasion/event/etc)?” it probably is.
Self-expression is incredibly important, but it is also important to recognize that there is a time and place for everything. Stephanie Nicole of YouTube works in the beauty industry and recognizes this. That’s right: Even people who work in the beauty industry (for real, not as branding hype machines) understand that there is a time and place. For those of you who prefer a full face, she shared a good tutorial on a look for work, below.
Discuss: Do you consider the events of the day when it comes time to go all Bob Ross on your face?
Urban Decay Naked2, $54
When I shared my 
Milani Luminoso
