L-R: La Femme Fuschia, Stila, Stila Jezebel, La Femme Copper
In the course of experimenting with makeup, I’ve picked up some colours which I have now realised aren’t quite suitable for me.
Examples of such colours are orange, bronze, brown, warm golds, purples and any colour with a red base. Such colours make me look tired and drawn, no matter how well blended or how expertly applied. This is one of the reasons why I couldn’t wear the Estee Lauder Fall 2008 palettes. I actually had a makeover once where I specifically requested that purple eyeshadow be used on me. The makeup artist was good, but I still looked drawn and bruised.
Yet, I have such colours in my eyeshadow collection and now and then, I still wear them. Why? Perhaps its the misguided hope that with time, I can wear these colours which I feel unjustified to give away.
I have found in the course of experimentation that if I match these colours that I can’t usually wear, with some other colours that I can, it does work. Example, brown + champagne or purple + lilac. However such instances are rare for in most cases I still get asked “Didn’t you have a good night?” in the mornings.
Perhaps its my skin tone. I have a light neutral-warm Oriental skintone with less yellow and some pink undertones. What this means for me is that I can handle most warm and cool toned colours without too much problem. However, for some reason, colours that have red as a base make me look awful as are those that are too warm (especially for eyeshadows) . Similarly for the cheeks, colours that are too cool (with more blue tones) don’t sit well on my skin either. I guess I’m an in-between, lucky enough to wear colours from the cool and warm ends of the spectrum without taking things too far to the extreme.
I should get rid of these colours that don’t work. And yet, I don’t. But I will some day.
Are you like me? Do you persist in keeping and using colours that don’t quite work for you on the off chance that they might work some time?
ME ME ME! I am like you!!! I don’t want any products I bought to be put to waste, I kept on using the color eventhough I knew it’s not going to work on me! some pencils just smudges on me, but i kept using them! LOLcoz there are days I’m too lazy to use my gel liner 🙂
Nikki : LOL… yes it does feel like a waste sometimes right? And yet its also a waste when I don’t use them.
me not, once i deem it is not for me, then i abandon it forever. i cnt wear too much red based color, it makes my eyes look puffy. I like yellow eye shadow a lot, but it is also not for me 🙁 i look like i get punched in the eyes when i wear yellow…
prettybeautiful : I think its a common problem for red shadows to make ones eyes look puffy. If you like yellow, try gold. A light shade of gold usually works for most.
It’s not just colours for me. I have oodles of products in my dresser drawers that I bought on a whim that I still use every now and then except for those that really can’t be “saved”. I shouldn’t, I know, but it just seems so wasteful not to use ’em!
Hehe! I have some colours that give me that bruised look too–but HEY they look so pretty in the pan, I can hardly part with them!! Though thanks to MUA, it’s getting easier, as I am able to swap and be less precious about them!
But seriously, I found that I can wear those bruise-like colours well, if I do OTT makeup, like dramatic eyeliner and lashes. 😀 I am determined to make ALL colours work on me–LOL!!
I too, cannot wear colors like purple and red. But usually before I want to buy a color, I will try it out on the tester first. In singapore, you can say that most of the testers are safe to use. Except those that are cream based. Lol.
i heart purple! (btw, purple is so IN this season! everything from sunglasses to shoes!)
anyway, I used to hoard every colour that I like (not that I can wear) IF it’s a formula that I like… but i am much better in that now. I do still keep all my Make Up For Ever Star Powder, regardless it’s good on me or not. (i have a much better collection than many Make UP For Ever counters! IMAGINE THAT!)
so there, i’d try using all my stuff by rotating them. many asked if i do use all of them, and yes i do. if i don’t, then they will go. i can’t stand the sight of the items that i no longer love. so it all come down to formula rather than colours for my case. 🙂
dang i totally heart purple on my eyes. anything remotely purple! lilacs, purples, violets, and especially mauves (omg LOVE the new BB mauve collection please please review it PB!). i know people talk about blues and greens to bring out the color of brown eyes but purple works best for me, and looks great on my skintone.
i too have a weird skintone. i think i’m a warm neutral coz i can see definite pink undertones in my skin, but i can only pull off really yellow toned foundations otherwise my face looks pink and fake, which i think means i’m actually very warm toned. (makeup wise) i can wear certain browns but not bronzes, nothing with orange tones. i can’t wear most pinks but i can pull off red-based browns and purples. Warm skins are supposed to look best in golds, bronzes and browns but they make me look… heaty?? i don’t even have a word for it! my fave color for eyeshadow by far is purples and mauves. i can’t wear pure peach blushes but i can wear peachy pink blushes and tawny blushes, and my current fave is a cooltoned deep berry. so there. i have a weird skintone, and i can’t decide if i’m cool or warm. i think i need therapy.
I try and try to go back to the colours that make me look weird but almost always end up disappointed. Yet I’m too stingy to give ’em away. Why do I never learn my lesson and keep buying colours that look pretty on the palette but awful on me? 🙁
Rinnah: We are all guilty of that lol…I try to use everything I own too else it feels like a waste.
Monstro: I agree with OTT makeup. I’m still trying hard to make some colors work for me whether they like it or not!
Ms. Blacklace: Yes I always test colours too. But sometimes what looks good on the hand never looks good on the eyes. I’ve since learnt what works but it was a long process.
jojoba:LOL I can’t work purple. Lilacs are good but not a deep purple. I guess I gotta be out of fashion this season!
Jooj: Skin tone is not an exact science. I myself have no idea what tone i am. In the end whatever makes us look good is the perfect tone. I did not get the BB Mauve palette so I can’t review it. Well, not unless I get me down to a counter soon.
Tine: You will learn soon enough the same way I did! Imagine the money saved! 😉