By now, I’ve sort of worked out what sort of makeup works for me, and what doesn’t. I work well with neutral and cool shades, and maybe slightly sheerer colours. Warm and very pigmented colours make me very accident prone and I could do without the stress in the mornings 🙂
However, some days, I put on my makeup, especially foundation and I think “Hmm… something doesn’t look quite right.” Well, I play by the 10 minute rule.
In case you’re wondering, there’s no “rule” per se. Its just something I tell myself. Essentially, I wait 10 minutes to see if its me or if its the makeup that has to go.
The reason I give it 10 minutes is because from what I’ve experienced, sometimes some products don’t look like much when going on the skin, but after a while, when its had time to oxidise and blend with the oils from your skin, it looks better (or worse). This is true for me, especially when working with foundation.
Some powder foundations go on a little powdery. So giving it 10 minutes allows it to meld with the oils and look more natural. If it doesn’t, I make a note of that and make sure I compensate accordingly the next time I use it. In the main, I find that powder foundation works best with this 10 minute rule.
I find also that powder eyeshadow and even blush sometimes is the same. I have on countless occasions put on blush, think its not enough, pile on more, then 10 minutes later have someone wondering why there is a clown in their midst. And so, the converse to my rule is of course true. What looks good now, could look like disaster 10 minutes later.
This is the reason why if I have somewhere important to go, I don’t put my makeup on and run out the door. I give myself at least half an hour so I have time to fix mistakes (usually too bright blush or powdery/oily foundation or even mascara that does not dry quickly enough). In the mornings of a work day of course, I just have to play it safe and go with something I’m familiar with 🙂
Have you noticed the 10 minute effect on your makeup? Have you put your makeup on and a little while later wonder why it looks better (or maybe even worse) than you originally thought?
Paris B
i kinda agree with this! some of the foundation look really meh when freshly applied, but after a while when it has settled in, they look perfect 😉 those were the days when i used to wonder why did i look a shade darker at the end of the day and still continued using that foundation. LOL.
I’ve gotten that shade darker tint too… and I tell myself its the lighting 😛 Now I realise it should NOT make me look darker, no matter what the lighting is. Imagine what fools we must have made of ourselves by not realizing this >.<
Mine’s more like, “Meh” –> (10 mins later) –> “OK not bad” –> (End of day) –> “Shucks”. Oily skin woes 🙁
Boo! 🙁 At least you have the “not bad” in between 🙂
OMG. That’s so true. Why didn’t I think about blogging it? If my blush looks a little too sheer, I usually give it 10 minutes while I run around at home in the morning fixing my hair and making my coffee. After I’ve made my bed and duck into the bathroom to check again, it would have corrected itself. Or, the running around like a headless chicken in the morning would have given me the flush. 😛
Haha!! Yes, it could also be the running around that’s giving you the perfect flush 😉 I actually find that with sheer blushes, I have to give it that time to settle, because sometimes the colour actually warms up and looks good but if I’m impatient then its Clown city 😛
You are absolutely right..however, for me..its ok if the colour sets into a darker shade esp blusher or eyeshadow because after 30 mins when i arrive to work, the colours will look just right, i blame it on the hand-to-face habit that i have…
I’m good with eyeshadow but sometimes, by the time I get to work, my blush actually looks much more dramatic. So I’ve taken to checking myself in the car mirror before I get down, in case people think I’m headed to a costume party >.<
I do notice that my eyeshadows seem to magically blend out on its own after 10-20 minutes. But I don’t see the difference with other products, other than that the Garnier BB Cream will seem to clump and slide down my face after more than 6 hours when I don’t set it.
I just learned that our skin can actually warm up products pretty well, and concealer is nicer, when left to be heated until it sets by the skin itself.
Oh that sucks about the Garnier BB cream 🙁 Its my favourite and I don’t even have to set it to have it looking great. In fact, it looks much better after a few minutes than when I first apply it. I have to agree too about concealer, which is why I never apply concealer straight on my skin, but always warm it up first then pat it on. Applies better and I need less 🙂
I love your topic today Paris!
I never thought of this till your I read this up… yeah! I always wonder why did my peach blusher that I put on makes me ended up looking dark and funny on my cheek bone… =( that’s ugly~!
and now I know!!!
Thanks Yumiko, glad to know it helped you understand why your blush didn’t work! I used to think I looked great in peach blush too but I’ve since realised I need pink blush to look brighter while peach blushes make my skin look dull. A very light hand helps, because by the time it blends with our skin oils etc, it might just be the perfect shade 😉
I agree, at times, hubby would say, you look too white with your foundation ,, giving it a couple of minutes, it does look natural 🙂
Oh yes, that too! Luckily you have someone warn you just in case 🙂
I get this effect with BB Cream somehow – it always looks better after five mins or so!
With some BB creams, I notice this too. Its all that settling in it has to do I guess 🙂
hahaha i share the clown surprise experience!
Glad to know I’m not alone! 😉 Luckily, a quick rub with the fingers and some tissue paper usually works 😉
I do play to this rule, but Im not sure is it 10mins for me or more. I agree with everything you just said, makeups can easily fools us with the first look. I always had that problem with my blushes – first they dont show up, then keep applying and run out the door. When I get to work, the damage is already appear itself 🙂
Ooh, but sometimes it can be the lighting in the room where you apply your makeups too.. perhaps?!
Not for me though, I get lots of lovely sunlight in the morning 🙂
Oh yes, blush is the most obvious culprit especially the sheerer ones. You just can never be sure if they’ll deepen or not 😛 But at least its easy to remedy. Foundation on the other hand…. I’ve walked around for a day with foundation that looks off, thanks to this phenomenon >.<
so true..always look “powdery” at home but somehow more ‘dewy’ by the time reached the workplace..however..by noon..oily meh!
I get the oily look if I’m out for lunch. Sun + heat + sweat = oily mess! >.<
hmmm….that’s good tip!!! I have noticed with BB creams or any tinted mositurizer or sunscreen, they take sometime to settle down!!
I think you’re right about BB Creams benefiting most from this 10 minute tip. Always a good thing to think about when buying from the counter. Can’t just buy the first colour we see 🙂
oh yeah! I noticed this usually happens with foundation and BB cream… 🙂
It is mostly noticeable in base products, but watch the blush too! 😉
This is the reaction of most of my powder foundation, blush and, concealers too. Thats why its impossible to makeup my face under 10 minutes…
Makes sense right !
Makes absolute sense! 😀 I can put mine on in a hurry, but only if I’m already very sure of how they will react 😉
completely right. i hate the way my concealer looks when freshly applied. always looks better later!
To speed it up, I now like to warm up liquid foundation and concealer before applying. It seems to set faster 🙂
Ooh I definitely stand by this beauty tip! My wedding MUA told me that make-up takes time to warm up to your skin and sink in. I find it especially effective with BB creams because when first applied, it can look sometimes quite ashy but then it adapts to skin colour.
This is why I don’t believe in the makeovers at stores. They always look so good and then you buy everything, but after an hour or so, when you leave, you may find the colour doesnt suit you and you’re stuck with a bunch of products you can’t use. Yes, speaking from experience 😉
Soooo true! Sometimes when I apply my blusher, I think it’s not enough and apply some more. Then wait another 10mins or so, i feel like someone just give me a bitchslap! haha… after some times, i know how the make-up works on my skin, so I just apply the right amount and done with it. the only thing that i rarely get it right is my eyeshadow. still need practice lol… >.<
Blush is so dangerous right? Get it wrong and you can really look weird. But I’ve sort of worked it out now, and a good blush brush helps too! Do practice with the shadow. I’m sure you’ll love it once you have the hang of it 😀
I think this 10min rule is right. Even if one decides not to put on makeup, the skin does not look that great until after 10min or more. I think so.
Haha actually I think my skin looks best the minute I get up. It’s all downhill after that 😛
I totally agree! Most of the time, when using powder foundation, it looks like someone dusted their chalkboard eraser on my face. (well, maybe not, but you get the idea :P) After a few minutes, it’ll look less powdery and more natural and blended. 🙂
Haha that’s a good analogy 😀 I think powder foundation really benefits from this rule. They need to mix in with our skin oils and warm up before it looks really good. Reminds me I should pull out some powder foundation. Haven’t used it in a while 🙂
I totally agree with your 10 mins rule. For me I wait for 20 mins to see whether I should rub off the blusher or change the liquid foundation colour. I seldom use liquid foundation, just use loose powder after sunblock.
I think liquid foundation can be so tricky don’t you agree? As if finding a shade that suits our skin tone isn’t bad enough!