I got to wondering about this question recently, because I got nosy, and because I’ve noticed an increase in the number of people interested in makeup, be it the techniques or makeup products in general.
I noticed this most significantly after the opening of Sephora stores locally. At one time, I thought Sephora would just open their stores and then slink away with their tail between their legs after a year or so, the way they did in Hong Kong. So, it surprised me to see that they’re still around and expanding.
When I step into a Sephora store, I’m also quite fascinated by the number of people in there buying and playing with the makeup on display. Collections are snapped up like hot goreng pisang, and the number of Instagram accounts out there dedicated to just makeup, is mind boggling!
So, since I know that I have a ready audience here (You would like makeup if you’re reading my blog! 😀 ) I thought I’d ask you – What made you love makeup?
For myself, I got into wearing makeup quite late in life. I went through life in university with just 1 brown-red lipstick and 1 compact powder foundation that I only trotted out when there were social events. I don’t even remember wearing makeup before that! I was pretty conservative and pretty sheltered. I still am in some ways 😉 For some reason, no one I knew seemed to be that much into makeup – based on what I could tell. Maybe I was just naive LOL! 😀
I only started exploring a little more once I started working and felt I wanted to look a little more presentable at the office. Also, I was starting to earn my own money, so I felt a little better about spending it, even if I was primarily spending it at the Maybelline counter 😀
I’m not sure what the tipping point was for me, but from 1 lipstick, 1 powder and 1 blush, I decided to start experimenting with more colours and eye makeup. Early attempts were a disaster, and I was always just using my fingers for applying everything! I almost feel sorry for the people who had to see me back then haha! 😀
Yet, for some reason, I felt that the right makeup made me look better and that started my interest and on-again, off-again love with makeup. I would be obsessed with finding the right foundations or experimenting with different blush shades, even if they didn’t suit me, or just buying a new lipstick, because I felt like crap. I’d wear eyeshadow in strange shades like chartreuse and turquoise, and think I was edgy and cool. I was in a way, and I was fortunate not to be called out on it at work! 😛
Throwback to the time when my friend, Xin and I had free rein at the Bobbi Brown counters during the MWS x BB event in 2014
So, for me, my love for makeup was about experimenting ways to enhance how I look. It was rarely about buying the newest and the latest, or pretty prints or designs. It wasn’t about buying luxury makeup and hoarding them. I think for me, it was just about wearing makeup that I thought made me look better (or at least more interesting), fresher and more presentable, and finding out how to channel that “my face but better” look.
And that’s what I love about makeup. That I can stroll out after a terrible night’s sleep, feeling like death and yet have someone compliment me on my glowing skin (Thank the makeup gods for concealer, illuminators and foundations!); or that I can slick on a strong red lipstick to boost my confidence to deal with a room-full of chauvinistic men who think your opinions are fluff till you grab them by the balls – figuratively speaking, of course 😛 Or when you meet your nemesis while looking immaculate and polished, and notice that flicker of envy in their eyes that makes the sadistic side of you crow with delight. I like that about makeup – it sometimes brings out the Disney Villain in me. I just make sure I don’t use the Disney Villains as my template! LOL! 😀
What about you? What made you love makeup?
I’d love to know, because I’m sure we didn’t all wake up one day and think “I need that newest makeup palette and all the lipstick colours in the rainbow!” So, if you have a little time, share your story with me – inquiring minds want to know 😀
Paris B
Well I was I think fourteen years and there was a Spanish blog I always read about men’s grooming and fashion, one day one of the authors started talking about makeup for men and it blew my mind since I was pretty insecure about my acne and my dark circles.
By that time I started reading their sister blog about just cosmetics and found more blogs so I read them too. I was convinced that the only way to look flawless was by wearing makeup.
I started buying products at the drugstore but none of them were a really match for my skin so I stopped using them and it was until I was sixteen that I bought my first MAC concealer and I used everyday and started wearing more stuff.
Ironically I’m not sure of how I would feel about my body image if it wasn’t for makeup, reading a lot about self esteem in blogs and watching women barefaced without problems on blogs make me realize that makeup is just an accessory but not a necessity.
I still do my makeup most days because I like how I look but now I don’t use a lot of heavy coverage and I can leave the house without feeling completely naked when I’m barefaced.
How fascinating that you came a full circle, Efrain! From using makeup to make you feel more confident, to not using it and still feeling confident! Not many women can achieve that, but it’s something I think that we should all strive for. To look good but to also feel good even when we don’t look that good 🙂 I’m always fascinated to meet guys who use makeup and aren’t afraid to say so – it’s refreshing!
I think I’m waaaay too curious ! I’m curious about how the colours, the shades, the textures, the finishes, the coverence, the luminosity, etc… would make me look !
I begin to be seriously interested by makeup very late, that’s great cause my collection would be out of control if I started it earlier.
I’m quite good in resisting beautiful packagings, but sometimes it still happens that I indulge myself.
I’m always looking for “My * But Better” products.
* skin, lips, eye, etc.
It’s really fun to see new products arriving each season, and even between seasons.
And all that much colours, shades, textures, finishes, are always renewed, reinvented and repackaged, to make you feel that there are new things and they catch your interest with adds, videos, and reviews. You cannot be too bored, there are alway some brands with nice idea and new products that make you excited.
But ! There are something annoying me more and more, with make up and also generally speaking the masse consumption system. Because I begin to really think about the impact of the way we consume, and the waste on the ecology and the planet ! All that plastic packagings (of mascaras, lipsticks, eyeshadows singles and palettes, foundations bottles), and all those packagings with plastic, glass, metals, magnets, etc. mixed all together. How could one recycle them ?!
So now when I look at my collection, I may have 1-10% of a beauty guru’s, but I feel that it’s still way too much for just one person ! I’m still attracted in discovering new products, cause I’m too curious, but I think more before to purchase.
10-20 years ago make up departments are not that much elaborated. Now the way it became, the cosmetic industry made me feel sad for the damages we made on the planet, in order to make women look more pretty. Today some women don’t feel comfortable to go out without makeup, because they are more and more conditioned by photoshopped celebs. The cosmetic industry want to associate beauty with succes and happiness. We and especially young girls should be more aware about the reality, and not being victims of a world run by business men/women who are chasing about profits. Cause maybe in their mind they may associate profits to success. Not the same.
I love make up cause it’s colourful, and creative. But if there are no makeup in this world, it would be OK, their would be less waist of energy and products, less chemical impact in the environment, less plastic pollutions (thinking about mascara and lipstick tubes every women are throwing regularly ?), I can draw, and play with other colourful materials. It would be also creative.
Excess is definitely not good. It’s like chocolate, if you eat too much, you can be sick, or worse. I think the cosmetic industry definitely is doing over-exploitation. And what I can do is to try to consum less, even if I’m liking it a lot.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Emilie 🙂 You are right, excess of anything is never any good, and I think in many ways, a beauty lover’s stash will always be far more than a regular person who wears makeup on occasion. Still, so long as we don’t drive ourselves to the poor house, I suppose that’s still ok.
Great topic! I was never really into makeup until after I moved to Japan. I was fascinated by it from when I was little, even subscribing to a teen magazine that talked about makeup, but my brief forays into drugstore products was disappointing. I just couldn’t apply it well, and my friends couldn’t explain, so I gave up. I found a wonderfully funny perfume blog via blogger’s discovery feature, and the blogger wrote so wonderfully about perfume and favorite makeup products that I got curious, and started experimenting. I also found makeupalley through her, and the reviews were eye-opening! I devoured a lot of blogs and after a lot of trial and error I have too much makeup, but it’s fun and I love playing with colors. I can also apply it decently for work and for fun, although in the beginning it was a bit out there! Not very good at blending yet though.
You were in a good place to ride the makeup wave, Kuri! My love for makeup started with Japanese makeup too, which might explain my preference for more natural looking makeup, instead of the strongly contoured and heavy makeup trends perpetuated by the Western brands.
Did Maybelline ever had a counter? ;b hahahaaa…..
I started make up in U, bcos I started internship in hospital. Actually, unlike office, makeup is not expected work place ettiquette for doctors. But I guess there’s that mix of vainty within – I started to wear nicer clothes for internship and wanted everything to look more balance up.
But I think what got me really into makeup is really the packaging and social media! Confession: I buy and hoard makeup more just because of raves and they look so nicee……… than applying them meticulously on my face! I would love to dabble those lovely shades and liners like those experts on Youtube, but unfortunately I have acne prone skin generally and work long hours without air conditioning. So eventually, nice makeup also can’t last long without me cakeing and looking oily by midday most of the time. Plus I battle with acne and comedones too frequently, such that lately I have actually gone makeup-less at work. Wearing scrubs and being in a hot mess rushing around give me too much excuse to save my pores from clogging up by those pretty paint….
Hmm… I use counter loosely e.g the Maybelline counter in a pharmacy LOL! I’m not sure what you call those? Displays? 😀 I can imagine it must be challenging having makeup on as a doctor, and doing your rounds. But you know it’s nice that you made the effort! So many people I’ve met don’t, because they don’t think it fits the serious nature of job. But I think it’s nice seeing a well-groomed doctor as well 🙂 I like how honest you are to say that it’s the packaging and social media that gets you – so many people try to avoid saying so, but in truth, many of us are aren’t we? 😉
Hello Miss P,
thanks for the awesome experience wth the BB team.
My makeup interest started when I do videos in Youtube back in 2010.
I dont do any more videos anymore but Youtube really make me start into makeup industries.
Hi Shija! That was such a fun day wasn’t it?! And you did Youtube videos! WOW! :O I’m not worthy 😀 😀