Minx, the Magazine - Issue Five, Volume Two

Looking good, with a little help from my friends - mascara, lipstick, blusher, powder, foundation, concealer, eyeliner, lipliner...etc., etc.

Many enlightened women have read "The Beauty Myth," in which Naomi Wolf rejects the current standard of beauty pushed at us from all sides (near-emaciated models touting "miracle" cosmetics in every magazine and on televsion) and urges us to embrace the natural beauty inherent to all women. However, many of these same faithful readers still walk around with cosmetic-plastered faces, trying to look "beautiful." Call it "war paint," if you will. What are they at war with, you ask? How about ageing, wrinkles, freckles, pale cheeks, chapped lips? Ah...you thought this was going to be some feminist rant, huh? Wrong - I am here to extoll the virtues of cosmetics. After all, I use them. Chances are, if you are female, you use them too. Some of you guys might as well (but will never admit to it).

Women who embrace their femininity often choose to emphasize their good features and camouflage their bad ones. Some might have the superficial notion of using makeup to attract a mate; others use cosmetics for themselves. I know I like to have a little color on my face when I leave the house. That way, if I happen to catch my reflection in a window, I don't scare myself. Who cares if I scare others; it's me that counts!

So what sorts of things do we apply to our faces? There are umpteen-and-one cosmetic companies out there, and they produce products of varying qualities and prices. I have tried more than a few brands - MAC, Chanel, Maybelline, Max Factor, BeautiControl, Alouette, CoverGirl, L'Oreal, Revlon, Almay, Dior, Lancome, Avon, just to name a few. All of them claim to have products that work miracles - end shine, banish wrinkles, cover imperfections, add natural color, etc., etc. It's impossible for all of them to be able to keep their promises - and most fall way short of the mark. For example, Maybelline's Great Wear cheek color is supposed to last all day. The color is lovely, and the sponge applicator is nice, but in my experience, the color fades away after an hour or so. I get much longer wear out of my Garden Botanika powder blush. One might think that a more expensive product is better than a cheap one. This is not always true; most makeup artists swear by Maybelline GreatLash mascara - available at drug stores everywhere.

So who makes the best cosmetics on the market? Well, I think it's a matter of personal choice. Some people might be allergic to some brands and not to others. And some brands might work better on oily skin than on dry skin and vice versa. I have combination skin (oily in the "t-zone" - across forehead, down nose and chin - and dry elsewhere). What type are you?

Dry Skin
Skin feels stretched tight after cleansing, itchy, flaky; pores are very small or unnoticeable.

Oily Skin
Skin has shiny, slick appearance, even soon after cleansing, pores are large and obvious.

Combination
oily in the "t zone" area (across forehead, down nose to chin) and dry on cheeks

Some sites offer answers right online - Clinique is one of them...and so is Lancome. A fairly comprehensive skin type questionnaire can be found at the Janet Sartin site.

According to most manufacturers, all women need to use moisturizer (preferably with sunscreen), foundation, powder, concealer of some sort, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush, lip liner, and lipstick. And these are just the basics! I think this is probably just a ploy to sell the product, what do you think? Most of my friends don't wear any makeup at all; one wears eye liner; I wear a little of everything, depending on the occasion. Some women wear everything all the time. Sometimes I have the urge to grab one of these and wash her face, especially when her makeup is way out of touch with reality. Come on now - who but old ladies wear pale fuschia lipstick anymore? And garage-door blue eyeshadow? Besides Tammy Faye Bakker, that is ... :)

These days, it's important for makeup to look "natural." Ahem. How is it possible to look "natural" by artificial means? Well, to me, it means to use makeup to enhance what God gave you, not to alter it. If you have blotchy, uneven skin coloring, cover it up with foundation in a shade that is as close to an exact match as possible - blend over the jaw into the neck area...obvious edges are a no-no. If you can get away with just a little concealer under the eyes and some powder, lucky you. Then darken eyelashes a bit - no gloopy-looking mascara or falsies - just lightly line eyes with dark brown or gray and perhaps apply a coat of mascara. I prefer just to curl my lashes. Then perhaps a touch of color on the cheeks and you are ready to go. For those of you who are like me, lipstick is de rigeur. I have a small mouth and so I line my lips first, then apply a moisturizing lipstick. I favor Chanel Metallic Vamp, a slightly unnatural shade which seems to work well with my pale coloring. Some of you might prefer a mere lip stain, such as MAC Sheer Plum, which adds a hint of wine-y color.

In addition to subtle make-up, there is also a much more theatrical approach. Let this style be left to drag queens and stage actors. Glitter, false eyelashes, contour blush, and eyebrow tattooing is in the realm of Michael Jackson and Ru Paul, not the average woman on the street. Fake tans also have no place in this world. I could go on forever about what I find to be cosmetic atrocities, but I'll spare you. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you have good taste if you have gotten this far down the article :)

In the immortal words of Fernando, "It is better to look good than to feel good, and dahling, you look mah-ve-lous!"

Personal Recommendations

Maybelline Great Wear eyeliner crayon
Chanel and MAC lipsticks
Garden Botanika powder blush - long-lasting, natural color, comes in many shades color coded for "cool" or "warm" complexions
BeautiControl Perfecting Wet/Dry Finish foundation - comes in two-part compact with separate area for sponge....airholes allow sponge to dry
Prestige eyeliner pencil; also good used as shadow
BeautiControl Extra-Help Concealer

Makeup Tips

Don't overtweeze eyebrows! Just pluck the hairs between the eyes and just underneath the outer edge - the strays. Any more, and you risk having that ugly pencil-line look...or like tadpoles have escaped from the local pond and have set up home on your face.

Use an eyelash curler before applying mascara, not after.

Set your makeup with loose powder, keeping a compact with you for touch-ups during the day.

To pick the proper shade of blusher - pinch your cheek. The resulting flush of color will indicate the shade that is right for you - experiment and try to match it as closely as possible for the most natural look.

When lining eyes, using an eyeliner pencil, make a series of short strokes as close together and as close to the upper lashes as possible starting at the inner corner. To soften, smooth with a sponge-tip applicator or cotten swab.

When lining lips, start with a pointy pencil at one corner of the lower lip and work toward the center, using short strokes that blend the color into the lip itself. Do that for both corners, upper and lower lips, working into the center. Then concentrate on the cupid's bow in the center of the upper lip, making sure it's defined but not pointy.