... and have someone compliment you on the look that you didn't like?

This happened to me yesterday. I tried out Dormant Dream on my lid... but found the color a bit overwhelmingfor a going-to-church look. LOL So I toned it down with Magic Wand, which I blended to my brow to highlight. I used Soul Takes Flight to deepen the outer vee and crease a bit and to wetline. It turned out OK, I thought. Still, not my favorite look... but...

A complete stranger at a coffee shop told me that she liked my eyeshadow! I was pleased with the compliment, but I am now doubting my own judgement on what looks good on my face. I took pictures when I got home, but they didn't look that hot to me then, either.

I didn't ask for my husband's input because he is very used to my make-up experiments, and God bless him— he says that I always look good. (well trained, he is)

Has this happened to any of you? Do you have combos that you think are not-so-hot but find that other people love on you? What are they? (thought this might be an interesting discussion for a Monday)

That's cool, though - to garner a compliment like that!

My friend Grace always exclaims when I've done just a shimmery light lid and soft sculpted crease, no liner. Says I should always do my eyes like that. I like that well enough, but it's very neutral, veyr light, very natural...and still as much work as doing a full one black smokey, or a 3 or 4 color look. I don't often want to invest that much energy into something with so little creative payoff.

I don't know - she might be right, I might just look better with less. Or could just be that she's more conservative fashionwise than I am, and prefers a classic, understated elegance.

Interesting thought, though - and the main reason I crave having different people do my face! I'd love to actually see in real life what a strange set of eyes might see in my features...

-b.

My husband always loves me in bright eyeshadows, even though I think some of them overwhelm my blue eyes! It's much easier for me to make my eyes "pop" with neutrals or almost-neutrals (e.g. burgundy, muted purples like Persephone, etc.) so those tend to be the colors that I think look the best on me.

Though lately I've been addicted to teals since I've discovered they make my normally blue eyes look green or aqua -- I have no idea why but I go with it

It's always nice when a total stranger compliments you, and even more so when you were questioning the look!!

I think we've all experimented and not liked certain looks on us. I did a weekly challenge a while back with yellows - which are my arch enemy - and although it wasn't as awful as I thought, I still didn't like it. The ladies here liked it, but they were probably just being their usual sweet selves!!

Thanks for your thoughts and stories, ladies! I think it is good to get out of the comfort zone every once in while, and it is really nice to be complimented when you do.

Since getting involved in the AL forums, I have been more aware of my make-up and noticing other people's make-up, too. I am noticing that a lot of the moms that I see at school, at the store, or at the park tend to either not wear much make-up, if at all, or wear fairly conservative colors when they do. Seems like the norm is taupe or charcoal eye colors and nude lips. That could just be my area, though. (But it might explain your friend's reaction, Bridget.) I seem to wear more colorful looks than most in my circle and am used to standing out. But I think that there are certain combos or colors that are more difficult to swallow... aqua-blues and red-violets are to me what yellows are to Cin... hard colors to see ourselves in.

But you never know if you don't try... I am glad that I didn't wash the make-up off and stuck it out. Maybe there were people that found it garish and were afraid to say anything about it... but at least one person thought the look was pretty.

But what really counts is this: if you think you are pretty, if you project pretty, then you are pretty... no matter what.

Sometimes I put something on only to end up taking it off completely before going out because something was just "off". I'm the only one who wears bright makeup here where I work (the other girls wear none at all or just clear lipgloss and a bit of eyeliner) so I stand out no matter what. I'd rather not stand out with something I don't like :P

Usually, though, if I go with it while not feeling it, my boyfriend will tell me that something looks "off". He's gotten a bit trained in the "notice the makeup" department and notices even if I have leftover mascara smudges after taking it all off!

Something else that I've been thinking about lots lately is that there are different reasons for makeup and clothing, and once you know the "rules" for what "works best" for you, you can either adopt them as unbreakable rules, or consciously choose to follow AND disregard them as you see fit.

Think about What Not To Wear - they give terrific guidelines on what shapes to wear to make the figure look more ideal - narrow waist, hip and shoulder in proportion to each other, legs as long as possible, torso and legs of equal length. All very useful, but driving us to a uniform look and a uniform proportion. They move us from a schlubby or skanky uniform to a more put together and contemporary uniform, but it is still a uniform. Once you know what looks best in terms of proportion, you then have a basis for deciding to follow that guideline or bend it, or break it entirely. Being short and curvy, a long straight cardi or jacket is pretty matronly looking on me. But I can get away with it if I wear a skinny-ish pant or skirt, belt the thing, and put it with a high heel. Then it's ok.

For makeup, face models aren't necessarily the most beautiful, but are the most "average" in the mathematical sense, and the most symmetrical. So the range of looks they can wear is wider than mine is, with the various distractions I have to work with. So yes - that minimal, neutral eye probably IS my "best look." But for me, the makeup isn't all about just looking "better" or prettier or younger. It's about expressing something about myself to the world at large. I do worry a bit that maybe that Coney Island green shadow is sorta OTT for me, and that maybe other 40ish women are put off by it, or laugh at me. And I do notice when a woman is wearing an "off" color - they can make our features look pinched or drawn, truthfully. But even if the makeup isn't "just right" or perfect, it's not necessarily wrong.

eh - too much phiosophy too early in the morning...



-b.

I do agree that it depends on what people in your area wear ... Even though we have a casual jeans dress code at work, the few women in my building wear little to no makeup (or wear neutral colors) so I normally don't wear very bright colors to work -- I don't want to be "that girl" who wears too much mu (Although today's look turned out brighter than I intented!) Even around town at restaurants, the mall, etc. I don't see very many bright colors, though I may see more dark and smokey eyes, and lots of nude and pale pink lips (which I still don't think are the best colors for many people, but it seems like that's all anyone wears with bolder eye looks....)

But I also agree with Bridget that you don't always have to wear "the best" colors for you! If I wanted to wear my absolute best colors every day, I'd be wearing warmish-neutral eyes, maybe the occasional plummy-purple shadow, along with peachy-pink cheeks and lips. I do wear those colors a lot but sometimes I just get bored wearing the same colors every day so I wear something else! I do try to avoid my worst colors that look sickly on me though -- I think it's easier for us paler girls to look sickly-pale with the wrong colors, as opposed to beautifully pale with better colors

For clothing I'll admit that I try to stick with styles that are flattering on me, I don't venture far out of my comfort zone because I just don't feel confident wearing the "wrong" styles for my body (according What Not To Wear, et al). I already feel that I look young for my age and have no curves, so anything that hides what curves I have just makes me feel more like a teenager and/or more straight (I just get tired of shopping in Junior's at age 28 -- I want to create curves!) I have been trying to dress a little nicer (less casual) lately, but still stick mostly to styles that are more flattering on me. Shoes, unfortunately, are chosen out of necessity and practically due to my problem feet And I normally apply the same color rules to clothing as makeup -- mostly flattering colors, some "ok" colors for when I want a change, but no sickly colors

quote:

Originally posted by Bridget:
Something else that I've been thinking about lots lately is that there are different reasons for makeup and clothing, and once you know the "rules" for what "works best" for you, you can either adopt them as unbreakable rules, or consciously choose to follow AND disregard them as you see fit.

Definitely!