Picture this: shimmering eyeshadow, raccoon eyeliner and lashes that resemble spider legs. What you’re picturing is a mess. Also, my 15-year-old self. As a 20-year-old, I can now recognize that I shouldn’t have expected to become perfect on the first try, but I also couldn’t sit through hours and hours of YouTube videos. It’s so overwhelming to see hundreds and hundreds of tutorials for one thing that seemed simple at first glance.
I eventually dropped the eyeshadow and eyeliner by my senior year. It was too much precision, too much technique and I just didn’t care anymore.
But being lazy doesn’t mean you can’t look good, right?
These days I’ve committed myself to three products and three products only, and I wouldn’t want my routine any other way.
This is a moisturizer, foundation, concealer and sunscreen conveniently rolled up into one, so you can skip several steps and get to applying the rest of your makeup straight away. It covers up blemishes really well and makes your skin look extremely smooth, giving you what some might call a “dewy” look.
I have a hard time finding good eyebrow pencils because they’re always the same shades of brown. The only reason I’m highlighting this one is because it matches my eyebrows perfectly. The one I use is “Ash Brown” which is just dark enough that it actually makes my sparse hairs look thick. It also contains finishing wax to set your brows.
Mascara is the makeup product that I’m the most experienced with. I have a few favorites, but this is the one that I’m currently using and it has not disappointed me so far. One time I forgot to use a lash curler and I put this one on and there was absolutely no difference. In addition to lengthening, it seems to curl your eyelashes, giving such a natural, clean look. It doesn’t smudge or clump.
Am I promoting the “no makeup” makeup look? Possibly. Maybe. Yes – only because I know that it’s incredibly easy to feel left behind by trends and fads. Makeup doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. There’s a certain irony in that it’s supposed to make everyone feel better about themselves, but it’s also inaccessible in a lot of ways. You’d be surprised as to how filled in eyebrows and long eyelashes alone can sculpt a face.