Hi! Happy Thursday, everyone. :)
What's in your world? Are you snowed in? Wishing you were? Or glad you're not? Or are you on the other side of the world and having a great Summer?
Simple is still the word here. I've been spending time thinking about where I want to go with that! I am in the process of streamlining the site a bit further and stripping out the excess. Simplifying is a lot of hard work! ;)
Thank you to everyone who made comments on the changes I have made (seems like the white background is a hit!). And for those who expressed concern: don't worry, I'm not simplifying to the point of deleting the blog! I am here and not going anywhere. I just want the site to be what my readers want it to be - and also what feels right to me!
If you are interested in getting in touch but don't want to leave a comment on a post, please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you!
Anyway, let's take a look at today's Look, shall we?
xoxo,
*jen
This is what I look like when a cat appears out of nowhere and saunters by...
Simple isn't as easy as it looks, which makes no sense... but just as simplifying a project (blog!), routine or system takes a little thought, so does simplifying your makeup looks and routine.
For example, you need to give some thought to a few things like:
- What steps are "musts" for you?
- Which steps are you just not gonna do?
- Do you have the products and tools you need?
- Do you have the techniques you'll need?
We'll be tackling issues like that in the upcoming months, but I thought today we'd talk a little bit about what a Simply Pretty Makeup Look looks like in the most basic sense.
- A Simply Pretty Look doesn't have to be neutral shades (but it can be).
- A Simply Pretty Look doesn't have to encompass every "step" in makeup, from concealer all the way to false lashes (but it can).
- A Simply Pretty Look can be fast (or not, if you're in that mood!).
- A Simply Pretty Look is, above all else, flattering for that particular woman!
What other guidelines do you think a Simply Pretty Look should follow?
*****
Colors
When it comes to being Simply Pretty, and a flattering look that's suited to YOU, colors play a big part, don't they? It's what I get the most emails about and the most questions from my clients: "BUT WHAT COLORS ARE RIGHT FOR ME?" We'll be talking about that a lot, but keep in mind that we can all wear neutrals. Why? Well, because they're neutral, of course! They look good on everyone!
But... (you knew there was a "but" coming, didn't you?) ...But ya just can't grab any old neutral and pop it on your face and be done with it. Bummer, right?
A little experimentation helps you figure out what looks most flattering. I encourage you to play a bit and take some pictures in different lights so you can see what's working - and what's not.
Let's go with a little example to show you what I mean.
Below are a series of pictures. On the left, I'm wearing a light, slightly shimmery champagne color on my eyes with one coat of black mascara. On my lips, I am wearing a soft plummy shade with shimmer; it's close to my natural lip shade, but a bit darker and brighter. On paper, this should work well. In reality, it's passable. It's a bit bland, though, and doesn't really make me look great ... Just kinda ok.
"Passable" and "kinda ok" aren't going to cut it for me, though. I put on makeup to make myself look my best and to feel good. Bland isn't the goal, and just because I'm striving for "simple" doesn't mean I want to waste my time doing something for no real payoff!
On the right, the foundation and concealer and cheeks are the same as on the left, because I wanted to show how tweaking just one or two things can make a big difference!
Take a look...
What I tweaked (on the right):
- I've put a medium brown on my lid
- Added 2 more coats of mascara (3 total)
- Lined the top lashes with black and smudged brown under the lower lashline
- Went a few shades darker on the lips
It sounds like a lot more work, but think about it, it's really not. It's only going to add a few more moments to put on more mascara and some liner. But the payoff is worth it.
The change is subtle but apparent. The liner and darker shadow bring attention to my eyes, making them the focal point. That's always nice, right, a place for people to focus? And what makes it better is that just about everyone has great eyes, so what a nice feature to play-up!
By deepening the lip color by just a few levels (the shade is basically the same: plummy), there's just a bit more liveliness and color. This is still a simple, pretty look but now it's more flattering - and with little added product and time! Simply pretty!
So what tweaks might be on your to-do list?