Beauty and Maintenance.

Beauty and Maintenance 

 

I have easy schedule from college since the past week. It is so shocking. Classes are getting cancelled and my will to go to college has been reduced drastically. This gives me time to do the thing I love the most, window shopping. I just love going to malls and walking in stores and walking away taking nothing. I recently visited Tira's offline stores, at a mall near my place. The service is great. They have all high range  to low range products. They leverage artificial intelligence, with their smart mirrors at the centre of the store. The vibe is just amazing. 

But... 

I HAVE A PROBLEM. I don't know which makeup is right for me.  I don't know if any sort of makeup is right for me. Every time, I am at a beauty retail store,  I am worried of being looted, being judged because I have zero knowledge about make-up. 

I see people my age, coming to college all decked up. They have a ritual. They wake up, they clean their faces, and they apply some layers of foundation, some layers of red blushes, darken their eyes with 4 pounds of eye liner  and call it a "no make up look". Sometimes people are really feeling themselves. They want to highlight quirky side of their personalities, or want to impress others. 

Personal History

My beautiful relationship with makeup industry started when I was six years old or maybe younger. Fair and lovely, used to advertise their problematic ads very frequently. I was just infatuated with the world of glamour, Bollywood and movie stars, back then. I thought I needed fair and lovely in my life, because celebrities were using it. Watching these advertisements that regularly reinforced that you need their creams and balms to look young and glowing and fairer - struck me with great influence. I was just a child, I didn't know better. 

I used to steal my grandmother's anti-ageing cream and apply it all over my body. I had no idea what it was. I used to use it as a body lotion. I was so wild. When I grew up, maybe around the time when I hit my pre-teen period, I became interested in make-up because I saw couple of girls using eye shadow palettes for annual day function at school. I thought it was pretty cool. My hero back then, Hannah Montana used to apply makeup too. I was obsessed with her makeup kit.  It had several colours of eye shadow palettes, blushes and lipsticks. Everything a pop-star needed. I felt like I need to have one because I was a pop-star in my own head after all. 

When I was 12, my mother had purchased a basic makeup kit for me. But I got bored of "dressing up" and started concentrating on my studies which also became difficult to bear. 

The first time I had ever used professional makeup was for my school's farewell. The Urban Clap makeup artist did a smokey-eye look for me. It was really cool, for that time. She had professional Huda beauty makeup art supplies. After the event was over, I came home and started wiping off my makeup. I had humungous red rashes all over my skin. I wanted to drop the idea of putting makeup in the future. But I realised that the palatte she used was the problem, and was just not suitable for my extra sensitive skin. 

What I do 

Today, I watch random content online for makeup times before an important event. There are couple of good makeup artist on YouTube alone, to provide you with a very decent tutorial for your desired look. These YouTubers are quite informative and have advance knowledge on makeup products. Most of them would advise you to read the "ingredients of your makeup product carefully, as some ingredients might be harmful for your skin. But, it is mostly a futile exercise, as chemicals interact with each other in compounds and should not be judged for their stand alone value. So, you really need to test your products, in the store, and see if it is really the best product for you.

For me, personally I want products that are extremely light-weighted on my skin, can stay for long hours and give me a very natural look to my face but also uplift it in an elegant way, if that make sense? 

Here's what I have been doing, If I were to go to parties/events- Apply small amounts of foundation, drops of blush, eyeliner, mascara, nude shades eye shadows, lip gloss  - and we are done! I get professional help for big events such as school and college farewells. I think these events are worth the investment. 

A lot of my classmates, and in general women in college, wake up early and have a makeup routine. They would have the energy to apply blush and an eyeliner in the most creative ways possible. I live so far away from college that I don't have the bandwidth to do so many things early in the morning. I just wash my face with the most softest moisturising face wash,  apply sunscreen, and lip balm. I think this routine will mostly change once I start working. 

Prioritising Skincare over makeup

One of the biggest development for me growing up, was prioritising skin health over makeup. I have seen individuals around me, developing acne at an early age because of repeated use of makeup. It scared me, mainly because I know acne scars don't go away that easily. Plus, when I was transition from teens to an adult, the Korean wave was such a big thing. Every woman, I know is mesmerised by that glowing, clear Korean skin. The actors we idolise have good surgeons, but with proper skincare it is not totally impossible to achieve a glowing and clear skin. Moreover, the very fact that makeup includes a lot of chemicals, I am too scared for a permanent damage to take place, in worst case scenarios. Therefore, I prefer to use it occasionally. 

I have a routine for myself. Every Sunday, I wash my hair, get home-pedicure, apply hydrating face sheets, creams and lotions. Sundays are reserved for self-care!

I feel, we women have traditionally faced a lot of brunt for looking perfect and pretty. I don't think so we need makeup to do the job for us. I think, we all should spend some time from our day to focus on our body and mind's health. That's very important. 

Share your make-up routines in comments down below.