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Practical ways of looking nice

Mij

Messages
2,353
@Calathea have you considered using a concealer as a tinted moisturizer? Personally, I don't want to go darker but like to stay within my colour. I don't know how much coverage you need but I use my BM concealer as a foundation. I just speckle on the areas that need coverage and blot it with a special sponge.
This one:
http://www.beautyblender.com/beautyblender-defined2/

This sponge does a really nice job of smoothing out the concealer and leaves a sheererer coverage.

I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on a foundation either since I wouldn't be using it all up. A small pot of concealer fits the bill.

Just a thought.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
I hadn't! I've got some samples of this and that on the way, so I'll see how I get on with those, but I'll definitely bear that in mind. Today I have learned that there is a company with the atrociously ableist name of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and also a rather lovely-sounding one called Meow Cosmetics. The latter have 86 different colours for skin tone, all named after cats. Considering the rampant racism in the cosmetics industry, with so little available for people of colour, that's awesome. It looks like nice stuff, very minimal (mineral) ingredients, if you're in the US.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Note for me: http://www.cutecosmetics.co.uk/vegan-48-c.asp. I did experiment with makeup earlier, trying to blend foundation and moisturiser to make tinted moisturiser. That doesn't work too well when your moisturiser is a solid oil, I'd need to buy a separate moisturiser to do that. That evened out my skin tone a bit, though it looked oily in a way that plain oil moisturiser alone doesn't. Blush was easy. I used slightly tinted lip balm (Hurraw cinnamon) and a touch of red lipstick, which gives an OK colour but looks a bit shiny. My eyes were a right nuisance. Taupe eyeshadow over the lid I can manage. The light eyeshadow below my eyebrows didn't show up at all, though it might have next to the inside of my eyes. Putting on dark eyeshadow along my lashes was really hard due to wearing specs, whether I had my glasses on or off. I'd skip that bit in the future. I mean, I was getting makeup on my glasses, ick.

My partner got home and said I looked lovely, whcih is nice. I realised I couldn't kiss him, was nervous about moving my face, and the eyeshadow was starting to hurt, so then happily scrubbed it all off. I think I look older with makeup, which may answer the question of why people consistently mistake me for five to ten years younger. So that probably will help if I can manage it before a doctor's appointment.
 
Messages
296
I really like 100 percent pure's primer!

Bare minerals are amazing except for the bismuth oxychloride issue, however Alima Pure also make satin matte mineral foundation (and what's more, in 65 shades or so I believe!). The foundation literally have just four ingredients and you can build up the coverage!

Mineral fusion's corrector and concealer is really good if you have grey/brown dark circles under your eyes.

I've got an entire word document of natural/organic brands which use raw or certified organic ingredients as much as possible or entirely. I plan to try them all out one by one. It's so amazing when I can find a product that looks good, feels good, smells good and that I don't react badly to.
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I also try to wear sort of form fitting clothing it makes me feel more human for some reason.

I am 100% with you on this.

Regarding jeans, they're one of the clothing items where I purchase fewer pairs for more money. I love Liverpool jeans, which are comfortable and flexible, as well as Second Yoga jeans - as the name implies, soooo flexible. And if you don't change size, you can keep washing and washing these until the end of time. I'm talking 50 wears looking like ten.

-J
 

JaimeS

Senior Member
Messages
3,408
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I think I look older with makeup,

Yeah, I hear you. I'm in my mid-thirties and I was talking about when I was "at [Name of School]." The person said, "so you're in college now? Are you a freshman?" I was wearing no makeup. Re, previous comment: yes, I think this may really be something about collagen and the illness.

Anyhow, I would wear the makeup you're comfortable wearing, unless you're just playing around (as it seems you were). :) I'm not sure if I said this on the other thread, but I focus on my eyes: just on and under. I wear lipgloss because it doesn't matter if some rubs off, unlike lipstick where you can get that ring-around-the mouth awfulness. Lipgloss is also great because it's so variable - you can just add a tiny bit to the center of the lip for shine and ignore everything else, or you can cover your whole lip thickly so it's dark and very lustrous; you can even use it to add shimmer to regular lipstick, once it's set. But like I said, I don't do that often. Lipstick feels like a hassle. ;)

Finally, lipgloss is something I purchase from MAC. It's one of those makeup items where quality really matters. You want something that'll stay put, taste not terrible at the very least, seem to fade naturally, and not soak into your skin as an oil (a problem with some brands: oiliness and breakout around the lips? Yuck! A thousand times, yuck.)

Oh, and there's a new TREND in lipgloss to include something that STINGS and makes your lips look BEESTUNG because guess what? It's actually an irritant. MAC makes a line like that, and so do many others. AVOID THIS. WHO DOES THESE THINGS, I'D LIKE TO KNOW?

-J
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
It's been emphasising the hairs on my upper lip, to my embarrassment. Nothing much in the way of lines yet. My mother looks young for her age too. I wonder if it does happen more often in people with ME, or whether it's just all the people who look young piping up when it's mentioned?

Another thing you can be decorative ad well as functional about:medical ID bracelets. Mine is this one, and I made it a beaded bracelet which is cognac amber bean beads alternated with little 2mm sterling silver beads. I used to have a variety of bracelet strands for my previous tag, but I haven't remade them for them one yet. The faceted labradorite was lovely but doesn't show up as well now that I wear it next to a black Fitbit Charge HR activity tracker on my wrist.

Does anyone else wear double layers of really thick socks and/or wrist warmers? I have brightly coloured fleece wrist warmers. Black would no doubt look smarter, but I'd lose them in five seconds flat.
 

Snookum96

Senior Member
Messages
290
Location
Ontario, Canada
I am 100% with you on this.

Regarding jeans, they're one of the clothing items where I purchase fewer pairs for more money. I love Liverpool jeans, which are comfortable and flexible, as well as Second Yoga jeans - as the name implies, soooo flexible. And if you don't change size, you can keep washing and washing these until the end of time. I'm talking 50 wears looking like ten.

-J

I think I'm going to check those out!
I do the same thing I have just a couple pairs. I've always hated skinny jeans because I have bigger bum and thighs compared to my waist and then I tried a pair of my sisters from lands end and they are awesome! Very comfortable and not too tight.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Good heavens, that's dramatic. I am a quilter myself, but I do know several knitters, so perhaps I should ask for something. I don't wear animal fibres as I'm vegan, and it'd need to be very soft as I have dermographism. Bamboo?
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Side story about people's perception of makeup~

There was some kind of informal study a while back in which a bunch of men were shown a bunch of women (I don't know if it was photos or the women themselves) and asked to judge on a number of factors including attractiveness and (I think) which women were wearing makeup. The idea was to determine, among other things, whether people who don't wear makeup can accurately judge how they respond to makeup.

The men who claimed they preferred women without makeup in fact judged women with "natural" makeup as more attractive than women with no makeup who they generally rated as plain. Not surprisingly, those men did judge women with strong makeup -- heavy foundation, dark eyeliner, bright lipstick, as less attractive.

Most of the men did not realize that many of the women were wearing light or natural makeup and marked those women as makeup-free but attractive, while marking the women with no makeup as makeup-free but plain.

IIRC one conclusion was that people who don't use makeup often don't recognize light or natural makeup and think only people with heavy, very noticeable makeup are wearing makeup.

Since reading that, I take people's claims that "few women I know wear makeup" with a grain of salt. It's more likely there's more lipgloss, mascara, light eyeliner and so on going on than these people realize. Not all women who wear some makeup do it up like celebrities. ;)

Sadly, the use of some amount of makeup among women is a cultural norm to the point that people unconsciously judge women without makeup as plain or unkempt in some way. :( Of course, there are exceptions. There are women who are blessed with good skin, good color, long dark lashes and so on and can be judged attractive and put together without makeup.

I'd be happy to make do with clean skin and a moisturizer, but the fact is I get treated more appropriately all around if I wear enough makeup to put some contrast in my otherwise monotone pale coloring. I suspect I'm not the only one.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Good heavens, that's dramatic. I am a quilter myself, but I do know several knitters, so perhaps I should ask for something. I don't wear animal fibres as I'm vegan, and it'd need to be very soft as I have dermographism. Bamboo?
Ooooh, bamboo is a lovely fiber to work with, soft and smooth. It generally drapes well, too. I don't use it as much as I like because I can't afford it and generally needs handwashing, but it is lovely.
 
Messages
759
Location
Israel
I don't understand why so many people recommend bare minerals makeup. I bought some and regretted. It is expensive and stings the skin.
I think Clinique brands of foundation and their moisturizer is better. It does not sting, has no perfume and is made for sensitive allergic types. It lasts a long time so the high price comes out cheaper in the long term.

Due to chemical sensitivities, I've resorted to water based nail polish. I buy the "honeybee" brand off iherb. I only use it on my toes in the Israeli summer for sandals. Too tiring to put it on fingers too as it wears off quicker than normal nail polish.

I am looking for a essential oil based perfume that will smell like Chanel or something top notch. I found a few like this on Etsy, but I don't know if they are any good.
https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/164157754/silk-body-mist-dry-oil-perfume-body?ref=favs_view_18
so when I have the cash and patience, I might experiment with that.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Silicone seems a surprising base for a perfume. I have a few by the Perfumers Guild in England which are natural and high quality. They're also really expensive. I've been using the same ones for years and got a shock when I looked at their current prices.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Wheelchair fashion! What sort of coats do people find work well with a wheelchair? I need a new winter coat, I have one that's too small and another that's too big and not warm enough. I'm thinking double-breasted. Normally short, busty women are advised to stay away from that as it makes you look wider, but it seems to sidestep the problem where your coat gaps at the front when you sit down, generally looks better in a wheelchair, and means that your lap is better covered. Finding a vegan coat (no wool or down) that is properly long is turning out to be surprisingly hard.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Wheelchair fashion! What sort of coats do people find work well with a wheelchair? I need a new winter coat, I have one that's too small and another that's too big and not warm enough. I'm thinking double-breasted. Normally short, busty women are advised to stay away from that as it makes you look wider, but it seems to sidestep the problem where your coat gaps at the front when you sit down, generally looks better in a wheelchair, and means that your lap is better covered. Finding a vegan coat (no wool or down) that is properly long is turning out to be surprisingly hard.
Have you thought about a shorter coat and a lap blanket that you can tuck tightly around your legs? That might be easier than finding a long coat suitable for sitting continuously.
 

Calathea

Senior Member
Messages
1,261
Yeah, I've got a blanket and also a wheelchair cosy that is more or less half a sleeping bag. They look ridiculous, it's a pain in the arse if you need to get out e.g. to go to the loo, and the blanket gets untucked and can get caught in the wheels. I'd far rather be able to manage on a coat alone. I've used other long coats in a wheelchair, near ankle length, and never had a problem with their getting caught in the wheels. I have to make sure I don't have my scarves trailing enough to do that, but that's easy. I wonder why that chap you mention had trouble? Coats sit in a pretty solid fashion, it's not as if they're floaty dresses.