Though at times I have felt like I was inadequate because I didn't wake up 2 hours early to put on my face and do my hair. If I'm going to exercise late in the day, why would I want all that make-up or hair stuff on? It's icky when it mixes with your sweat and gets in your eyes. I shudder thinking of it.
My beauty routine is pretty simple.
- Shower
- Dressed
- Teeth
- Glasses
- Product in hair to help tame the frizz into curls (serums, conditioners, curl stuff)
- Hair to air dry
No make-up. No blow dry. Rarely lotion. Nothing on my face.
Make-up
If I wear any make-up, it's lipstick with the rare application of eye liner or mascara. With cheeks as red as mine, that get flush a deeper red with movement, embarrassment, etc. foundation only serves to have me looking like a clown. Eye shadow and mascara are fun, but I usually forget I have it on and rub my eyes.
Lipstick comes off with the first drink of anything. After having worked in a restaurant and watched tons of glasses go through the dishwasher and still come out with lipstick marks on them (having to be returned and rewashed), I kind of figured that lipstick was a pain. I don't even like getting chapstick on my glass or cup. Eew.
I made the mistake of wearing red lipstick in China and found myself being randomly photographed by weird men. It weirded me out. I realize I am blonde and look very different than most of the people I met in China, but the photos when wearing lipstick were obsurdly frequent and I would see people try to sneak photos. I posed for plenty of photos with people who asked and we had lots of fun doing so, both of us laughing at trying to communicate with one another. But the sneaky photos felt creepy. It was only then that I paid attention to all the women around me, billboards and fashion magazine ads to discover that Chinese women wear very pale, pale lipstick, if any at all. Whoops. I studied up on Mandarin, but forgot to look at make-up customs. Noted for future.
Skin
For my face, I've discovered is that St. Ives apricot scrub covers 90% of what I need. For those days when I stay home and "give myself the once over" as my Grandma used to say, I like an occasional (once a week or month) application of coconut butter make for amazing skin. I thought coconut butter would block my pores and cause acne, but it makes it go away. wow. Thank you pinterest. Mashed papaya is another wonderful mask as it has alpha hydroxy. Another great one is 1/2 a lemon and honey. Antibacterial, alpha hydroxy, and it tastes good if you get it on your lips!
Hair
I have a shit-ton of bottles of fancy hair products. No kidding. They probably take up 2 square feet of space in my closet. And that's just the "after shower" hair prep stuff. But I throw it on quick and usually walk out the door with wet hair, much to my mother's chagrin.
I like the way my curls look when they air dry much more than I like them blown dry. Really, I don't do anything to make those ringlets you see. NOTHING. nada. zip. They wind up all tight on their own and usually they only curl like that at the bottom. The top of my head usually looks like a frizzy lioness mane. I was thinking my hair would be perfect for Edwardian era - I wouldn't have to make those curls, they'd appear on their own and the top of my hair would be tamed.
Even when I put plenty of holding product, given the humidty around here, my hair goes flat in 2 seconds. Lifeless. I did not win any 80's super poof "who's hair is high enough to reach heaven" hair contests. So, rather than fight nature, I gave in. Frizz & curl away, my wacky companion. I will attempt to tame you just a little.
Hair Styles
I've had a Susan Powter crew cut in white blonde that I over-dyed blue and pink. In those days, some of my co-workers would rub my head for good luck when we were launching a vehicle. The grow out between super short crew cut and bob is not fun. There's no pretty point in between for me. I haven't gone that short since. I just don't want to go through the ucky stage.
I've had red hair from a lovely auburn red to Ronald McDonald red. In the latter, my hair color faded gradually from red to a pale, dirty pink. Every day, my kind boss would say, "Did you do something different to your hair?" Hee hee hee... oh C. Thank you for being so nice as I transition through this hideous stage of bad hair choices.
I've had long hair. I've had short hair. The bob is probably the most frequently worn style. It looks great on me. Any shorter and I look like an old lady.
I'm being brave this time around by wearing side pony tails and trying other styles that might seem very trendy and weird on someone old enough to see the style more than once in their life. I don't want to look like I'm stuck in the 80's. But, if you don't try things you won't stumble upon amazing!
Glasses & Sunglasses
So tell me...
- Do you feel like an outsider in the beauty arena? Is it by choice?
- Do you prefer one beauty item over another?
- Are there other things you do that contribute to your glowing beauty are just outside the "norm" of a beauty routine?