So I have enerally indifferent opinion on makeup. I'll blame my mom and female relatives. Here is a quick summary of the makeup history of my closest female friends and relatives:
- mom: lipstick on special ocassions, the last time she bought a new tube was likely my high school graduation or earlier
- paternal grandma: lipstick on special ocassions, church or going out to dinner
- maternal grandma: lipstick on special occasions
- most aunts: lipstick on special occasions or no makeup at all
- flashy aunt: she had drawn on eyebrows, cat eyes, and bright lipstick well into her 60s. She was my mom's makeup "cautionary tale"
- female cousins from Dallas: always "done" with makeup, heels the whole nine yards, way more high maintenance than I
So as you can see, the lessons from my family were, "makeup is for only special occasions....." Most of my friends are like me.
We barely wear any makeup. Unless we are going out.
In high school I wore lip gloss (when I got to school, obviously!). In college I added some mascara. And that is basically it. I'll wear some eye shadow on "special occasions." Most of my skin care routine was 100% focused on keeping my skin clear and even. And generally my skin was pretty good. It was probably related to both supply and knowledge. It is hard to find foundation and stuff in my shade so I have a theory that many black women don't use foundations and powder because they got annoyed with trying to find the proper shade, and decided to focus on prevention.
And then I hit 30, and all things started going crazy. All of the acne I didn't get in my teens and 20s decided to appear with a vengeance. My skin discolors so easily, that I'll end up getting spots from the most minor things. So I basically focus on staying clear and getting rid of my dark spots and dark circles. Oh and restoring the "youthful glow" of my 20s.
And of course I realized that I should really get some concealer for when the circles are horrible, and I can use it to cover up the dark spots that annoy me. And I had a bronzer powder I used to set it, in lieu of regular powder. I use my concealer once or twice a month or so (it lasts me 2 years). So it was time to replace it. And I decided to skip the concealer for foundation, and get some light powder too.
So I went to the department store, bought some powder. I tried it at home in my lighting, because I find that sometimes the department store people do pick weird colors that are too light or ashy and it isn't readily apparent in the store lighting. So I got home, tried it on my cheek and I was shocked. The powder totally camouflaged my big pores and covered up the dark spots that bother me, with no concealer etc. Way easier. Too bad it isn't enough for my dark circles too.
That's when I had my epiphany, and I finally figured out why so many women wear powder every day and reapply throughout the day.
So I decided, I might just add the powder for a bit more polish during the day....but I am still sticking with my minimal routine.