My Makeup Minimum

I would never go to work without making an attempt to look decent for my colleagues. Some days are better than others, I’ll admit.

However, putting my normal face on for 7am group fitness class isn’t necessarily at the top of my list. I’m more focused on making it to class on time.

Or sometimes, on the weekends, I just want my face to breathe, but at the same time, I won’t leave my house without SOME makeup.

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Petite Version of this Post

At minimum, I fill in my eyebrows. I will not leave my house without eyebrows.

This is for your benefit, not mine. Trust me. (Scroll down below for before and after.)

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Full Post

I highly encourage you to do whatever makes you feel beautiful. Even if it’s just to head to the gym, run errands, or for around the house if that makes you feel pretty.  Do whatever makes you feel beautiful.

I, for one, do not typically wear my full face for a 7am class.  Note that if the class is relatively low impact (like barre or Pilates), or if I have to rush to work right afterwards… then ok, sure, I will start my eye make up at home.  (Currently, my favorite palette is Poppy Picnic by Tarte Cosmetics, which is unfortunately, sold out.)

I tend to take a lot of morning classes, simply to get it out of the way because you never know how the rest of your day will turn out. You can control your mornings, but you may not be able to control unexpected meetings, traffic, or perhaps a last-minute get-together with friends, or even meeting up with a hot date.

So what do I wear before I step foot outside my house?

EYEBROWS!!!

(If I have time to add to my makeup minimum, I sometimes take my foundation brush and apply whatever remaining powder was left over from the day before.  Only sometimes do I apply a dab of blush.)

How eyebrows changed my life

Can you believe that it’s only been three years since I’ve discovered how to fill in my eyebrows?!  I grew up thinking I could never have such gorgeous brows because of how uneven mine grow.  On top of that, my brow hair does not lie flat against my skin. They protrude like my grandpa’s LOL

I was initially hesitant at the thought of filling in my brows, but let me tell you, girlfriend, it has changed my life for the better! And here is proof:

Reasons to wear eyebrows

Walking outside of my house with eyebrows at least gives me that confident feeling that I can conquer the world (or at least my workout).  And here is why, my friends…

• Eyebrows frame your face.
• Eyebrows make your face look somewhat symmetrical, even without the help of the rest of your makeup.
• Eyebrows make you FEEL like a natural beauty.
• Eyebrows make you look youthful! One of the reasons why children look so youthful is because of their full and natural eyebrows.

You will almost always find me in eyebrows.

Brands to consider 

Here are my favorite brands for eyebrow fill as well as the colors that I use:

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Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow

 

• Colors I use:
  • Rich Brown
  • Medium Brown
• Cost: Approximately $29

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Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW™ Pomade

• Colors I use:
  • Chocolate (my current fave)
  • Medium Brown
• Cost: Approximately $18 for the dip brow, and $18 for the brush (referenced below)
• Pros:
  • Almost double the color to choose from
• Cons:
  • Their Brush #12 is sold separately, but is well worth the investment as it keeps its shape.
  • This formula is a bit more moussey compared to Tarte’s, which is like a clay.  You will need practice.  I encourage all practice make up sessions to be performed during YOUR  weekend in daylight.
  • Not necessarily sweat proof (which is why I wear this during the day)
• Tip:  Keep the plastic covers that are sold with the brush.  This will help maintain the sharpness of your flat edge while the brush is in storage, or moving around in your cosmetics case

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Selecting your color and tips on how to apply

Note that when picking a color, I suggest heading over to Sephora or Ulta where one of the sales associates can assist you and perhaps even provide you samples to try at home. I am no beauty expert, so feel free to seek their advice as they can share application techniques with you better than I can here (because I’m not necessarily going to vlog just yet). Here are a few things to consider:

• Try to stick closely to your current hair color (unless you are deliberately pulling off that blonde hair, dark eyebrow look – I mean, who doesn’t love that Daenerys Targaryen look from Game of Thrones??).
• I prefer a clean edge alongside the bottom and inner rim of the brow bone.
• I try to soften the top edges with the spoolie.  Now, this is a battle for me as I can’t always soften my brows to my liking. I apologize in advance if they look harsh. I may have been in a rush that day.

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Conclusion

Do what makes you feel beautiful. I consider myself to be relatively confident. Yet, I am not confident enough to walk outside of my house without my eyebrows! It’s my confidence builder. What’s yours?

xoxo,

Bern