Missing Makeup Experiment

I have a pretty standard beauty routine that I try to keep as basic as possible. But for a full-time student who also juggles two jobs (and two blogs), I try to take as many shortcuts as possible. Even so, there still doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. In response to this, I decided to conduct an experiment: cut out a different “essential” part of my regimen every day to see which ones are actually worth keeping and which ones I can skip when I’m in a hurry. To keep it simple, I boiled it down to 4 “essentials”: brows, eyes, cheeks, and lips. This is what I learned:

Brows

Ok, so I don’t look entirely hideous, but I must admit, unfilled brows look pretty weird on me. Naturally, I have very thin and sparse brows so it’s difficult to go without darkening them. When I was in high school, a girlfriend’s mother (who was a makeup artist) had told us that brows are one of the most important aspects of the face because they frame the eyes, therefore being essential towards expressiveness. I agreed with her then and I agree with her now. Bottom line? For me, no brows = no bueno! Haha! 😀

Eyes

A few years ago, I used to feel so naked without eye makeup. I was self-conscious of my small, almond-shaped eyes. These days, I’ve begun to feel more comfortable in my skin and am appreciating my natural features. Sure, I may not have those large, lush-lashed doe-eyes that are often coveted, but I can see pretty well through mine (20/20 vision) and my husband doesn’t seem to mind staring deeply into them, so I really can’t complain. I also think, personally, that going bare-eyed gives me a fresh, youthful look. I love my eye makeup, but I think I’m fine without it. Shadow application is probably one of the more time-consuming aspects of my makeup regimen, so it’s good to know that if I’m in a pinch, I can leave it and still look alright.

Cheeks

I used to never considered blush one of the major products in my makeup regimen and there was a time that I wasn’t wearing it regularly at all. However, there’s a certain warmth and glow that rosy cheeks add to one’s face. I think I look rather cold and colorless without a pink flush. Given the option, I would prefer to forgo eye makeup rather than blush. So, is blush absolutely necessary? I don’t think so. I guess I look OK without it, but if I were in a rush and had to skip something, it wouldn’t be the first thing I’d leave out.

Lips

I do believe there is a difference between that way I look with lip color versus the way I look without. I think I look more natural and down-to earth without lip color. Applying lip color, however, gives my lips a fuller, more symmetrical shape with prominent definition. So can I leave the house sporting bare lips? Sure! (Though I have to at least be wearing some SPF balm, bare lips are one thing, dry lips are gross!) If I want to add a little more glam to my look, however, having a prettily-colored lip is the way to go. Which do I prefer? I like it both ways! However, like eye makeup, I don’t feel that it’s absolutely necessary.