femine kunundrum

Every few years or so, I make an attempt to present myself in more stylish, feminine fashion.  By this I mean, nicer clothes to work (ie – not hoodie sweatshirts and cargo pants), and perhaps some makeup.  My last attempt didn’t last too long since I was going for skirts most days and that just got tiring after awhile.  Also – the makeup thing was always too much of a bother.  And a few years ago, I switched jobs to a place that is really pretty relaxed and casual.

Ok.  I admit that it is more than just the timing of “every few years” that has sparked my latest attempt to pull my fashionable female shit together.  I’ve recently been indulging my guilty pleasure that is TLC’s What Not to Wear.  And, while I realize these two host people are utterly ridiculous, they do make people look fabulous.  And .. I’ll say that a) I’ve actually learned some things about clothes, makeup, and myself from watching this show and b) I often look at the wardrobes that they’re “throwing away” thinking “uh .. that could be my wardrobe” .. heh ..

Perhaps there is some girl in me after all.

So, I’ve been dressing a little better at work (not so much of skirts, but I actually bought girl pants that fit an flatter .. who knew?).  And .. I’ve bought all new makeup and have been doing pretty well with it.  Nothing fancy, mostly eye liner/shadow/mascara .. which leads me to the real reason for this post and the source of said kunundrum.

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Mascara.

I think I was in my 20s before I ever applied mascara.  I was always scared of it.  I’ve found that I really love the way mascara looks.  But I hate wearing it.  I hate applying it.  And, I really suck at both.  Questions for those few women friends I do have:

1 – I can’t seem to apply it without making a mess.  I blink and its on my cheekbones, I get it on my hands on my eyelids .. and I don’t think I’m using a lot .. any tips for applying? cuz .. I seem to be utterly clueless..

2 – I feel it on my eyelashes all day .. they feel heavy and sticky .. and I really don’t think I’m putting to much on .. I mean, its not all clumpy or anything .. is this normal?  Do I just get used to it?

3 – What about exercise and sweating?  It just seems like so much work to have to clean my face before exercise .. but .. Its kind of gross when I start sweating and wiping my face .. blech ..

see .. I hate the stuff … I want to not wear it, but I really like the way my eyes look when I do .. *sigh* .. its a lot more work to be a girl ..

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2 Responses to femine kunundrum

  1. Di says:

    Um…I’m pretty girly. I wear makeup all the time, but mostly because of my acne (which is getting much better) and, up until recently, my lighter-than-I-should-have hair color.

    I don’t wear mascara or eyeliner. I think it’s too much of a pain and it LOOKS LIKE MAKEUP. Ick.

    I wear a foundation, mineral blush, and occasionally eyeshadow – using the darker shade as an eyeliner, but keeping it quite subtle. I also only line the eye 2/3 of the way across – it makes the eye look larger than closing it completely with black eyeliner.

    The idea is to enhance, isn’t it? 🙂 Good luck.

  2. Ali says:

    Marty – You have great eyes minus the liner/mascara…. with that said, if you still feel driven to try it out, I’d suggest going with clear mascara (since you don’t necessarily need the darkening of lashes) such as, maybelline Great Lash. That’s how I started wearing it back in middle school. Yah, I grew up with some girlie girls who were all about make-up & stuffing bras! It was a tough transition for my tomboy roots, but I ultimately ended up wearing make-up to cover skin imperfections and now? Well, It’s just a habit & it evens out my skin tone even though I no longer have problematic skin (benefit to AGE!?)

    So, back to the eyes. If you start with the clear, it will lengthen and shine and do all the fancy stuff without leaving black all over other parts of your body… you can even lightly brush it across your unruly brows… or was it just me with the crazy brows growing up!?! Currently, I wear water proof mascara and never (ok, rarely) have an issue with it making a disaster when I workout and I sweat a ton! However, it does bleed a bit when I’m out in the cold and my eyes are watering. Strange.

    So then, it washes off when I want it too. If you’re making a mess, you might need to experiment with the wand style – straight vs curved. I’m a disaster with the straight applicator wand and generally end up poking myself in the eye!

    Hope that wasn’t tmi… I’m a little wired tonight. 🙂

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