This week I am doing something a bit different - a video post! Many of my readers and viewers have asked me to share how I do my makeup, so I welcome you to join me on this video where I am putting on light makeup for a day at home.
I hope it is not too frightening for you to see me without makeup, but that can't be helped in a makeup-putting-on video. I am also not sure that you will find anything revolutionary in this video; I'm not a trained makeup artist or anything like that. But I find it interesting to watch normal people and how they do things (perhaps I'm just nosy); I always pick up a few tips to take away, so maybe you might too.
I'd love to answer any questions you have about makeup, skincare or anything else. Fire away and I hope you enjoy the video.
Fiona
PS. You can also watch this video on my YouTube channel. If you subscribe via the red button on the top right-hand side of my YouTube page, you will be notified when a new video is uploaded. I also have quite a few videos I have done in the past if you haven't already viewed those.
Bonjour Fiona
ReplyDeleteThank you for the video. Please could you give the colour name of the eye shadow as it is so lovely and neutral.
Merci, lorraine
Hi Lorraine,
DeleteIt is a MAC eyeshadow called Kid Veluxe.
Thank you Fiona...
DeleteThank you, Fiona for the lovely makeup tutorial. You look extra youthful and still as gorgeous as ever without makeup. No need for blusher at all! I love your sense of humour too.❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you Princess :) I love my blusher!
DeleteYour makeup was simple and yet effective, Fiona. You have chosen shades which enhance your skin rather than making you look 'different', which is how makeup should be, something which enhances.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is my eyebrows. I know brows are in fashion right now, brow bars are popping up everywhere just as nail bars did a decade ago. I have few hairs in my eyebrows now and those that I have are white or grey and look awful (part age, part because they never grew back properly after chemotherapy.) So I pencil them in lightly with a grey pencil, but being able to sharpen a soft pencil is very difficult as it just breaks all the time. I tried a Lancôme brow liquid but as there are few-to-no-hairs onto which to apply it, that was a waste of money! But I manage. And even though I have grey (highlighted) hair and grey brows, a light brown/nude shadow works best for me, but again, the problem there is dark shadows and bags under my eyes, so I end up looking like a Panda. The alternative is coloured eye shadow and that ends up making an older woman look like a clown! I must buy some loose powder again - I always used to use it until it became difficult to find in the shops, but I can always get some online. And also the little sponge you used with which to apply the foundation seems a very good idea. No matter how old we are we can all still learn new techniques! Thank you for that.
Margaret P
www.margaretpowling.com
Margaret, ace you considered cosmetic tattooing for your brows ? I know several ladies in their seventies who have had it done and it looks marvellous. One lady told me her brows fell out after menopause and she used to 'draw' them on but was always self-conscious. It wasn't until she told me about her tattooed brows that I even realised. Apparently it is expensive (about $600 here in Australia) and doesn't last forever so requires touching up every second year but at 52 weeks/year x 2 years that's $6/week. Mind you, I have inherited my fathers dark and thick brows (my late paternal grandmother was same) and my mono brow would resemble Groucho Marx if I hadn't started plucking at 14 and waxing at 21, so it's easy for me to say !! I'm fairly confident my brows will remain with me until they're nailing the lid on my coffin. I have a few grey brows but each of them sits alone and having them tinted once or twice was such a palaver that I'm fine with them. I figure worse things have happened at sea ha ha.
DeleteNo, it's not something I've considered and I really wouldn't want to spend oodles of money on my brows and I don't fancy tattooing at all. I'm not squeamish about needles but I just don't like the thought that a dye is being put into my skin. Yes, worse things have happened at sea than grey or sparse eyebrows, ha ha! I shall continue to use my soft grey pencil, but I use feathery strokes so that my brows look quite natural. Well, I hope they do!
DeleteMargaret P
Margaret, I always had quiet pronounced eyebrows that needed no care, except maybe pulling out a hair or two here and there. They never were a point of attention to me. One morning a year ago I look in the mirror and think "There is something wrong with my face" but I can't realise what's exactly was wrong. After careful investigation I found out that my brows have gone greyish. I use an Yves Rocher eyebrow pencil and I am absolutely happy with it. I use shadow Ash Blond. It looks very natural and my pencil never breaks. I believe this brand is not very popular in the UK, this product has no reviews at the YR UK web-site but at the French site it has firm 4 stars out of 5.
DeleteFiona, sorry for digressing from your post. You look stunning (as always).
Margaret, I love that little sponge so much! With the dampness of it, it helps the foundation remain slightly dewy and a little bit sheerer than when applying with fingers. I'm hooked :)
DeleteMaria, I love the 'Ash Blonde' pencil name. That's a shade I would like to check out. Some 'Blonde' pencils are too orangey for me.
Margaret, I know what you mean about having worse problems than sparse eyebrows (first world problems this is perhaps?) but they really frame the face! As you know :) I have seen photos of you and your eyebrows look lovely and perfectly natural.
Thank you, Fiona and Maria, for those words of comfort (yes, 1st world problems!) and advice re my brows. I will investigate the Yves Rocher eyebrow pencil in Ash Blond. That sounds just the thing for me (with light grey hair which I have highlighted - can't wait for my next appointment, it's looking dull again, highlights having all but grown out.) Off to check out that pension NOW!
DeleteAnd thank you, Fiona, for saying my browns look perfectly natural. Practice in applying the pencil makes perfect, ha ha!
Margaret P
It's amazing what a little makeup can do! I once read from a makeup artist to skip your nose to have a no makeup look. Please show us how to do your makeup like that makeup artist showed you a while back. You looked really gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteCarla, oh my goodness, not do the nose? That would be the worst look ever for me. It doesn't even bear thinking about :)
DeleteI will have to practice the eye makeup, I haven't done it like that in several months. I've just been into light makeup lately, especially not going into a workplace each day anymore. I will do a video with stronger eye makeup though!
This is so helpful. I see my daughter discussing makeup with her friends and trying things out, and I realize I don't do that anymore. It's important to stay on top of changing trends or we end up looking "off"--especially since today makeup is more subtle, it's easy to look overdone if we haven't adjusted tactics. Thank goodness for online friends to show us how.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. The few makeup tutorials I've watched on YouTube have taught me some great things and it is fun to try out new techniques. It helps one not stay in a rut :)
DeleteI want to find some hair tutorials too, about putting my hair up for during the day, not just a ponytail.
Fiona, Jennifer L. Scott has some lovely hair tutorials on her blog Daily Connoisseur. I love her blog (i think that is how I 'met' you, via her blog:)). She has lovely long, thick hair and has many videos showing different styles (although she has commented several times in recent months that her hair has thinned following the birth of her third baby but her hair still looks beautiful to me). I look forward to seeing what you come up with xx
DeleteI agree, Jennifer's hair is gorgeous!
DeleteYay for the beauty blender! I loved watching this and your foundation looks great, not too much, not too little, just right!
ReplyDeleteThank you Stephanie, I know you are a beauty blender fan too :)
DeleteYou are so funny, I love it. And your video was not boring at all, I really like it.
ReplyDeleteMy makeup is fairly simple and quick too. I use foundation in some areas to cover redness, concealer for under eye circles, mascara, and lip color. If I had to choose only one makeup product it would be lip color, because I have very pale lips. I don't spend much on makeup - in fact, I try to find the least expensive (mostly L'oreal), but try to focus more on skincare. Even still, I don't spend much on that either, I stick with drugstore brands like Cerave. One step I never skip is sunblock, rain or shine.
Thanks so much for doing the makeup video!
D.
Thank you for sharing your makeup routine, D. It sounds simple and perfect. I am a low-cost product fan too.
DeleteLove it! We have very similar makeup routines and coloring. I followed your example today and wore a neutral brown eyeshadow and no liner and was pleased with the look! I have very blonde lashes, too, and one product that I love is Clinique's "lower lash" mascara - it' a teeny-tiny brush made specifically for lower eyelashes.
ReplyDeleteQuick nosy question - did you end up coloring your hair or did it get lighter in the sun? I'm still debating lightening mine up but it's so healthy without any color (and my husband says he loves my natural hair color which is dark blonde) that I'm always on the fence.
Great video, Fiona! Very helpful and inspirational!
Amy, for what it's worth if you have healthy hair and like your colour then leave it as is. I have coloured mine for over 30 years - from streaking caps in the 90s that we're like a torture device and now I have a permanent tint of brown applied to my roots every five weeks to cover the grays and give my hair a shine. The chemicals used these days are nowhere as harsh as in the past but nonetheless, bleaching damages your hair and you then need to use nourishing shampoos and conditioners to protect the condition of your hair. Having to visit your hairdresser every six weeks to tend to regrowth works out to be expensive over the years. I have tried doing it myself or with the help of a friend but that ended up in tears and me eating humble pie when I returned to my then hairdresser, begging him to repair the damage I'd done. I bet you are beautiful as you are :)
DeleteThank you for the perspective! I've started getting some strands of white and of course that causes one to reflect on aging - just the other day I was reading an interview with Bobbi Brown and she mentioned women who "let themselves go and stop coloring their hair" which troubled me. I do admire women who have beautiful chic gray or white hair (love Emmylou Harris's look) so will just deal with it in the meantime. As you mention, it's also the time and money that I'm balking at. Thanks again, it was very helpful!
DeleteYay Amy, that's great. I go through phases of eyeliner. It feels more modern for me right now not to use it, I don't know why.
DeleteYes, I have highlights currently, very fine and natural, bleach only. I go 3 or 4 times a year and ask the hairdresser to do it very sparingly so I don't have an obvious regrowth line.
I did have quite a few years without any colour, but I am enjoying highlights for now (mostly a half-head, with the very occasional full-head).
My natural hair colour is warm-toned, and with greys being cool-toned, I find a few highlights helps mix everything up and blend cool and warm nicely.
Because I don't have many highlights, my hair still feels healthy when I wash it. I remember when I had my hair fully bleached as a teen (if you can't do it then, when can you, but my mother was furious), it felt like rope when I washed it.
I don't buy expensive conditioning treatments, but I do apply coconut oil to the mid-lengths and ends of my hair at least once a week before I wash my hair. A hairdresser put me onto this and said he tells all his clients to do it. Then he asked if I wanted to buy the $30 conditioning treatment. Um, no thanks, I'll just get the $5 coconut oil from the supermarket (I didn't say the last bit though, just the 'no thanks')
Also wanted to say that I love the natural grey/white look on ladies too. I hope to be that platinum blonde person one day!
DeleteFiona that was a lovely video. No, it wasn't too long, I felt like I was sitting there with you enjoying an easy chat. I loved that you described your makeup as 'enhancing' your face. Sometimes I would see women and teens with soooo much heavy makeup that they looked like cariacatures. Not good. I love your accent. I think that Australians and Kiwis have a shared sense of humour and sense of solidarity from living on the far side of the globe ! I think you look pretty without makeup and appreciated your honesty about your pinkness/colour. I have many faded freckles as a result of my heritage and life in the Australian sun (no sunblock for kids in the 70s and 80s) so can relate. A light / sheer cover is all I want too - my freckles are a part of me and I don't want to look like I'm wearing pancake. You said 'that's just life' about accepting our flaws and I loved it. For many of us we spend our teens, 20s and 30s fighting what we are or look like - there's something about reaching your 40s and realising that it was a waste of time and energy and to love what we have. Some people I suppose may never gat there. I also appreciate that you mentioned you use inexpensive products and also commented on those you had found unsuitable for you. We are all on budgets and for those of us on limited means (due to illness, unemployment, aged pensions, etc) it's nice to be able to feel your best even when you can't afford the flashy stuff. As an aside, I bought three garments - a faux wrap knee length dress, a country road long sleeved shirt and lovely patterned t shirt for $12 in a local charity shop yday (I think they call them 'goodwill' in USA) and am delighted. As I live in a subtropical climate (and am perimenopausal so am warm all the damn time) I will be able to wear the dress with tights and ballet flats through autumn/ winter. Happy dance !!
ReplyDeleteLara, I think many of us experiment with makeup as a teen and put way too much on at times - I know I did. Learning the art of subtlety came later on :)
DeleteGood for you finding such great clothing bargains, and now you have your autumn/winter wardrobe sorted. You must feel great!
p.s. Fiona, I loved how you said you have "high color" - it sounded like Jane Austen or Anne of Green Gables - such a romantic term! I usually rue the pink/red undertones of my fair skin but today I thought "high color" and it delighted me :)
ReplyDeleteHa! I never even noticed saying that. I'll take Jane Austen or Anne of Green Gables, thank you :)
DeleteExcellent video. Your complexion is lovely even before makeup. The blender applicator looks like a great idea. I hadn't seen one used before and now think I want one. The makeup shades you used were excellent choices. I am at an age where under eye concealer shows up too much, but I have fair skin and darkness around my eyes, so am searching for the perfect concealer. I like the color of the blush you used. What company makes it?
ReplyDeleteThank you Susie :) I love the beauty blender so much, and it was quite expensive for 'just a sponge' but I'm glad I sprung for it because it does a great job and it will last a long time if I look after it (which I do).
DeleteI have tried a few concealers but find them too heavy or a strange colour. I prefer to use my foundation patted up under the eyes lightly, with a dusting of powder to set instead.
The blush is a cheapie from Za - 'Cheeks Groovy' in Glowing Pink.
Just a PS, Fiona ... When you did this video of your makeup, you started with Estee Lauder foundation. But had you already applied a moisturizer or a serum before your foundation, or do you find with oily skin that you do not need this? I have very dry skin, always have had, so I apply moisturizer before foundation, but I just wondered whether you used moisturizer as part of your makeup routine?
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
Hi Margaret, I use moisturiser but no serum or primer. I have been using Olay 7 effects for normal skin for a while and like it. It has SPF 15 and I love the retro fragrance.
DeleteI must try Olay again sometime. I found it a bit harder to apply on my skin than L'Oréal Age Perfect which I've been using for years, but would like a moisturizer which also protects against the sun. I have a serum (Vichy) which was in a pack of goodies from a magazine, and while I've used it under my moisturizer, I really can't see or feel any difference. It's all oils now, serums are so last year, dahling, ha ha! I think these companies keep on producing things for us to buy and whether they do any good remains to be seen (or not!) They are simply ways of making money, are they not? A good moisturizer and a decent foundation - what more do we need?
DeleteMargaret P
Dear Fiona, it is so lovely to come across a blog with affordable suggestions. I am very lazy with my appearance and make up especially, you have inspired me with this video showing how easily you enhanced your natural prettiness. For too long I have let perfection be the enemy of the good and therefore just not bothered, but I love the idea of being the best version of myself that I can be, I probably owe that to my family as well as to myself. Thank you for inspiring me and please continue to do so! With this in mind do you or anyone else have a suggestion for a mascara that stays put? That sounds like a good place to start!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Joanna.
Hey Joanna,
DeleteI've been pretty happy with the waterproof version of Maybelline's "Full and Soft" mascara - it withstood an entire winter of snowblowing 300 inches of snow in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles - it's just your basic everyday mascara with no frills - but it stayed on!
Thanks Amy, That sounds like an impressive mascara and I am impressed with you for wearing mascara whilst snow blowing!
DeleteIt would make sense to try a waterproof mascara. Do you have to use a special eye make up remover? Previously I have just used my cleanser to take off normal mascara.
Thanks fir the suggestion, Joanna.
I know it's terrible to admit this, but I do use soap on my face - Ivory, or Dove Beauty Bar - and it took it right off.
Deletep.s. I felt like I had to have standards while snow blowing because all of our neighbors were out at the same time and it was quite festive! Waterproof mascara, bb cream, tinted lip balm and perfume: one must have standards even while engaged in manual labor! :) (also it was wonderful to smell Chanel's Allure while buried deep in my down coat)
Joanna, I don't like wearing mascara as I don't like removing it at the end of the day and I especially don't like the black goop that collects in the corner of my eye when I wake the following morning despite seeming to have removed all traces the morning before. So I have my eyelashes tinted. It costs $20-25 (in Australia) and you have it done about every six weeks (but I have left it up to three months). I use the blue/black dye as my hair is brown and my brows quite dark. Other coloured dyes are available. I cleanse my face every night and am also a regular swimmer so my lashes are subjected to this and the tint survives. You can also buy kits from pharmacies (drugstores in USA) to do it yourself, which I did about a month ago with the help of YouTube video tutorials. But for first few times I would suggest finding a good beautician by word-of-mouth. With my brows freshly waxed and lashes tinted I feel about three inches taller :)))
DeleteHi Joanna, that's totally me - cheap and lazy! Sometimes I really can't be bothered - often in fact, if I am not going anywhere, but I have to remind myself that it doesn't take long to put the tiniest amount on and it always makes me feel good.
DeleteI have a Covergirl mascara at the moment (Lashblast Volume) and it has short, almost rubbery bristles which means I don't get the mascara everywhere. New mascaras can be a disaster when they are wet and plentiful!
I don't find that my mascara drops though. I dust my eyes lightly with loose powder after applying foundation, so maybe this drier base doesn't attract mascara as it would if my skin was more moist?
Personally I don't like waterproof mascara as it feels like I am pulling my eyelashes out trying to wash it off. I use micellar water on a cotton pad to take my normal non-waterproof mascara off, and then use cleansing lotion and a tissue for the rest of my makeup (then a basin for of hot water and a flannel).
Hi Fiona, thank you for doing this video. I really enjoyed it & agree with other comments that it's lovely to see you use a range of products. I think I'm going to buy a beauty blender. It would be great to see your day & night skincare routine video in the future. Suzi x
ReplyDeleteYes, please! I second that request for a video on your skincare routine Fiona (AM and PM if possible?). Your skin is so beautiful.
DeleteD.
I would love a skincare video as well!
DeleteYes, I will do both!
DeleteHi Fiona, That was a terrific video! Thank you! I'm curious about that very pretty gold bangle you are wearing. It is just the right size for your dainty wrist. Is there something special about it for you? Do you wear it every day? Also, I love your wedding set. Very lovely. Perhaps a jewelry video??
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, The gold bangle is rose gold which I bought for myself on a trip overseas sixteen years ago. I just always wanted a gold bangle as I admire them on others. It is very small so I leave it on all the time, even to sleep and shower. I can take it off but it's not easy. The only time it comes off is through airport security :)
DeleteAnd my wedding set is very simple, white gold with a solitaire diamond.
I don't have that much jewellery, but I will do an accessories video which will have jewellery too.
Thanks for watching!
I'm going to watch this later when I get on the treadmill! It will motivate me to do it if I have this to look forward to! xo
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Deborah!
Delete