Too Much Makeup, Tammy Faye and the (hopeful) death of the Spider eye trend

Depending on your age, you may or may not have heard of Tammy Faye Bakker.  She passed away in 2007, and sadly became famous due to a huge scandal with her then preacher hubby.  But she was REALLY famous for wearing way, way, WAY too much makeup...case in point:

Too much of everything, no blending and those spider eyes....yikes!  She was the butt of countless jokes on late night TV, and will be remembered in popular culture as looking tacky.  Poor thing, may she rest in peace!  I can't say anything about who she truly was as a person, and she might have been a very lovely woman,  but this makeup doesn't say confident, sophisticated or pretty...it says "I'm putting on a mask".  Her makeup entered the room before she did!  You don't want that as your calling card.  Flash forward to current times.... I have so many clients who come to me and are really nervous about having their makeup done.  They are fearful of looking overdone, tacky or not like themselves.  If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard:

"I just want to look natural, like myself but better..."

Know what's funny?  More than half of the girls who tell me they want the "natural look" really don't...they just don't want to look like that ^^^^!!!  They want impact, or smoky eyes or false lashes or glamour, but they are afraid they might look like like a drag queen.  Or hoochie.  The truth is you can wear plenty of makeup if it's blended well, the right colors for you and right for the situation and for YOU as a person. There are many options between a bare face and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills look.  Think about this....when you see women out in public and you think "wow, she's got WAY too much makeup on",  what you're really seeing is:

- Too much product

- Lack of blending and harsh lines

- Wrong colors for her particular skin tone

-  Wrong makeup for situation, lifestyle, or personal style

Let's break those down a bit: Too much product....

In this age of "more is more", that isn't the case with makeup!  The secret to pro results is using as little product as you possibly can to get the results you want.  This takes patience, time and practice.  Start with a tiny bit of concealer...blend.  Does it cover?  No?  Add a tiny bit more, blend..check again.  And so on and so forth. Use highly pigmented products so you can use less product to get the results and coverage you want. Don't just cake it on!

Lack of Blending - this one wears me out!!  My rule?  Blend, blend and blend some more.  Think you're done?  You're not, blend more! (Anyone who's ever booked a Lip Service private

Blend, blend, blend!! (Makeup: Jennifer Trotter)

lesson has heard this one!) Again, patience, time and practice, plus decent brushes to get the job done.  If you slap it all on, it looks slapped on...

You should never see any harsh lines anywhere....a buffed on appearance is softer and more sophisticated, and definitely makes you look younger.  A well blended smoky eye is appropriate anytime!  It doesn't have to be super dark and goth. Just check out this example!

Wrong colors -  a pale blonde shouldn't wear the same colors as JLo or Beyonce, but yet I see this all the time! We are all so different...skin tones, hair, style, face shape....all need to be taken into consideration when choosing cosmetics.  Makeup is meant to enhance your natural beauty, so if you're puzzled.... you can't go wrong with soft black or dark brown eyeliner and mascara, rosy pink cheeks and lips....all look good on absolutely everyone.  For eyes, soft plums and taupes work on nearly every skin tone too....easy!  Do people comment on your makeup, or your beauty?  If it's your makeup, could be the wrong colors....
The right colors will make you look healthy and glowing!  And not like a clown....

Wrong makeup for situation or personal style: this one can age you faster than anything!  Just like you don't wear the same clothes to walk the dog as you wear to a black tie event, your makeup should adjust accordingly.  If you're a stay at home mom who wears yoga pants and t-shirts daily, you probably shouldn't have on false lashes and daily highlight and contour for carpool and grocery store runs.  Date night with the hubby?  Perfect time to break out the red lipstick and false lashes for all out glamour with your hot dress!  If you are an executive and wear strong suits daily, just swiping on a bit of gloss may not be enough...you'll want to be sure your dark circles are covered and you look fresh and awake, so some foundation and blush may be in order.  In short, if you're wearing the exact same look for a PTA meeting, night out with the girls, important work presentation and the gym?  You are missing the mark, and worse, might look older than you are.  We've all seen the lady at the gym with a full face of makeup and false lashes just sweating away on the treadmill...it's very kind of 80's, isn't it?   Or the woman at the black tie wedding who didn't wear makeup and looks like she looks like she doesn't care about the formality and importance of the event.  Don't be that chick.  Just like all of these occasions call for different clothing options, your hair and makeup should adjust too.  Think about YOU....your style AND the situation you need to be in that day...tailor your beauty routine accordingly.

One last note.....that DEFINITELY ties in the with the "too much makeup" theme of this post:

To all the ladies I see out in public with 12 coats of mascara, IE "spider eyes":  I have news for you, you're not fooling anyone...we know that's gobs of mascara and not your lashes. Not that it looks anything like lashes, but more like...as the name implies...freakin' spiders.  On your eyes.  Not cute! Seriously....just stop. PLEASE. Get extensions or buy false lashes in bulk....either will look better if you really feel you need more impact and drama.  If you're tempted to "spider it up", I hope you'll think of Tammy Faye and pare down...take a chance and come out of the shade of those lashes!   We don't want to hear jokes about you on Jimmy Kimmel.  Love, JT from Lip Service