Putting Your Face On With Adwoa

by Adwoa Asiedu · March 25, 2014

Previously in Putting Your Face On: Shining in Winter.

My Toastini sweethearts! Hiiiii! This month we’re talking about hawtness. There are times when you need to crank the sexy up to max. When you want to serve serious face, turn heads, maybe snap a few necks in the process. Perhaps you have an uber-glam event. A hot date. Or maybe it’s just Tuesday. Who cares? Listen! You never need a reason to look beautiful. My go-to look for such occcasions is the famous smokey eye/nude lip combo. We want a soft smudgy eye, power brows, and pouty lips with just the slightest suggestion of natural colour. I’m talking “turn off the lights, light a candle” over here. Observe.

But before we begin. Are there any of you out there reading this and feeling a bit dubious? Maybe you’re a bit worried about trying a bolder look. Maybe you’re concerned that it’ll be too much? Or, horror of horrors, are you thinking, “I don’t really DO sexy.” I demand that you STOP before you go and break my heart. You are a gorgeous thing — a force to be reckoned with, even without a smudge of makeup on your face. Playing with colours doesn’t have to be frightening, my darlings. It should be fun, fabulous, and enhance your already lovely features. Any look can be as bold or gentle as you like. So take a deep breath and say it with me — “I am fierce. I am sexy. And everyone will just have to deal.” Yes! Join me! TONIGHT, WE RIDE! *charges into battle brandishing lip gloss*

Huzzah! Now that we’re feeling pumped, let’s get straight into this look. As always, start with a cleansed, toned and moisturized face.

Products used:

MAC Studio Fix Foundation fluid in NW47: You may remember that I like to use foundation as a concealer to cover any blemish-esque foolishness on my face. Use a flat concealer or foundation brush to get an even finish. Pro tip: Use the back of your hand as a palette — simply drop a dollop of foundation on your hand and wait about 30 seconds before applying. The warmth of your skin will actually start to melt the foundation. This helps the foundation blend in a gloriously smooth fashion.

MAC Studio Fix Powder in N9: As always, try and use a nice fluffy powder brush. I love the big vintage-style powder brushes, and I urge you to waste a few minutes unnecessarily dusting your face and pretending to be Marilyn Monroe. Once you’ve finished your breathy rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” go ahead and buff the powder onto your face in a circular motion.

YSL Touche Eclat Highlighter in Shade 6: For a bold eye like this, it’s important to make sure we banish any dark circles. After using your concealer to colour-correct, highlight to add that OOMPH. I sometimes (always) wake up after a late night of reading about global politics (playing Fruit Ninja until I pass out and drop my phone on my face) and this amazing highlighter does wonders for under my eyes. It’s a glorious gleaming potion that’s roughly two shades lighter than my concealer. It also contains light-reflecting particles to add a beautiful sheen. Dot your highlighter (or any concealer two shades lighter than your skin tone) under your eyes in a sort of triangle shape alongside your nose. Also apply highlighter down the bridge of your nose and under the arch of your eyebrows. Bam!

BYS Eyeshadow Palette in “Smokey Chic”: Get the right eyeshadow palette and it will do most of the work for you. This divine little kit cost me something like $0.00 when I was Down Under — and most drugstore brands do something similar. It contains 5 shades, ranging from a pearly gold to a deep brown to a charcoal black. So as always, all you have to do is tailor for your skin tone! Don’t feel you have to use black — if you have a lighter complexion you could use the chocolate brown as your darkest shade.

Now! You’re going to love how easy this smokey eye is to create. Worried you might need fancy expensive makeup brushes? NOT SO. Have you got fingers? Yes? Then we’re good to go! Start by selecting your darkest shade and smoosh some onto your pinky finger. Aim for the outer corner of your eyelid and pat it gently on. Lightly drag the colour into the natural crease of your eye socket, and in towards the middle of your eyelid. Now go for the second darkest colour (this could be a brown or a grey or a bronze) in your palette and pat that into the inner half of your eyelid. Be gentle, and just use your finger to blend any harsh lines. Have fun with it and experiment- it’s a lazy sexy smokiness we’re going for here.

The finishing touch is to go for the lightest shade in your palette to highlight the inner corner of your eyes. This makes your eyes look bigger, and adds a pop to set off the surrounding smokiness. Once again just use your finger to dab the pearly shadow into the inner corner of your eye. Et voila.

Bourjois Liquid Liner: Okay, so I know there’s a lot of trepidation when it comes to creating the perfect winged eyeliner. Lesser women should be afraid, but not us. Oh no — we can do this. All it takes is some deep breaths and a lot of practice. Also the right tools make this a breeze! Look out for a nice jet-black liner in pen form. Most of them tend to look a bit like a marker, with a fine point.

Start by creating your “tail” first. Hold your eyelid taut with a finger and aim for a point halfway along the lash line. Create a bold line and continue outwards and upwards.

YOU DID IT! Have a celebratory cookie. Mmm. Nice. Now continue to carefully draw in your liner- sometimes it helps to start off with a really thin line and slowly build up to the desired thickness.

Rimmel Kohl Liner: This step is so simple, but it can really be the difference between “You look really nice” and “I MUST HAVE YOU IMMEDIATELY” All you need is a lovely black soft kohl liner pencil. These smudgy wonders are perfect for this kind of sultry look. They create a bold yet soft eye with gorgeous depth. Right before applying, just warm the tip of the pencil between your fingers for a sec (ooh make sure your hands are nice and clean). Now gently pull down your lower lid and apply to the bottom waterline. Look how much of a difference that makes!

MAC Sheertone Blush in Sweet as Cocoa: For this look we don’t want a bold blush- the focus is on the eyes yah? But we still want just a hint of warmth and colour on the cheeks. So for example, my fair-skinned lovelies could try a warm pink. My olive-skinned and medium brown ladies could go for a nice bronze with a hint of pink. My deep brown sweeties could opt for a bronze/gold or bronze/pink. Swirl onto the apples of your cheeks and then arc upwards along your cheekbones for a sculpted finish.

MAC Eyebrow pencil in Stud: Okay, so let’s talk brows for a hot minute! The perfect set of eyebrows will frame your face and generally increase the awesomeness of your life by 200% (SCIENCE). I would recommend getting your eyebrows shaped professionally, and then maintain the glorious shape by tweezing errant hairs. I’m a huge fan of eyebrow threading, where a trained beautician twists thread around the individual hairs and pulls them out. It’s so much better for your skin than waxing! The skin around the eye area tends to be thinner and more delicate, so hot wax coupled with too much pulling on the skin = badness (MORE SCIENCE). And most importantly, you get a cleaner, sharper shape with threading. I’m talking brows so sharp that they could cut a grown man’s face. Gals, this is why you NEED a well-shaped eyebrow for daily life: a) Arching one’s brow when suffering fools b) Serving imperious face to the aforementioned fools.

So! Use tiny strokes and follow your natural arch. Don’t press down too hard or try to draw in the entire brow from end to end. It will look fake and slightly startling, like “HELLO I HAVE ALL OF THE BROWS HI.” Pro-tip: Never fill in the very inner end of your brow — this part should look as natural as possible. Extra Pro-tip: Even if you have very dark hair, never use a black eyebrow pencil — black is a flat and harsh colour which never looks flattering. Opt for the darkest brown you can find instead. Start from the outer ends first and work your way inwards, lightening the strokes for a natural gradient effect.

Maybelline Volum’Express Cat-Eyes Mascara: As always, my pro-tip is to concentrate on the outer top lashes for a wide-eyed effect. I usually apply one coat of mascara, wait a couple of moments and then apply a second coat. For a look like this, we need to ensure that we definitely bring sexy back so make sure you catch every lash. Work your way slowly from the root all the way to the tip. I usually then use the very tip of the mascara brush to lightly run over the ends of the lashes- this adds a bit of length and lift.

Iman Moisturizing Lipstick in Sheer Iced Tea: This final step is amazing in its simplicity. Choose a lipstick or gloss that nearly matches your natural lip colour. If it has a hint of shimmer, even better! Smoosh on your lips. Smack ‘em together in a wanton fashion. DONE!

And there you have it! Serve with a strut, unnecessarily high heels, and this level of sass:

Hope you enjoyed this my darlings! I’d love to hear back from you — what would you like to chat about next month? What are you putting on your faces this spring? Ooh and also it made my little heart glad to receive beauty questions from some of you on Le Twitter. Please do feel free to ask away at any time. Whatever I’m doing, you can bet your tush I’d rather be talking about lipstick instead… does a girl need a hashtag? How about #AskAdjpants? Discuss!

Love,
Adjpants xo

Tags: adwoa asiedu, adwoa your face is already so good and then you make it more good and then i die, beauty, cutting men with your eyebrows, face magic, imperious faces, potions and unguents and powders and tonics, putting your face on, suffering fools

Adwoa Asiedu

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98 Comments

EPWordsnatcher +35 March 25, 2014 2:19 pm

POWER BROWS

(Adwoa you are a treasure, never leave us)

Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:33 pm

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away dear! Thanks so much for reading! Adwoa xo

allabee +27 March 25, 2014 2:21 pm

after a late night of reading about global politics (playing Fruit Ninja until I pass out and drop my phone on my face)

Perfect.

(Also your skin is luminous to the max. Beautiful!)

Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:34 pm

OMG stawp it! Thanks so much- smoke and mirrors honey xo

aravisthequeen +9 March 25, 2014 2:29 pm

Adwoa, you are so gorgeous.

I want to get my brows threaded but I am afraid!!! I live in a place where the only brow threading is at one of those kiosks in the mall where they do it in public. How do you find a good brow threader when you live in a place that is like 99% white people who have never heard of it? How do you trust a good brow threader? What if they give me those scary pencil-thin brows I once got from a brow waxer that was horrible? ADVISE ME ADWOA

tubatoothpaste +4 March 25, 2014 3:34 pm

I’m seriously thinking about getting my eyebrows threaded this weekend (in a scary mall kiosk) – unless someone talks me out of it, I will report back if I survive!
SarahDances +4 March 25, 2014 3:37 pm

The nice thing about threading is that it happens in small increments, so it’s not like waxing where the person can just be ::ZHOOP!:: and there goes half your eyebrow. If you tell them that you don’t want the brows any thinner – just neater, then you should be fine. And if it feels like they’re moving too far inward and you start feeling nervous, you can always ask them to stop and hand you a mirror so you can check out the shape.

I’ve never had a bad threading experience, and now I just do it myself at home.
1. aravisthequeen +7 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm
  
  You do it yourself!!!!!!! Are you a wizard????? Is it hard???
  1. SarahDances +3 March 25, 2014 3:58 pm
    
    No, not really! Youtube is chock full of threading tutorials! This is the one I learned from, and I think she does the best job of explaining how it works, but I also like this one.
    
    You may want to have it done professionally once, if you’re nervous about how it works, but as I said, the nice thing about threading is that you can stop and check your work as you go along.
2. tubatoothpaste +1 March 25, 2014 3:46 pm
  
  Nice! I’m not *too* concerned about them going too far, but my skin tends to react badly to waxing so I want to see if this is a better alternative.
  And yeah, if you can do it yourself, you’re most likely a wizard!! :-O
3. Janie_S +4 March 25, 2014 4:03 pm
  
  Would I have to let my hulking Slavic unibrow grow in before attempting threading? This is what’s been keeping me from trying the professional brow grooming possibilities of the world …
4. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:41 pm
  
  Oooo you are a sorceress- if I tried to thread my own eyebrows I’d probably only end up with just the one eyebrow. Adwoa xo
Jizzcliner +3 March 25, 2014 3:46 pm

My girlfriend gets her brows threaded at a place that charges three dollars and is near all of the good indian restaurants in our city. She says it isn’t very painful, and that they do a much better job than waxers.

Some people operate a threading business out of their house too, so maybe ask Indian women with nice eyebrows if they get them threaded? If they do, ask where? If you don’t want to do that, just be a creep and see how good of a job the mall business does on a few customers.
1. aravisthequeen +2 March 25, 2014 3:50 pm
  
  Sadly I live in a place with zero Indian population unless I drove a couple hours away, so I don’t know if I could do that! (Rural Ontario represent!) I also miss Indian food. brb craving saag paneer again
  
  I may have to lurk by the brow place on a busy Saturday and suck up the courage to do it In Public.
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:44 pm
  
  OMG YES to all of this!! I’m a huge fan of this- if someone has nice hair/eyebrows/nails etc I have no hesitation whatsoever in asking them where they go. And it’s true, if you’re looking for good beauty salons that do threading, it’s a good idea to check in awesome multicultural parts of town. Adwoa xo
lemonadefish +1 March 25, 2014 3:49 pm

I had mine done at a mall kiosk – they looked amazing, but instead of 20 seconds of agony, it was like 30 minutes of agony, and I still ended up with crusty scabs. But I am an incredibly sensitively-skinned Sasquatch who doesn’t keep up with grooming, so YMMV. (I went on the recommendation of my waxer, who felt it would be more gentle on my skin, but it wasn’t really.)
1. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:46 pm
  
  Ooh no. This sounds bad- it shouldn’t take much longer than 5 minutes to have your eyebrows threaded. Ok if you ever do get the courage to try again (and I hope you do because I want good things for you!) then do this when you get home from your appointment: Soak a cotton ball in witch hazel and gently wipe down your eyebrows. Then slick on some pure aloe vera gel for the next couple of nights to soothe the skin. Good luck! Adwoa xo
ach_so +1 March 25, 2014 4:03 pm

My mom gets her eyebrows threaded in the mall in a place that is 99% white. One of the employees is brown (Indian?), one is white. According to her, they are both good! I’d say take a chance. But be ready, it hurts!
Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:39 pm

My dearest love! Thank you so much for reading! Ok my rule for threading is that I always ALWAYS have it done by the lovely Indian ladies (I believe it’s traditionally an Indian method of hair removal) that tend to have smaller beauty salons. I find that the smaller salons tend to be more attentive, as they need regular custom. I’m going out on a limb and saying that you should be fine at one of the mall kiosks if a) it’s run by the aforementioned lovely Indian ladies and b) it’s usually busy when you walk past. And like one of the other Toastinis said, the good thing is that you can ask to have sneak peeks while your brows are being done. Good luck! x

RoseCamelia +19 March 25, 2014 2:31 pm

<<brows so sharp that they could cut a grown man’s face>>
<<you NEED a well-shaped eyebrow for daily life: a) Arching one’s brow when suffering fools b) Serving imperious face to the aforementioned fools>>

Damn, you’re good, you and your magnificent imperious face.

rkfire +5 March 25, 2014 3:53 pm

Yeah, I haven’t been grooming my eyebrows at all for a year because I’m a cheap heathen, but those lines are making me reconsider reintegrating threading into my regular grooming routines.

I’m just too lazy to make/keep regular appointments. 🙁
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:48 pm
  
  Oh don’t even worry about it- even if you only go once every couple of months you’ll be fine. Once your beautician has given you that gorgeous bold shape, you can maintain it for a while yourself by tweezing xo
GreenGrasses +2 March 25, 2014 6:21 pm

But why would one thread one’s brows when one could just tweeze them? I maybe take care of a few stray hairs every once in a while after I brush my teeth, so my “routine” is easy, at-home, and free! Plus you’re still yanking the hairs out either way, so I guess I don’t see the difference?
1. mirandawmeyer +4 March 26, 2014 3:43 am
  
  Me too. I just tweeze cautiously (i.e. you gotta make sure you stop and check and don’t get carried away) with a compact mirror like TWO INCHES FROM MY EYEBROW, and do it frequently. And I get compliments on my eyebrows! (Random dude at NYE party: “I love your eyebrows. Very strong…character.” Me: “Yes, my eyebrows are strong female characters.”)
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:50 pm
  
  I’m just very particular about the shape 🙂 I like to have them arched professionally and then I maintain them myself at home until my brows start threatening to take over my entire face, and I book another appointment! Adwoa xo
Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:47 pm

Do you have any idea how much I love you right now? THANK YOU! Adwoa xo

rhymeswitheight +28 March 25, 2014 2:54 pm

I’m not a big make-up user (though reading this makes me feel kinda excited to try out some new things!) … but your writing is SO hilarious and wonderful and you have such great turns of phrase. I would read your words about literally any topic. This column is wonderful in every way.

alicia +4 March 25, 2014 3:50 pm

THIS, yes.
Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:51 pm

Ok so YOU are wonderful in every way. This means so much to me, you have no idea. Thank you for reading! And yay for trying new things! If you ever need a hand, don’t be afraid to ask xo

mmejoy +19 March 25, 2014 3:05 pm

Adwoa, I bought a bottle of the rosehip oil you suggested in your last column to help my face get through the winter. I intended to use it in combination with my moisturizer, but it works so well on its own that I’ve been using it solo for weeks now. I can’t remember the last time my skin looked as good as it does now. Thank you for the recommendation!

elsamac +14 March 25, 2014 4:19 pm

And just as a counterpart: Adwoa, I bought a jar of the Olay moisturizer you recommended, intending to also buy a bottle of rosehip oil to use with it, but it’s been working so well that I just plain forgot.

To sum up: it looks like your recommendations were so good that they work even if we only take half of ’em at a time.
Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:53 pm

OMG YAY! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the rosehip oil! Isn’t it just divine? I’m thrilled I was able to help!
*insert cartwheels*

katienaum +33 March 25, 2014 3:06 pm

I love make-up, but the real reason I love these pieces is how they are so… all-embracing, and slyly fun, and just powerful, in ways the prevailing beauty culture isn’t always. Brava! (Also seconding the comment about how luminous and beautiful you look!)

Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:56 pm

Thank you SO MUCH dear. I’m so touched by your comment, and I continue to be humbled by all the support and kindness I’ve found here. Writing for you guys makes my day. Big love xo

CurrerBelle +16 March 25, 2014 3:14 pm

Arching my brows while suffering fools is one of my favorite pastimes.

I think this is why people tend to refer to me as “intimidating” as though it was a Bad Thing I needed to fix in order to get a boyfriend. Fools.

Thank you for legitimizing this thoroughly enjoyable activity.

GreenGrasses +9 March 25, 2014 6:22 pm

The best compliment I ever received was from the salty old Bostonite dude who worked in the mailroom of my former employer; he said I scared him.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:58 pm
  
  Haha! Good!
Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:57 pm

I’m sitting here in my pajamas with a face mask on screaming “YAAAAAAS” in response to this comment. Like, actual screeching. FOOLS INDEED. I love you.

ArsenioB_Ham +3 March 25, 2014 3:29 pm

Adwoa, thank you for making me feel like maybe I can try doing some winged eyeliner without looking like a total freak.

I have a question that I don’t know if you’ll personally have advice about, but maybe other Toasties will? I have very sensitive skin that I’m almost certain suffers from rosacea (this is as yet unconfirmed by a dermatologist, but all the symptoms are there and it runs in my family). Does anyone have any products (moisturizers, foundations, etc.) they recommend? Particularly my nose is, like, constantly shiny red and I wish it weren’t. I also break out on my nose with tiny whiteheads. Ick.

Products I use currently: Cetaphil moisturizer (supposedly non-comedogenic, ha), a Garnier dry skin face wash.

RoseCamelia +9 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm

Rosacea is in my family too. I have experience with at least 10 dermatologists.

“Non-comedogenic” is currently an unregulated term. A retailer can slap it on a can of axle grease if they think it will help sell it. Ignore it.

Dermatologists are trained to treat skin disease. They have no training in how to maintain healthy skin. They don’t even know how to read OTC labels, in my experience. I found them relying on “non-comedogenic”, for one example.

Your primary goal to is to avoid irritation. Don’t wash until you must, such as before applying makeup or for makeup removal. Not wearing makeup today? Don’t wash. Even water is irritating.

Cetaphil’s gentle version is a good cleanser. It does not fully remove makeup, though. Follow up with a gentle toner. Note: anything that makes your skin tingle is bad. Tingling is an indication of irritation. Tingles are for sales, not for skin care. Same with scent: sales, not skin care.

Treat whiteheads with 2% salicylic acid at a pH between 4 and 5. I use beautypedia.com for product reviews because they rely on peer-reviewed research and take into account who funded that research. Good luck.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:00 pm
  
  Thank you so much for this great response! I love our little community- it’s wonderful seeing people help and support each other.
alicia +3 March 25, 2014 3:58 pm

Thanks for asking this. I went through a period of time recently where anything I put on my face caused some kind of horrible reaction. I eventually gave up everything except 100% pure argan oil, which has a lot of vitamin E so it helped heal up the hives and stuff. I use it to remove makeup, then splash a bit of lukewarm water on my face and dry off and add more oil as a moisturizer. What it doesn’t do anything about is the redness (or monthly hormonal breakouts).
bumblebeebear +2 March 25, 2014 5:14 pm

I also have horrifyingly sensitive skin and while I don’t have rosacea I am prone to rashes, irritation, dryness, itching, and breakouts. I’ve had good luck with the la roche posay toleraine fluid moisturizer. You can get it on amazon for $20, which I know is expensive but it lasts and it’s the only thing that doesn’t irritate my skin or make me break out. It was specially made for people who suffer from rosacea, excema, and sensitive skin. This is the one . You can also sometimes get it at duane read/rite aid/cvs but not always and it’s usually like $5 more expensive. Cetaphil broke me out on my nose and cheeks but I haven’t had any breakouts/clogged pores with this one, so I’d give it a shot.

For face washing I…just don’t wash my face with face wash. I’m sure there is a good one out there but I haven’t found one that didn’t lead to irritation so I wash my face gently with lukewarm water only. Afterwards I use a gentle toner on a cotton (100% cotton) round. And then I apply the moisturizer. For the whiteheads you can use salicylic acid, I use the bha liquid from Paulas Choice for that, but lots of companies have similar products I’m sure you can find something in the drugstore. Make sure to put moisturizer on after!!! I let it absorb and then put my moisturizer on my whole face on top of that.
VodkaQueen +1 March 25, 2014 6:03 pm

Second everything @RoseCamelia said with a couple of additional suggestions. I have very sensitive skin and at the recommendation of my dermatologist started using CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser and CeraVe PM moisturizer, both of which have “best” reviews on Beautypedia and are available at any drugstore. I find both of them to be fantastic; I’ve used Cetaphil before and I much prefer the CeraVe! The lower reviews for the cleanser on Beautypedia are due to the fact that it doesn’t remove makeup well, but I remove my makeup separately before I wash.
1. tubatoothpaste +1 March 25, 2014 7:34 pm
  
  Seconding the love for CeraVe!
  1. ArsenioB_Ham +1 March 29, 2014 6:11 pm
    
    It’s so interesting because I tried CeraVe because I heard it was good for sensitive skin but it irritated mine! I was very bummed.
GreenGrasses +1 March 25, 2014 6:25 pm

This is my skin too! The thing that pretty much cured my rosacea (as in, now you can only see it right after I shower) is Derma E Severely Dry Skin Cream moisturizer. It’s like $17 and I think they sell it at Whole Foods. I wash my face with Earth Science A-D-E cleanser and always always always moisturize and then SUNSCREEN IT UP every single day. Oh! I also don’t use any colored makeup products on my skin except for a dab of concealer on occasion.
Sarah March 26, 2014 11:19 am

I have insanely sensitive skin too, possibly rosacea-related (redness and weird little whiteheads on my cheeks, plus random crazy dry itchy red patches on my forehead and around my mouth), and it’s such a ball-ache.

BUT these products have worked wonders for me, and I really hope you can get hold of them in the US: La Roche-Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel (rinsed off gently with a warm damp flannel), followed by a serum (I use Superdrug Simply Pure Hydration Serum when it’s available, and the more expensive Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum when it’s not) and most of all Ole Henriksen Nurture Me Creme – this is the stuff of dreams.

Incidentally, Sali Hughes is an awesome goddess of beauty over here, and she did a great column on rosacea last year: http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/jan/26/sa…

malloryelis +36 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm

“I’m talking brows so sharp that they could cut a grown man’s face.” that is such a good argument for facial grooming

Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:02 pm

That’s my aim, just generally in life. P.s. I am so in love with the tags for this post Mallory! Thank you! Adwoa xo

Linette +7 March 25, 2014 3:43 pm

Yay for more pictures! I am encouraged to discover my method of smooshing on eyeshadow with my finger is endorsed by the professionals.

anachronistique +12 March 25, 2014 4:05 pm

I don’t bother with 90% of beauty stuff on a daily basis, because I am incredibly lazy, but the one thing I always do is make sure my eyebrows are perfectly plucked. Because the Raised Eyebrow of Judgement and Skepticism is one of my superpowers.

mbculver +5 March 26, 2014 12:31 am

My superpower is Jumping to Conclusions, and everyone knows you need awesome brows for that as well.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:04 pm
  
  YES to both of these superpowers. So essential.

icebergmama +10 March 25, 2014 4:09 pm

Girl yaaaaas! You are the BEST. Turns out I have been doing it wrong by going from lightest color to darkest! *hangs head in shame*

PS I love that hashtag and will def be using it to batsignal you

elsamac +6 March 25, 2014 5:42 pm

Ditto for hashtag enthusiasm. I was thiiiiiis close to just tweeting “@adjpants, please eyebrows please @TheToast,” but I didn’t. I just sat there, hands frozen above the keyboard, and thought it at Twitter.

And my reward for not tweeting arcane and incomplete requests is, apparently, this column where Adwoa gives the very sensible advice to just go get them seen to already, then do upkeep. I do hate having people poke at me professionally, but I might just bite down hard and Do It.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:08 pm
  
  I actually hate people touching me too haha! BUT yes- Just Do It. And then promptly take yourself out for ice cream afterwards. xo
Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 2:06 pm

Oh no Miss Honey the good news is there’s no wrong way to do it! Be not ashamed! xo

Sugar&Spice +12 March 25, 2014 4:22 pm

I tried red lipstick because of you! I did feel like people were going to point and laugh, as you predicted, but in fact it was a great success. Thank you!!

Now I suppose I should try this ‘smokey eye’ business.

mbculver +2 March 26, 2014 12:33 am

I love red lipstick, but I am worried about this nude lip look, given that my middle-aged lips are so colorless these days. Can I cheat and use some pink lipstick to make it look like my lips are not naturally the same color as my face, then add gloss?
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:17 pm
  
  First of all I’m sure your lips are lovely. And second, yes of course you can! I’m a huge fan of cheating when it comes to the makeupses! I bet it will look ravishing. Also a nice trick for a fuller-looking pout is to dab the gloss right in the centre of the lips xo
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:12 pm

I am so proud of you my love! THIS is why I write! For you 🙂 I’m so glad you braved it- now you’re unstoppable. Go on with your bad self and keep us all posted xo

Ophelia +5 March 25, 2014 4:22 pm

Anyone have any tips for doing winged eyeliner when your eyes don’t have much eyelid that shows when they’re open? My eyelids kind of just disappear into my face, so the wing-y portion of the eyeliner just gets lost. Should I just be using MORE eyeliner? I don’t know!

bumblebeebear +2 March 25, 2014 7:01 pm

Have you thought about doing the wing under your eye? Like, line your bottom lid and at the end just keep going up with a flick! I can’t find ANY photos but I do it all the time and I swear it looks better than it sounds!
1. Ophelia +2 March 25, 2014 7:32 pm
  
  Ooh, interesting! That would not have occurred to me – I will experiment!
  1. bumblebeebear +4 March 25, 2014 8:13 pm
    
    What’s really fun is to do this with a black eyeliner in a reallllllly thin line and then go right beneath it, so the two lines are touching (and there is no gap) with a fun color like teal or neon pink or bright blue in regular width.
  2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:21 pm
    
    Some great tips for you from the other Toastinis dear! xo
mirandawmeyer +3 March 26, 2014 3:50 am

Basically, I make sure that if I have my eyes open and turn my head to the side (so I’m looking at an outer corner), there’s a clear diagonal line going from the end of my actual eye to where my eyelid disappears (which is a v. short distance, but it makes a difference! I basically don’t leave the house without having this fact assured). As long as that’s guaranteed, I then go about making whatever sharp fabulous shape I want with the eyeliner across the upper eyelid–after all, people see us when we’re looking down. But I don’t have a method for like a dramatic swoop, because it will just disappear into the crease of my eyelid and whatever sad end of it manages to poke its head out of there will just look weird. :/

dakimel +13 March 25, 2014 4:42 pm

I love this charging into battle wielding lip gloss experience!

HOWEVER. “a glorious gleaming potion that’s roughly two shades lighter than my concealer”

Can anyone point me towards an “arctic fox in a snow bank” hued potion? It was a difficult enough task to find a concealer light enough for my “slightly pinker than pure white” skin, so going 2 shades lighter just… how? where? should I use white-out?

(See? Sometimes white people problems really do exist? Not very depressing ones, but still.)

vmartinipie +1 March 25, 2014 5:10 pm

This is a classic highlighter that I in my extreme paleness have used with success: http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/high…

It looks pink in the bottle but little bitty drops will come out simply pearly. It’s not quite the same as Touche Eclat but similar in its magical glowiness. I would also check out the new range of Touche Eclat as they have like six shades now and tend to blend in very nicely; I think I used the lightest one when I had a tube and it was fine! Because highlighters are sheerer and more pearlized, they don’t have to exactly match your skin tone and are not as thick/opaque.
1. Ophelia +2 March 25, 2014 7:33 pm
  
  I also hail from the snowbanks, and second the rec for Benefit High Beam. Plus it lasts foreverrrr.
2. dakimel +1 March 26, 2014 2:45 am
  
  thanks!
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:25 pm

BAHAHAHA!! My alabaster darling, I know there’s something fabulous out there for you. Great tips below from vmartinipie (thank you!) xo

elsamac +17 March 25, 2014 5:06 pm

Maybe you’re a bit worried about trying a bolder look. Maybe you’re concerned that it’ll be too much?

I had a personal revelation about makeup while watching the season finale of “Girls.” [This is not a spoiler.] Hannah is trying out a puppy-eye eyeliner shape for what it pretty obviously the first time – carefully, hesitantly drawing it on while she peeks from a celeb photo to her mirror – right before a big, emotional event where she’ll see lots of people and share lots of excitement.

And I thought: oh, sweetpea, no. Try it out some quiet evening at home, or before heading out to the bar with a friend, or before a dinner date with your main squeeze, but don’t take a day when you’re already overwrought and maybe even shaky and add one more layer of performative uncertainty to it. Try it the very first time on some easier day, then for the big event you can rock it.

It might be that I was only talking to myself, but at least for me, it’s good advice. I’m sure there are people who get power and charge from trying a new look for a high-profile event, but I am not among them. That was a good lesson to learn.

tubatoothpaste +4 March 25, 2014 8:08 pm

I’m a huge proponent of doing a trial run, for just about everything (cooking, hair, makeup, outfits, driving somewhere). But then again I’m a very nervous over-planner.
mirandawmeyer +3 March 26, 2014 3:52 am

Honestly, when I’m sitting up with my computer alone at night (ON WEEKNIGHTS, SHHHH) I sometimes just start putting on makeup because I’m bored or, I dunno, I just get an urge for lipstain at 1 am for some reason. It’s an excellent opportunity for trial runs!
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:33 pm

It is an EXCELLENT lesson! I agree with you 10,000%. I’m generally an overwrought and anxious person by nature. So while I love trying out new looks, I never do so before a huge event! For those ultra important occasions I stick to what is tried and tested xo

vmartinipie +9 March 25, 2014 5:12 pm

I’ve been super minimal with my makeup lately but damn if I don’t have filled-in brows every day no matter what just in case some foolish man needs to be taken out. Adwoa, you are a gem.

Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:36 pm

Bless you my dear! Thank you for reading. Yes there’s always at least one eejit that requires a serving of ice cold side-eye xo

cosmia +2 March 25, 2014 5:13 pm

Question! Do you find your skin gets cakey if you use Studio Fix liquid foundation + the powder Studio Fix? I have the powder and after a couple hours it gets smudged about by my face greasiness, I can’t even imagine doubling up with liquid foundation.

mirandawmeyer +1 March 26, 2014 3:53 am

I think maybe you need primer? Unless you already have primer!
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:43 pm

Hi! I don’t use the liquid foundation all over my face-I just use it as I would a concealer to cover up blemishes/ discolouration. My face is a bona fide oil slick so I hate to slather it in too many layers. Let me breeeeathe! xo

laurel +4 March 25, 2014 5:34 pm

Luminous, exquisite technique and a -pants signoff. <3 <3 <3

Chrisbookarama +3 March 25, 2014 5:44 pm

You look so pretty!

I have tried to do that winged eyeliner thing but I think my hands are too shaky or something.

I’m just going to put it out there that I love my brows. They are, as Amy March tells Jo, my one beauty. They do need maintenance though. I usually pluck them myself. I’ve gone for waxing a few times when I get lazy (I also hide them under bangs when they get out of control), but I’m never really satisfied. I don’t know if there is a threading place around here.

My favorite thing right now is Cover Girl Smoochies lip balm. It’s tinted lip balm. There are a nice variety of shades. I love them.

mirandawmeyer +2 March 26, 2014 3:55 am

(In case you didn’t know this, sorry if you did!) The key is lots of very tiny strokes, not one continuous one. Also, mistakes can be fixed–I just smudge whatever shouldn’t be there down into where stuff should be, and go again.
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:47 pm

Yes- I feel about tinted lip balms the way most people feel about sex. Le sigh. Thanks for reading my love!

madgehowlet +10 March 25, 2014 5:58 pm

Everything here about brows is TRUE and PERFECT.

Except. (And now I will be that person who quibbles about one tiny thing.) I am a very pale person with very black brows. Seriously, they are black. I have tried the dark-dark brown pencil. I have tried the “dark” eyebrow powder. I look like someone scribbled on me with a brown crayon. So now I use either black eyeliner or black shadow and a very precise angled brush and my eyebrows are a thing of wonder to gaze upon, ye mighty, and despair. They are the best thing in my life, no question.

Lesson! There are no absolutes in makeup! Faces are weird!

mirandawmeyer +1 March 26, 2014 3:56 am

I use a mixture of black and brown eyeshadow and a brush, it is perfect for my (already fairly thick) brows.
Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:53 pm

Of course now the main issue is that I’m insanely jealous of your incredibly striking brows: “My eyebrows are a thing of wonder to gaze upon, ye mighty, and despair.” It’s a good lesson indeed- whatever works, works! xo

chickpeas +14 March 25, 2014 6:46 pm

I am thirty friggin two years old and had NO IDEA that the reason you put foundation on your hand first is to let it melt a little bit. Why was I not informed of this until now?

For those who are reluctant to get your brows professionally maintained, sephora sells eyebrow kits that come with plastic shape form thingies. You position them over your brow, trace the outline, and pluck whatever’s outside. I like to trace the shape with bright purple eyeliner and then have at it with the tweezers until I am left with shocking purple eyebrows, but that part is not strictly necessary.

Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:57 pm

Oh it is TOTES necessary! What wizardry is this Sephora kit? I’m deeply saddened that we don’t have Sephora over the pond 🙁 WHY GOD

queen_of_filth +3 March 25, 2014 6:48 pm

I have almost-invisible blondish (but fabulously spock-like) eyebrows, and I occasionally want them to be darker/more dramatic (because spock-like), but I lack the courage of my convictions. How does one go about really doing an eyebrow without making your whole face a referendum on said eyebrows, which is how I’m worried it’s going to go?

Ophelia +4 March 25, 2014 7:35 pm

Get them the shape you want, and then use a light brown eyeliner pencil to darken them. Take the pencil, and lightly “draw” short strokes along the hair, so that the color is deposited on the hairs themselves. I do this sometimes, and it just makes my brows noticeable, without making them overwhelming.
1. literarysara +1 March 25, 2014 8:38 pm
  
  I second this, having done it to my own (light brown) brows and my friend’s (invisible!) brows. Most brow pencils I’ve used are softer material than eyeliner pencil, so they can be applied lightly and smudged too if you wish.
silly_goose +3 March 26, 2014 2:56 am

I am super-pale, and I often find that a pencil or even powder end up looking a little harsh, regardless of how lightly I apply. I like the Anastasia tinted brow gel, which creates some definition and sort of plumps up the brow hairs and fills in any patchiness, without totally obscuring the skin beneath. I clean up the edges with a damp cotton swab, so it looks sharp, but the visible skin prevents harshness.
Adwoa April 6, 2014 3:02 pm

All the tips from fellow Toastinis below are so good that I have nothing to add. Thanks gals! And also Queen of Filth… I just need you to know that I snarfed out loud with laughter at this: “without making your whole face a referendum on said eyebrows.” Oh I have had referendums, conferences, annual general meetings due to eyebow over-exuberance! LOL!

Jane +1 April 3, 2014 10:45 am

Adowa! Great tips! @chickpeas your comment made me chuckle a little!

Adwoa April 6, 2014 3:17 pm

I know, it's a bit on the scary side isn't it? Just give yourself lots of time and try this: Gently pull your lower eyelid down with one hand and apply with the other. This helps you see the waterline more clearly and there's less chance of eye jabbing! Also make sure you're using a nice soft kohl liner- roll the tip of the pencil between clean fingers to blunt the end and warm it for easier application 🙂 Good luck! xo

EPWordsnatcher +35 March 25, 2014 2:19 pm

POWER BROWS

(Adwoa you are a treasure, never leave us)
1. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:33 pm
  
  Wild horses couldn’t drag me away dear! Thanks so much for reading! Adwoa xo
allabee +27 March 25, 2014 2:21 pm

after a late night of reading about global politics (playing Fruit Ninja until I pass out and drop my phone on my face)

Perfect.

(Also your skin is luminous to the max. Beautiful!)
1. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:34 pm
  
  OMG stawp it! Thanks so much- smoke and mirrors honey xo
aravisthequeen +9 March 25, 2014 2:29 pm

Adwoa, you are so gorgeous.

I want to get my brows threaded but I am afraid!!! I live in a place where the only brow threading is at one of those kiosks in the mall where they do it in public. How do you find a good brow threader when you live in a place that is like 99% white people who have never heard of it? How do you trust a good brow threader? What if they give me those scary pencil-thin brows I once got from a brow waxer that was horrible? ADVISE ME ADWOA
1. tubatoothpaste +4 March 25, 2014 3:34 pm
  
  I’m seriously thinking about getting my eyebrows threaded this weekend (in a scary mall kiosk) – unless someone talks me out of it, I will report back if I survive!
2. SarahDances +4 March 25, 2014 3:37 pm
  
  The nice thing about threading is that it happens in small increments, so it’s not like waxing where the person can just be ::ZHOOP!:: and there goes half your eyebrow. If you tell them that you don’t want the brows any thinner – just neater, then you should be fine. And if it feels like they’re moving too far inward and you start feeling nervous, you can always ask them to stop and hand you a mirror so you can check out the shape.
  
  I’ve never had a bad threading experience, and now I just do it myself at home.
  1. aravisthequeen +7 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm
    
    You do it yourself!!!!!!! Are you a wizard????? Is it hard???
    1. SarahDances +3 March 25, 2014 3:58 pm
      
      No, not really! Youtube is chock full of threading tutorials! This is the one I learned from, and I think she does the best job of explaining how it works, but I also like this one.
      
      You may want to have it done professionally once, if you’re nervous about how it works, but as I said, the nice thing about threading is that you can stop and check your work as you go along.
  2. tubatoothpaste +1 March 25, 2014 3:46 pm
    
    Nice! I’m not *too* concerned about them going too far, but my skin tends to react badly to waxing so I want to see if this is a better alternative.
    And yeah, if you can do it yourself, you’re most likely a wizard!! :-O
  3. Janie_S +4 March 25, 2014 4:03 pm
    
    Would I have to let my hulking Slavic unibrow grow in before attempting threading? This is what’s been keeping me from trying the professional brow grooming possibilities of the world …
  4. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:41 pm
    
    Oooo you are a sorceress- if I tried to thread my own eyebrows I’d probably only end up with just the one eyebrow. Adwoa xo
3. Jizzcliner +3 March 25, 2014 3:46 pm
  
  My girlfriend gets her brows threaded at a place that charges three dollars and is near all of the good indian restaurants in our city. She says it isn’t very painful, and that they do a much better job than waxers.
  
  Some people operate a threading business out of their house too, so maybe ask Indian women with nice eyebrows if they get them threaded? If they do, ask where? If you don’t want to do that, just be a creep and see how good of a job the mall business does on a few customers.
  1. aravisthequeen +2 March 25, 2014 3:50 pm
    
    Sadly I live in a place with zero Indian population unless I drove a couple hours away, so I don’t know if I could do that! (Rural Ontario represent!) I also miss Indian food. brb craving saag paneer again
    
    I may have to lurk by the brow place on a busy Saturday and suck up the courage to do it In Public.
  2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:44 pm
    
    OMG YES to all of this!! I’m a huge fan of this- if someone has nice hair/eyebrows/nails etc I have no hesitation whatsoever in asking them where they go. And it’s true, if you’re looking for good beauty salons that do threading, it’s a good idea to check in awesome multicultural parts of town. Adwoa xo
4. lemonadefish +1 March 25, 2014 3:49 pm
  
  I had mine done at a mall kiosk – they looked amazing, but instead of 20 seconds of agony, it was like 30 minutes of agony, and I still ended up with crusty scabs. But I am an incredibly sensitively-skinned Sasquatch who doesn’t keep up with grooming, so YMMV. (I went on the recommendation of my waxer, who felt it would be more gentle on my skin, but it wasn’t really.)
  1. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:46 pm
    
    Ooh no. This sounds bad- it shouldn’t take much longer than 5 minutes to have your eyebrows threaded. Ok if you ever do get the courage to try again (and I hope you do because I want good things for you!) then do this when you get home from your appointment: Soak a cotton ball in witch hazel and gently wipe down your eyebrows. Then slick on some pure aloe vera gel for the next couple of nights to soothe the skin. Good luck! Adwoa xo
5. ach_so +1 March 25, 2014 4:03 pm
  
  My mom gets her eyebrows threaded in the mall in a place that is 99% white. One of the employees is brown (Indian?), one is white. According to her, they are both good! I’d say take a chance. But be ready, it hurts!
6. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 1:39 pm
  
  My dearest love! Thank you so much for reading! Ok my rule for threading is that I always ALWAYS have it done by the lovely Indian ladies (I believe it’s traditionally an Indian method of hair removal) that tend to have smaller beauty salons. I find that the smaller salons tend to be more attentive, as they need regular custom. I’m going out on a limb and saying that you should be fine at one of the mall kiosks if a) it’s run by the aforementioned lovely Indian ladies and b) it’s usually busy when you walk past. And like one of the other Toastinis said, the good thing is that you can ask to have sneak peeks while your brows are being done. Good luck! x
RoseCamelia +19 March 25, 2014 2:31 pm

<<brows so sharp that they could cut a grown man’s face>>
<<you NEED a well-shaped eyebrow for daily life: a) Arching one’s brow when suffering fools b) Serving imperious face to the aforementioned fools>>

Damn, you’re good, you and your magnificent imperious face.
1. rkfire +5 March 25, 2014 3:53 pm
  
  Yeah, I haven’t been grooming my eyebrows at all for a year because I’m a cheap heathen, but those lines are making me reconsider reintegrating threading into my regular grooming routines.
  
  I’m just too lazy to make/keep regular appointments. 🙁
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:48 pm
    
    Oh don’t even worry about it- even if you only go once every couple of months you’ll be fine. Once your beautician has given you that gorgeous bold shape, you can maintain it for a while yourself by tweezing xo
2. GreenGrasses +2 March 25, 2014 6:21 pm
  
  But why would one thread one’s brows when one could just tweeze them? I maybe take care of a few stray hairs every once in a while after I brush my teeth, so my “routine” is easy, at-home, and free! Plus you’re still yanking the hairs out either way, so I guess I don’t see the difference?
  1. mirandawmeyer +4 March 26, 2014 3:43 am
    
    Me too. I just tweeze cautiously (i.e. you gotta make sure you stop and check and don’t get carried away) with a compact mirror like TWO INCHES FROM MY EYEBROW, and do it frequently. And I get compliments on my eyebrows! (Random dude at NYE party: “I love your eyebrows. Very strong…character.” Me: “Yes, my eyebrows are strong female characters.”)
  2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:50 pm
    
    I’m just very particular about the shape 🙂 I like to have them arched professionally and then I maintain them myself at home until my brows start threatening to take over my entire face, and I book another appointment! Adwoa xo
3. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:47 pm
  
  Do you have any idea how much I love you right now? THANK YOU! Adwoa xo
rhymeswitheight +28 March 25, 2014 2:54 pm

I’m not a big make-up user (though reading this makes me feel kinda excited to try out some new things!) … but your writing is SO hilarious and wonderful and you have such great turns of phrase. I would read your words about literally any topic. This column is wonderful in every way.
1. alicia +4 March 25, 2014 3:50 pm
  
  THIS, yes.
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:51 pm
  
  Ok so YOU are wonderful in every way. This means so much to me, you have no idea. Thank you for reading! And yay for trying new things! If you ever need a hand, don’t be afraid to ask xo
mmejoy +19 March 25, 2014 3:05 pm

Adwoa, I bought a bottle of the rosehip oil you suggested in your last column to help my face get through the winter. I intended to use it in combination with my moisturizer, but it works so well on its own that I’ve been using it solo for weeks now. I can’t remember the last time my skin looked as good as it does now. Thank you for the recommendation!
1. elsamac +14 March 25, 2014 4:19 pm
  
  And just as a counterpart: Adwoa, I bought a jar of the Olay moisturizer you recommended, intending to also buy a bottle of rosehip oil to use with it, but it’s been working so well that I just plain forgot.
  
  To sum up: it looks like your recommendations were so good that they work even if we only take half of ’em at a time.
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:53 pm
  
  OMG YAY! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the rosehip oil! Isn’t it just divine? I’m thrilled I was able to help!
  *insert cartwheels*
katienaum +33 March 25, 2014 3:06 pm

I love make-up, but the real reason I love these pieces is how they are so… all-embracing, and slyly fun, and just powerful, in ways the prevailing beauty culture isn’t always. Brava! (Also seconding the comment about how luminous and beautiful you look!)
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:56 pm
  
  Thank you SO MUCH dear. I’m so touched by your comment, and I continue to be humbled by all the support and kindness I’ve found here. Writing for you guys makes my day. Big love xo
CurrerBelle +16 March 25, 2014 3:14 pm

Arching my brows while suffering fools is one of my favorite pastimes.

I think this is why people tend to refer to me as “intimidating” as though it was a Bad Thing I needed to fix in order to get a boyfriend. Fools.

Thank you for legitimizing this thoroughly enjoyable activity.
1. GreenGrasses +9 March 25, 2014 6:22 pm
  
  The best compliment I ever received was from the salty old Bostonite dude who worked in the mailroom of my former employer; he said I scared him.
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:58 pm
    
    Haha! Good!
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 1:57 pm
  
  I’m sitting here in my pajamas with a face mask on screaming “YAAAAAAS” in response to this comment. Like, actual screeching. FOOLS INDEED. I love you.
ArsenioB_Ham +3 March 25, 2014 3:29 pm

Adwoa, thank you for making me feel like maybe I can try doing some winged eyeliner without looking like a total freak.

I have a question that I don’t know if you’ll personally have advice about, but maybe other Toasties will? I have very sensitive skin that I’m almost certain suffers from rosacea (this is as yet unconfirmed by a dermatologist, but all the symptoms are there and it runs in my family). Does anyone have any products (moisturizers, foundations, etc.) they recommend? Particularly my nose is, like, constantly shiny red and I wish it weren’t. I also break out on my nose with tiny whiteheads. Ick.

Products I use currently: Cetaphil moisturizer (supposedly non-comedogenic, ha), a Garnier dry skin face wash.
1. RoseCamelia +9 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm
  
  Rosacea is in my family too. I have experience with at least 10 dermatologists.
  
  “Non-comedogenic” is currently an unregulated term. A retailer can slap it on a can of axle grease if they think it will help sell it. Ignore it.
  
  Dermatologists are trained to treat skin disease. They have no training in how to maintain healthy skin. They don’t even know how to read OTC labels, in my experience. I found them relying on “non-comedogenic”, for one example.
  
  Your primary goal to is to avoid irritation. Don’t wash until you must, such as before applying makeup or for makeup removal. Not wearing makeup today? Don’t wash. Even water is irritating.
  
  Cetaphil’s gentle version is a good cleanser. It does not fully remove makeup, though. Follow up with a gentle toner. Note: anything that makes your skin tingle is bad. Tingling is an indication of irritation. Tingles are for sales, not for skin care. Same with scent: sales, not skin care.
  
  Treat whiteheads with 2% salicylic acid at a pH between 4 and 5. I use beautypedia.com for product reviews because they rely on peer-reviewed research and take into account who funded that research. Good luck.
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:00 pm
    
    Thank you so much for this great response! I love our little community- it’s wonderful seeing people help and support each other.
2. alicia +3 March 25, 2014 3:58 pm
  
  Thanks for asking this. I went through a period of time recently where anything I put on my face caused some kind of horrible reaction. I eventually gave up everything except 100% pure argan oil, which has a lot of vitamin E so it helped heal up the hives and stuff. I use it to remove makeup, then splash a bit of lukewarm water on my face and dry off and add more oil as a moisturizer. What it doesn’t do anything about is the redness (or monthly hormonal breakouts).
3. bumblebeebear +2 March 25, 2014 5:14 pm
  
  I also have horrifyingly sensitive skin and while I don’t have rosacea I am prone to rashes, irritation, dryness, itching, and breakouts. I’ve had good luck with the la roche posay toleraine fluid moisturizer. You can get it on amazon for $20, which I know is expensive but it lasts and it’s the only thing that doesn’t irritate my skin or make me break out. It was specially made for people who suffer from rosacea, excema, and sensitive skin. This is the one . You can also sometimes get it at duane read/rite aid/cvs but not always and it’s usually like $5 more expensive. Cetaphil broke me out on my nose and cheeks but I haven’t had any breakouts/clogged pores with this one, so I’d give it a shot.
  
  For face washing I…just don’t wash my face with face wash. I’m sure there is a good one out there but I haven’t found one that didn’t lead to irritation so I wash my face gently with lukewarm water only. Afterwards I use a gentle toner on a cotton (100% cotton) round. And then I apply the moisturizer. For the whiteheads you can use salicylic acid, I use the bha liquid from Paulas Choice for that, but lots of companies have similar products I’m sure you can find something in the drugstore. Make sure to put moisturizer on after!!! I let it absorb and then put my moisturizer on my whole face on top of that.
4. VodkaQueen +1 March 25, 2014 6:03 pm
  
  Second everything @RoseCamelia said with a couple of additional suggestions. I have very sensitive skin and at the recommendation of my dermatologist started using CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser and CeraVe PM moisturizer, both of which have “best” reviews on Beautypedia and are available at any drugstore. I find both of them to be fantastic; I’ve used Cetaphil before and I much prefer the CeraVe! The lower reviews for the cleanser on Beautypedia are due to the fact that it doesn’t remove makeup well, but I remove my makeup separately before I wash.
  1. tubatoothpaste +1 March 25, 2014 7:34 pm
    
    Seconding the love for CeraVe!
    1. ArsenioB_Ham +1 March 29, 2014 6:11 pm
      
      It’s so interesting because I tried CeraVe because I heard it was good for sensitive skin but it irritated mine! I was very bummed.
5. GreenGrasses +1 March 25, 2014 6:25 pm
  
  This is my skin too! The thing that pretty much cured my rosacea (as in, now you can only see it right after I shower) is Derma E Severely Dry Skin Cream moisturizer. It’s like $17 and I think they sell it at Whole Foods. I wash my face with Earth Science A-D-E cleanser and always always always moisturize and then SUNSCREEN IT UP every single day. Oh! I also don’t use any colored makeup products on my skin except for a dab of concealer on occasion.
6. Sarah March 26, 2014 11:19 am
  
  I have insanely sensitive skin too, possibly rosacea-related (redness and weird little whiteheads on my cheeks, plus random crazy dry itchy red patches on my forehead and around my mouth), and it’s such a ball-ache.
  
  BUT these products have worked wonders for me, and I really hope you can get hold of them in the US: La Roche-Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel (rinsed off gently with a warm damp flannel), followed by a serum (I use Superdrug Simply Pure Hydration Serum when it’s available, and the more expensive Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum when it’s not) and most of all Ole Henriksen Nurture Me Creme – this is the stuff of dreams.
  
  Incidentally, Sali Hughes is an awesome goddess of beauty over here, and she did a great column on rosacea last year: http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/jan/26/sa…
malloryelis +36 March 25, 2014 3:39 pm

“I’m talking brows so sharp that they could cut a grown man’s face.” that is such a good argument for facial grooming
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:02 pm
  
  That’s my aim, just generally in life. P.s. I am so in love with the tags for this post Mallory! Thank you! Adwoa xo
Linette +7 March 25, 2014 3:43 pm

Yay for more pictures! I am encouraged to discover my method of smooshing on eyeshadow with my finger is endorsed by the professionals.
anachronistique +12 March 25, 2014 4:05 pm

I don’t bother with 90% of beauty stuff on a daily basis, because I am incredibly lazy, but the one thing I always do is make sure my eyebrows are perfectly plucked. Because the Raised Eyebrow of Judgement and Skepticism is one of my superpowers.
1. mbculver +5 March 26, 2014 12:31 am
  
  My superpower is Jumping to Conclusions, and everyone knows you need awesome brows for that as well.
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:04 pm
    
    YES to both of these superpowers. So essential.
icebergmama +10 March 25, 2014 4:09 pm

Girl yaaaaas! You are the BEST. Turns out I have been doing it wrong by going from lightest color to darkest! *hangs head in shame*

PS I love that hashtag and will def be using it to batsignal you
1. elsamac +6 March 25, 2014 5:42 pm
  
  Ditto for hashtag enthusiasm. I was thiiiiiis close to just tweeting “@adjpants, please eyebrows please @TheToast,” but I didn’t. I just sat there, hands frozen above the keyboard, and thought it at Twitter.
  
  And my reward for not tweeting arcane and incomplete requests is, apparently, this column where Adwoa gives the very sensible advice to just go get them seen to already, then do upkeep. I do hate having people poke at me professionally, but I might just bite down hard and Do It.
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:08 pm
    
    I actually hate people touching me too haha! BUT yes- Just Do It. And then promptly take yourself out for ice cream afterwards. xo
2. Adwoa +1 April 6, 2014 2:06 pm
  
  Oh no Miss Honey the good news is there’s no wrong way to do it! Be not ashamed! xo
Sugar&Spice +12 March 25, 2014 4:22 pm

I tried red lipstick because of you! I did feel like people were going to point and laugh, as you predicted, but in fact it was a great success. Thank you!!

Now I suppose I should try this ‘smokey eye’ business.
1. mbculver +2 March 26, 2014 12:33 am
  
  I love red lipstick, but I am worried about this nude lip look, given that my middle-aged lips are so colorless these days. Can I cheat and use some pink lipstick to make it look like my lips are not naturally the same color as my face, then add gloss?
  1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:17 pm
    
    First of all I’m sure your lips are lovely. And second, yes of course you can! I’m a huge fan of cheating when it comes to the makeupses! I bet it will look ravishing. Also a nice trick for a fuller-looking pout is to dab the gloss right in the centre of the lips xo
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:12 pm
  
  I am so proud of you my love! THIS is why I write! For you 🙂 I’m so glad you braved it- now you’re unstoppable. Go on with your bad self and keep us all posted xo
Ophelia +5 March 25, 2014 4:22 pm

Anyone have any tips for doing winged eyeliner when your eyes don’t have much eyelid that shows when they’re open? My eyelids kind of just disappear into my face, so the wing-y portion of the eyeliner just gets lost. Should I just be using MORE eyeliner? I don’t know!
1. bumblebeebear +2 March 25, 2014 7:01 pm
  
  Have you thought about doing the wing under your eye? Like, line your bottom lid and at the end just keep going up with a flick! I can’t find ANY photos but I do it all the time and I swear it looks better than it sounds!
  1. Ophelia +2 March 25, 2014 7:32 pm
    
    Ooh, interesting! That would not have occurred to me – I will experiment!
    1. bumblebeebear +4 March 25, 2014 8:13 pm
      
      What’s really fun is to do this with a black eyeliner in a reallllllly thin line and then go right beneath it, so the two lines are touching (and there is no gap) with a fun color like teal or neon pink or bright blue in regular width.
    2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:21 pm
      
      Some great tips for you from the other Toastinis dear! xo
2. mirandawmeyer +3 March 26, 2014 3:50 am
  
  Basically, I make sure that if I have my eyes open and turn my head to the side (so I’m looking at an outer corner), there’s a clear diagonal line going from the end of my actual eye to where my eyelid disappears (which is a v. short distance, but it makes a difference! I basically don’t leave the house without having this fact assured). As long as that’s guaranteed, I then go about making whatever sharp fabulous shape I want with the eyeliner across the upper eyelid–after all, people see us when we’re looking down. But I don’t have a method for like a dramatic swoop, because it will just disappear into the crease of my eyelid and whatever sad end of it manages to poke its head out of there will just look weird. :/
dakimel +13 March 25, 2014 4:42 pm

I love this charging into battle wielding lip gloss experience!

HOWEVER. “a glorious gleaming potion that’s roughly two shades lighter than my concealer”

Can anyone point me towards an “arctic fox in a snow bank” hued potion? It was a difficult enough task to find a concealer light enough for my “slightly pinker than pure white” skin, so going 2 shades lighter just… how? where? should I use white-out?

(See? Sometimes white people problems really do exist? Not very depressing ones, but still.)
1. vmartinipie +1 March 25, 2014 5:10 pm
  
  This is a classic highlighter that I in my extreme paleness have used with success: http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/high…
  
  It looks pink in the bottle but little bitty drops will come out simply pearly. It’s not quite the same as Touche Eclat but similar in its magical glowiness. I would also check out the new range of Touche Eclat as they have like six shades now and tend to blend in very nicely; I think I used the lightest one when I had a tube and it was fine! Because highlighters are sheerer and more pearlized, they don’t have to exactly match your skin tone and are not as thick/opaque.
  1. Ophelia +2 March 25, 2014 7:33 pm
    
    I also hail from the snowbanks, and second the rec for Benefit High Beam. Plus it lasts foreverrrr.
  2. dakimel +1 March 26, 2014 2:45 am
    
    thanks!
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:25 pm
  
  BAHAHAHA!! My alabaster darling, I know there’s something fabulous out there for you. Great tips below from vmartinipie (thank you!) xo
elsamac +17 March 25, 2014 5:06 pm

Maybe you’re a bit worried about trying a bolder look. Maybe you’re concerned that it’ll be too much?

I had a personal revelation about makeup while watching the season finale of “Girls.” [This is not a spoiler.] Hannah is trying out a puppy-eye eyeliner shape for what it pretty obviously the first time – carefully, hesitantly drawing it on while she peeks from a celeb photo to her mirror – right before a big, emotional event where she’ll see lots of people and share lots of excitement.

And I thought: oh, sweetpea, no. Try it out some quiet evening at home, or before heading out to the bar with a friend, or before a dinner date with your main squeeze, but don’t take a day when you’re already overwrought and maybe even shaky and add one more layer of performative uncertainty to it. Try it the very first time on some easier day, then for the big event you can rock it.

It might be that I was only talking to myself, but at least for me, it’s good advice. I’m sure there are people who get power and charge from trying a new look for a high-profile event, but I am not among them. That was a good lesson to learn.
1. tubatoothpaste +4 March 25, 2014 8:08 pm
  
  I’m a huge proponent of doing a trial run, for just about everything (cooking, hair, makeup, outfits, driving somewhere). But then again I’m a very nervous over-planner.
2. mirandawmeyer +3 March 26, 2014 3:52 am
  
  Honestly, when I’m sitting up with my computer alone at night (ON WEEKNIGHTS, SHHHH) I sometimes just start putting on makeup because I’m bored or, I dunno, I just get an urge for lipstain at 1 am for some reason. It’s an excellent opportunity for trial runs!
3. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:33 pm
  
  It is an EXCELLENT lesson! I agree with you 10,000%. I’m generally an overwrought and anxious person by nature. So while I love trying out new looks, I never do so before a huge event! For those ultra important occasions I stick to what is tried and tested xo
vmartinipie +9 March 25, 2014 5:12 pm

I’ve been super minimal with my makeup lately but damn if I don’t have filled-in brows every day no matter what just in case some foolish man needs to be taken out. Adwoa, you are a gem.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:36 pm
  
  Bless you my dear! Thank you for reading. Yes there’s always at least one eejit that requires a serving of ice cold side-eye xo
cosmia +2 March 25, 2014 5:13 pm

Question! Do you find your skin gets cakey if you use Studio Fix liquid foundation + the powder Studio Fix? I have the powder and after a couple hours it gets smudged about by my face greasiness, I can’t even imagine doubling up with liquid foundation.
1. mirandawmeyer +1 March 26, 2014 3:53 am
  
  I think maybe you need primer? Unless you already have primer!
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:43 pm
  
  Hi! I don’t use the liquid foundation all over my face-I just use it as I would a concealer to cover up blemishes/ discolouration. My face is a bona fide oil slick so I hate to slather it in too many layers. Let me breeeeathe! xo
laurel +4 March 25, 2014 5:34 pm

Luminous, exquisite technique and a -pants signoff. <3 <3 <3
Chrisbookarama +3 March 25, 2014 5:44 pm

You look so pretty!

I have tried to do that winged eyeliner thing but I think my hands are too shaky or something.

I’m just going to put it out there that I love my brows. They are, as Amy March tells Jo, my one beauty. They do need maintenance though. I usually pluck them myself. I’ve gone for waxing a few times when I get lazy (I also hide them under bangs when they get out of control), but I’m never really satisfied. I don’t know if there is a threading place around here.

My favorite thing right now is Cover Girl Smoochies lip balm. It’s tinted lip balm. There are a nice variety of shades. I love them.
1. mirandawmeyer +2 March 26, 2014 3:55 am
  
  (In case you didn’t know this, sorry if you did!) The key is lots of very tiny strokes, not one continuous one. Also, mistakes can be fixed–I just smudge whatever shouldn’t be there down into where stuff should be, and go again.
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:47 pm
  
  Yes- I feel about tinted lip balms the way most people feel about sex. Le sigh. Thanks for reading my love!
madgehowlet +10 March 25, 2014 5:58 pm

Everything here about brows is TRUE and PERFECT.

Except. (And now I will be that person who quibbles about one tiny thing.) I am a very pale person with very black brows. Seriously, they are black. I have tried the dark-dark brown pencil. I have tried the “dark” eyebrow powder. I look like someone scribbled on me with a brown crayon. So now I use either black eyeliner or black shadow and a very precise angled brush and my eyebrows are a thing of wonder to gaze upon, ye mighty, and despair. They are the best thing in my life, no question.

Lesson! There are no absolutes in makeup! Faces are weird!
1. mirandawmeyer +1 March 26, 2014 3:56 am
  
  I use a mixture of black and brown eyeshadow and a brush, it is perfect for my (already fairly thick) brows.
2. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:53 pm
  
  Of course now the main issue is that I’m insanely jealous of your incredibly striking brows: “My eyebrows are a thing of wonder to gaze upon, ye mighty, and despair.” It’s a good lesson indeed- whatever works, works! xo
chickpeas +14 March 25, 2014 6:46 pm

I am thirty friggin two years old and had NO IDEA that the reason you put foundation on your hand first is to let it melt a little bit. Why was I not informed of this until now?

For those who are reluctant to get your brows professionally maintained, sephora sells eyebrow kits that come with plastic shape form thingies. You position them over your brow, trace the outline, and pluck whatever’s outside. I like to trace the shape with bright purple eyeliner and then have at it with the tweezers until I am left with shocking purple eyebrows, but that part is not strictly necessary.
1. Adwoa April 6, 2014 2:57 pm
  
  Oh it is TOTES necessary! What wizardry is this Sephora kit? I’m deeply saddened that we don’t have Sephora over the pond 🙁 WHY GOD
queen_of_filth +3 March 25, 2014 6:48 pm

I have almost-invisible blondish (but fabulously spock-like) eyebrows, and I occasionally want them to be darker/more dramatic (because spock-like), but I lack the courage of my convictions. How does one go about really doing an eyebrow without making your whole face a referendum on said eyebrows, which is how I’m worried it’s going to go?
1. Ophelia +4 March 25, 2014 7:35 pm
  
  Get them the shape you want, and then use a light brown eyeliner pencil to darken them. Take the pencil, and lightly “draw” short strokes along the hair, so that the color is deposited on the hairs themselves. I do this sometimes, and it just makes my brows noticeable, without making them overwhelming.
  1. literarysara +1 March 25, 2014 8:38 pm
    
    I second this, having done it to my own (light brown) brows and my friend’s (invisible!) brows. Most brow pencils I’ve used are softer material than eyeliner pencil, so they can be applied lightly and smudged too if you wish.
2. silly_goose +3 March 26, 2014 2:56 am
  
  I am super-pale, and I often find that a pencil or even powder end up looking a little harsh, regardless of how lightly I apply. I like the Anastasia tinted brow gel, which creates some definition and sort of plumps up the brow hairs and fills in any patchiness, without totally obscuring the skin beneath. I clean up the edges with a damp cotton swab, so it looks sharp, but the visible skin prevents harshness.
3. Adwoa April 6, 2014 3:02 pm
  
  All the tips from fellow Toastinis below are so good that I have nothing to add. Thanks gals! And also Queen of Filth… I just need you to know that I snarfed out loud with laughter at this: “without making your whole face a referendum on said eyebrows.” Oh I have had referendums, conferences, annual general meetings due to eyebow over-exuberance! LOL!
Jane +1 April 3, 2014 10:45 am

Adowa! Great tips! @chickpeas your comment made me chuckle a little!
Adwoa April 6, 2014 3:17 pm

I know, it's a bit on the scary side isn't it? Just give yourself lots of time and try this: Gently pull your lower eyelid down with one hand and apply with the other. This helps you see the waterline more clearly and there's less chance of eye jabbing! Also make sure you're using a nice soft kohl liner- roll the tip of the pencil between clean fingers to blunt the end and warm it for easier application 🙂 Good luck! xo

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