sandra-leigh
12-17-2006, 02:57 PM
I had my makeup done professionally yesterday in preparation for the masquerade xmas dinner (qv). I guess I had been thinking of something more glamourous or sexy, but once out of the harsh lights of the makeup area, in context with my dress and wig, it looked fine.
When I was asked about lipstick colour, I expressed distrust of the really red. I have found in the past that really prominent reds don't feel right to me. They feel too... I don't quite know. Artificial, or out of place, or not appropriate for me. When I wear a prominent red lipstick, I feel like I'm "playing dress-up", and I feel self-conscious, and feel uncomfortable, like I'm going to attract a lot of stares and snickers "Look at the guy dressed up as an exaggeration of a woman!". But for a lesser brilliant red lipstick, I don't worry about such things -- only about whether it has worn off ;-)
Anyhow, the makeup artists quickly agreed that a brighter red would not look right on me -- too much of a contrast to my fair skin.
What they tried, and what looked quite good on me, was a red-tinged brown, reminiscent of a darker bronze.
This colour outcome was interesting to me because by myself, it has been the mocha and bronze (and even gold) that I have been experimenting with and wearing outside -- but without knowing whether those colours looked right for me. And when I was choosing eyeshadow afterwards, to take away with me, one of the colours they suggested was a gold -- an eyeshadow colour that I've chosen myself several times.
What I learned from this is that I should not be afraid to experiment with less-common colours that "feel right to me". I am not very good yet at picking out what will look "great" on me, and I'm even worse at applying it in interesting ways, but it seems that I do have enough instinct to know that a bit non-traditional might turn out to be what is right for me.
When I was asked about lipstick colour, I expressed distrust of the really red. I have found in the past that really prominent reds don't feel right to me. They feel too... I don't quite know. Artificial, or out of place, or not appropriate for me. When I wear a prominent red lipstick, I feel like I'm "playing dress-up", and I feel self-conscious, and feel uncomfortable, like I'm going to attract a lot of stares and snickers "Look at the guy dressed up as an exaggeration of a woman!". But for a lesser brilliant red lipstick, I don't worry about such things -- only about whether it has worn off ;-)
Anyhow, the makeup artists quickly agreed that a brighter red would not look right on me -- too much of a contrast to my fair skin.
What they tried, and what looked quite good on me, was a red-tinged brown, reminiscent of a darker bronze.
This colour outcome was interesting to me because by myself, it has been the mocha and bronze (and even gold) that I have been experimenting with and wearing outside -- but without knowing whether those colours looked right for me. And when I was choosing eyeshadow afterwards, to take away with me, one of the colours they suggested was a gold -- an eyeshadow colour that I've chosen myself several times.
What I learned from this is that I should not be afraid to experiment with less-common colours that "feel right to me". I am not very good yet at picking out what will look "great" on me, and I'm even worse at applying it in interesting ways, but it seems that I do have enough instinct to know that a bit non-traditional might turn out to be what is right for me.