Category: makup

A Beauty Thing For Anxious People

Karen

I’ve gotten back into the habit of biting my nails with the added bonus of tearing at my cuticles when I’m out of nails to bite. Thanks, 2020!

Long-time readers will know this is an ongoing struggle for me, only stopped when my nails look pretty. However, in the last decade of being an on-again, off-again nail biter, I’ve also realized that my fingernails can’t handle any kind of polish–not even the 5-free, 8-free, non-acetone, “no harsh chemicals”  kinds. Any long-term use of polish will make them peel…and let me tell you, if you think picking at some ragged cuticles is fun, try picking at your actual nails as they flake into nothingness!

I was doing OK at having healthy naked nails and leaving them alone until I started working from home in March, where I was free to just put my fingers in my mouth all day long. What to do?

I saw someone raving about nail stickers in an Instagram story and thought, “Let’s try it.” Reader, they are incredible. They’re literally just vinyl stickers shaped like fingernails. There’s usually 20 in a pack, they last about a week,  and when you’re done, you can just peel them off–no removers needed. And if it’s a really bad day, you can just peel them off early and leave your cuticles alone.

There is an astonishing array of styles on Etsy but I like the weirder/simpler ones–these are from Naava and I’m eyeing some from So Gloss next.

What Adult Women Do, I Suppose

Karen

Like jewelry, I’ve never worn a lot of makeup. I’m not opposed to it (although this blog can get me spinning out), but I never really learned how to do it.

But now that I’m dealing with getting older (and working under the worst florescent lights imaginable), I’m trying to learn about things like undereye concealer. And wearing blush that doesn’t make you look like a doll. And eyelash curlers, which still really freak me out.

So I was beyond happy to find the video tutorials of makeup artist Lisa Eldridge. She’s British, so the accent adds a lot more gravitas to a fairly superficial topic, but she’s also really down-to-earth and non-judgmental. And she starts out most videos without any makeup, so you can see what differences the products are making.

I mean, just look at her talking about “a minimal rosy flush”:

One of her latest videso is about “the best makeup look to wear when meeting with an ex,” and it’s twenty minutes of a nice lady making you feel (and look) better. She ends it with the advice “be strong, look gorgeous..and keep your head up high.” I can get behind that, eyelash curlers or not.