A New Beginning...

Over the past two or three years, I have been trying to find the perfect makeup. There are so many out there, and so much marketing and propaganda, it's hard to know what to try next.

I have combination skin, with t-zone evilness, and a warm, lighter complexion. I enjoy (not-so-much, actually) fairly consistent acne, and a big problem I had with liquid foundations, although they had good coverage, was that they blocked my pores and made my skin feel cakey. However, I whored my skin for the perfect colour match, and covered up the ensuing facial mayhem.

About a month ago, I was at Sephora for a skin care consultation, to see if something new would clear up my skin. The woman offered to put some makeup on afterwards. She reached for the BareMinerals, and I shortly thereafter fell in love.
I bought the light/fairly light Starter kit for my fairly light skin. It came with three great brushes, foundation, blush, mineral veil, and primer. I love all of it! I am finally thrilled with my foundation. I've heard that this makeup doesn't have the chemicals in it that most cosmetics do; that it's less likely to cause cancer. I put a question in to Beauty Brains, a great site/blog that answers any questions you have related to cosmetics, and am waiting to hear what they have to say about it.
The foundation is also the concealer, which makes for a perfect blend every time. It's SPF 15, which is nice, and has a nice, light coverage, which can be layered to hide darker secrets...
The blush (Warmth) is a natural rosy colour, applied in the tiniest amount to maximum effect. The Mineral Veil is like a setting powder, which gives me a nice healthy glow, and lasts for an impressive amount of time.
One of my biggest problems with my former makeup was that it wouldn't hold up for a 12-hour work day. I have yet to see what happens with the BareMinerals, but so far, it's made it 9 hours.

I also picked up the Bourjois Volume Clubbing mascara last month, and am quite happy with it, as well. It has great staying power, and doesn't migrate to the under-eye area, even after 12, 14 hours, which has always been a problem of mine. If I'm not paying attention, and use the wrong side of the brush, I end up with some unholy clumps, but they're usually straightened out with a going-over with the finer side of the brush. Also love the CARGO SuperEyes in Violet. Vivid colour, but not quite as enduring as the Bourjois.

I believe that these past few months have done good things for my evolution from drugstore amateur to low-key beauty. It's not necessarily how much things cost; but after all my $10 disappointments, I'm willing to spend $20 for something I'll actually use, and feel good wearing.

I am still far, far away from being fashionable; I can't tell you what the spring colours are this year, and am not exactly sure which colours make my eyes 'pop' the most, but I am learning.