Tag: cosmetics

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Makeup Free Month Conclusion xxx

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So that’s it! I did a whole month makeup free and I didn’t wake up this morning and rush for the mascara! Is that it then? Am I now makeup free? No, I don’t think so. But as I said yesterday that’s more about my love of creating, playing, dressing up rather than feeling I needed to on a daily basis. I’m looking forward to receiving my homemade makeup and having some gentle products to dip into when the fancy takes me. But I am so relieved to finally be comfortable to wash and oil my face, and go. Being barefaced is liberating. It’s exposing, it shows your flaws, but it can remind you of your good points too. It has at times make me care less about my appearance and relax a lot, and other times it’s inspired me to try new looks with my hair and clothes. My skin feels great and looks better than it has in ages and as I’ve not just covered it up I’ve been more aware of looking after it with the oils I’ve used. I’ve learnt that when I drink more water my skin feels better, that my complexion isn’t as pasty as I thought, that freckles can rock and pale eyes don’t always look alien! I did this month initially to have a place to introduce my street art video. To ask the question ‘what do we put in our skin?’, and in turn it’s really made me question my own makeup routine. It’s made me question my reasons for starting to wear makeup, where this came from and why I wear it now. I’ve touched on the history of makeup, feminism, sexuality, judgement, professionalism, media and beauty norms. There is so much more on this topic. A few great online sources for discussion on cosmetics and the range of issues that it brings up are

http://www.makeupmuseum.typepad.com/

http://www.the-beheld.com

http://www.starkhechara.com

So thanks for reading, and I dare you to try being barefaced if you normally don’t! I will be back very soon with some more cosmetic based paintings, to feedback about the gentle makeup I discover and to let you know about my future creative projects! Much love Susan x

 

 

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Makeup Free Month Day 31: Last day before I conclude!

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So I’m here, my 31st day makeup free and the last day of my makeup free month. I’m going to round up properly tomorrow so I’ve just a few things to mention today.
I mentioned magazines a couple of days ago and then through my letterbox arrived Clique magazine . Within it was a great article from a natural makeup artist for celebrities. Katey Denno discusses why she tries to use mostly natural and organic products, how she uses them to create red carpet looks and what products she uses. One of the brands she uses that I’m very interested in coming out of my makeup free month is Burts Bees tinted lip balms. I like some of the Burts bees products already so I’m keen to have a look at their makeup range too.

I’m aware that I’m making it sound as though I’m rushing back to my makeup bag, albeit a more gentle one. However I don’t think that’s the case. Tomorrow when my month is completely up, I won’t be putting makeup on. I no longer feel the need to wear makeup everyday. I feel less self conscious about how I look without makeup. Actually I could go as far as to say I feel quite confident about how I look without makeup. I look like me. I look my age. I look tired when I’m tired and I can rub my eyes when I like.

However. I am excited about getting some new makeup products and trying them out for some evenings out/special occasions. I may find that I love the products so much that I want to put them on often. But if that’s the case it will be because of how they make my skin feel not because of feeling I need to hide something. I’ve realised that I love to create with makeup. On canvas as well as on my face!

Next week I have a party to go to. It’s a wedding party, where many of us are wearing our wedding dresses, I’m having my hair done (1920’s style) and I’m hopefully going to have my homemade makeup to use too. I can’t wait to try the makeup but also to play with my face a little. To give myself a little bit of art.

I’m also going to share with you a little unfinished makeup painting I did today which taught me two things.

1: I cannot film myself painting on my phone whilst painting. Which is why this is a still image.

2: I do not have any filming or editing skills at all 😉

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So for the time being any cosmetic paintings that I create (while I use up my old products) will be shown to you as stills either here or on my Facebook page.

https://m.facebook.com/SbmArtwork.

Tomorrow I will consider what I’ve experienced over the month and also mention some of the makeup related topics that I haven’t covered!

Night night from me x
Also, if you fancy helping me reach my fundraising target then a last minute donation would be fab, thanks xxx

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM 50 £1 to 70070

 

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Makeup Free Month Day 30: The homemade makeup I’ve found!

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I love to smell good. So whenever I find hair products, oils, creams that smell good I want them.

With my current reduction in chemicals I’m still finding gorgeous smells. The shampoo and conditioner I use smells amazing and is very gentle.

I haven’t looked at chemicals in perfume. I feel like pouting my lip and saying I don’t want to! I love a good perfume and how it makes me feel. Elegant and fresh…. Yep, the adverts have truly had their way with me! I haven’t used any this month and I’ve actually run out of my last one.

So id love to hear of any recommendations. For products to buy or make? I’m a big fan of essential oils already so if I can be advised of some good mixes that don’t make me smell like a spice shop please? Fresh, light, maybe fruity? I love lemongrass, I use it in my skin scrub but how can us use it like a perfume? Add it to oil and have it in a spray dispenser?

Ive also previously mentioned the homemade makeup company that I spotted online. They are called A&B Homemade and here are a couple of examples of their products and ingredients to compare with the website I shared on Tuesday.

Their Lip Care Set Includes:
Honey Lip balm
Peppermint Lip Sugar Scrub

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Raw Sugar, Essential Peppermint Oil, Raw Honey. That’s it!!

They also do powder/bronzers/blushers which list ingredients such as cinnamon and beetroot!

For example, their Translucent Powder states ingredients as:

Potato Starch
Cornstarch
ARROWROOT
COCO POWDER

In terms of other makeup they do bronzers, powder, mascara and eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip balm and blushers. It’s all made to order and at a reasonable price.

Here is a link to their etsy site-
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/184042083/all-natural-charcoal-eyeliner

Id like to be clear that I haven’t yet tried these products so if you do try them or have done before I do, please give us a review! Once I’ve received my order I will let you know how I get on!

Another blog I found recommends homemade makeup too here

http://www.missmake.com/2011/04/homemade-makeup-bella-faith-cosemetics.html?m=1

And there are larger companies who supply makeup from natural and organic ingredients although sometimes their lists of ingredients still become baffling. Perhaps it’s a regulations thing and they really are very simple products, but I’d prefer it if they could just state that! For those who are interested there is a lovely lengthy list of companies that are said to be natural/organic.

http://www.naturisimo.com/ourbrands.cfm

That’s it from me today, I will be enjoying my long holiday weekend at home with family but will take a bit of time to round up my make up free month. Although this won’t be the end! This month I’ve a night out with homemade makeup planned, the best way to try it out I think! And my old makeup needs to be put to best use by creating one or two more cosmetic only paintings for you!

Susan xx

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM 50 £1 to 70070

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Makeup Free Month Day 29: Makeup in Magazines

 

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I don’t know if it’s because I’m an artist, or because I love playing with makeup. But whenever I see makeup ideas on models or in magazines I always have to stare, a lot, and want to try it. Often on me it doesn’t look good. Many styles require certain face shapes or eye shapes to pull them off well. But I’m always intrigued. I’m the same when I see people with interesting, string or well done makeup on. I’ve spent the day in London today with my son and I couldn’t help but check everyone out. Not advisable really 😉

Yesterday I sat with a magazine (Vogue May 2014) in front of me and normally I (admitting with a slight guilty duck of the head) pay more attention to the images in terms of fashion and makeup pages. But yesterday I was looking more at the language.

To start with I realised that it’s always the ‘beauty’ section. How interesting that it’s not called cosmetics/makeup/skin products… I guess that’s not as catchy. But what message does that instantly send?

This is the beauty section. And that means putting on makeup. Therefore beauty is makeup.
The products are described…
“A wonder product”
“Coral is the only colour for spring/summer”
“Bare legs calls for leg products”
“Here’s your new beauty rule book”

Now, as you know already, I have always loved makeup and how it can make me feel/look. Also how I can play with it to change my looks depending on the occasion, my mood, the style. But when I look at the beauty market in this way it does make me feel frustrated.

I’d like to add though (and I was reminded of this in a great article in Vogue) that often the heart and root of designers, writers, makeup artists and other creatives within the fashion industry is the art. They are speaking out, changing the societal rules, expressing sexuality, sensuality. So much more. But it can get lost. And what we sometimes see/find instead is money, appearance based judgement and a feeling of inferiority.

I recently shared with you a link to Vogue where they were promoting natural skin and a natural look. This was great, and maybe what i’d like to see is a piece in each ‘beauty section’ about natural products. Occasionally we see a one-off article or a one-off product mentioned, but nothing that really shows off natural to its best. So for those wanting to be minimal or natural, (in the truest sense) I want a space for them to see what products are available to them, or how they can still play with their style, without having to use chemically based cosmetics.

I’m sure if I look in more holistic magazines I may find this… Maybe? But what about those of us who like some mainstream stuff too, those of us who just want to know more about how to work with our own faces in a natural way?

Tomorrow I will tell you a little more about the homemade makeup company that I’ve found. It’s going to be the start of my very minimal makeup bag going forward. I see my future as barefaced mostly, choosing oils and natural products to nourish and groom without makeup. Then when I want a different look or feel particularly tired or pasty looking, I will hopefully have some homemade lovelies to play with!

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM 50 £1 to 70070

 

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Makeup Free Month Day 28: Fashion and Makeup

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Makeup, like anything else has fashions, and it seems to go hand in hand with clothing and hair fashion. Including through history for example roman thick kohl on the eyes, plaited hair and headdresses and delicately wrapped tunics, through to renaissance huge dresses, powdered faces, red lips and giant wigs!

In the previous century makeup and cosmetics became more widely produced and available and with the advent of television and film, fashion as an industry seemed to explode. In the 20th century many of us can pinpoint a decade (and some I’m sure can be even more precise) depending on clothing, hair and makeup style. As clothing fashions change so do hair and makeup. What’s current can often take precedent over what suits an individual, but it can also push people to try new ideas and styles that they may find works well.

I LOVE fashion, and especially playing with mixing fashions! I love vintage clothing and finding pieces in my wardrobe, on the high street, in markets or charity shops that come together to make a funky, chic, elegant, classic or random look! Sometimes I get it wrong and sometimes it works. But for me it’s so much fun.

As a teenager I did this too which was occasionally mocked at school. At a time (early 90s) when most my age were wearing either jeans and trainers, track suits or big shirts and dr martins I would choose platform shoes, wide leg trousers, floaty blouses and lots of vest layering. I would scour J17 and other teen mags to see what the models were wearing and pull together what I had to try and make my own idea of fashion. On one school trip I wore some top shop fitted flares with photos of sunflowers all over them, with a white sleeveless blouse. It was the first time I really realised that others may laugh at my clothing choices. It certainly dampened my style for a while. I would stay safe until almost at UNI… When I realised I could wear what I wanted and sod what others thought (even if at times they may have been right!).

So now, in my thirties I am trying to find the balance between my age and being a mum, whilst still wanting to explore with fashion, clothing hairstyles and makeup.

This month without makeup I have at times played it very safe with my clothes and not done much with my hair, feeling that it would look silly to have myself done up without the makeup too. But as I’ve gone through the month I’ve realised that I CAN still feel confident in my clothing and hair styles without wearing makeup.

Yesterday I completely decluttered my wardrobe. 25 items of clothing including 3 suits, 5 dresses, several tops and trousers all going! And I’m doing shoes tonight. Anything that I don’t really wear, or feel crap when I wear it. Anything that looks as old as it is, or looks dodgy on me…. Gone. The best part was that it made me look more closely at what I had and I’m sure I’ve spotted at least 10 new outfit combinations in the wardrobe!

At the end of this week (the end of my makeup free month) I will do the same with my makeup. All of it will go unless it proves to be good for my skin/ work well. I do think that it will all go (into my painting kit) and I will buy a few select new products to replace it.

I dare you to do the same. Declutter your wardrobe and your makeup. Be really strict and feel good about what you have afterwards. I today went to work wearing a dress that I hadn’t thought looked right, so had been sat in my wardrobe for ages, but it has strong colours so for me without makeup it actually looks great. Here’s to having more space in my wardrobe, and to clothes that feel good!

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM 50 £1 to 70070