My thoughts regarding cosmetics have remained the same for my entire adult life: a bright pink lipstick and a spot concealer. However, I thought this was a great question for the community.
Dear Muffy,
Hello again from Down Under!
I hope you are going beautifully and the summer is not too hot for you. It is the depths of winter here and I am loving wearing my shetlands!
I have been thinking lately about cosmetics and their purpose. For a long while, I felt the pressure to wear foundation and cosmetics because I thought I had to wear it to look "polished" and because it was What Ladies Do. In the past few months, I have come to realise that I actually don't like how it looks on my skin (apart from some lipstick) and when I don't wear it, I feel more like myself. Also, I can't be bothered and it is expensive!
What are your thoughts about makeup and whether it is necessary? How do you think it aligns with the preppy ethos?
Regardless of whether I hear from you, thank you for writing such interesting articles for us and sharing such beautiful photos.
All my best wishes,
My mother was adamant most makeup should be reserved for nights out, not for every day wear. Tinted lip balm and concealer were all I was allowed to wear until college, so once I had free rein, a face of makeup felt like a mask. These days I do wear a tinted moisturizer with SPF and add some color to my cheeks because I have my father’s Germanic skin tone which is the color of lightly browned butter. Nothing of our person should be artifice, including the parts we dab with cosmetics.
ReplyDeleteSince most foundation contains sunscreen in these modern times, 2 birds, 1 stone! Plus sheer-ish spf lip color and mascara for a night on the town!
ReplyDeleteMy background and upbringing dictated the "no make-up" thing. But I look better with some maquillage enhancement. Collars up !!!
ReplyDeleteHealthy food, exercise, tinted moisturising sunblock, a light dusting of mascara with pink or reddish lipstick checks all the boxes and gets the job done.
ReplyDeleteSimple works!
ReplyDeleteI don’t wear make up. My college football coach frowned upon it
ReplyDeleteHauschke's wonderful moisturizer, Tinted Day Cream and Penhaligon's Blue Bells. Basta
ReplyDelete“Frowned upon it..?” There’s leeway there. Our hockey coach outright banned it.
ReplyDeleteThat was humor
DeleteMy wife of fifty years has never worn makeup and is the better for it, health and appearance-wise. Nowadays 'appearance filters' for online photos are the rage and are quite controversial.
ReplyDeleteDarphin INTRAL Environmental Lightweight Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 50 is my go to. It has a tiny bit of fair color and is great for sensitive skin. I bit $$, but I’m a sucker for French skincare. This SPF, bit of brown, not black, mascara and lip balm and I’m out the door.
ReplyDeleteI tend toward better (not necessary expensive) skincare, good SPF, and a light touch with cosmetics. I prefer the “no-makeup” look. I’m faithful to the tinted sunscreen from Elta MD, which blurs imperfections and feels nice. If wearing foundation, I like NARS Light-reflecting because it is lightweight and looks more like natural skin with fewer imperfections.
ReplyDeleteMy girlfriend then attending Miss Porter’s told me in 1970 that any makeup made a girl look, and I quote, ‘common’.
ReplyDeleteBegan giving myself a weekly facial at age eighteen, after reading a magazine testimonial. (Nothing special; just drug-store purchases.) A lifetime later, my skin now advertises the wisdom of this policy. For errands, I dust with a mineral makeup. Social events get a more polished look - foundation and the rest. I don’t wear mascara. Never have, too much trouble with contacts. If I need to enhance my eyes, I use brown eyeliner (nothing too dramatic.)
ReplyDeleteSuch a poignant post, as I have just returned from that special section of Hell called Ulta Beauty. It's the only store in my area that carries Clinique, and sometimes you just have to see colors in person. I've been devoted to Clinique since I was 13 and was allowed to get my first tinted lip balm. After a dalliance with drugstore cosmetics and darker shades in my mid-teens, I returned to my roots and currently use Clinique makeup and Cera Ve anti-aging moisturizers. I refuse to pay $100 for anti-aging moisturizer. I don't believe the hands of time can be bribed with money, and I am of the opinion that the more you pay does not equate to better results. We are all going to get wrinkles eventually, so attempting to fight them with expensive creams just seems silly to me. Like Muffy, I too adhere to the minimal makeup look with a bright lip. It's just a great look for anyone, especially in the wintertime.
ReplyDeletethank you
DeleteThere is a deafening dissonance between this Blog and this Topic. Muffolater, I have often related on this Blog that True Prep girls and women quitely desire to emulate their fathers. Their dresss, affection for sports, disinterest in jewelry and feminine nonchalance underscores this simple ambition. Their fathers don't wear makeup. There is nothing more to relate.
ReplyDeleteMay I be the first to welcome you to Women 101, educational series.
DeleteFrom a male perspective, the natural, little to no make-up look is the best. Add a nice suntan or some healthy wind burn and you cannot go wrong.
ReplyDeleteWill
There is a clear shift in my generation (Z) from makeup towards skincare. Both men and women are looking at maintenance of the skin like going to the gym - there seems to be a rising preference into the investment into the body for health and aesthetic reasons. I observe access to AI tools to lower the barrier of entry to things such as workout or skincare where you don't need (though you should understand what the heck you are doing) a degree, access to lots of money or knowledge of jargon in order to enter these spaces.
ReplyDeleteMost of my family and friends don’t work out and don’t do anything to take care of their skin. Most time spent outside riding, sailing and swimming in the summer and sking and sailing ( southern waters)in the winter.
DeleteThe idea of” Working out” Is generally unheard of. There are a few acquaintances who do go to the gym.
It’s just basically living an outdoor life
Less is more. Knowing what we know now, it's risky not to wear sunscreen.
ReplyDeleteI went to a private school where make up was not allowed. We used Vaseline on our eyelashes and lips! Today, a dab of concealer covers little spots from ancient sunburns but, in general, I avoid as many strange chemicals on my skin as possible. I live in high altitude, so it really is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteSPF moisturizer, concealer, small amount of blended foundation, small amount of blush for the cheeks, medium pink lipstick.
ReplyDeleteLately mainstream makeup trends are going through a less is best phase (spearheaded by Pam Anderson who still needs to do something about those eyebrows.) Anyway, I think the classic take is that when you're in the city, out in the evening or in a business situation, makeup is called for to look polished and well groomed: mascara, lipstick, concealer and maybe light eyeshadow and blush. Eyeliner and foundation may or may not be a bit much. But otherwise, during the day, a good overall moisturer and some lipstick does the trick. Sunkissed skin should provide the glow you need.
ReplyDelete