Let's Start at the Very Beginning

It is after all, according to the Sound of Music, a very good place to start.  Most of the problems that I encountered when I first began trying to learn makeup were caused by not starting at the beginning.  I was trying to learn everything at once as I had realized at 25 just how far behind everyone else I really was.  I panicked.  First rule, don't panic.  Second rule, begin with the very basics.  Third rule, learn to do makeup one aspect at a time.  I tried to throw a face together instantly - the result was hideous!  Then my boyfriend suggested breaking it down.  He suggested beginning with foundation and going from there.  The suggestion was fantastic and suddenly my efforts began leading to results rather than frustrations.  I am going to add a layer of advice to that which my boyfriend gave me.  Begin at the beginning, yes, but begin by collecting a good set of tools rather than by choosing your foundation.

I thought that a $30 foundation brush from MAC would work as well as a cheap sponge that comes with drugstore foundation.  I was wrong!  I know that makeup brushes and other accessories can be pricey, but, trust me on this, invest in a good set of brushes.  I've had mine for over three years and I have no intentions of replacing them anytime soon.  They don't have to be MAC brand.  Sonia Kashuk is a good drugstore brand that can be found at any Walgreens, CVS, or Target and there are also good brands to be found at any Sephora or Ulta store (for those who may not know, these are both beauty stores.  Ulta has everything from hair products, make-up, and nail polish to home pedicure kits.  Sephora has counters at most department stores, as does MAC, but Sephora carries a variety of brands and specializes in makeup.  Both Sephora and Ulta are cheaper than MAC.)

Rather than making this post excessively long, I will cover brushes for each aspect of makeup as I cover it.  Hence, when we cover foundation, I'll cover foundation brushes.  I should also mention in this post that makeup can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.  For example.  I've probably spent $100 on makeup brushes, but then I use a $10 foundation from Target.  The tools are what will make $10 foundation from Target look better than $50 foundation by Christian Dior - yes, this was learned from personal experience.  So when I say invest in a good set of brushes, I mean it.  It might be a small financial blow now but it will save you much grief in the end.  I use a mix of a few high end products with several low end products and the result is quite nice.  If you're going to only buy one high end thing let it be the tools you use.  You can't paint a masterpiece with a toothbrush.

A post on foundation will be coming soon so that we can actually get started with some quality progress.  Oh, and for anyone who is looking to learn what fashion and elegance are all about then pick up a copy of A guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux.  It was originally published in the 1940's but as Madame Dariaux stated herself in recent years, the fashions may have changed but the principles haven't.  I received it as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend, and I've had my nose to the  page ever since.  Enjoy!

Chemical Peels

I've never been one to endure self-inflicted pain in the name of beauty, however, I've under gone a series of two chemical peels over the past month and I have to admit the end result is stunning.  I originally began having chemical peels done because I had a couple of spots of sun damage on my left cheek that my dermatologist seemed worrisome enough to want to have removed.  The most effective way to remove hormonal sun damage like I had was through a chemical peel.  So, for the first time in my life I made an appointment with the aesthetician at my dermatologist's office and experienced the "hot" sensation that is a chemical peel.

The first one I had done a month ago sent me for a little loop.  I was told by the aesthetician that my face would feel "hot" once the peel was applied.  The chemicals were to remain on my face for about five minutes and then water was to be applied to stop the reaction.  About two minutes in the "hot" sensation was too much to tolerate as by "hot" the aesthetician meant that it felt like someone had rubbed hot sandpaper onto a sunburned face and then put your head in an oven.  I had the peel stopped about three minutes too soon.  I peeled over the weekend (for about three days) but it was more like flaking a bit than really peeling.  Still though, the sun damage was mostly gone by the time it was done.  In fact, when I went for my follow up the dermatologist was so impressed that she decided that I only need one more peel rather than three more!

I had the second one done last week and this time I was prepared.  It was painful, but I managed to suffer through two different layers of chemicals and a total of ten minutes in beauty hell.  One of the peels turned my face yellow for about thirty minutes afterwards but I had the afternoon off so no worries there.  They say that you should begin peeling about 48 hours after you have a peel done.  I began peeling the next afternoon!  Aside from one day at work when I looked unbelievably hideous, the peeling part went rather well.  I actually peeled, like a boss if I may be so bold.  Sheets of skin were coming off.  I had to go to a Broadway production on Saturday night so I had to put makeup on over the peeling, not fun.  Also, because I began peeling sooner than was anticipated some the new skin was still a little raw, red, and tender.  After applying a base layer of concealer with my fingertips, I was able to cover it with foundation.  I actually looked surprisingly normal.

It's been a week since I finished peeling after receiving two of the strongest peels that are offered.  The raw, red skin eventually healed and peeled a little again.  It took some time but I've finished peeling and all of the skin has healed.  The sun damage is completely gone and the few acne scars that I had are virtually gone.  Also, my charming adult acne has cleared up beautifully and has not come back over the past month.

Are chemical peels painful, truthfully, yes they are, very much so.  However, they do provide the results that they promise.  They remove dark spots, acne scars, wrinkles (allegedly), and they definitely clear up moderate acne.  Granted you have to shed a layer of skin like a snake but what lies beneath it is as smooth as a baby's bottom.  I'm supposed to have "maintenance" peels done once every three to six months as the sun damage will continue to come back as mine is supposedly cause by my skin pigmentation and my hormones.  The maintenance peels will not be as severe as the last peel that was done.  They will be more like the first peel although I should peel more than I did the first time around.  As for working while peeling, yes it's humiliating and I found myself giving verbal warnings to co-workers who walked up behind me before I would turn around, but once they saw me the following Monday they all said that they wanted to have a peel done too!  Trust me, it's a few minutes pain and a couple of days of discomfort for months of healthy skin.  By the way, the actual peeling doesn't hurt.  Your skin will just feel really tight like it would right after a bad sunburn.  The peeling is usually welcomed as it relieves the tightness.

Hopefully this post inspired rather than frightened.  I've had two of the strongest peels they make, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, minus having to go out to a Broadway show while peeling, of course.  Give it a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised.  I certainly was.

A Work in Progress

This is the blog of a tomboy turned girly girl.  I've gone from not wearing makeup and not being fashionable to spending my weekends shopping at malls and creating different makeup looks in my free time after work.  

A month ago I hated shopping, six months ago I couldn't put an outfit together, a year ago I didn't know there were different cuts for different body types, two years ago I barley knew what foundation was, and four years ago I didn't know or care about any of the above.  In fact, I all but hated myself.  Something had to give and with a boyfriend in my life for the first time it was my tomboy side that began to collapse. 

 I've spent four years learning to love a side of myself that I have always shunned.  Don't ask my why I was a tomboy; I don't have an answer.  I was afraid of changing at first, afraid of not being what I have always been.  It took three years for me to get a good idea of what I wanted to become.  I really began working on changing about six months ago.  I've made a great deal of progress and I have a great deal more to do.  Although I'm four years into my journey I'm also just beginning.  I turn 26 in fifteen days, and I made a promise to myself about three months ago that I would not live the rest of my life as I have lived the first quarter of it.  And so I bought makeup, I learned to enjoy shopping, and I said goodbye to the timid tomboy that I've always been.  

As the name of this blog suggests, I'm changing ways. 

Something I've learned the hard way is that what you've always been doesn't have to be what you become.  

This is my journey from who I thought I had to be to the person I really am.  I'm peeling off layers of biases, envy, resentment, anger, old dreams, other's expectations, and false images of myself.  It's hard work but it's also an exciting time!

The purpose of this blog is to share with others what I've learned the hard way.  You will find everything here from makeup tips and reviews to recent styles and my favorite stores and fashion websites.  Learn from these posts what I learned the hard way from a lot of trial and error.  As the title of this post suggests this blog is a work in progress, as am I.  You will find successes, mistakes, and some embarrassment  here but no apologies, regrets, or excuses.  

Lastly, this blog is dedicated with much love and thanks to my boyfriend for tearing down a very thick and stubborn facade, to my mother for accepting and loving what was discovered beneath it, and to them both for helping a phoenix rise from the ashes.

I'm changing ways.