Makeup Firsts and Fails: TAG

For me makeup is a form of creative expression and an adventure full of fun and possibilities, but it's also something that you can only keep getting better at. I love watching tutorials on You Tube, and some of my favourite makeup gurus are Lisa Eldridge, Tanya Burr and Alli - all of them have completely different styles, but they are all incredibly inspiring in what they do.

I think I'm not the only one recognizing that some days your makeup turns out better than others, and I don't really know why - but one thing I do know, is that I'm definitely better at applying it now than I was when I first started wearing makeup. It's not all about the technique in applying it though, it's about accepting who you are, what suits you and your colors, and how do you show your best features off. Today's post is the Makeup first and fails TAG, and a big Thank You to my friend Kate from Simplicity who tagged me for this!

 

Getting all the colors wrong - My introduction to makeup was to simply steal whatever my Mum was using... In theory it was a good idea considering I had no money to buy my own stuff and we borrowed each others clothes - the same principle should apply I thought. Except for the fact that we've got different colorings, skin tone and skin type... oops! I didn't care that much at the time, and it gave me the introduction to light blue eyeshadow, brown mascara and pinky brown lipstick. Although my taste, products and colors have changed dramatically, there's been no looking back since then!

Finding the right shade of foundation - Where do I even start with this one... Yes I confess: I did from time to time have an orange face and an ivory neck... SO WRONG. Of course I knew that it was a really good idea to get a foundation that matches the rest of my skin color, but I still kept getting it wrong. Partly because I tested it in the wrong place, on the inside of my wrist (and sometimes I didn't even test it, and just went by what it looked like in the bottle - SCANDALOUS), but also because I didn't really have any help to find what was right for me. I can't remember any shop assistants ever offering to help - maybe I looked to young and they thought I shouldn't wear any makeup but also I was definitely much too shy to ask for help. Well, gone are those days luckily, so even if I still struggle to get the 100% match I ask (... read demand...) for help, and for a sample to take with me. If I was to give my future daughter (if I'm lucky to have one) any makeup advise it would be just that: Don't be afraid to ask for samples. If you are serious about a product, then why not - and really it's in the brand's interest if you think about it (particularly if it's a premium brand), since you may well be faithful to that brand for the next few years AND you'll tell everyone who will listen how happy you are with their foundation.

Winged eyeliner - Aaaaah, the master piece of application techniques. I have always had a thing for a winged eyeliner. To me it's sexy, sleek and a sophisticated retro look that I would love to try, and I admire anyone who can apply this without breaking a sweat. Long before I had seen wonderful tutorials on YouTube, I used to just take my eyeliner and draw little diagonal lines at the corner of my eye, but it never really looked very sophisticated - go figure?! It didn't stop me from trying though, and try I did, in every possible color of the rainbow. A few years later now, I still think it's an amazing look and I also still keep messing it up. When your eyes are very slightly hooded at the outer corners you need a slightly different technique that I haven't perfected yet. I still keep practising, and you know that they say - Practice makes perfect ...  in a 30 years or so...

Eye lash curlers - I really REALLY hope that I'm not the only one having done this, but the first time I ever used an eye lash curler - can you guess what I did? Yep, I used it after I had put on my mascara instead of before, but not only that - I also used it the wrong way around, DOH!!!! But in my defense I thought it looked like a medieval instrument of torture, and I was a little worried it might catch and bend more than just my eye lashes. Still to this day I'm not keen on eye lash curlers. I'll go through phases of trying to use them, but honestly - most mascaras do a great job of shaping my lashes, so this tool has always been at the very bottom of my makeup drawer since my first attempts, and they will still be at the bottom of the makeup drawer a year from now.

I know this post was a little bit different, but I hope you enjoyed it. It was great fun thinking back on my early days of makeup, but the amazing thing is that with new products and tools continuously being released we all still keep discovering, and trying new things for the first time. I'd love to hear about your Makeup firsts and fails, so please leave a comment below and I also TAG the following beauties:

Louise from Kinder Health & Beauty

Jasmine & Angela from The Happy Sloths

Hannah from B-L-A-B (Blogging Lifestyle And Beauty)

Shubah from Blue Velvet Addict

Kira from Kira Bassett Be You  

Thank you all, I hope you'll join in and share your stories about Make Up (they can't be any worse than mine)! Xx