It's been a while since I posted in here. I haven't done anything drastic with makeup except changing eye pencil to liquid.
I did cut my hair and had it an auburn reddish color for a while.

And now it's blonde.

I thought I would recover this thread again. Since I started wearing foundation regularly (2.5 years ago) I have used powdered foundation. The other week I decided to go for a liquid instead and i find it looks much better, except when going to work, it is still hot weather and no aircon inside working with an iron makes me go shiny. so I may stick to using powder for work.

Also I have been using a brown eyeliner instead of the usual black. This is because it looks less harsh for casual wear. Since I am rather pale I think it works better.

here is a recent photograph.

I don't wear makeup, I tried, but it takes too long to put on and so I don't bother.

After a sad experiance at a camp last year where they had terrible water, I began losing a lot of hair and became very alarmed. Following my sister's advice I started using natural soap and vinegar for my hair and now, seven months later at last I stopped having clumps of hair come out after washing.

Recently, a friend suggested I try pine tar soap on my hair....and now I am addicted! It makes your hair super rough though, so I always add a good vinegar mixture to smooth out my hair. Can't say my hair smells super nice now, but in texture it is perfect. I think I'm quite done using store bought shampoo... at least for the time being

Maybe I will suggest that to one of my housemates whose hair seems to come out like hat when washing it. There was consumer affairs program on abc (australian one) (it was a non-bias program) which discussed shampoo and conditioner, basically any shampoo is fine, just get a good conditioner. That makes sense as long as there are no harsh chemicals in the shampoo it will be fine (since well it is only there to wash), conditioner is more important. Also from my pharmacy training I remember it is a good idea to rotate conditioners (say rotate between 3) (I am not sure how much truth there is in that, I will have to research it).

Some people go way out with make-up everyday, doing contouring...... I have never done ti myself because I only have half an hour to get readying in the morning( I eat my breakfast on the way to the busstop).

That lip color looks cute with your hair and eye colors, IlF! I'm something of a makeup noob, but you could try "setting" the liquid foundation with a little light powder. That might help it stay more matte.

I don't blame you about not wanting to bother putting on makeup, Wild... that's been my stance on the whole matter for years. Lately I've been trying to make more of an effort towards learning how to put on makeup without making myself look like a clown, though, since I'm pretty inexperienced. I'm finding that what's even worse than the time it takes apply is the amount of money that everything costs. I read an article today that said the average woman spends $15,000 on makeup in her lifetime! The horror.

Out of the products I've been working with lately, one that I'm liking so far is Mineral Fusion Lengthening Mascara, in the Rock/Brown shade. (Really dark eye makeup is a little harsh on my skin as well, IlF.) They're not kidding when they say lengthening! The fact that it's made with more natural ingredients is nice as well.

Thank you , when one changes hair colour(I have had my current colour for 6 months now,which is unlike me, but i really like it). you need to change lipstick shades as well. I purchased a light powder the other day actually(same brand as my current foundation), it works very well if i apply the liquid and put a small amount of powder(especially on the nose and cheeks.

On mascara, mabeline are is the only brand i can find that sells a brown(not a brown/black) mascara. Though there is always online but i like buying make-up in store, to try it out.

*carefully brings thread to back to life*

I am getting my hair cut tomorrow...really cut probably 14+ inches. The last day of 2016 my hair is right about waist length and on the first day of 2017 it is going to be above my shoulders. I am kind of excited and kind of not. All, but one of my sisters are getting their cut next week too. My Mom is going to cut my hair and my younger sisters', Scarlet is going to do her's herself. We are doing it for Wigs 4 Kids.

SnowAngel

Oh, I hope your haircut turned out well, SA! My hair is long-ish right now and I keep toying with the thought of cutting it much shorter, but I can't tell if this is actually a good idea or an apocalyptic vision.

I hope you'll enjoy your new haircut, SnowAngel.

I had a haircut last summer, had cut done bob style straight up to my earlobs. I didn't really want to cut it, but a friend, who was working as a barber's apprentice, needed a model to practice on and I volunteered. Since then it's grown out a bit. For a while I couldn't even put it in a ponytail. Now I can gather it back, but it gets rather boring, so I taught myself to frenchbraid my hair. First I practiced on dolls, which of course was a lot easier than doing it on myself, lol. My hands get tired, and I'm still not to good at it, which means sometimes I have to redo the braid two or three times, but I am learning. I was in Zambia at the time I started and internet there is super expensive, so I couldn't watch tutorials on youtube, so it was a fun experiance learning simply by trial and error.

I'm thinking now to get my hair highlighted before I go back to Zambia. My sister is even willing to take me to get it done. Hopefully we'll do it on the 9th.

I have preferred my hair short for quite some time. It's not that I think it looks better that way, but it does look neater. My hair cut is modeled after Ginnifer Goodwin's cute crop.

The only downside to short hair is that you have to get it cut all the time (every two months at least for me). It's growing out a tiny bit over the winter and since I'm due in April, I don't feel like traveling to see my sis-in-law who cuts my hair. I'll get it shortened back up once the warm weather arrives. Until then I'll be a bit shaggy.

I can't believe how much I love the short hair. Of course it's only been a few days, I might think differently in a few months. Although I am seriously considering waiting a while before growing it back out again.

I really need to see how the shorter hair looks with my hats since I usually wear a hat to church every week.

I just measured my cutoff ponytail; it is 12-14 inches and that makes it one of my longer haircuts. This is the fifth time Scarlet and I have cut our hair for Wigs 4 Kids.

Oh, I hope your haircut turned out well, SA! My hair is long-ish right now and I keep toying with the thought of cutting it much shorter, but I can't tell if this is actually a good idea or an apocalyptic vision.

If you have 10 inches you could donate to Wigs 4 Kids.

That's a cute haircut, fantasia! Scarlet cut her own hair last night, you could try that if you feel like an adventure.

SnowAngel

While I have trimmed my own bangs before, I'm not usually brave enough to do the bits that I can't see.

Cool on donating your hair! I donated mine to Locks of Love one time and then found out shortly thereafter that they weren't the best place... oh well.

I have preferred my hair short for quite some time. It's not that I think it looks better that way, but it does look neater. My hair cut is modeled after Ginnifer Goodwin's cute crop.

I have cut my hair to a cute bob before, just past my ears, but I have never been brave enough to try a pixie haircut though I really, really want to.

Question: How often do you have to trim/cut your hair? My hair grows very quickly and the ends stay healthy for a long, long time so I only have it trimmed or cut about once a year. I've always been nervous of maintaining a really short hair style because I'm not sure I could keep up with having it cut every 6-8 weeks.

So I know this thread is about hair + makeup but one of my resolutions this year was to forego applying makeup on a daily basis simply because 1) it takes time to apply every morning and wash off each evening and I'm kind of tired of doing that every single day when I could be eating, sleeping, exercising, etc. 2) it's not the best for my face to have makeup on it every day - i have noticed significantly less breakouts and irritation having not worn makeup for about 2 weeks now and 3) it's a big money saver! Even drugstore products cost a pretty penny when you add it all up.

That being said, I still want to take good care of my face and I am curious to know, what products you all use by way of face wash, face lotions, masks, etc? What are some of your favorite brands? What are some brands to avoid? I have been using Albae Botanica recently and I like it for the most part, but their face wash and lotion are a little perfum-ey for my taste and my face is super sensitive to anything and everything, including fragrances.

Ruby xoxo

Question: How often do you have to trim/cut your hair? My hair grows very quickly and the ends stay healthy for a long, long time so I only have it trimmed or cut about once a year. I've always been nervous of maintaining a really short hair style because I'm not sure I could keep up with having it cut every 6-8 weeks.

That's exactly how often I get it cut. Every 8-10 weeks and by then it's getting pretty shaggy.
My mom has hair down past her shoulderblades and she braids it up into a bun every morning. We have an eternal debate over the upkeep of short hair vs. long hair. She used to have a pixie cut when I was really little but hated going into the salon to get it trimmed up (and it's pricey too). I would hate spending 20-30 minutes every morning braiding my hair into a bun. To each her own!

I finally learned how to french braid my own hair after trying and failing for years, wrose. I had tried to follow tutorials off and on, but eventually I was just able to figure out how to do it on my own. T'was a joyous day!

That crop is such a cute style, fantasia! I can see how it would require some maintenance, though. I'm not sure I could ever make myself cut my hair so short that I couldn't pull it back into a ponytail. I live in those.

I'm glad you like your haircut, SA! And thanks for recommending the charity you used. I don't think it's quite long enough, although that would depend on how much I cut off. It's in layers right now as well. It sounds like Scarlet and I must have the same yearning for adventure and daring escapades, because I've cut my own hair for the past couple of years.

The first time I tried it, I made sure to go slow and that I had enough length left so that I could get it fixed professionally if I botched it. I used this girl's tutorial. It's a very basic style, but I like low maintenance. In the middle of last year I had an incident with one of those heated straightening brushes ( ) and burned off a little of the hair that frames my face, so I added in a long side-swept bang to hide the mistake. For that leap of faith, I followed this tutorial. I actually really like how it turned out, but I strongly advise people to use caution if they're cutting their own hair. Don't want any bad haircuts on my conscience.

That sounds like a great New Years' resolution, Ruby! I'm trying to get in the habit of using moisturizer every day. Was the Alba Botanica product you tried one from their Even Advanced line? I tried their daytime moisturizer and I couldn't take the fragrance either; just way too strong. What I've been using recently are products from Andalou Naturals' Brightening collection, and I really like them so far. They don't have any fragrances or parfums listed in the ingredients. They have some trial kits for those who are new to their products; that's how I started with them.

Oh, and to answer your question about how often I cut my hair: I usually cut it once or twice a year. Yay for low maintenance styles.