The Make Up Memory Lane Tag
There’s nothing better than a nostalgic trip down makeup memory lane. Am I right or am I right?
I was watching
Anna’s latest video today and I felt compelled to cobble something together along the lines of a makeup memory lane tag. I can’t tell you how warm and fuzzy this has made me feel. If you want to join in you are more than welcome to add your blog link in the comments and if you have any questions that you think need to make the cut also mention them below and I will edit this post :)
First makeup item ever purchased?
No7 lipstick in Chinchilla. It was murky chocolate poo-brown shade which is apt because I thought I was the shit when I wore it.
First MAC item? I was so on trend - 20 years ago - because it was Cyber lipstick, a colour that has made something of a comeback. This was shortly followed by Spice lip liner and MAC clear gloss because I read that Linda Evangelista swore by that lip combo and by buying it I would surely transform into her.
First MAC/other brand collection? I distinctly remember this. I was working on a Saturday, finishing off a research report, when I decided to sweeten the deal by getting on the bus and going down to the King's Road and up Sloane Street to Harvey Nichols. It was in the make up hall that I found MAC and the Barbie collection. Until this point I was totally unaware that MAC released 1323242 collections a year and that product turnover was so rapid. The limited edition nature of collections unleashed a powerful retail force that would haunt my bank account for years to follow.
First high end make up splurge? I used to pour over magazines and newspapers so any marketing spiel was quickly absorbed by a gullible me. After reading about Hard Candy my 15 year old self decided that this was my brand and that I needed to desperately hot foot it to their miniature stand in Harvey Nichols to purchase a glitter eyeliner. The eyeliner was purchased along with a funky (i.e., ugly) nail polish shade that I mainly bought because it came with a free plastic ring.
After that I flirted with all the department store brands, spending money earned in my Saturday telesales job, but it wasn't until I read about the opening of a new store in the Daily Mail's YOU Magazine when I was about 19 that my heart fluttered with the same intensity felt in the Hard Candy era. That store was Space NK and soon after I spent an obscene amount on a little boutique brand called NARS :)
First makeover experience? I had a foundation makeover at MAC in Brighton when I was about 17. I cringe now when I remember that my non-spotty skin was covered in Studio Fix Fluid and then set with Studio Fix Powder. I was a bit fearful of makeovers after that but I distinctly remember giving into an SA at the YSL counter in House of Fraser/Birmingham. This store was my haunt during university and the SA made a good commission from me/my student loan over the years. My reward for such loyalty was a heavy base, an 80's contour and a smokey eye so intense that it sent me rushing straight to the ladies in search of a tissue to scrub it off. Horrendous! I bought it all though - obviously.
First makeup brush? I had a few brush cast offs - Body Shop and magazine freebies that were knocking around my collection but it wasn't until I stumbled across a YouTube video featuring Amy04 that I acknowledged a whole world of professional application tools. A few videos later and I had decided that the MAC 224 needed to be in my world. A few years later and I own more brushes than some make up artists :o
First eyeshadow? I was late to the game when it came to eyeshadow. I think this is largely because I had no friggin' idea how to apply it. My most distinct eyeshadow memory, apart from the glorious BarryM dazzle dusts, was dabbling with Bourjois eyeshadow pots. To me these are still epic but it was Blanc Diaphane that I enjoyed the most, slathering it over my lids and my cheeks in an effort to create an ethereal glow.
First skincare "investment"? I seem to remember trying a Garnier cream that my friend Meryl raved about during school but the first real splurge was Eve Lom cleanser. This was purchased in the days when she claimed that this was "all you needed". Since then of course brand popularity has led to a change in message and now there is a whole range of additional products that fall into that "all you need" definition but that little pot of mineral oil still brings back fond memories.
First nail polish owned? It was called Dragon's Blood from the Boots Seventeen line and translated as a blackened purple. So chic. I'm sure it was applied with enthusiasm - all over my cuticles.
First fake tan attempt? I was about 13 years old and decided that borrowing my sister's Clinique fake tan was a marvellous idea. In my mind it didn't matter how I applied it because this was HIGH END and was therefore going to give the perfect result. Imagine my disappointment then when I woke up looking like a brown dalmatian.
Years later I discovered Xen-Tan, St Tropez and the wonder of a mitt but as my husband will tell you, I still apply it like "it's dark and I have taken out my contact lenses".
More Make up Memories
I could actually write this post all day but in order to avoid doing so I will sign off with a rambled list of phrases or products that elicit the feels when I say them out loud or write them down.
Although I look at the pictures above and cringe at things like my anorexic eyebrows and my jizz coloured lips, I also have to smile. As stupid as it might seem to outsiders there is something about these images, the answers to the questions and the list below that defines a good time and a good feeling and there ain't nothing wrong with that :)
Thanks to Anna for bringing it all flooding back :)
GOSH Darling, CHI Silk Infusion, MAC Fleshpot (cos THAT was a good idea!), Coastal Scents mega palettes, Kajal from eBay, Maybelline Moonlit Mauve mineral blusher, GOSH Bananas eyeliner, MAC Impassioned, MAC Stark Naked, NARS Mounia, GOSH lip jams - especially the blue one, Milani Luminous, NARS Sabrina, BarryM Dazzle Dusts, Barry M 101 and 129 lipsticks, MAC Lavender Whip, Bourjois Blanc Diaphane eyeshadow as face highlighter, St Moriz, Enormous Lash, Moonbathe collection, MAC Smoke Signals collection (probably the best one they ever did) and of course, Metro-Chic...
First makeup item ever purchased?
No7 lipstick in Chinchilla. It was murky chocolate poo-brown shade which is apt because I thought I was the shit when I wore it.
First MAC item? I was so on trend - 20 years ago - because it was Cyber lipstick, a colour that has made something of a comeback. This was shortly followed by Spice lip liner and MAC clear gloss because I read that Linda Evangelista swore by that lip combo and by buying it I would surely transform into her.
First MAC/other brand collection? I distinctly remember this. I was working on a Saturday, finishing off a research report, when I decided to sweeten the deal by getting on the bus and going down to the King's Road and up Sloane Street to Harvey Nichols. It was in the make up hall that I found MAC and the Barbie collection. Until this point I was totally unaware that MAC released 1323242 collections a year and that product turnover was so rapid. The limited edition nature of collections unleashed a powerful retail force that would haunt my bank account for years to follow.
First high end make up splurge? I used to pour over magazines and newspapers so any marketing spiel was quickly absorbed by a gullible me. After reading about Hard Candy my 15 year old self decided that this was my brand and that I needed to desperately hot foot it to their miniature stand in Harvey Nichols to purchase a glitter eyeliner. The eyeliner was purchased along with a funky (i.e., ugly) nail polish shade that I mainly bought because it came with a free plastic ring.
After that I flirted with all the department store brands, spending money earned in my Saturday telesales job, but it wasn't until I read about the opening of a new store in the Daily Mail's YOU Magazine when I was about 19 that my heart fluttered with the same intensity felt in the Hard Candy era. That store was Space NK and soon after I spent an obscene amount on a little boutique brand called NARS :)
First makeover experience? I had a foundation makeover at MAC in Brighton when I was about 17. I cringe now when I remember that my non-spotty skin was covered in Studio Fix Fluid and then set with Studio Fix Powder. I was a bit fearful of makeovers after that but I distinctly remember giving into an SA at the YSL counter in House of Fraser/Birmingham. This store was my haunt during university and the SA made a good commission from me/my student loan over the years. My reward for such loyalty was a heavy base, an 80's contour and a smokey eye so intense that it sent me rushing straight to the ladies in search of a tissue to scrub it off. Horrendous! I bought it all though - obviously.
First makeup brush? I had a few brush cast offs - Body Shop and magazine freebies that were knocking around my collection but it wasn't until I stumbled across a YouTube video featuring Amy04 that I acknowledged a whole world of professional application tools. A few videos later and I had decided that the MAC 224 needed to be in my world. A few years later and I own more brushes than some make up artists :o
First eyeshadow? I was late to the game when it came to eyeshadow. I think this is largely because I had no friggin' idea how to apply it. My most distinct eyeshadow memory, apart from the glorious BarryM dazzle dusts, was dabbling with Bourjois eyeshadow pots. To me these are still epic but it was Blanc Diaphane that I enjoyed the most, slathering it over my lids and my cheeks in an effort to create an ethereal glow.
First skincare "investment"? I seem to remember trying a Garnier cream that my friend Meryl raved about during school but the first real splurge was Eve Lom cleanser. This was purchased in the days when she claimed that this was "all you needed". Since then of course brand popularity has led to a change in message and now there is a whole range of additional products that fall into that "all you need" definition but that little pot of mineral oil still brings back fond memories.
First nail polish owned? It was called Dragon's Blood from the Boots Seventeen line and translated as a blackened purple. So chic. I'm sure it was applied with enthusiasm - all over my cuticles.
First fake tan attempt? I was about 13 years old and decided that borrowing my sister's Clinique fake tan was a marvellous idea. In my mind it didn't matter how I applied it because this was HIGH END and was therefore going to give the perfect result. Imagine my disappointment then when I woke up looking like a brown dalmatian.
Years later I discovered Xen-Tan, St Tropez and the wonder of a mitt but as my husband will tell you, I still apply it like "it's dark and I have taken out my contact lenses".
More Make up Memories
I could actually write this post all day but in order to avoid doing so I will sign off with a rambled list of phrases or products that elicit the feels when I say them out loud or write them down.
Although I look at the pictures above and cringe at things like my anorexic eyebrows and my jizz coloured lips, I also have to smile. As stupid as it might seem to outsiders there is something about these images, the answers to the questions and the list below that defines a good time and a good feeling and there ain't nothing wrong with that :)
Thanks to Anna for bringing it all flooding back :)
GOSH Darling, CHI Silk Infusion, MAC Fleshpot (cos THAT was a good idea!), Coastal Scents mega palettes, Kajal from eBay, Maybelline Moonlit Mauve mineral blusher, GOSH Bananas eyeliner, MAC Impassioned, MAC Stark Naked, NARS Mounia, GOSH lip jams - especially the blue one, Milani Luminous, NARS Sabrina, BarryM Dazzle Dusts, Barry M 101 and 129 lipsticks, MAC Lavender Whip, Bourjois Blanc Diaphane eyeshadow as face highlighter, St Moriz, Enormous Lash, Moonbathe collection, MAC Smoke Signals collection (probably the best one they ever did) and of course, Metro-Chic...
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