itskristin

lessons in beauty

I've been doing my makeup since the eighth grade, which is now 9 years ago(insane!). in that time, trends have come and gone, products have been released and discontinued, and the phases I've gone through with not only makeup but also skincare have taught me a lottttt. this is me documenting much of it.

1. you probably don't need it

I think social media has made us insane and also quite dimwitted consumers for many things, especially beauty products. I was a serious tumblrina back in the day and an even more devout youtube beauty content viewer, too, so I easily fell for whatever content creators and users I admired posted about what helped their skin.

if you don't have a skincare routine and your skin is relatively fine, don't start one! it doesn't matter if one of your girlfriends told you you "should" have one, don't believe her! products can very easily ruin your skin, many times it's the products that claim to fix your skin that will be your very downfall. avoid a complex skincare routine at all costs, just put on spf and wash your face occasionally, please.

2. you don't need anything more than 4 steps in a skincare routine

don't believe the hype, those 10-step korean skincare routines do not work and are completely unnecessary. you want glass skin? get a nice camera, good lighting, and some decent photo editing abilities. any skincare product you use should be strictly needs-based, not just doing shit for the sake of doing shit. unless your skin is so oily that when you take a call you see a distinct film of of oil over your phone when you hang up, you probably don't need all the "must-haves" that people online say you do.

a good skincare routine should go as follows:

or, for a nighttime routine:

if you have serious skin problems like acne or otherwise, see a dermatologist or find yourself some tretinoin online.

3. seriously, less is more

it's very easy when you wear makeup regularly that you develop some sort of facial dysmorphia. you might come to believe that you look ugly without makeup, that your pores are humongous, or that your scarring is just horrific to look at. nine times out of ten, none of these are true, and you do not fall into that 10% chance, either. take a break from makeup for as long as you can, until you can accept your face and skin for what they are.

this also goes with your makeup routine. if you're trying to put on some natural, no-makeup-makeup, don't pull out the foundation or powders or eyeshadow. you want your skin but better? learn how to color correct properly. haley kim has tons of videos on how to color correct, and they'll be especially helpful if you have a light to medium skintone. if you've got tan to deep skin, watch a jackie aina video(this is a good one). this alexandra anele video is pretty good, too. as for what palette to use, just use the mac color correcting palette. works like a charm.

doing full or soft glam every day is not good for your mental health, especially when it's the only way for you to feel good about yourself. put that brush down.

4. listen to someone you know

don't be quick to follow a content creator and do whatever they say. they get paid to sell you on a product's efficacy and quality, and even if they're not getting paid, they're doing it in hopes of someday getting paid. find someone you know, whether it be online or irl, whose makeup skills you admire. if they know you too, they can make accurate recommendations based on your skin needs, facial features, and skin tone. influencers don't know you the way your friends do. listen to them.

you can even ask me if you'd like ^^

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