beauty portrait: from makeup to business

Let’s talk about beauty priorities for a second, shall we? As I’ve gotten older, my taste, outlook and appreciation for the practice of beautifying oneself has evolved drastically. Over the years, makeup has become my pick-me-up friend – the one who tells me you still got it, let’s be fun, girly, flirty, vampy or sexy. It’s also that friend that reminds me that I need to take care of my skin if I want my look to be flawless and that all I need to do is add a touch here and there to enhance my own natural beauty. Sometimes it protects me from looking utterly exhausted, which is what this here post is about (sort of). I spend a lot of hours working in front of a computer and the wear shows on my eyes at the end of each day. My word of advice for something like this would be take moments to breathe, drink lots of water, eat well and try relaxation techniques to help soothe eye strain. My second word of advice – if you need to go out but don’t want to look like you’ve never slept – is to learn a few simple yet very effective makeup tips.
I give a full breakdown on Latinamom (Oh yes, there’s a before shot in case you wondered), but you only need a few products and about 15 minutes to go from tired to refreshed (well, on the outside at least. Get your sleep!). When I’ve been working for a long time, and need to make an evening work event or PTA meeting (I chair an arts program at my son’s school), I do a few basic steps to get ready. I exfoliate my face and moisturize (you can use a BB cream), apply my foundation, add my concealer (in a v-shape for better coverage on those big eye sockets of mine), dab a bit of neutral light shimmer on the inner corners of my eye and brow bone. I use neutral tone (a shade darker than my skin) on my eye crease and a lighter color (a shade lighter than my skin) for the eye lid. This basically gives the very subtle illusion of a refreshed eye. For your makeup, all you need is a simple cat eye and a bit of liner on your lower lid (stay away from the water line for this one and let your upper lid liner do its job). Lightly color in your brow, add mascara, blush and gloss. These basic products should be separated from your makeup case, and placed in a convenient spot so you can do it quickly with no fuss. Like I said in the beginning of this post, my relationship with makeup and beauty has changed so much over the years. And I often wonder why many beauty brands don’t work with women of all ages as much. As a 41 year old woman, I can tell you that I love to look and feel just as beautiful as I did when I was 25. I can also tell you that I’m a much smarter consumer today than I was back then and I know what suits me and works for me way more than I ever did. I would also like to share that most of the hits to my blog come from two slideshows I did – Style Blogs for Women Over 40 and Beauty Blogs for Women 40 and Up. Yet, brands are using their budgets for the younger demographic (for the exception of a few beauty bloggers I know, who have a huge following because readers trust their knowledge). It was a point I briefly brought up in this month’s issue of iBlog magazine. I was asked about the obstacles a style blogger (or any niche, really) faces when trying to create a business out of it. Here’s what I said … The blogging business is a booming one. In fact, it’s why my eyes are so tired most of the time. There’s room for everyone but not every path is the same and not every brand is going to ‘get’ it right away. Marketing traditions are very hard to change. But I have seen a huge evolution online and am honored to work with and for campaigns that focus on women empowerment. We’re getting there, and I commend all the women out there who have used their platforms to change old ideals about aging, beauty and the way brands view women in this age of technology.