Help I don't know what I'm doing

[toddandleah]

Newbie here on all things mineral. I've dabbled with Everyday Minerals, but I want a one-stop shop for all my make-up needs, and I haven't been all that excited about the colors I see for cheeks and eyes over there. I'm 34, mom of 4 and in the midst of a style identity crisis. Any of you 30-somethings out there chime in please. Not young anymore but not old either. I'm through the child-bearing chapter of life, and so after putting away pregnancy and nursing clothes, I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to look like anymore. One thing is for sure, I like it simple and fast. My over-all look is to keep things natural. I've got long dark brown hair, you can see red in it when the sun hits it. My eyes are hazel green, fair (neutral undertones - leaning more toward warm than cool). Starting to get those fine lines, sigh...

For eyeshadow - I'm trying to put together a daytime look that's not sparkly. I'm thinking a lid color, crease and highlight. Also an eyeliner color would be good too. But I don't know what will look good on me. I'd like to enhance my eye color without going crazy bold color.

For Cheeks - I lean more toward a soft flush color, not pinky but not too peachy either. When I tried the EM blush, the Snuggle color seemed to turn orange on me And the Soco was too pink and looked artificial. That was all the sample colors they were offering and I didn't want to shell out anymore to try something else.

And I'm trying to figure out the whole foundation thing at SN. I'm not sure where to start. Before I started trying out mineral makeup I wore a tinted moisturizer. I tried formulas from Glo to Matte over at Everyday Minerals. Is it me or do the shimmery ones make you look older – did I just have the wrong color or does the whole dewy look just enhance wrinkles? Somebody set me straight.

I don't have problematic skin, it's fairly normal. Ever since I started oil-cleansing, it's been much more balanced. I have problems on my chin, but it's seems to be tied to my cycle. So I'm not sure which formula to order, I don’t want that mask look, I want to feel like I’m not wearing anything.

Anyway, I realize this is a lot of information, and I do appreciate ya’ll’s time and advice.
Thanks,
leah

PS
Posted pics: <cringe> inside w/natural light from the window, outside and eye color.

[JenW]

For eyes....probably start with mattes or near-mattes. Highlight-Bone , Bareback and Stag. Stag could double as a light eyeliner. If you want a deeper eyeliner, I would try a sample of the cream liner in Espresso or matte shadow in Basalt.

Cheeks.....a bronzer or Flirt blush. For the Bronzer, I would try Malibu Miss so that you have easier control over the depth.

For foundation.....this one can be tricky if you have not used much in the way of mineral foundation. I usually recommend a sample kit in Original formula first. I do think you will be in the Ebony or Olive range. Ebony will be close to 1 scoop color to 8 white...Olive will be close to one scoop color to 12 white. Most people with drier skin usually have to do a bit of an overhaul on their skincare (usually adding a hydrating serum helps quite a bit) to get used to powder foundation. It is very much worth the effort, but I did not want to leave this unmentioned since you are all ready concerned about the foundation settling in fine lines. The shimmerier ones tend to do so the most, but usually you can mix up a balance that will work for you to get a bit of a glow without sacrificing the emphasis of lines. The least shimmery foundation is All Purpose and a few scoops of Glow base could be added in to replace some of the white a bit at a time to achieve that. You may want to skip the Original and just start with All Purpose. I do always recommend samples.

[toddandleah]

Thanks so much for your help! I'll give it a try
leah

[landmouse]

I also recently started with SN minerals, and I have noticed that layering the Green Tea & Aloe hydrating serum with the Hemp moisturizer twice a day significantly reduced that powder-in-the-wrinkles look that I thought was unavoidable. You may want to try a different hydrating serum and/or moisturizer since your skin is a bit different than mine, and Jen is right...always sample new products one at a time to start.

Also, Jen is the bomb at color-matching; just remember that the foundations will ALL look powdery for approx. 30 minutes after application, so don't freak out the first time an assume you've got the color wrong like I did.

Good luck, and welcome!

[toddandleah]

Thanks so much! My m-i-l is coming to visit us in a couple days and will be bringing all the goodies I ordered awhile back (we live abroad). I can't wait to try it out! I never would have considered myself olive - maybe that's where I've been going wrong finding a good match. I must not be allowing for change. Back when I was 16 my mom took me to a Color Me Beautiful draping and I think they told me I was a spring and that I'd probably go the way of my mom and turn autumn when I was older. But finding your season seems so passe now

Thanks for the tip on the serums and moisturizers. I usually rub in a little almond oil before my primer. I'll look into those others and give it a shot.

leah

[toddandleah]

I made my first mix. I tried 1 olive 8 white. But it doesn't cover very well the ruddy spots around my nose and chin. Before i mixed it all up, I rubbed a little of each of the four colors on my forearm to see which one seemed to go with my skin tone. Olive and warm gold were the two that nearly disappeared. What should I do to darken this one up a bit? I've started with a 1:8 ratio. Do I need the warm gold to deal with the redness, or should I just add another scoop of olive?

Thanks
Leah

[JenW]

I made my first mix. I tried 1 olive 8 white. But it doesn't cover very well the ruddy spots around my nose and chin. Before i mixed it all up, I rubbed a little of each of the four colors on my forearm to see which one seemed to go with my skin tone. Olive and warm gold were the two that nearly disappeared. What should I do to darken this one up a bit? I've started with a 1:8 ratio. Do I need the warm gold to deal with the redness, or should I just add another scoop of olive?

Thanks
Leah

I can't imagine you need it darker in shade, it might just be that it needs a little more mixing. Or, the next time you mix it up, try 1:7. It is nearly impossible to add a part of a scoop to deepen the color.

Which formula are you using? Did you try a few layers of product over the areas that would not cover? Maybe what you need is heavier coverage.....

[toddandleah]

I made my first mix. I tried 1 olive 8 white. But it doesn't cover very well the ruddy spots around my nose and chin. Before i mixed it all up, I rubbed a little of each of the four colors on my forearm to see which one seemed to go with my skin tone. Olive and warm gold were the two that nearly disappeared. What should I do to darken this one up a bit? I've started with a 1:8 ratio. Do I need the warm gold to deal with the redness, or should I just add another scoop of olive?

Thanks
Leah

I can't imagine you need it darker in shade, it might just be that it needs a little more mixing. Or, the next time you mix it up, try 1:7. It is nearly impossible to add a part of a scoop to deepen the color.

Which formula are you using? Did you try a few layers of product over the areas that would not cover? Maybe what you need is heavier coverage.....

I'm using the All-Purpose one. I did add a little more on those red areas, and also some concealer, but I was afraid to be too heavy-handed and looking artificial. I shook it for quite awhile, but I guess I can shake it up some more to see if that was the problem. If not, I'll try messing around with the ratio again and see how it goes.

Thanks,
Leah

[Xarata]

Since you're using the all purpose foundation, have you tried applying it wet(misting your face with a hydrosol or water before and after buffing)? You tend to get better coverage and the powder also blends into your skin more naturally when you apply it wet. I actually use a sponge to apply mine that way (i spray the sponge and dab it in powder). I do like the concealer stick for my chin and the dark circles under my eyes. Your coloring actually isn't far off from my own (though I am paler than you are)