How can I find my every day make up look

[Doyoulikedebt]

How do people find what make up look they wear everyday? It seems such a stupid question to ask! I'd like to think I'm good at applying make up & vary my make up alot depending on what I'm doing/where I'm going but mostly time! I've got a basic make up routine I follow every day & can do all the different eye looks but want to find one that suits me to wear everyday without looking too done.
I see people who every day where eyeliner in their waterline perhaps, or people who always wear the same eyeshadow look or bright lipstick even but I can never find one look that I think suits me so well to stick to. It ends up with me some days wearing eyeliner, some days having eyeshadow or a bright lippie. All of which look perfectly fine but I'd love to have a look that I always do. But what!? For example Rachel Stevens always wears a winged liner which looks great with her eye shape & Kate Middleton use to always wear eyeliner which just suits her eyes & face. Maybe they've had make up artists tell them what look works for them?
I've experimented with make up so much over the years you'd think I'd know! But it always falls back to eyeshadow & I wonder if people think that can be OTT for day to day. I do agree that eyeshadows when in the park with kids might look a 'bit much'. Maybe it's the type of shadow? I have big eyes so feel that they need something rather than just mascara which can look quite boring. How did you suss out your make up look? Did it just go that way & do you think it suits your features or do you do it because it looks nice?
Well done if you understand anything of what I'm saying!

I don't really know - I tend to stick to what suits me. If I have a good face day, I'll repeat it the next day and so on.
I don't really do dramatic - aim is for naturally pretty - hah!

I think the best thing is to go ask at a make up counter where they do makeovers. I think Bobbi Brown is good for this and perhaps Mac? Ask for an everyday look.

Or look on you tube but instead of looking at Rachel from Steps or Kate Middleton look for someone who somewhat resembles you and try and look for them wearing different make up so you can ask yourself is my everyday lipstick a beige or a pink (or even a red???). Would I suit goldy brown eyeshadow or a pale soft pink or a grey. If your colouring is cool then greys or pinks or mauves I guess. If warm then go for browns (warm golden ones) or maybe a olive green. What is your colouring and what colour eyes?

Thanks to S&,B I went down the skincare route when I realised more effort was needed, as I can't bare too much makeup on my skin. I use the various acids, face toner device and medical grade eyelash growth serum, have regular subtle Botox and lip fillers and as such, my skin and 'natural' look is my signature look.

Mine is red lipstick, even if the rest of my face is bare. I “found” that look because I had really bad acne and felt that the bold lips gave my face a focal point away from my spots. Now it’s just my “signature” style.

I do tend to wear a bit of foundation, blusher, brows, and mascara. I don’t wear eyeshadow really, other than maybe a single nude to even out my skin tone.

These are all really helpful replies, thank you. Yes I suppose I should try & aim for natural. Once I'm done covering the black bags under my eyes from lack of sleep I feel I need to balance it out though!!
@Deathraystare I never thought to search for a celebrity similar looking & see their make up looks. I have dark hair, eyes & easily tanned skin. Golds & browns suit well as do pinks. Your suggestion of seeing a make up counter is a good one, I think I may pop along to one this afternoon!

I wear natural foundation with concealer and powder every day. I don't want to look 'made up', just healthy. I wear mascara and a small amount of black liner on my upper lid. I don't wear eyeshadow. I wear a natural nude lipstick or clarins lip perfector. The aim is a gentle make up which doesn't look like make up.

For evenings out I wear the above but add some bronzing powder, eyeshadow and a bright lipstick.

About 3 years ago I decided to stop faffing about with smoky eyes (my version involved a lot of blending of slightly different neutral eyeshadows for no very remarkable effect) and started doing something very simple - I wear 4 items now, unless it's a very dressy occasion.

Tinted moisturiser
Browny grey eyeliner (top only)
Browny black mascara (top only)
Lipstick, often red, sometimes a browny pink or a mauvey pink if that particularly suits the colours I'm wearing.

I darken my eyebrows slightly sometimes (with a colour called "blonde," which is kind of taupe-ish) but I don't always bother, as I have a long fringe and they're not very visible.

I didn't always wear lipstick before, and tended to stick to rather subtle colours when I did. Now for some reason I'm much more confident with it. I think there was just too much going on before.

For what it's worth I'm in my 50s. It's taken me this long to find a make-up style I like enough to think I'll stick with it for ever.

I'm no help really as I chop and change my make up all the time, at the moment I favor taupe eyeshadows, slightly shimmery, pinky lips and a muted pink cream blusher. If I'm wearing make up I wear it all (foundation concealer blush eyeshadow mascara eyebrow pencil lipstick)its all or nothing at all. I'm happy with my bare face but sometimes I like to feel a bit more glamorous. If I'm going out in the evening I'll darken the eye make up and put on a brighter or richer lipstick, like a fushia or dark Berry.

@user 1471554720 - which natural foundation do you use?

citygirl1961

I use lancome teint renergie ultra 032. I use 023 for winter with a small amount of estee lauder bronzer. I have white dry skin and naturally dark hair. Lancome was the best brand which looked natural. I use the lancome neutral powder to set it. Other brands can make it look obvious I have a brown face and white hands.

I am 50 now and have been doing this make up since I was 30. I vary the lipstick shades every day but I don't change the makeup, unless a lighter shade for winter.

It's so personal isn't it? I am pale with no definition anywhere and light eyes, so I need a full face of makeup or I look ill/tired/unbalanced. So whilst I'd love to look good with just a red lip, or just a groomed brow or whatever, it's just not an option. I have an all or nothing face, so that's what dictates my everyday look. But I try to go for definition and depth without brightness, if that makes sense. So that you would see 'me' rather than a mask of makeup. Definitely not a natural look, but one which isn't showy either.

The make up artist who did my wedding make up does make up lessons, tailored to what the client wants. Would something like that help?
I imagine a lot of make up artists might offer similar. I think it can help freshen your look to get advice from someone in the know about products and colours which would work for you.

Could you take a photo of your face every day for a week when you do various types of looks then have a look at them side by side with an objective eye and see what you like best?

I think a natural look is quite in at the moment, but obviously everyone tries to enhance their best bits and tone down their bad bits. I personally think everyone looks a lot better with a bit of subtle blusher so I always wear some, and having good brows is essential to frame your face. Other than that, a bit of concealer and some mascara and you're probably good to go.

Ask if you really like eyeshadow have you tried some cream eyeshadow sticks in neural or slightly shimmery colours? They can look a bit more daytime than a matte powder.

All really good replies, thanks everyone! General thought is that natural is best, or at least the look of natural! I think I'm going to look at my everyday routine & probably switch that up a little rather than focusing on the eye make up. From another thread about eyeliner I could be adding years to my age without realising so I'm going to look into maybe changing to a cream blush, never used that before, & finding an every day lipstick that adds a hint of colour but not too much. A couple of changes could make a difference to how I feel. Reassuring to know others are the same though, & that it can take years to find a look that you can be happy to wear every day.

Yes a less is more look would probably be best, especially if you haven't worn make up for a while/not sure what to wear. If your skin is not bad try a tinted moisturiser/bb or cc cream. There are sheerer than foundations and would just give you a bit of colour and possibly cover.

If you go to a make up counter ask for a natural everyday look (they should also be able to tell you what to use to 'beef it up' a bit for evening etc.

Over lockdown I turned to focusing on looking after my skin, which means I now no longer need to wear foundation. My everyday look is just a bit of concealer, blusher, lip tint, and brown powder used as eyeliner on top lids. My eyebrows are micro bladed as they are patchy from over plucking. If going out somewhere nice then I just add mascara with maybe some muted eyeshadow and lipstick. I have quite a classic and soft look and tend to look like I’m playing dress up if I wear too much make up… love an eyeliner flick and strong red lipstick on others but it doesn’t suit me. I look so much better with a ‘natural’ look

I watch YouTube vids for ideas.

The Bare Minerals channel is very good- lots of nice ideas that are not over the top. Also Vogue has a little series where models show you their everyday looks.

Also Smeetha (not sure of spelling) Deepak on YouTube is great as her colouring is similar to mine. She does full-on and simple looks with easy techniques you can copy. I find what most of the well known Youtuber make up influencers do more like drag than make up for real people.

@Doyoulikedebt what age range are you in? (Not being impolite!) Just bc I turned 35 and needed a make up overall - my usual failsafe look+products just didn't work anymore. It might be you need to look at your skincare routine also?

For example, I now find all blushes too "pink" even with a peach/neutral undertone, so I switched to a bronzer (done very lightly, no shimmer!) And I found that was soooo much better.

Also Clinique chubby sticks in a neutral shade - fairly easy to apply whilst doing a million other things. I also needed a primer for greasy lids benefit stopped doing the best one

I switched to brown mascara bc although my lashes are dark, I found black made me look even more tired than I actually am

I do think eyeliner can look aging, I never wear it, I just use the darkist shade in my eyeshadow palette and blend it around my top lashes and use the medium shade under the outer part of my lower eye. I prefer cream blusher as it adds sheen but I do have the Clinique pop blushes which are very natural. I use velvet or natural finish foundation. Never a full on matte one. I never wear bronzer as I find it too harsh. I actually prefer eyeshadow with a sheen as I find true matte ones make my lids look crepey when they really are not. I must admit Chanel are the best at this. Or By Terry stick eyeshadows have lovely micro shimmer. I do not wear face powder. Anything goes lipstick wise. I like most formulas and most colours.

@LatteLatteLatte I'm 34 & wondering if I just need to switch everything up. Brown mascara might be worth a try! Black mascara tends to smudge when on bottom lashes so I only wear it on the top & it could be causing me to look darker around the eyes. I'd say I have clear skin, no spots & always have been complimented on it but with kids that don't sleep its starting to take its toll & I'm looking black under the eyes. I may have fallen into the trap of alway using the same blush & that could be making a difference. Thanks for your tips! Being honest I probably have reached an age where I need to spend a little more on products & the cheap glittering ones aren't doing me any favours!

When I’m going into the office I do a full eye but when I wfh or on weekends I use a Nars pencil to tightline my upper eyelid followed by a recent discovery, Laura Mercier Caviar eyeshadow sticks, one of which I just sweep over my lid and blend with my finger up into the crease. Followed by lashings of black mascara on upper lashes only and Anastasia eyebrow stuff (it’s in a tube like mascara, can’t remember what it’s called) in taupe. No foundation, just concealer on nose and under eyes, a bit of Nars Orgasm blush and a nude-pink lip colour.

It may sound a bit much for lounging at home but I’m rather pale and look tired and washed out, and not “me” when I don’t have at least some makeup on. I’m in my 50s and yes, it’s taken me a long time to find this look I’m comfortable with.