Splurgy

[resonant]

I now own more than a hundred dollars' worth of makeup.

Some of you who enjoy the performative aspects of femaleness more than I do are probably giving me a pitying smile right now -- that's not really all that much, I suppose -- but if you'd ever met me in real life, you'd understand. I have at least one male friend who routinely wears more makeup than I do. It's not hard.

I've always been able to splurge on department-store lipstick because lipstick was all I bought; $30 a year is a pretty reasonable makeup budget, even if all it buys is two lipsticks. Splurging on department-store full-Oprah-face turns out to be a bigger investment.

But I'm going to be in my brother's wedding, and I've been given to understand that a bridesmaid without makeup is like a bridesmaid without pantyhose, so for him I make this sacrifice.

The other sacrifice involved is that the dress is brown, and makes pinky-pale me look like a reanimated corpse. But my adorable seven-year-old is going to be right behind me with a basket of rose petals, so nobody's going to be looking at me.

Back in town next week. Back online as soon as I've finished listing a brown bridesmaid dress on eBay.

Comments

[panisdead.livejournal.com]

I was in a wedding a couple of weeks ago and am waiting anxiously for the prints to come back, because between the dress, the hair, and the fancy makeup, I can totally post pictures and you people still won't know what I really look like.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, good point! It's like Glamour Shots for free. (Well, not for free exactly ...)

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

I clearly fail at girliness, because the first thing I thought was, "Holy cow! A HUNDRED dollars of makeup? Wow!"

I think I own...um, maybe $30 of makeup. This is because 1) I don't buy or wear much makeup, and 2) I am a total cheapskate and get the really inexpensive stuff from the drugstore. $15 for a lipstick?!?! I boggle.

(My big concession to makeup is that I wear eyeliner on my lower eyelids frequently, because otherwise my eyes disappear behind my glasses. I have also been known to put blush on my cheeks.)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, but Prescriptives lipsticks smell like grapefruit! I seriously have been known to put on lipstick because I was feeling drowsy and needed the smell to wake me up.

But really I ought to buy everything else cheap, because I never use it up before it dries up and/or reaches its expiration date. I don't know how anybody uses up a tube of mascara when you're supposed to toss them every three months!

[janet-carter.livejournal.com]

See, I was going to say I might own $100 worth because I never throw anything out :).

[itsthewa.livejournal.com]

The other sacrifice involved is that the dress is brown, and makes pinky-pale me look like a reanimated corpse.

Oooh, that's where the extra make-up can come in really handy! :) If I wear a black shirt or dress, my normally pale face starts to look positively ill. But if I put on base, lipstick, blush, and eye make-up--hey, there's my face!

If you're not comfortable or certain about putting it on yourself for the wedding (not to mean you're an idiot or anything, but I still can't do good eye shadow, because I've never used it except for the most special occasions), you might want to have your make-up done on the day of the wedding at a beauty salon. It's not that expensive, and you can bring your own make-up for them to use. That way, you look perfect for all those pictures. {g}

Oh, if you do the beauty salon thing, you might want have a dry-run appointment the day or week before, so you can tell the salon make-up person what you like, and you can try a couple different looks. That way, you can experiment a bit beforehand, and not worry whether the make-up's the way you want when the actual wedding day comes.

Apologies if you knew all this already, but dude, nobody ever let me in on this stuff until I was the one getting married.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, geography is going to get in the way of the salon plan; we're going down to visit my parents, and from there we're all driving up to the resort town where the wedding will be, and only staying two days. Otherwise it would be a good idea.

I'm more or less competent with makeup -- I mean, don't ask me to do liquid eyeliner, but I can do my own face well enough -- but it doesn't come naturally.

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

I actually love to play with makeup, since I'm such a very fair (red hair, freckles the whole nasty package) and I need something to liven up my "look", in other words, something to make me look better than a three day old corpse. The problem is twofold 1) time required (I have only ten minutes in the morning) 2) money (I buy at Walgreen's or CVS). But I must have as my basics: foundation, blush, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick each day or I feel naked and can't go out to face the world. Truly.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow, really? I only wear foundation if someone makes me.

I do like to buy eyeshadow -- it's like buying crayons, all the colors! -- but I don't wear it much.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

I bought makeup once, almost two years ago. It was the Burt's Bees cosmetics sampler. I've worn it-- four times? Infrequently enough that I shouldn't have to buy more until the decade is out, at least. (Wait, no, I lie. I spilled quickly went through the powder and had to buy more. That shit's expensive.)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I love the Burt's Bees lotion and cuticle cream. The lip gloss feels lovely but the colors are awful on me.

[neery.livejournal.com]

What is it with people forcing their relatives to go to their weddings in dresses that we usually wouldn't be caught dead in (or, alternately, that make us look like we're being caught dead)?

I accidentally started the family fight from hell when I tried to refuse to wear a dirndl, the traditional Bavarian dress of horrors, to my boyfriend's sister's wedding, and was finally forced to give in and wear that damn thing for the sake of family peace. And I regularly hear dress horror stories from bridesmaids. I just don't get it -- do the brides want to make absolutely sure that they're the only woman at the party who's dressed in something flattering, or what?

But have fun at the wedding, anyway -- they tend to be awesome no matter how horribly dressed one may be.

[panisdead.livejournal.com]

DIRNDL OMG. I feel for you.

[neery.livejournal.com]

Especially as the wedding was IN HAMBURG. There was talk of bringing the "superior Bavarian culture" to the Prussians! I was all "do not make me throw up, people!", but they would not see reason.

To be fair, they let me get away with buying a very conservative dirndl in only one color, and then I cheated by getting rid of the horrible apron and the lacy blouse, so in the end, it looked more like a rather awesome renaissance era dress -- which I was actually pretty happy with, and the family couldn't exactly argue, even though it wasn't what they wanted.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I can actually defend my soon-to-be sister-in-law on the color -- she's a golden-skinned blonde, and it would probably look lovely on her. Abstractly it's quite a nice color.

On the other hand, the dress is floor-length and sleeveless, and I am dumpling shaped and live in jeans, so, no. Even if it weren't brown. Just no.

The thing I hate? It's actually beautifully made, with all sorts of expensive little details, and it's been tailored just for me -- first time I've ever had that. (Even my wedding suit didn't quite fit me exactly right.) And it's unlikely I'll ever have a dress made to fit me again. So why does it have to be a brown floor-length cocktail dress??

[neery.livejournal.com]

Now that's just cruel (of fate, not your sister-in-law) -- it seems very nice of them to go to all that trouble, it's really a pity they didn't pick something that's more "you".

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

100 bucks?
...
Huh.
Maybe you can sell it on ebay as well.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hee -- I imagine there's someone on eBay who'd buy used makeup, but I don't think I want to meet her. (Or him.)

At least I know I'll wear the lipstick after the wedding.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Oh, happy brother's wedding! *throws confetti* Have a great time!!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I like his fiancee very much and am looking forward to the trip.

[raqs.livejournal.com]

oh dear. well it sounds like you did the right thing, given the dress, though if you're never going to wear it again, $100 does seem like a lot.

don't be afraid of blush - not in a brown dress with pinky-pale skin.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think pink is my friend.

The makeup is all in good colors; I'd wear it again, if I ever wore makeup, which I mostly don't. At least the lipstick will get good use.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Gah! Make-up! Does that mean I'll have to buy some for my brother-in-law's wedding? Or can I count on my big straw hat (I'm absolutely getting a big straw hat)to hide my face in the afternoon outside sun?

And what does one wear to an afternoon, backyard wedding? Because I'm guessing my navy blue suit won't work.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

Afternoon backyard wedding in summer, or autumn?

Actually, come to think of it, for you it's not likely to make much difference, is it, because you wouldn't have bare shoulders in any case. One might choose a lighter color for summer, but there's no, like, law on the subject (except that you mustn't wear white shoes after Labor Day -- but, again, I don't imagine you're likely to wear white shoes anyway [g]).

I happen to think attendance at such things is more important than dress code, and nobody's really looking at the guests anyway, so as long as the bride is the only one wearing white and nobody (among the women) is wearing black, pfft, no big deal. That said, if you don't feel comfortable with your navy suit, have you got a summery sort of dress or tunic/skirt outfit or something? Possibly in a light color, or with some kind of floral pattern on it, or something?

[daisysparrow.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't be the only one. $30 is about the money I spent on make up in the last three years. I only buy chapstick and eyeliner. Chapstick because where I live, you don't wear it, your lips bleed. Eyeliner because I wear THICK glasses that make my eyes look non-existent. It's such a pain being a girl. All that expectations.

Brown bridesmaid dress? Now that make me wanna see what the bride's dress look like. ^__^

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

It should be interesting. She's an artist and actually has quite good taste, in general.

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

Hee!

I had to do something similar recently for a dear (much younger) friend's fancy wedding... I musta been the world's oldest bridesmaid... sheesh...

She had a salon available to do our hair (and makeup if we chose)... so my hair (white) looked fine against the black long sleeved lace top... (a dress!! I wore a dress!!! in her honor.... I HATE stiff constraining pinchy dresses!)

But I didn't do the whole makeup thing... blush and lipstick was all I could tolerate (my formative hair and makeup years were during the flower child era so I never learned)

All that grumbling aside... are you going to show us a photo of the wedding and you being beautiful?

ps... buy some smashingly beautiful shoes too.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I've got gorgeous shoes! I'm hoping the bride won't object to them. But the dress is so long, she may not even be able to see them.

I imagine she'll have a few other things on her mind.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

With the right makeup, a fair-skinned woman in a brown dress does not look like a reanimated corpse.

signed,
I don't own that much makeup either, but I've worn the faceful for people's weddings
oh, but with my fair skin, I have dark hair and eyes, which, if you have fair hair and blue eyes, for you might be a thing

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

It's not so much the fair as the pink; anything with a yellow undertone is just disastrous on me. (But I have dark hair and eyes, too. It might be OK.)

[dracostella.livejournal.com]

I probably own about 100 dollars of makeup that I never wear. (except lip balm...)

On the otherhand, it makes my bathroom look all girly and pretty.

I can understand that you definitely want to be wearing makeup as a bride's maid though because everyone else will be wearing make up and good heavens we want the bride's maids all to looking matching and glossy and colored just so. ^___^

[claire.livejournal.com]

I probably have at least $200 worth of makeup! Although $190 of it is tubes of black mascara and multiple lipsticks in the same nude pinky brown that just fades into my lips.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I probably own at least $50 worth of Black Honey lipgloss, which is basically the same color as my mouth only shinier. You know your lipstick is 'natural' when you can put it on without a mirror. Or let your 7-year-old wear it.

[poisonshock.livejournal.com]

just a quick note to tell u how much i loved "Warning", it was really really sweet and funny and hot. what more can one want from a story?? *g*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've got a soft spot for that story. Glad you liked it too!