Cosmetic Woe
Jan. 20th, 2018 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jhameiaIn an effort to actually use the stuff I have constantly bought over the years, I have resolved to do the following:
- moisturize every night after the shower.
I've got lotions that I've bought specifically for my hands; I wash my hands a lot, which means they get dry a lot. But honestly, moisturizing the back of my hands doesn't take a lot, which means I've got a ton of leftover lotion from Dissertation Soap. So, I decided to apply some at night after my shower. It's been great at using up lotion that I've got leftover--I've finished one full-sized bottle. I got the idea from the sample of Jergen's after-shower moisturizer, which is supposed to go on while the skin is still sopping wet. I think I'm doing the moisturizing wrong, maybe my skin is too dry when I moisturize because I towel myself off pretty aggressively, but we'll see how I feel in a bit.
- wear more makeup.
I HAVE. SO. MUCH. STUFF. Some accumulated from impulse buys at the pharmacy, some I just... brought with me from Canada, which I think I should get rid of but I am way attached (like my Body Shop bronzer). I am trying to make it a practice to wear it more often, experimenting with it even if it's just for a few minutes a day before I wash it off. I should also try to make it a daily morning habit.
But I'm also trying to get a sense of what I like to use and what I don't, and what I'm potentially allergic to. A huge part of why I don't use makeup much is that my face tends to feel tired the day after, like a layer of eye makeup is just too heavy and my skin lacks the muscles to carry. But it's not ALL makeup--some eyeliners are less annoying to my face than others, and I'm trying to figure out what the ingredient is so I can avoid it. (I'm finding my face is less annoyed by eyeshadow than I expected... it could be just eyeliner my skin dislikes?) (NB I never get really noticeable reactions to makeup--it's almost always after a day of wearing it, or while wearing it my face feels, idk, restless.)
I have a TON of stuff for lip colour (when Who Is She Cosmetics had a sale because they were re-branding I bought a ton of their electric blue lip composites) which I almost never use because it's an extra several minutes to a morning routine, but I really need to just get over myself and learn how to apply it quickly.
I've finished the whipped cream foundation that's been my go-to for years now, and I'd like to get something new. I'm thinking of trying Shiseido again (I was so sure I had foundation somewhere but I can't remember where it is now), but I'm also tempted by Fenty Beauty. I've got to make a decision soon though, because my under-eye triangles are back in force. I've had them all my life and they don't often bother me, but sometimes they're suuuuuper noticeable. I tend to chalk their presence up to hydration, but I feel like I saw them a lot less last summer when I cut out sugars from my overall diet and consumed a fuckton of green tea.
To document this process I've been posting selfies to Instagram quite a bit.
- use skincare products properly.
A professor I respected a great deal, Adeline Koh, essentially quit her job to make k-beauty products after spending a sabbatical making them and starting her own business and realizing she liked it better than she liked being in academia. She added me to the Facebook group she started specifically for people who buy her products. I've never bought any because I've always had "poor grad student, cannot afford luxury products" but recently, I caved, and bought a couple of samples: the Sake & Fermented Rice Sleeping Pack and the Bright Eyes Eye Gel.
I feel I might be overdoing things a little, because in general, I have pretty decent skin. Also, the eye gel might not work well because of factors described above. But I also would like to take better care overall, especially if I'm going to work makeup into my regimen, so I'm on the lookout for things I can use to bring my A game. So far, the sleeping pack seems to be pretty nice; I don't hate it, and it's a nice pre-bedtime ritual to put it on. The instructions say to put on a thick layer, and I'm not sure I understand what a thick layer is, but I've been using the sample size for a week now and it's still quite a bit, so... I might try using more and more to see?
The closest I tend to get to in skincare products is a daily cleanser and a moisturizer. Once upon a time, I used Skin Food emulsions (this Lettuce and Cucumber Emulsion is probably the closest I have come to enjoying the consumption of vegetables). I've got the Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask and it never occurred to me to try using it as a mask until recently (I sort of have these facial cleansers in the bathroom, to be used during my shower because I don't feel like using it as part of my morning routine for various reasons, like, they're half-gone and I want to try a new cleanser, or I'm not crazy about how they feel in the morning so I'll use them at night since I'm going to sleep anyway). It's OK, but it does feel like, idk, how alcohol feels, lol.
I'm also going to use sunscreen more often! I keep saying this and during summer I was very good about spraying on sunscreen before heading to the pool, but I really also should be using it during winter here in Riverside because the sun! keeps! shining! argh! Today I neglected to put some on the back of my neck, and I keep my hair in a looped ponytail, so now the back of my neck feels a bit burnt. I got the Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Liquid because it's supposed to go on underneath makeup, and I was considering doing that (or else get foundation that also serves as sunblock but that seems dicey).
- do something with my hair, omg.
As summer was ending, my hair was really nice and thick, somehow? I wasn't paying attention; I just washed it every other day after swimming, and used Gliss products because I really like the Schwarzkopf line (got2bu had a wonderful shampoo/conditioner that they discontinued, which made me sad). I also like the OGX shampoo/conditioners, and stuck to the Vitamin E stuff quite religiously for a while.
About a couple of weeks ago, however, my hair started shedding. Like, it feels half as thick as it did just about three months ago, and I personally find it VERY alarming. I tend to start dropping hair after a couple of days of not washing (which is my cue to wash my hair) but this is a LOT of hair to lose. Now, could be I'm overreacting, because my hair's very long now so maybe it's not that many strands, but I don't think so. Could also be that my hair's just really long, so very heavy, so it wants to drop, but I've had very long hair and it doesn't thin out like this quite so dramatically. Could be that I just need to wash my hair more often! Could be anything, IDK. Either way, now my hair looks sad and thin and I don't know what to do about it. I do tend to not pay much attention to it and tie it up into a loop at the top of my head, because I want it out of the way, and leaving it down gets it tangled a lot! And when it gets tangled, there is breakage, and where there is breakage, there are split ends. I've done pretty well at avoiding very visible split ends, but sometimes they are there and they bug me.
My hair is very thin and mostly fine. It's also suuuuuuuper straight, and suggestive to curling only if I sleep with it damp. To keep the curls I have to use a lot of product. But I do like using pillow curlers, so it's not generally a big deal, and I look fun with curly hair. The last major cut I did was in 2012 before I moved to California, and that was a drastic cut, right until my hairline. It had grown out a little by the time I moved to the States. Now it's almost touching the small of my back. Because I keep my hair up almost all the time, I am apparently nigh unrecognizable when I let it down.
I'm determined that when I get a job, and thus feel like I have moved on from the PhD properly, I'm gonna go short again. I'm thinking of something really short on the sides, long-ish on top. I've been coveting this side-parted mohawk with a perm, because gosh, look at that volume! I'd feel so much taller with it. But the perm might be a bit much to maintain, so I also looked at this pixie/mohawk. I've never done either style before, and they might be a bit extreme for the professional settings I'm hoping to be a part of. I'd really like to try either one though. It'd be something really different from what I've had in the past. I haven't had a perm done since, uh, 1998 (I had a dyeing kick in 2006 - 2008) so, 20 years on might be a good time to return to that look?
All these musings don't address my immediate problem of thin hair that I don't know what to do with. I attempted making a fauxhawk but that requires quite a bit of product and teasing my hair more than I'm comfortable with. I had my hair down for a lot of the time I was in SF, but it was usually under my shirt--made it easier to pull a hood up. And that makes it tangled enough to break, which sucked.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAY that's just a lot of the thinking I've been doing over the last few weeks as I try to gather myself and distract myself from severe Impostor Syndrome. What's YOUR hair/skin care regimen like?
- moisturize every night after the shower.
I've got lotions that I've bought specifically for my hands; I wash my hands a lot, which means they get dry a lot. But honestly, moisturizing the back of my hands doesn't take a lot, which means I've got a ton of leftover lotion from Dissertation Soap. So, I decided to apply some at night after my shower. It's been great at using up lotion that I've got leftover--I've finished one full-sized bottle. I got the idea from the sample of Jergen's after-shower moisturizer, which is supposed to go on while the skin is still sopping wet. I think I'm doing the moisturizing wrong, maybe my skin is too dry when I moisturize because I towel myself off pretty aggressively, but we'll see how I feel in a bit.
- wear more makeup.
I HAVE. SO. MUCH. STUFF. Some accumulated from impulse buys at the pharmacy, some I just... brought with me from Canada, which I think I should get rid of but I am way attached (like my Body Shop bronzer). I am trying to make it a practice to wear it more often, experimenting with it even if it's just for a few minutes a day before I wash it off. I should also try to make it a daily morning habit.
But I'm also trying to get a sense of what I like to use and what I don't, and what I'm potentially allergic to. A huge part of why I don't use makeup much is that my face tends to feel tired the day after, like a layer of eye makeup is just too heavy and my skin lacks the muscles to carry. But it's not ALL makeup--some eyeliners are less annoying to my face than others, and I'm trying to figure out what the ingredient is so I can avoid it. (I'm finding my face is less annoyed by eyeshadow than I expected... it could be just eyeliner my skin dislikes?) (NB I never get really noticeable reactions to makeup--it's almost always after a day of wearing it, or while wearing it my face feels, idk, restless.)
I have a TON of stuff for lip colour (when Who Is She Cosmetics had a sale because they were re-branding I bought a ton of their electric blue lip composites) which I almost never use because it's an extra several minutes to a morning routine, but I really need to just get over myself and learn how to apply it quickly.
I've finished the whipped cream foundation that's been my go-to for years now, and I'd like to get something new. I'm thinking of trying Shiseido again (I was so sure I had foundation somewhere but I can't remember where it is now), but I'm also tempted by Fenty Beauty. I've got to make a decision soon though, because my under-eye triangles are back in force. I've had them all my life and they don't often bother me, but sometimes they're suuuuuper noticeable. I tend to chalk their presence up to hydration, but I feel like I saw them a lot less last summer when I cut out sugars from my overall diet and consumed a fuckton of green tea.
To document this process I've been posting selfies to Instagram quite a bit.
- use skincare products properly.
A professor I respected a great deal, Adeline Koh, essentially quit her job to make k-beauty products after spending a sabbatical making them and starting her own business and realizing she liked it better than she liked being in academia. She added me to the Facebook group she started specifically for people who buy her products. I've never bought any because I've always had "poor grad student, cannot afford luxury products" but recently, I caved, and bought a couple of samples: the Sake & Fermented Rice Sleeping Pack and the Bright Eyes Eye Gel.
I feel I might be overdoing things a little, because in general, I have pretty decent skin. Also, the eye gel might not work well because of factors described above. But I also would like to take better care overall, especially if I'm going to work makeup into my regimen, so I'm on the lookout for things I can use to bring my A game. So far, the sleeping pack seems to be pretty nice; I don't hate it, and it's a nice pre-bedtime ritual to put it on. The instructions say to put on a thick layer, and I'm not sure I understand what a thick layer is, but I've been using the sample size for a week now and it's still quite a bit, so... I might try using more and more to see?
The closest I tend to get to in skincare products is a daily cleanser and a moisturizer. Once upon a time, I used Skin Food emulsions (this Lettuce and Cucumber Emulsion is probably the closest I have come to enjoying the consumption of vegetables). I've got the Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask and it never occurred to me to try using it as a mask until recently (I sort of have these facial cleansers in the bathroom, to be used during my shower because I don't feel like using it as part of my morning routine for various reasons, like, they're half-gone and I want to try a new cleanser, or I'm not crazy about how they feel in the morning so I'll use them at night since I'm going to sleep anyway). It's OK, but it does feel like, idk, how alcohol feels, lol.
I'm also going to use sunscreen more often! I keep saying this and during summer I was very good about spraying on sunscreen before heading to the pool, but I really also should be using it during winter here in Riverside because the sun! keeps! shining! argh! Today I neglected to put some on the back of my neck, and I keep my hair in a looped ponytail, so now the back of my neck feels a bit burnt. I got the Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Liquid because it's supposed to go on underneath makeup, and I was considering doing that (or else get foundation that also serves as sunblock but that seems dicey).
- do something with my hair, omg.
As summer was ending, my hair was really nice and thick, somehow? I wasn't paying attention; I just washed it every other day after swimming, and used Gliss products because I really like the Schwarzkopf line (got2bu had a wonderful shampoo/conditioner that they discontinued, which made me sad). I also like the OGX shampoo/conditioners, and stuck to the Vitamin E stuff quite religiously for a while.
About a couple of weeks ago, however, my hair started shedding. Like, it feels half as thick as it did just about three months ago, and I personally find it VERY alarming. I tend to start dropping hair after a couple of days of not washing (which is my cue to wash my hair) but this is a LOT of hair to lose. Now, could be I'm overreacting, because my hair's very long now so maybe it's not that many strands, but I don't think so. Could also be that my hair's just really long, so very heavy, so it wants to drop, but I've had very long hair and it doesn't thin out like this quite so dramatically. Could be that I just need to wash my hair more often! Could be anything, IDK. Either way, now my hair looks sad and thin and I don't know what to do about it. I do tend to not pay much attention to it and tie it up into a loop at the top of my head, because I want it out of the way, and leaving it down gets it tangled a lot! And when it gets tangled, there is breakage, and where there is breakage, there are split ends. I've done pretty well at avoiding very visible split ends, but sometimes they are there and they bug me.
My hair is very thin and mostly fine. It's also suuuuuuuper straight, and suggestive to curling only if I sleep with it damp. To keep the curls I have to use a lot of product. But I do like using pillow curlers, so it's not generally a big deal, and I look fun with curly hair. The last major cut I did was in 2012 before I moved to California, and that was a drastic cut, right until my hairline. It had grown out a little by the time I moved to the States. Now it's almost touching the small of my back. Because I keep my hair up almost all the time, I am apparently nigh unrecognizable when I let it down.
I'm determined that when I get a job, and thus feel like I have moved on from the PhD properly, I'm gonna go short again. I'm thinking of something really short on the sides, long-ish on top. I've been coveting this side-parted mohawk with a perm, because gosh, look at that volume! I'd feel so much taller with it. But the perm might be a bit much to maintain, so I also looked at this pixie/mohawk. I've never done either style before, and they might be a bit extreme for the professional settings I'm hoping to be a part of. I'd really like to try either one though. It'd be something really different from what I've had in the past. I haven't had a perm done since, uh, 1998 (I had a dyeing kick in 2006 - 2008) so, 20 years on might be a good time to return to that look?
All these musings don't address my immediate problem of thin hair that I don't know what to do with. I attempted making a fauxhawk but that requires quite a bit of product and teasing my hair more than I'm comfortable with. I had my hair down for a lot of the time I was in SF, but it was usually under my shirt--made it easier to pull a hood up. And that makes it tangled enough to break, which sucked.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAY that's just a lot of the thinking I've been doing over the last few weeks as I try to gather myself and distract myself from severe Impostor Syndrome. What's YOUR hair/skin care regimen like?