Oh, this one’s easy. A few re-doable moments come to mind, like the super skinny brows I rocked during Madonna’s Dita years (I walked around with a perpetually surprised look on my face, haha!), but the one at the top of my list is the day I walked into The Body Shop and walked out with a cah-ray-zaaaay purplish black lip liner and frosty beige lipstick combo.
I remember it like it was yesterday… [CUE FLASHBACK JINGLE AND CAMERA FADE]
I was playing with some shimmery eye shadow when one of the sales gals approached, and we started chatting. “You should try this!” she said, to which I eagerly agreed. 🙂
She did a look on my lips that was very trendy at the time (this was the mid-’90s) — a barely blended in matte purply black lip liner around the edge of the lips topped with a frosty beige lipstick. Then she popped a little clear gloss in the center.
I remember thinking, “I look like a backup dancer in a Missy Elliott video.” Sold! LOL!
Little did I realize just how completely unflattering the look was on me… The dark liner looked stark and harsh, and the frosty lipstick emphasized every lip flake.
Seriously, I don’t know why, but I wore that look for months thinking I was the sh*t!
Um, dated much? Yeah…
Your turn! If you could have a do-over for any single makeup moment in your life, what would it be?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Smoothies!!! Ooh, I made a yummy one this morning, totally on accident. I chugged it before I could take pics (it was that good), but it’s worthy of documenting here. 🙂
First, blender. Add a couple hunks of frozen banana, a cup of frozen sliced peaches, half a ripe avocado (yup, avocado; trust me on this), a tablespoon of chia seeds and a squeeze of honey. Then, in separate glass (because I think it blends better that way), stir one full scoop of this vanilla protein powder into a cup of almond milk, and add that to your blender.
Blend, and when you’re done, you’ll have a delicious avocado peach smoothie, om nom nom!
Next time I have to remember to snap a picture because it was the awesomest shade of guacamole green…
Oh, the construction guys are back and pounding away outside my window. They say “wassup!” by the way.
Trisha says
Oh, that’s a tough one. I can’t think of anything I’ve really regretted–although maybe buying makeup at Claire’s. The quality…*shiver*
Bella says
I made many a mistake in the 90’s, the worst being wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation on nights out. Can you say “mega mega white thing’ on photos, like Iggy Pop in Born Slippy? Back then not *everyone* was prepared for flash photography on nights out.Also, blackened purple lipstick. Mac Film Noir was my uberfavourite. Combined with the Mega Mega white face….I ain’t showin’ nobody my 90’s going out photos LOLOL!
Kim says
Oh, I think most of the 80s. In which I rocked blue shadow like a fat cat eye that actually, literally ended at the outside edge of my eyebrow. The lid – which was the entire area not covered by blue and also up to my eyebrow – was done in pink. Not blended and not subtle. Then I’d heat my black pencil liner with a bic lighter (probably a good idea since I’d guess the thing was as hard as a rock without it) and slather that on my lower waterline. The look was finished off with a whitish/pink, super frosty lip gloss. Hor.riffic.
Natalie says
I used to just wear heavy liner on my lower lash line and waterline. It just made me look tired!
That smoothie sounds so good! Now I’m craving one, lol.
Alison M says
I’m straight back to that horrible plummy eyeshadow look that goes down in the hall of fame for worst eye looks. I wore it for my first day of school picture in the eighth grade. With a maroon-brown lipstick. And the worst trying-to-look-grown-up-but-really-I’m-lanky-and-awkward outfit. Shuddering at the thought!
thebeautybadger says
Thankfully I’m too young to have gone through the beauty trends of the 80’s so I don’t have any horror stories. Yours is hilarious though Karen, I keep picturing you walking around like that now and I can just imagine the looks you would get! Haha!
Cassy says
I think any time I used a sponge eye shadow applicator would be a time I would want to erase. So if you could call that my single makeup moment, that would be great. Because it was awful.
Shannon says
Oh man, there was this phase in middle school when everyone was taking glamour shots with their “bestie” – and my best friend had me put on white eyeliner, because it “opens up your eyes!” Maybe if you use it along the water line… but not as a big, bold streak on your eyelids, butting up against your lash line! YUCK. Oh, and to really top it off, we weren’t wearing any mascara.
We both look a little weird, but I look especially creepy in those pictures, lol!
Robyn says
When I was 14 and just starting to wear makeup I made my biggest and most influential makeup blunder. I have two older (10-12 years older) step-sisters and I looked up to them a lot. I wanted to look as beautiful as they did, so I went to town one morning on my face. Of course, the morning I did this was on a Sunday and I had to go to church. I wore powder foundation, blue eye shadow, black liner on my lower waterline, black mascara and hot pink lip gloss. I don’t know why or how my family let me leave the house looking the way I did, but sure enough I make it to church. Now here’s the kicker – my female pastor went in for a hug and my face was left on her clean, black suit jacket…I was mortified! I had put so much powder on that it left a massive stain. She had to do her entire sermon with it on her shoulder. I stopped wearing face makeup after that day and never started again till last year. I’m 25 years old now. The incident scarred me for over ten years!
Erin says
Too much foundation to cover up acne, powdering without blotting, and harsh chemicals to treat my acne.
As for smoothies, you need to try avocado with coconut milk or water, it’s delicious!
Danielle says
I remember I had this rollerball of glitter and I used to roll it all over my eyelids back in middle school. I do forgive that one since I was only 12 years old. As an adult, my biggest do over would be badly filled in brows and slightly too dark foundation. And I have since found the magic of mixing a white foundation with my current ones so it actually matches my skin.
Rikki Poynter says
All the bad foundation/concealer colour choices, really.
Sylirael says
Probably the gloss phase I went through briefly in about 1997 – a phase where I thought gloss was supposed to be worn super thickly over the whole lips. I think my sister summed it up best (and probably saved me) by saying ‘You look like you’re drooling’.
😀
I claim the ‘I was a tween’ (before that word existed, mind) defence!
Madeline Richmond says
When I was in tenth grade, I decided to start wearing eye makeup. I had been using concealer and mascara only for a couple of years, but since I was getting older I wanted to try new things. I got a holiday kit from Sephora that included glitter eyeliner. I would press on gold and silver eyeliner all over my lids every day for a couple of months until my mom finally told me to stop.
Good times.
Chris25 says
I don’t know if I would call them regrets. I think makeup is something you can’t learn about unless you make mistakes. I guess I wish I had been less afraid of makeup when I was younger. When I say this I mean I used to do safe things like wear brown lipstick and mascara, or just use one color of eyeshadow because I didn’t know how to blend properly. I wish I had started to experiment and play more at a younger age.
May says
Would definitely be my senior prom. I got my makeup done at Bare Escentuals. The artist was very pretty herself, but I think she didn’t have much experience, especially on Asian faces (eyes, brows in particular). I knew nothing about makeup so I didn’t even know how to fix it. I just looked like a shiny mess with all the bronzer and highlighter. Even my date told me I looked better at the end of the night when everything started falling off. Hopefully the artist is more experienced now.
Majick says
I’ve always been adventurous with my makeup. I love getting makeovers because I think you can always learn something from someone new – even if it’s “I WANT TO GO WASH MY FACE RIGHT NOW – WHERE IS THE BACK DOOR?”
I had a makeover from Estee Lauder once and I swear they aged me 20 plus years. I looked like I was ridden hard and put away wet – I’m not kidding, I should have been looking for a CHEAP street corner. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t get home fast enough. I walked in and my DH was like – um… yeah, NO words. LMAO! I don’t think I’ve been back to the Estee Lauder counter since.
Also if I could go back in time I would chnage my hair the day I got married. My makeup looked really nice but the hair left a little to be desired. And of course the headpiece/veil was total 90s with a pearl headband and HUGE poof in the back with a detachable long train veil. I designed it myself and it was really cool at the time but when I look back I always think traditional wedding styles look the best even if they may seem boring at the time.
Vineetha says
Yeah Poor foundation shade choices !
Wendy M. says
Oh, definitely a few years back when I started my eyebrow game. Poor things were too square and overly harsh. I have truly come a long way. XD Just looking at pictures gives me the heebie jeebies and make me think “What the hell was I thinking?!”
Chelsea says
Using orangey bronzer as blush on freckly skin. I just looked dirty!
Jasmine says
My prom makeup. Omg. Horrible. MUA used extremely dark foundation so I look very very dark when I’m close to a nc40. Ugh….oh well. Maybe I can get them photoshopped….
Also I didn’t realize until end of high-school that the Mac makeup I had been using made me look orange. I was just so excited to own nice makeup didn’t even notice until I saw pictures how horrible it looked! Oh well you live and learn!
hanna says
All the black eyeliner from high school.
Rachel.chisholm@hotmail.com says
I was never one to wear too much or too crazy makeup looks (although looking at my collection you might beg to differ!) but I did overpluck my brows and I’m still trying to grow them back!
And I love smoothies! I don’t know why everyone is so mystified by them, you can throw in practically anything! Almond milk and honey for sweetener are always a good start…
BJ says
Omg. Worst makeup ever was my high school days. That was the heighth of the Paris Hilton tan days. I used too dark of foundation, with bronzer as my powder all over my face. Then used heavy black liner, top bottom and waterline. To make matters worse, I was highlighted within an inch of my life. Talking white hair girls. Uhh I shudder at the pictures. But hey it was on point at the time although ridiculous. Thank heavens it’s all been toned down and I went to cosmetology school and really refined my craft. Just have to laugh
Deb says
I love looking at old “what were you thinking?” pictures of my mom with my aunt or my sister (who is 10 years older) with her friends. I fully intend to give my kids that pleasure one day, so no regrets about the chunky white eyeliner (Revlon Street Wear) or the mocha lipstick from high school, nor the “artistic” eye looks I tried to pull off in college! I’m proud of those moments!
But unfortunately I wish I had a do-over for my wedding makeup. The makeup artist used foundation that was too dark and warm and I didn’t notice until the pictures came back! I’m so pale that I often can’t buy my shade in stores and I wore a strapless dress so it looks like someone else’s face on my body in some pictures! Lesson learned: if you’re not doing your own makeup, bring your own products. Luckily most of the pictures were great and my photog totally rocked the b&w shots!
Trude says
There’s definitely been some major mistakes over the years, mostly involving too-dark foundation (it’s hard when many brands don’t make anything pale enough for me!). But the first thing to come to mind is one soccer team photo where I had started using eyebrow pencil, but this was before I started getting them tinted and waxed. So it was just a hot mess!
Kwmechelle says
I’d say most of my college life where, sadly, I was guilty of wearing frost colored, cheap lipstick with black eyeliner. Ack! If you knew how dark I am (think a lovely shade of chocolate like a snicker’s bar) you’d have even more reason to gasp!
And there are pictures commemorating the entire experience! Not sure I’ll ever live that down!
Sarah says
I used to apply my eyeshadow with my fingers! I’m embarrassed to admit it, but for some reason I was always in a hurry and didn’t really know better.