Ask Fancy: Back to Workin' It.

"I was thinking about when I go back to work (from maternity leave), and it occurred to me that I have nothing to wear... on my face. I haven't really been wearing makeup this past year or so, and so I totally need to re-build my stash. I don't have much money to spend though, so is there any way you could put together some sort of "starter kit" for me? Pretty pretty please?I don't wear foundation at all, and mostly just focus on my eyes, so really, I guess what I would need is a good mascara, a few eye shadows, and a couple of shades of lipstick?"

-Marie-Helene, Canada

Marie-Helene,

I know too well about coming out of the newborn-baby-coma you speak of. Us Mamas' spend so much of our time thinking about our precious little ones, we can get a little lost in the process. I'm more than happy to help you pick out some new confidence boosting goodies to help get you back in the zone!
Let's do the damn thang.

Face: Since you are a no-fuss makeup gal, I would highly recommend using a tinted moisturizer (with SPF a 'course) in place of a daily foundation. You only need about a dime size of this product each day, therefore a tube should last you about 5-6 months. I love Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizers (also available in an oil free formula if you are combination/oily) I know- the price point is higher- BUT when taking into account how well it works and how long it will last (if using the correct amount with a foundation brush) it isn't as terrible as it seems. However, if the price point is too much (completely understandable)
Sephora also makes a great tinted moisturizer for about half the cost.

Eyeshadows: I know that you are medium complected with beautiful green eyes, so I am going to encourage you to play a bit because you have a lot of range when it comes to what colors you can pull off well. In terms of the office I think: simple, pretty & easy. A great place to re-build your makeup wardrobe is to purchase a pallet (or two). This is generally the most cost effective way to be able to achieve variety and the colors are already paired for you so it takes away that "Does this go with that?!" anxiety.

Smashbox has an amazing natural eyeshadow quad on sale at Sephora for $6!!!

With his pallet you have the ability to line, highlight & contour your eyes in a very natural but still sultry way. I love to use dark shadow in place of liner, especially for everyday looks. Do you have a thin angle brush? If not e.l.f is great for inexpensive but get-the-job-done brushes.

Now once you have a few natural/nude shadows then I would reccomend branching out and also getting something like this beautiful "Vegan" palette from Urban Decay.

 

I like this for you because while it still has some beautiful rich earth tones that are great for everyday, there is also some fun here for experimenting and branching out. As a bonus it comes with a travel size version of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion (in Sin) which I LOVE and a mini eyeliner for travel which is great for a hot Milf on-the-go such as yourself.

Mascara: I'm not sure what you are using now but for the most part mascara is a matter of opinion/preference. It's hard to pinpoint something for everyone because a lot of us ladies look for different things (drama, simple, curling, soft, etc). I do know you are looking for simple, effective & affordable. In my humble opinion you can't get a better low price point mascara like Clinique's High Impact Mascara ($14 USD). It works, it lasts & its cheap...and if you time it right they might be in gift and you can get some free crap. I'm not usually a huge fan of Clinique but in the case of this product, I'm down with those god awful lab coats.

Lips: Things I look for in a good lip: moisture and wear-ability. When I was working in an office, I liked to use lip stains and put gloss or chap stick over the top. The reason I prefer lip stains is because they last, really last, all day and you can't feel(or taste-vom) them like I've experience with "long wear lipsticks".

Sephora Collection makes some great lip-stain/gloss duos that are also on sale actually for $7 USD. I think Coral/Gold would be beautiful on you. Additionally, Cover Girl has a great line of lip stain sticks around the same price point. Nude Kiss & Flirty Nude are great everyday shades!!

I hope this gives you a starting point to jump off from.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail me with further questions.

XOXO, Fancy

Would you like to submit a question to Fancy Face? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to e-mail me!