I was recently reading my first book of 2017, The Happiness Project (an A+ book BTW, this is my third time reading it), when I got to a passage that really resonated with me. The author, Gretchen Rubin, described a list of her True Rules, or an “idiosyncratic collection of principles for making decisions and setting priorities” (pg 241). Some examples of her True Rules are “whenever possible, choose vegetables” “my parents are almost always right” and “when making a choice about what to do, choose work“.
It occurred to me that I have my own set of True Rules by which I live my life. Some I abide by on a regular basis are “drink a glass of water before having any coffee” “if it comes in pink, buy it in pink” “read each email one last time before sending” “use a bathroom whenever one is available” (this last one is especially helpful for roadtrips when I’m trying to decide if I need to stop at a rest stop to pee, or if I can hold it until the next stop. Just go! You’ll feel much better!).
These may seem arbitrary to some, but to me it means that I avoid that gross, dehydrated post-coffee slump, that I’m surrounded by my favorite color at all times, that I’ve never sent an email with a huge error, and that I never, ever, ever have to suffer through long drives with a bursting bladder (important considering how much water and coffee I drink). Adherence to my True Rules makes me happier, more comfortable, and more productive.
The more I thought about it, I started to realize that I also have a set of True Rules that only pertains to beauty. Here are five True Beauty Rules I abide by to make my beauty life easier and more enjoyable:
1. Always choose pressed powder over loose powder
This goes for all powders: face powders, eyeshadow pigments, blushes, bronzers, etc. Loose powder is messy, and for me, it’s way harder to blend. Loose face powder can also sometimes cause flashback in photos. Pressed powder all the way! My all-time favorite pressed foundation powder is the Clinique Almost Powder Makeup. It has medium buildable coverage, and never looks cakey or heavy. I wear shade 02 Neutral Fair.
2. Go with a bold eye over a bold lip
“Do a bold eye or a bold lip but not both” is a True Rule that the beauty industry has shoved down our throats for decades. I actually think that some people look absolutely gorgeous with deep smokey eyes and vampy lips, but not me. Bold eye/neutral lip looks are just more flattering on me than natural eye/bold lip looks, so when I want to do an intense look and have to choose between one or the other, I always choose to bring attention to my eyes. This is why my extensive eyeshadow collection and my 300 nude lip products that are all slightly different variations of the same color are completely necessary, thank you so much, because I wear lots of eyeshadow and nude lips almost every day. Seriously, though, I’m on a serious no-buy for eyeshadows and nude lip products until I work my way through what I have.
3. Never wear eyeliner without mascara
This was my lewk in middle/high school. Any other 2000s teenagers out there? I can just picture myself in 2006 smudging black pencil liner all around my eyes without even a coat of mascara. My eyes looked tiny, and the overall look was heavy in a bad way. Mascara brightens and opens up the eyes, making them look bigger and more awake. It adds drama and polish to any eye look, bold or subtle. It’s truly (to me) the most important beauty product, and I could never be without it. My current go-to is the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara. Click here to read my in-depth review of it.
4. Use the least amount of base makeup (e.g. foundation, concealer, powder) possible
More isn’t more when it comes to my face makeup. I use as little as possible to get my desired amount of coverage. I have hormonal redness around my nose, and some light acne scarring around my chin (just redness, no texture), so I like to spot conceal with a couple dabs of concealer (I love RIMIX Cosmetics Full Coverage Concealer right now, that stuff is POTENT), and then lightly dust my entire face with a pressed foundation powder (again, my favorite is Clinique Almost Powder Makeup). On a day when I need more coverage, I apply a BB or CC Cream (like my beloved It Cosmetics CC Cream) with a damp Beauty Blender to even out my complexion, then spot conceal any visible imperfections with a lightweight concealer (like Maybelline Better Skin Concealer) and set the whole look with my pressed powder. I don’t love the look of tons of makeup on my skin, so I use as little as I can get away with. No heavy foundations, no triangles of concealer under my eyes, no baking with setting powders; even though those products and techniques are super trendy right now, they’re just not for me.
5. Paint your nails before a trip
I always paint my nails the day before I leave for vacation. In my day to day life, I don’t mind having unpainted nails (in fact, my nails are bare right now), but for some reason, I HAVE to have painted nails when I’m traveling. Maybe it’s because when I’m at home, the option of painting my nails is always available to me, whereas when I’m away from home, I don’t have my nail supplies with me. Maybe it just makes me feel put-together and pretty when I’m suffering through long plane rides and strange new places and situations. Whatever it is, I always NEED to have painted nails on vacation, or I feel naked and frumpy.
Those are five of my True Beauty Rules. I would love to hear about any True Rules you have, beauty-related or otherwise! Let me know what yours are in the comments below.
P.S. Love the photos in this post? You’ll love my Instagram! Follow me here for daily posts and fun IG Stories.
Advertisements Share this:
