Looking and Feeling Our Best & $50 Giveaway

{Giveaway is Closed}

In spite of the fact that I was a major tom-boy growing up, makeup has been a huge part of my life since I was around 14 years old and began experimenting with those lip glosses and blushers from Woolworth’s. Oh, how exciting it was to pick up those shiny containers of makeup and start using them on my youthful face.

(Thrifty clothes finds from yardsales:  Chico’s skirt and Ann Taylor shirt, shoes from TJ Maxx, necklace from yardsale).

I wasn’t officially allowed to wear much makeup until I turned 15 or so and boy, did I have some fun then!  I didn’t go overboard with makeup (until those over the top 80′s hit, then I confess I got a wee bit carried away), but I remember how it made me feel to get that color on my face.  My eyes glowed and came alive.  Mascara made those blonde lashes of mine come to life.  Blusher on the cheeks gave me a rosy glow.  Oh, how I fell in love with makeup back then.

It’s been a love affair ever since.  Without a doubt, makeup is the single biggest transformation a woman can do to make herself feel good.  Like she can conquer the world with the right shade of lipstick.  Gather courage with artfully applied blush and highlighter.

Evening out skin tones comes first, along with applying coverup under the eyes.  Those undereye circles can be ugly you know.   Get the face primed with makeup and then you have a face ready to add color.  I use eye liner to bring my eyes out front and center, usually a gray or blue/gray or even brown.

I finally came to the conclusion that brown shades on my eyes actually make my blue eyes bluer, so now I alternate between browns and grays.  Three shades of eye shadow are always added, with the darkest shade contouring the eyelid to show it off to the max.  Mascara is the final touch, making those eyelashes extra long and lush, the better to flirt with you know?!  Oh, how adept I became at putting on the makeup and making myself the best that I can be.  Not that I’m an expert, I’m not.

Yep, as mentioned above, here’s a funny pic of the girls in my family, circa 1985, Mother/Daughter banquet.  Big hair ruled and apparently I thought that more makeup was the bomb back then.  Heavy handed any?  I definitely took that tight skin for granted.  My sister will probably kill me for putting this up, she was still a brunette in those days.   Wasn’t that Lauren a cutie-pie back then too? And our sweet mama has always been a pretty lady.

So began my journey with makeup.   And it hasn’t stopped to this day.  Now, my young and dewy face is a thing of the past and middle-age has arrived (uggh, when did that happen?!).

What’s a girl to do? 

Well, for one thing, makeup still covers a multitude of sins.  I don’t care how naturally beautiful a woman is, makeup definitely enhances that beauty and not one single woman I know looks better without makeup.  Not a one! Have you see Oprah without her makeup?  Or any Hollywood celebrity for that matter?   Sort of makes me smile when I see a celebrity without her makeup and looking so plain and normal. Yep, they look just like you and me.  Makeup helps us all and I’m a huge proponent of cosmetics to make me look and feel better about myself.

Talking about this subject is easy for me.  These days, working from home, I often go a couple of days without putting my makeup on, but I can tell you I sure don’t feel pretty without it.  And if you saw me, you’d most likely agree!   I can totally look like a hagatha some days.

Makeup enhances and just gives me that inner security that I need to get out there and face the world.  With my face made up and dressed in some stylish threads, I’m a new woman.

Back in June, I went to a college reunion along with about 100 people who graduated from the college we all went to back in the 70′s. It was a lot of fun.  Getting dressed up and feeling good about how I look at this stage in my life was a big part of the experience.  We all want to look our best at a high school or college reunion.  We still want to feel cute and matter.  I did feel good at my reunion and here I am with a couple of my long-time friends from college, Susan and Chris.  We all felt good for that matter and yes, we are all wearing makeup.   (if you click on that link above to a post about the college, you can see what me and Chris looked like from the yearbook photos that year).

How about you?  Don’t you feel SO much better when you have your full arsenal of cosmetics on the face and a cute outfit on?  I know you do! Being made up just does something good for a woman.

So, when I was asked to try out the new COVERGIRL LashPerfection™, I was thrilled to accept.  Try out new makeup?  I don’t need my arm twisted for that.  I was sent a new package of Black/Brown and started using it that very day.

I used to be a snob about makeup and only shopped at the department store counters.  You know, the pricey stuff.  I’m not that particular anymore.    I’m just fine with inexpensive mascara, as long as it performs well.

Can I just tell you this?

If you really want to humble yourself, ask your practically flawless now-29 year old niece to take close-up pics of your eyes all made up and try to get a decent one without showing all the sags and wrinkles.  She will be happy to oblige, all the while looking at the after pics and your eyes in person, with an equal mix of pity and I’m-so-glad-I’m-still-young smugness on her face.  

Love you, Lauren!  As much as it seems to be in the way distant future, this aging thing will happen to you too one day.

Cropping helps!  This will do nothing for your self-esteem, but I’m keeping it real and showing you anyway.    Look you can see my contacts floating up close and personal.  I’m blind as a bat without my gas perms.

COVERGIRL LashPerfection™ in Black/Brown performed very well and got my stamp of approval!  It went on smooth, didn’t do much clumping (which I hate) and wore very well.  I hate when I get a new mascara and the wand is so clumped up with mascara that it’s hard to brush it on without it clumping up my eyelashes.  Did that make sense to anyone but me?  Clumpy mascara is not my friend.  This one did a nice job and I would definitely recommend it.

So, tell me girlfriends…don’t you just feel better when your face is all made up and you have on some stylish clothes?

While we’re on the subject of make-up and looking great, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great application tips and ideas for switching up your look for fall!

I’d love your take on makeup!  Do you love it as much as I do for a self-esteem booster?

Great news!  I’m giving away a $50 gift card from Drugstore.com! 

You can try out some products too!

• BlogHer.com Prizes and Promotions page
• Sweepstakes Rules.
• Covergirl’s Website

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

• Leave a comment telling me your favorite beauty product, what ONE product can’t you live without? Not brand name, just item, like lipstick, mascara, etc.
• Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.
• Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.
• For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.  Enter between October 4 and November 4th, 2011.