Don't Tell Me it Doesn't Suit You - We're Creatures of Habit

How  many times a week do you eat the same thing for lunch? Order the same morning coffee? (Large skim latte) Recycle the same outfit? Or do the same exercise routine? I'm guessing a lot. The evidence is stacked, that one of our fundamental traits is that we are creatures of habit.  We like consistency and knowing what to do as it gives us a sense of confidence and control.  This habitualness doesn't just stop with food and how we dress ourselves.  It also plays a massive part of what creams we put on our face and how we apply our make up, what we think 'suits' us.  We get used to applying makeup the same and using the same old colour palette, applying the same old techniques, applying the same old lippy.  We have an expectation of how we are going to look...basically we think we know what we're doing and we know what 'suits' us. Well i'm here to tell you that the 'same old same old' is boring and it's time to break out of your makeup shackles!

Over my ten years as a makeup artist i hear countless times...'it just doesn't suit me' or 'i always use eyeliner, i don't look good without it'. It's sad that we think this way and how do i know this? Well, i do it myself as well, except that with knowledge and experience, i've learned that there are lots of different colours and makeup techniques that suit me.  It's just about stepping outside of the proverbial square and taking risks with your face.  Makeup isn't permanent, you can wash it off, that is the beauty of it.   

Now i'm not saying absolutely everything suits everyone, and that you should pull out the electric blue mascara and pink frosted lipstick (although that would look hot some people).  I'm saying that you should start to explore different colours and techniques and with this safari exploration you may just stumble across something new that you may fall in love with.  You also need not spend countless hours in front of the mirror trying to master a new technique, as we're all time poor, especially with little bubbas in toe. I know my baby Willow gives me around a 5 minute express session to apply makeup. Experimentation is all about baby steps.

I'm going to set you a challenge.  Over the next week, pic a colour that you've always loved to wear and have been too afraid to use, and try to incorporate it in your makeup application every day.  Let's take green for example.  I don't just have to go straight for the green eyeshadow and for a full on aqua green colour.  It's about taking the colour green and being savvy as to how to use it, so it will enhance my look rather than making me look like Tina Turner.

Ok back to the colour green.  I have blue eyes and as a general rule, green is not the best colour for blue eyed ladies because it sits close to blue on the colour wheel spectrum - they're both cool colours.  What does this mean you ask? Well it competes with my eye colour.  You want to enhance the eye so using opposite colours to your natural eye colour on the grand colour wheel is going to do that, but that doesn't mean that green is off the table for us blue eyed babes.  Like i said it's about being savvy.

What can i do then? Well, i can choose a warm toned green like an olive colour and i can also be savvy about how i apply this olive coloured eye shadow. Instead of applying it on the top of my lids, i can apply it on the bottom of my lower eye rim, which is going to be a more subtle way of using the colour whilst still being affective, or if you're game, you can use it all over. If you are using olive just on the lower rim you can use a bronzed colour for shading and contrast on the eyelids and vuala! You have incorporated the colour green and  made it work for you.

Oh no, little Willow has stirred, it's time to sign off and put on my mama hat again.  I do hope you all take up this challenge.  You might surprise yourself and discover a new love.  Just remember....safe is boring and don't just use a new colour once. Give it a little while to get used to and if after a week you truly feel like you and your chosen colour ain't friends anymore, then move onto a new one! Experimentation in baby steps is the key.

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Please note i take no credit for these photos.