My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

Make-up and Motherhood

| 2 Comments

 As I mentioned last Monday, this week is dedicated to my #BetterMe posts which are overdue.  I’ve gotten several requests for updates on them already. (Thank you for your patience folks!)

To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to put on make-up.  I never learned because as I was growing up, I tried getting into the stuff and I would just break out in skin asthma after only minutes of having it on.  My mom as well wasn’t someone who was really into the stuff and so there was no one to model after.  And my husband, the fairly practical human being that he is, always just told me he preferred I didn’t wear it.

And then just when I thought it might be a good time to finally learn (I was old enough, my allergy had come under control, so on and so forth)… motherhood rolled in.  And I honestly didn’t have the time, the patience nor the energy to wear it or think much of it.  In the mornings as I would rush everyone out the door I’d really just spend the least amount of time on me.

And then I met the #SoMoms, and we started the #BetterMe sessions and I learned about balancing our 5 life bubbles.  The “ME” one was lagging behind quite a bit, I admitted.  When was the last time I did something using my me time, just for me?

Thankfully I have become such good friends with these #SoMoms, and we look out for each other in all aspects of our lives.  Eli (Who pens the blog The Painter’s Wife), had recently taken make-up courses as make-up is her passion and love (after son Basti of course!), and had started taking notice of my “plain” face.  Not for anything, but because she felt she could help me and teach me if I wanted to learn.  And I did!  I’d never gotten past my old make-up hang-ups, and who better group to work on it with than these wonderful mommas.

As it turned out, I was not alone in the feeling of wanting to learn make-up skills or to better the ones they already knew, and so one day 10 of us gathered at the delectable Casa Marcos (yummy food here! and they sell really good pandesal!) and Eli brought her tools and slides to give us a workshop of our own.

The one slide that stuck with me was this one:

THIS.

THIS.

Which is so…. fit.  And practical.  And such a progressive view for a category like make-up, where generally, more is better!  Growing up I’ve always had the notion that you needed a lot of make-up for such a transformation.  It needed time, perfection, effort and it had so many intimidating elements to it that made me just block it out from my conscious realm.  And when you go to a make-up store, all these beauticians who are trying to make a sale will tell you this bit goes best with that.  In the end you end up buying a whole caboodle that you have no idea how to use properly when you get home (yes, it’s happened to me.)

But Eli also puts it so simply and there is so much truth to it.  Just edit out the ones you don’t need and focus or stick to the ones you do, that’s enough.  It’s very much like how one should go through life!

A Laundry List on the Left, and Work stations on the right.  Again, pick and choose... only what your life needs!

A Laundry List on the Left, and Work stations on the right. Again, pick and choose… only what your life needs!

With my age-old make-up bag as the perfect metaphor, she emptied out its contents and checked each member of the kit.  She threw away the ones that had expired, and let me keep the basic stuff that weren’t even opened yet.  And then she gave me tips on how to care for them.  She also diagnosed that the reason for my itching was probably because the items were old, not stored properly or the brushes were not cleaned properly as well.

For that morning with the SoMoms, Eli made me her muse.  And the first product that I learned about was Cure.

Thank you to our sponsors Cure and K-Pallette!  Find them in Rustan's and Beauty Bar!

Thank you to our sponsors Cure and K-Pallette! Find them in Rustan’s and Beauty Bar!

Cure is a skin exfoliation product from Japan that works wonders, I have to say.  Use it twice a week regularly and you’ll notice your skin is less dull.  I would know:  my husband recently gave me a compliment that I must be doing something different because my skin has some rosy glow. 😉  Here’s a tip I learned at the session:  put a small amount on your finger and rub it in part by part (instead of putting small amounts all over and then rubbing them all through).

Eli is big on skin care and she says that the first thing you have to do is make sure you take care of your skin.  I totally agree and it made me reflect on my current regimen.  Since then I’ve taken steps to upgrade and change it up because I do believe — that’s something I need in my life at the very least!

Baby steps, these two first. ;)

Baby steps, these two first. 😉

Anyway, Eli cleaned me up and put on some primer, showing the difference between a face with primer and one without.

My friend Jen learning while doing:  feeling the spots of my face with primer.

My friend Jen learning while doing: feeling the spots of my face with primer.

She also explained how to pick a foundation (not on your wrist, put it on the base of your neck!), and how to use basic eyeliners.  Cheryl of K-Pallette had joined us and given us some liners to use and learn.  “At the very least”, Eli says, “fix the kilay!”

Eli says K-Pallette stays on for 24 hours!

Eli says K-Pallette stays on for 24 hours!

Eli also told us that eyebrows need not be totally the same, which is a big stress point for those of us who do not know how to work the eyebrow pencils and liners and all.  “Like sisters, they’re not totally the same, so treat each one appropriately.”  I think that eased a lot of our concerns about learning how to enhance our eyes.

The biggest surprise for me was how quickly Eli was able to transform my face (sans the lessons in between of course), and do it so effortlessly.  And I didn’t feel much of an itch too, so her theory on the care for the materials used on me was correct (Eli takes impeccable care of her make-up things).  I got so many compliments too about my “no make-up’ make-up look.

Eli says that the reason she does this and loves make-up is because she sees how she can help people feel better about how they look.  And it’s a wonderful activity to do with friends — I just felt a lot calmer and safer to be a muse (and to be poked at!) there than I ever did, because I knew I was around friends who wanted to learn as I did.

Why we work as a group:  because we learn together.  And from each other! :)

Why we work as a group: because we learn together. And from each other! 🙂

Once you feel better about yourself, it’s easier to take on the world.  We don’t only become better versions of ourselves, but we also look better while doing it too!  So thank you Eli, for making make-up more mommy-friendly!  😉

Eli is currently one of the talented members of the hair and make-up team of Priscilla Manila, on stage at the Newport Theatre in Resorts World Manila until July 16.  She does make-up workshops for private groups anywhere from 5 people to 10. 

Contact her at 09178173547 or eliza.santiago@gmail.com.  We love you Eli! 🙂

Author: mymommyology

I am the mom that I am because of my two wonderful little girls. They teach me everyday.

2 Comments

  1. Thank you Jenny!! (My email is eliza.santiago@gmail.com btw, heehee)

Leave a Reply to mymommyology Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this:
Skip to toolbar