Let's go 2020! I'm starting off the year with how my makeup habits have changed from last year because I think the way I'm going to review products is definitely going to change. So I'm clearing that up as early as now. This is because I don't approach wearing makeup like someone who works in an office every day anymore.
So sometime in the latter half of 2019, I decided to resign from my local office job and go into remote work because traffic and work toxicity just weren't worth it anymore. As much as I love the show The Office, being in an office just sucked the life out of me. I'm a workaholic by nature and have felt exploited because of that too many times - so I decided it was time to go.
I've successfully been working remotely for the last few months now, and to be honest, I would honestly like some downtime because sometimes you work even more when you're just at home so I need to take it easy. As a result, given the extended amount of time that I now spend at home, I have definitely noticed changes in my makeup habits.
A full-on base is rarely necessary
Unless I'm going out to see family, I rarely do the moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, and powder routine anymore. Sometimes I just put on concealer or foundation then powder it. You can't really see the difference in photos anyway - which is where most of my looks are for.
I can definitely see myself spending a lot less on concealer and foundation in the future, so maybe my holy grail products will be different in the long run too.
I have more time to create
When I wore makeup every day to work, every day was the same style - a colorful smokey eye and winged eyeliner, in different colors. When I wanted a cut crease or a rainbow eye, it usually took a lot more time. Even if doing my makeup in the morning was part of my ritual, it still felt like I was in a rush.
Now with remote work, I can do more complicated and color-packed eye looks. I also have more time for falsies too so I can skip the winged liner more often, and I think that's helped vary my eye looks a lot.
Setting Spray Takes a Back Seat
Since I go out less, there really isn't a reason to lock in my makeup look. Setting spray is now reserved for days when I'm going out of the house.
I also use setting spray to wet my makeup sponges now and find that this is a great way to get my foundation to last instead.
Less Lips, More Brows
Admittedly, I do consider lipstick and foundation as my "office makeup". If I'm not wearing either at work, it did always feel like I wasn't as ready for the day as I should be. But come the weekends, I stuck to concealer and lip balm for the chill and laidback look. Given that I stay home most days, lipstick is for pictures and special events.
Now that my lips are more subdued, people only have my cheeks and eyes to look at - and that includes my brows. Since I have more free time these days, I've gotten into the habit of drawing them on with dark brown and black powder. This has caused me to hit pan on a few palettes, which is always nice.
I would likely still get my brows microbladed in the future though, but filling them in will do for now. And to be frank, the amount of unsolicited advice I get from people who don't understand that I'm punk and don't care for natural or "proper" looking brows, whatever that means.
I'm usually ready to go if you ask me to hang out
If I'm just at home, I usually just sit down, do my makeup, take pictures for Instagram, and wear it for a bit until I'm sleepy. However, sometimes my friends or boyfriend will message me asking if I want to hang out, and I am usually more inclined to go since my makeup is already done but doesn't look too over the top - as compared to how it used to look for work.
Getting dressed is the easy part, really. And funnily enough, remote workers tend to earn more but also dress more casual too because there are no dress codes at home. I ought to invest in nicer clothes still, though...
I put more effort into skincare now
I used to be a sunblock and the occasional night cream kind of girl. Now, my skincare routine is a bit more complicated. I've since added a day and night cream, eye butter, the occasional face oil, witch hazel toner, and weekly face mask.
Granted, my skin still doesn't look its best since I've been working nights lately but at least I'm not neglecting it like I used to.
My Final Thoughts
I understand that this will likely have an impact on how my process will be testing products in the future so I'm trying to plan my way around that as early as now. I do like that I get to focus more on the aspects of makeup that I do enjoy more and that I am just more free to create the looks that I like. To better skin and more fun makeup looks this 2020!
Comments