Revisited: How I Did My Makeup in High School

If you were a punk/emo/goth kid growing up, you totally wore makeup a little earlier than most of your peers. This was very true during my goth/emo days as I was really getting into wearing eyeliner as young as 14 years old when most of my peers were still just into lip gloss.

While I couldn't wear makeup often due to the fact that I went to a Chinese-Filipino Catholic school that had strict rules (think Conservative Asian + Catholic ideals), I had some pretty iconic looks because I was so heavily influenced by early 2000s Avril Lavigne (Yes, I know she was a pop star but her style was so punk though).

This is fetus Pomz (15 years old) at her 2011 Junior-Senior Prom with Friends

Granted, there were events and times when we were allowed to wear makeup. I mostly wore makeup for special events in school (see above) and of course, cheerleading performances (see below). But since other people did my makeup for those events, I can't really say it was how I did my makeup, I just wore makeup. And if the photo below was not proof enough, cheerleaders kind of have to look the same:

Now the looks I'm going to showcase are my own interpretations of those looks given the skills I have now. I don't have the same products I used to and I've definitely gotten a lot better so even if I tried to recreate those looks exactly, they just wouldn't look the same. The same colors and themes will be kept though.

Look 1: Bold and Black Eyes

So I basically started wearing makeup in 2010, back when goth and punk elements made their way into mainstream fashion and it became a little bit more socially acceptable for me and my aesthetic. It was during this time that headpieces and small hats became a thing I liked doing.

Taken at My Cousin's Wedding With My Sister and Cousins (Mom did my makeup, thus the lightness)

I remember I'd just pack kohl eyeliner straight onto my upper and lower lashline and let heat and my natural eye oils smudge them for me throughout the day. I definitely ended up looking more grudge than I intended too and my lids definitely looked like a greasy mess.

I'm pretty sure this is partly why my mom AND mom of my karate instructor asked me to stop wearing that eyeliner to training and in general. As a 14-year-old kid, I was annoyed at them for not letting me own my face. Looking back now, I realize that they somewhat did me a favor because that was not a good look.

These days I don't use any product on my waterline (because it irritates my eyes) and stick with waterproof brush tip eyeliners. Oh, and I prime and set my lids now too. While I honestly don't wear all-black eyeshadow looks anymore, I do like it paired with a gray or purple lip.

Details:

Eyes

Milani Eye Primer
Oh Abbi x Spoiled Cosmetics Palette (Emotional, Blanco, and All Shade for Brows) Rude Cosmetics Roaring 20's Palette (Flapper - also used on the cheeks)
Nyx Cosmetics Epic Ink Liner
Dirty Little Lashes French 75 Lashes

Face

Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation (Porcelain)
Ellana Minerals Stay Matte Poreless Powder (Clear)

Lips

Detail Makeover Matte Detail Liquid Lipstick in Monika

Look 2: Charred and Fiery Eyes

There is nothing like rocking a red and black eyeshadow look, I still wear looks like that these days but I wasn't quite as polished as I was back then. For one thing, these were the pre-Renaissance and Blood Sugar palette days so the only access I had to any red powder was - a blush. I used a red blush as eyeshadow, which I wouldn't do now. It's so easy to find red eyeshadow in makeup these days, just look at these three palettes:

But this is now. In high school, I didn't have a choice. I particularly recall pairing that red blush with black eyeshadow and eyeliner to give it more definition and that red eye look soon became part of a costume I created for a Medieval school assignment too.

While I mostly wore eye makeup in high school, I also recall wearing two very specific lip products. I had a tinted lip balm that I had ordered from Avon (laundry woman was a hunbot and I was a naive 16 year old, oh well) that had a nice natural tint to it. I'm obviously going to switch it out for a cruelty-free option here.

Details:

Eyes

BYS Cosmetics Rebel Palette (Courageous, Rebel, Wild, and Sexy for Brows)
Revolution Makeup Cut Crease Canvas (Illustrate)
Fuego Lash Margarita Lashes

Face

Revolution Makeup Conceal and Define Concealer (C4)
Essence All About Matt! Fixing Powder
Vice Cosmetics Aura Duo (Superstar)

Lips

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm (Hibiscus)

Look 3: Rocker Glam

During my last high school party (the school-sanctioned kind), the student council finally allowed everyone to wear jeans and closed shoes so I went full-on rocker glam. Though I was performing that night and had to wear these huge shades that couldn't capture the makeup. Oh well.

I wore black smoky eyes with a silver pop on my lid and my first few attempts at winged liner. I also had this red lipstick with gold flakes in it that I used a lot during that time so I'm recreating those lips with this look.

Details:

Eyes

Revolution Makeup x Soph Extra Spice Palette (Reputation, Infinity, and Brownies on the Brows)
Revolution Makeup Cut Crease Canvas (Illustrate)
Dirty Little Lashes - French 75

Face

Revolution Makeup Conceal and Define Concealer - C4
Ellana Minerals Stay Matte Poreless Powder (Clear)
Vice Cosmetics Aura Duo in Superstar

Lips

LA Splash Wickedly Divine Liquid Lipstick (Queen of Hearts)
Detail Makeover Sunset Dream Palette (Golden and Eventide as Lip Toppers)

My Final Thoughts

I'm sure many of us look back at how we looked in high school and we cringe pretty hard at how we allowed ourselves to dress and look. To be honest, even if I made some not so aesthetically pleasing choices back then, I'm not really ashamed of it. I acknowledge that I look a lot better now but again, not everyone blooms at the same time.

This is me in college with a bunch of kids I went to high school with - that's a glow up

After all, if I didn't start wearing makeup at that time, I would never have gotten this good at it almost 10 years later. And joke's on everyone in my high school who made fun of me for wearing what I wanted and doing what I wanted to my face, I can slay everyone's existence with my makeup skills now and they only WISH they were as good as I was now.