August 2006 Weddings
bunnybean
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
NER: Ulta?
Lately, I've been wanting to buy makeup. This may be a normal wish for most people, but I typically hate it. I wear Bert's Bee's lip tint every day and that's it. Usually most makeup gives me a nice contact dermatitis.
So, there's an Ulta near me. I really want to go. Is it all it's cracked up to be? Is it expensive? Do they have all the normal brands? Do they have a section for people with the most delicate skin that they probably should have been naturally selected by now?
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Re: NER: Ulta?
Oh good call! I think Ulta is like a discount Sephora. I could be wrong. It's in the same shopping center as a Best Buy and Target, so it's one of those free standing things.
It's right next to a brand new Chipotle. How about an A06 field trip to get makeup and Mexican fast food?! Who's with me?
What kind of makeup are you looking for? Foundation? Eye makeup? A little bit of everything? I don't have particularly sensitive skin, but I've had good results with Bare Minerals makeup, and it's supposed to be particularly good for people with sensitive skin. I'm pretty sure they have samples you can try in the store. Their main focus is foundation and powder, but they have an entire line of makeup (blush, mascara, eye shadows, lip glosses, etc.).
Ask about their return policy before you buy anything. I know Sephora will let you return anything (even open items) if you decide you don't like them. I'm not sure about Ulta, but it's possible they have the same policy.
I've been wearing makeup almost daily since high school, so yeah, let me know if you have any questions.
Sephora is soooooooo much better than Ulta. Don't get me wrong -- I go to Ulta a fair amount for certain things. And they carry some high-end lines that I love, like Smashbox. But if you're going to buy all new makeup, you need to go somewhere that they know what they are doing. The service at Ulta generally sucks.
Try to go to Sephora during a non-busy time or set up an appointment. They will do a full makeover for you. Tell them your price range (and I'd figure out exactly how much you want to drop before you walk in the door -- otherwise, it can be tough to turn stuff down, once you see how fabulous you look with all the new makeup goodies!) Tell them about your habits, e.g. if you hate putting on makeup and want it to take five steps, if you have sensitive skin, if you prefer foundation or powder.
The key thing in my mind is foundation. It's important to have a good foundation (well, less so at your age) for all your other stuff. You can get drugstore mascara (I <heart> the new CoverGirl LashBlast) or eye color, and it will go a long way. But get good foundation/powder that is matched to your skin type and tone.
Oh, and get eye shadow primer!! That's one of those things that you'll think, "what the heck, I don't really need this, do i?" I just started wearing it this weekend, and my eye shadow lasts ALL DAY now. It's tha bomb. It will save you in teh long run, if, like me, you have to reapply your eye makeup before going out in the evenings.
My favorite is BlueMercury. I just got, oh, about seven new items there last weekend, after not buying makeup for over a year. I LOVE their stuff!!!
Nordstrom is another great place to go for a makeover. Or any of the dept stores, I just happen to love Nordstrom and the lines they carry. But you could go to Macys and get a Clinique or Lancome makeover... I think Clinique's stuff is pretty reasonable.
But again, set a budget! Be forewarned... ;-)
Bunny, let me know how it goes. I've been having similar thoughts, but I'm too chicken to go. I'm a scaredy-cat!
Yeah, def do the eye shadow primer if you are planning on wearing eye shadow. I have oily skin, so my eyeshadow would totally crease by mid day. Urban Decay is the best I have found.
I'm not a big fan of Bare Minerals, and I have tried almost everything. I really do like their buxom lips lip gloss though. The eye shadows and blushes I make a mess with. I can't get the swirl and tap thingy. Also, I thought it made me look orangey, etc, maybe because I have oily skin, but I really like Philosophy foundation, the supernatural (and it's mineral makeup too).
For eyeshadows I love Stila. For blush I use Nars Orgasm (like everyone else). Mascara you buy cheap because you have to throw it out every 2 months, but I do like Diorshow waterproof or Lancome defincils. Those are the 2 best kind, IMO.
But for foundation, I've been using the Estee Lauder Resillance or something. It comes in a compact but it's like in between liquid and powder, and I use a foundation brush, one of the best investments. It was like $35 but you use so much less foundation and it makes it look so natural.
I love makeup...I have so much of it at home, I dont' even know where to put it anymore. I have an addiction!
Lancome Defincils is by far my favorite; I just had to break my "brand name" mascara habit, b/c it was too damn costly!
I agree, if you're using foundation, a foudnation brush is *amazing*. The coverage is so much better. I bought a new one at Ulta this weekend -- Ulta brand! -- for only $18. It's great.
Agree Sephora is 1 million times better. But Ulta is cheaper. To get help with makeup I would go to Nordstroms/Macy's, etc and have someone do your makeup. Maybe go a few places and have a few different people do them just don't feel pressured to buy what they are selling. That way you can figure out your colors and what you need and then you can buy what you need at Ulta/Target/Sephora etc.
Good luck! I love make up shopping - I would totally go with you if I was closer!!!
if you want amazing foundation, you should have somebody at a Prescriptives counter do you a custom one...
they do it at most (but not all) Prescriptives counters... about the same price as other department store foundations, but custom blended to your skin!
I am the 99%.
If you don't really like makeup, I'd stay away from a dept store. I've gone a couple times, and they generally just make me feel bad about my skin while trying to sell me some overpriced miracle cure. And I detect a condescension that I'm not overly made up. But, I could have just had bad experiences. Who knows. I haven't been to Ulta or Sephora, though.
I'd take a makeup friend, too. I have a friend who used to always experiment on me, and she helped with my few rare purchases. But, I'm also willing to go drugstore just so I avoid makeup counter people, and so if I get something I don't like, I don't hurt for the money I spent. You might want to try a few drugstore things to get a feel for what you like, as in liquid/powder and things like that before investing a lot in something you're not sure about.
Another question re: Bare Minerals.
I just found this product:
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml;jsessionid=UFNNZVAZGAH2UCV0KQRQ5UQ?id=P222305&categoryId=C7010
Do you not choose one specific to your skin tone, or what?