The make-up and dark circles.

For a while now, I've wanted to blog about my daily make-up routine. Don't ask me why, and don't make fun of me. I'm quite proud that I've learned how to apply and match make-up well to my personal skin tones, but it's a skill that's taken quite a while to develop: around 8 or 9 years, to be exact. I started wearing your basic concealer and mascara around 7th grade. I'm now a college graduate.

I suppose I also want to blog about make-up because I have recently started looking into easier, faster, better ways of covering the dark circles under my eyes. I am cursed with the truth that my dark circles are actually hereditary, and cannot be fully cured with any medication or cream... ever. It's such a wonderful feeling when people see you without make-up on and ask if you got enough sleep the night before.

Every morning I use Neutrogena's Radiance Boost Eye Cream, and it tends to tone down the darkness some, but only a little. I put used tea bags on my eyes some nights, too, because the leaves and herbs actually help reduce darkness and puffiness, as well. Other than that, I tend to just put on my foundation, then concealer, then powder. Although with what I've been reading on the Internet, I should try putting the concealer on under the foundation, and then add more concealer on top. Or rather, I should try putting color correcter on under foundation, which means I have to choose a color to use for correction.

So in the morning, when I get decent sleep, I have to study the bags under my eyes and determine what "shade" they are: blue, purple, brown, or red, or some combination of the four. Once I've decided on the lovely color my bags are, I have to buy the matching color corrector with the right hue: orange/salmon for blue, yellow for purple, blue/mauve for brown, and olive for red. I tend to think my eyes are a bit purple and red, but I'll confirm this tomorrow.

After this, I have to experiment with my corrector, concealer, foundation, and powder, and figure out what is the best way to apply all of them. In addition, I think I need to buy a new concealer, because mine always cakes up on my face.

All that I've read on this topic on the Internet, or any make-up topics for that matter, mention buying expensive brands for correctors and other make-up. The thing is, I am a normal, middle-class woman who wants to keep her spending under control, and who also thinks that you do not need to always have name-brand items in order to produce the same results. I do believe, however, that you should steer clear of the cheapest products, as many of these are just made poorly and have bad consequences if you dare to spend money on them. So what I need to do is find a few good products that work on my skin, without spending too much money or having the products irritate my skin and acne.

This, my friends, is the most daunting task. Finding, buying, and experimenting with different products and different brands. I hate it; I feel like I am gambling, hoping that this time this brand will work on my face and that my face won't react and break out.

Wish me luck.