How I Did My Makeup In High School

If you’re any kind of follower in the beauty community, you have most likely seen the “How I Did My Makeup in High School tag in which bloggers recreate their high school (the good and the bad). I thought it’d be fun to jump on board. I don’t have a video for you, but take yourself back to 2007.

My mom didn’t usually wear makeup, and I’m the oldest sister, so I didn’t have anyone teaching me how to apply makeup. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I discovered YouTube and began learning from tutorials. So from grades 9-11, I was on my own. And it was…interesting.

As a freshman, I used the entire line of Bare Minerals face makeup–when you could buy it from the TV infomercial–the foundation, mineral veil, and warmth. There was a primer, but I remember not liking the smell so I didn’t use it. The start of my every day makeup routine began with the powder foundation in Light, which is two shades too dark for my face, but whatever. I don’t think anyone’s face matched their body in high school. I applied it with the kabuki brush included in the kit and applied way too much.

You know, I was a bit ahead of the game it seems by using ‘contour’ and ‘highlight’…terribly, but kind of using it. I’d go in with the Warmth face powder, which is a very orange bronzing powder, if you’ve never used it, and I’m very fair. I used a heavy hand to apply it in an E shape on each side of my face, starting with my temples, hitting my cheeks, and ending on my jaw line.

Then I’d finish off with the mineral veil (even more powder, and we aren’t done). When it was released, I traded my classic mineral veil for the shimmery version. That’s right folks, shimmery powder all over my double powdered face.

Blush? I loved blush. I loved a lot of blush. I vividly remember being at a friend’s New Year’s Eve party and having him say, “Jac, don’t you think you’re wearing a lot of blush?” And of course I replied, “No, of course not.” Like, what did he know. He’s a boy. (He was right, but we won’t tell him that). I used the mineral blush from Bare Minerals, of course, and loved anything peachy pink. And I just went in there with the most dense brush (I only had two brushes, so I mean, it was the Bare Minerals Kabuki brush or the bronzer brush).

For eyes, the more sparkles, the better. I’d go ham with a brown shimmer shadow all over the lid. And the black liner was all over the bottom and top lash lines. No blending. Nope. Had to be black and crisp. Cringe.

The mascara was something. The L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tube mascara was my jam (and I just bought it again to prep for this post, and I must say…I don’t like it). But I wore it. But the formula does create little tubes that go over your lashes. It’s kind of weird. The eyebrows got left alone and over plucked.

Lips were simple. Either a nude gloss or the Lip Envy lip stains from Urban Decay. For a lip stain, though, they didn’t really last long. I still have one. I put it on today. It stains your lips like a popsicle would and comes off within 20 minutes. But I loved them.

 

Looking back, my makeup definitely could have been worse. But I’m very thankful for the Internet for teaching me how to properly match foundation to my face and how to blend anything. I’m also jealous of high schoolers today, you never had to go through an awkward phase. Which is a shame, because I personally think kids need that for character. (:

What was your makeup like in high school?