Not Another MUA

Disclaimer: I’m not a beauty blogger, nor am I a makeup artist (MUA). This is coming from the stables of the only girl  (feels like that) left in her 20s who is not a MUA or knows so much about the right contour and highlighting tools, except the ones she has tried on her face and she was comfortable with.

So raise your hand if you are among the 2% of girls left who are not professional MUAs. Okay then, this storytelling-review post is for you.

Lemme throw it all the way back from the time I barely used anything on my face to the time I started trying out foundations. I remember barely using any serious makeup through my years in unilag, and the times I did, Mary Kay was the ish, with Black Opal loose powder. Fam that powder lasted for like forever, I had to throw it away at some point because makeup should have expiry dates, right? lemme google that real quick.

So fast-forward to 2015 when I actually wanted to invest in make-up on my own. “on my own” because prior to this time, my mum had been my untiring sponsor. Every of her trips, I always had expensive makeup on the list and the ones she bought for herself, I ended up using as well (P.s- all the MAC I ever used are from her). To any youngin reading this right now, adulting also means you now have to buy your own make up! Candid advice- just enjoy your childhood/ teenagehood. Adulting is the ultimate scam with no perk. The only perk is you can stay out all night, that’s if you stay alone. Staying alone means you have to pay bills and bills are from hell. The End.

So in 2015, I wasn’t going to be needing anyone to go on a trip for me to get makeup, I would be getting by myself whilst studying. I always just wait for a trip after my experience with fake foundation from Eko market. The foundation was like water from a rusty pipe. It scarred me for a long while, hence my skepticism towards just buying from anywhere. However, that was my perception then, things are different now and I’m a little more trusting, thanks to trustworthy vendors, websites, even Instagram makeup sellers.

So, at this time I am at the Leeds city centre on a Saturday, inhaling all of the good and fresh air around me while I shop/ window-shop and get inspired. I usually like to make these kinda ‘waka’s alone where I go by noon hours after sleeping in all morning, then end up being shocked that I spent so many hours at the mall, “doing what exactly?” I always ask myself. lol that’s the fun part – shocking myself every time with all the time wasted. I didn’t have to be shopping for anything in particular, I used this time to compare brands and products, try them out, have someone give me some ‘expert’ advice… and sometimes FIND MY SHADE. The “find my shade” part alone could take hoursss. So, time wasted justified.

By now, y’all already know I am dark-skinned, and if you didn’t know then “hi, my name is Oyin, welcome to my blog, I hope you subscribe/ follow”.

So, yes, I’m dark-skinned and finding the right shade was a hassle (I know this line is very cliché especially in the YouTube community, but oh well, seeing it one more time won’t hurt). I checked a couple brands out such as Clinique. Clinique had my shade and was perfect. I remember, I got a tester but never got around buying an actual tube of foundation. Then while trying different brands in Boots, some ashy, others with all the wrong undertones, I stumbled on No.7‘s foundation in my shade. Oh happy day! Plus it was pretty inexpensive so yeah I bought it and it lasted me monthsss.

It was fun while it lasted. But the moment I started opening the  glass bottle to scoop some liquid from the rest of the pump, this time I’m in Lagos, Nigeria, I already knew I needed a foundation-plan. I thought of throwback brands I was familiar with like Mary Kay– been long I even saw Mary Kay in Nigeria… Anyways, while I watched my last bottle finish and started DIY’ing with some MAC foundation I had which was not in my shade, mixed with LA girl’s concealer (Mahogany), I got wind of Fenty Beauty.  Please what is  “Fenty Beauty”. Fenty Beauty became the Buzz. Accolades flying everywhere to Rihanna for extending the ranges and shades, to accommodate people on extreme ends of the colour spectrum, something other brands failed to do for so many years.

So, Fenty Beauty it was! Everyone was pre-ordering. While I am not really one to buy make-up because of a trend as it’s never that serious for me, I really wanted to cop ’em foundation as I scrolled through pictures of people my exact colour on Rihanna’s feed. I checked the website and already figured that 470 was the perfect shade for me (I’m bad like that!), as I put items in my shopping bag including a match Stix Deep 400 trio set in cream form which I would not really advice anyone to get as they are too mild for the purposes they are meant to serve if you get what I mean consisting Suede (to conceal) Espresso (to contour), and Sinamon (to highlight) and was ready to have my items shipped… Oops. Shipment was not available for my country.

Rolls eyes. After all the hard work trying to figure out my shade and all the data used on watching YouTube reviews on the products, shipment was not available for my country? Anyways, I focused on the positive. Means I had some extra money to save or use on something else.

Or not yet. A friend was going to be in Nigeria by the end of the year. There goes my plan to save, but I would call this some sort of vain investment- still a win-win.

So I got my babies and it was all good and rosy… till I got bored. Or maybe I was just in the mood to try some other brand. This time I am a bridesmaid on a friend’s wedding train getting a face-beat when one of the bridesmaids was casually talking about the foundation she uses which was quite affordable and light-weight. The conversation was longer than expected as I got the Instagram handle of the person she bought hers from. I never made the purchase through her contact though but I was ready to try the brand she talked about – Maybelline.

 Me at a rehabilitation centre: Hello Everyone, my name is Oyin and I am a chronic online shopper.

Everyone: Hi Oyin

Pause. Chronic is relative. In this context, it means I barely ever shop at a physical store, and would rather always resort to finding something online when a need or want arises because going to a physical store is stress.

I was almost determined to go to a certified Maybelline store to inquire and all, till I saw the Jumia 6^th anniversary discount sales. Lol back to my old ways so fast.

So per usual, I found my shade (370) of the matte and poreless Fit-Me foundation for way cheaper than the actual price because “sales”, then after randomly surfing the net, found out about the  clear smooth all-in-one Maybelline powder which I got in Cacao, and I must say, both buys were great buys! The Cacao shade however is very dark and would preferably be used to contour than for every area of your face for people my skin tone. As for the foundation, a pump with it would’ve been better to measure the amount of liquid you want on your face (for non professionals like us) but oh well, every other thing is at it claimed to be –lightweight and matte.

Ultimately from my brief foundation journey, I’ve learnt that Sun Protection Factor “SPF” being inscribed on the bottles/tubes of foundations is a plus (that’s after you find your shade), as (I hope) we all know that everyone needs sunscreens, regardless of the degree of melanin in our bodies.

Though the efficacy of sunscreens in makeups is debatable, seeing the “SPF” inscription is usually a relief, whether it offers real protection or it’s just deceptive advertising from the makeup industry.

Also, there are many good brands out there if you look well enough and the few ones I have tried are good for me, MAC is however too oily if you have oily skin like me.

While there are good brands around, there are also fakes versions of them even for very affordable products as the Clear Smooth All-in-one powder (2,500 naira maximum).

About the rest of my face, especially eyes, i’ll figure all that part later… or just rely on a professional for a facebeat when the need arises.

In conclusion, makeup is stress and the goal is fresh skin.

 

what’s your makeup story?