It’s January, and your wallet is cringing. Your wallet, let’s call her Dorothy, was singing and dancing in an ugly holiday sweater, eating pecan pie, sipping eggnog with slightly too much rum, and suddenly, WHAM! Everything came to a screeching halt. Dorothy, overwhelmed and passed out in the middle of the holiday glitter, did a little barf and decided that it was time to zip-up and spend less.
Mournfully, you stare at Dorothy. It was such fun. Then you look at your meager makeup collection and wonder how and where to shop for products catering to mature skin that don’t cause Dorothy to hurl again.
I have answers.
After the glamor of the holidays, it’s all about minimalism and budget, so let’s crash that party and sip something hot and lovely (sans rum). Today, we are joined by Tamara, a good friend of mine here in Ecuador who is asking the same questions about minimalism! Let’s do it.
Dorothy’s Budget Foundation
I love a good, well-priced product. It doesn’t matter what it is. For example, I’m sitting in a coffee shop that has fabulous bread pudding. One piece costs $2.50 (Ecuador is cheaper than the west), and I want to take the whole cake home. My good sense intervenes though and tells me I don’t need it because, you know, it’s January, and I’ve had enough sugar to float me for a few months. But, I digress.
Getting a reliable, affordable foundation is key, but without a moisturizer, foundation is useless. Most of the time, foundation looks bad not because it’s necessarily an inferior product, but because your skin is dehydrated or dry.
On Tamara, I tossed on some Finlay + Green moisturizer for post-menopausal skin and her face drank it up and glowed as thank you. Next, I applied E.L.F Soft Glam Satin Foundation, a budget friendly foundation that most of you can wear and look great. Two great products at great prices. Dorothy smiles.
Beautiful Brows, Beautiful Budget
Brows are an easy fix. Not to be trite, but in January, when your pants don’t fit and you (sadly) take down the decorations, it’s nice to know your brows look good. It’s the little things.
That being said, in the video, I reached for an eyebrow pencil and gel both in Silver Queen and in a flash made Tamara’s brows look perky and cute. Isn’t it good to have at least one perky thing on your body? Plus, these products stay on, look natural, and are reasonably priced. If you need thicker brows, then try a brow growth serum. All three can be found in a bundle purchase from PrimePrometics which saves you cash. Beautiful brows, beautiful budget.
Slide and Glide with Dorothy
In Sweden, if you “slide in on a shrimp sandwich” it means your wallet is bigger than anyone else’s because shrimp is considered a luxury. Our wallet is not really sliding on anything right now, so the question is, how can you slide and glide without spending too much?
Enter a water resistant, glides on like butter even if your lids are crinkly, eyeliner for mature skin. To flatter Tamara’s amazing silver hair, I decided to use the shade Mocha on the top and Smokey on the bottom, and then blend for a chic, minimalist makeup look. For eyeliner bundles, go here.
After that, I used a cream shadow called Nebula to give her eyes a lift with a little bit of sparkle. Cream shadows tend to stay put, not crease, and blend out easily. I love them. Plus, I am inherently lazy and using just one color all over my lid is deeply satisfying. All in all, her eye makeup took me about five minutes to apply and I used three products. That’s way faster and cheaper than your holiday decorations.
Blush with a Bang
Blush is like eggnog, yummy and easily overdone. To avoid these pitfalls, pick a bright shade that goes with your shirt, skin color, and lipstick choice, and blend it from the apple of your cheek and up into your brow bone.
In fact, I would go so far as to say put on too much, and then use your fingers to wipe a little off. That way, you get just the right amount. On Tamara, I used a fun cream coral shade that didn’t compete with her eye makeup or drown out her lipstick, but rather flattered the whole look.
A note on budget. Everyone wants a dupe from the drugstore on their favorite overpriced items. I feel you, honey. I spend way too much on cosmetics and have no excuse for my behaviour. That being said, I have found it more cost effective to shop strategically.
Get only what you need, watch the impulse purchases, and buy affordable quality. For example, I would rather buy two lipsticks that I love and wear all the time than 10 that I forget about. That’s me, but you do you.
Dorothy and the Peachy Pout
Warm toned blush and lipstick is in for winter, but be careful, don’t just run out and buy what screams your name. In fact, Dorothy (your wallet) wants you to take a breath and search your makeup drawer for what you already have. One trick I employ with great fervor is to use the same lipstick with a different lip liner. If I use a darker liner, it automatically deepens the lipstick, or if I switch liners to a warmer shade, the lipstick softens and lightens.
On Tamara, I used Giving Guava by E.L.F. It’s a bundle purchase that comes with a lipstick, gloss, and liner, but I darkened the liner to make it have more pow. Dorothy just danced a jig.
Love in January
January is typically cold, barren, and a little boring if I’m being honest. Your wallet is lonely, your house is back to its regular not so interesting self, and minimalist makeup rules the day. Why not do a massive sorting out of your makeup drawer and get that one item you need to pull together a happy new year look?
You don’t have to spend a lot, and you can pull out the pile of glitter from Christmas and lay on top of it for kicks and giggles. Stay playful, beautiful, and focused on a bright 2025.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What does your minimalist makeup look like? Is your wallet happy with you this January? Are you happy with yourself and your Christmas spending?
