Angelos Midterm Blog

There is an obvious abundance of women on the campus at California Baptist University. As I recall, for every guy that attends here, there are 2-3 girls to match him. Those odds make the "ring before spring" idea a little tough, and not just for the girls. Imagine being a guy on campus: how would you choose??? Most if not all of the women here are so beautiful, both inside and out. Very few of them have flimsy, bodiless hair, or pock-marked cheeks, the leftovers from a rough bout with hormones. This is what stuns me though: even the ones with limp hair and scarred faces arebeautiful. One look in their eyes, and what you see should encompass their entire being and your perception of them, both inside and out. EVERY girl has at least three physical features that are stunning, and if you can't see them, you're not looking hard enough. It could be their smile, their lips, their nose, or even something quirky, like their hands, their feet, or their knees. The latter sounds ridiculous, I know. But I met a girl once who had the most beautiful knees. Perfectly proportioned to her body, slender on each side of the kneecap, a pronounced kneecap that didn't protrude as if to stab you, smooth tone and even skin texture, and well moisturized. She attends Cal Baptist, but doesn't know who she is. I don't want her to know I'm her one and only knee-stalker.

I can also tell you that every girl can find at least one feature she'd prefer to change. For the whimsy hair-girls, it's body and volume. For the pock-marked girl, it a smooth, even face. For many girls, it's her middle, or her upper, or her lower parts of her body; and though we all have solutions and ways of changing these parts of ourselves, many of us don't take the initiative.

Moving back to my Cal Baptist maidens: Many of them wear makeup. Usually, it's in traces, and usually, that's all that I believe is needed. With a touch of mascara and a touch of blush, most girls are irresistibly lovely. Their loveliness doesn't negate us pock-marked ladies' insecurities, though. I have seen many a lass with a face like mine who don't realize that, with the right steps, their faces can look as smooth and perfect as an airbrushed model's. Or like Jenny Miner's. Like there's a difference.

Unless you're a Sephora junkie (like me), you may not know about the Prep-Prime-Perfect system of foundation. You'd be surprised how much of a difference a few simple steps can make.

Prepping your skin for makeup is, to some, a revelation. When someone washes their face, they strip it of some degree of moisture. Without that moisture, makeup can look cake-y, powdery, clumpy, uneven, etc. So, after you wash, put the moisture back. Find a good moisturizer that suits your skin type, and use it. No one wants a clumpy face. ;-)

Priming the face is actually a fairly new concept in the world of beauty. A primer* is a semi-liquid substance you rub onto your face after you moisturize and before your foundation. It does many things, such as smoothing out the texture of your skin (so your makeup looks more flawless), prevents creasing, and causes your makeup to stay on much longer, negating the need for frequent touch-ups. Many primers even have other functions, such as anti-aging benefits, anti-acne benefits, moisturizing benefits, or oil control benefits.

Perfecting your foundation has many steps, really. If you use a liquid foundation, put your concealer on over the top of it, not underneath. Patting your concealer onto your skin will achieve a much better coverage instead of swiping, as well, so try that technique. Be sure you always set with a powder, giving the foundation a fighting chance to resist humidity and sweat. If you use a powder foundation, don't be afraid to use ample amounts--just make sure you use a good brush designed for the deed, not a sponge or pad. Or, God forbid, your fingers. ;-) For concealing with a powder, be sure you have an oversized concealer brush, and use it in swirling motions over the area you want to conceal.

There you have it. Experiment with your makeup, find out the best ways to do it to suit your skin type. Don't take the art of makeup and make it a science--discover your method of art and get it down to a science. :-)

*http://sephora.com/search/search_results.jhtml;jsessionid=1ZKPHNUT34GLGCV0KRTQX0Q?command=text&attr1=primers&attr2=&%2Fcom%2Fsephora%2Fsearch%2Fendeca%2Fui%2FEndecaSearchFormHandler.search=search&_D%3A%2Fcom%2Fsephora%2Fsearch%2Fendeca%2Fui%2FEndecaSearchFormHandler.search=+&maxRecords=18&recordOffset=0&seeAllCategory=false&searchString=primers&x=0&y=0&_DARGS=%2Fincludes%2FsearchFinder.jhtml