#Makeup Monday: Fires Edition

I finally washed all my makeup brushes this weekend, to get out the ash.

The ash from the catastrophic fires in Oregon. Fires that rained ash on us here in Eugene, although the fires were miles away. Fires that swept ash through cracks and crevices into the insides of our houses, so that AQI *inside* our homes was “hazardous,” while that outside was…. off the charts. Close to 1000 on a scale that previously stopped at 350.

This is how things were INSIDE my house at its peak.

Incidentally I sprayed them first with this It Cosmetics cleanser, which is kind of oily or silicone-y and broke down the makeup residue. Then I washed out thoroughly with dish soap. I’ve tried many many brush cleaning products but only dish soap actually gets them as clean as I want.

This is how things were in Kel’s parents town of Talent, OR. Miraculously, their house was spared. But most of the town is just…gone.

Makeup was mostly impossible for the “lost 12 days” of fire. Too much grit, and more importantly, just too much shock and trauma. At midday it looked like 10 PM.

I never did find a foundation that stays on with a K95 mask, which was what I relied on when I wasn’t wearing a respirator.  If you know of one, let me know.  My setting sprays didn’t make any significant difference either.

But I did find two lipcolors. One was, indeed, my standby: Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip!  As long as its well applied and patted down and has time to dry and set, it stays on under a mask!

But here’s the thing. I find during this sustained quarantine that I don’t really like my dense matte lipcolors anymore. They just seem so… excessive.  I’ve switched to softer products, and you might remember my affection for Urban Decay LoFi Lip Mousse. Day after day, it’s my go-to. BUT it most definitely does not stay on under a mask.

For that, I have been turning to this product: Wonderskin Lip Stain. It’s weird, I’m not gonna lie. You paint on this purple glop, then spray with another product, peel off the purple, and reveal a lovely soft semi-sheer color! 

Currently they only make four shades, and Romance (Rose) is the only one I’ve tried.

But it’s good.  It stays on, it really does.

 (And yes, I tried their brow stain–and it’s amazing as well.  Solid 24 hour wear. Other products promise this; this is the only one that delivers.)

By the way, I’m wearing Lashify in these photos!  I finally sprang for the special lasting adhesive, the tiny air blower to set the glue, and the short 8mm and 10 mm lashes appropriate to my look and style, and wow I was super pleased with the results although the experiment DID make me late for my DMV appointment!

To be honest, it’s hard to feel great about makeup at all right now. I have no place to really wear it, other than my webinars. And I’m not thrilled with how I look, either before or after application. My face has aged badly. There’s normal aging, and then there is stress-aging, and…. that’s what I see. My skin looks… coarsened in  a way my skin care doesn’t seem to touch. The stress has been unrelenting.

Nevertheless, I continue with masking and skin care.

I also wear caftans almost exclusively now, and feel fabulous in them in a certain covidy way.  We do what we can. 

So tell me: What are you doing to stay in the game makeup and fashion-wise?