Everyone falls into a rut sometimes. Allow me to use Christina Aguilera to illustrate my point. She got so sick of those red tips and Kim Possible pants that she got a spray tan and began sparring in an underground boxing syndicate—thus creating one of the most beloved albums of the early aughts. This sensibility can (and should) be translated into real life, any time stagnation is on the horizon: in work, relationships, and appearance.
Of course this can include your beauty routine; sometimes you’re just in the mood to overhaul it. Add to it, simplify it, complicate it, whatever! Makeup washes off! It resets every night. With that safety net, what’s stopping you from throwing your current routine on its head and into a mud wrestling ring? I’ve got some ideas on where to start.
If you’re bored with BB creams, try a full coverage foundation
Full coverage foundations get a bad rap. People think it’s heavy, cakey, mask-like. Fair accusations, based on what I’ve seen with associates at certain mall makeup boutiques. Here’s the thing, though: with proper application, you’ll actually end up with less product on your face when using higher coverage products. Take Hourglass Vanish Liquid Foundation for instance: Half a pump is meant to cover your entire face. This means the tiniest bloop of product thinned out on your face gets you the same amount of coverage as several blobs of tinted moisturizer, with less makeup on your face sliding around. Tah dah.
If you’re bored with minimalism, decorate your nails
The key to pulling off flamboyance is picking your battles. A sensible, neutral outfit with giraffe-print socks peeking out of wide-leg trousers is peculiar and alluring. Alternately, an outfit comprised of a giraffe-print blouse, parka, and slingback will just make you look like a giraffe that survived the Chernobyl accident. So, if you are like me and tend to be plain in dress, your nails are a low-stakes site for brandishing flair. I place Olive & June evil-eye nail stickers strategically at my cuticle to make me feel mischievous and adorable even when I’m dressed in head-to-toe oatmeal. They also make wildflower stickers I think would look so choice clutching a subway pole.
If you’re bored with your eye region, glue on some lashes
I think the idea of lash extensions is neat. They give normal people access to Jake Gyllenhaal lashes and for six to eight weeks you get to wake up looking practically ready for the Met Gala. Cool! A related counterpoint: rubbing your eyes feels so good it’s almost carnal. The idea of going two months without being able to do that makes me feel claustrophobic within my own skin. Enter Lashify, another classic case of ITG made me do it. (The brown gossamers look inconceivably natural, for those who worry about the “falsie” look.) Glue these puppies to the underside of your lashes at home and you get a few days of a fluffy Lamb Chop gaze. Remove them whenever you’re in the mood for another revamp and rub your eyes until you see stars.
If you’re bored with trying to control shine, just stop
This time of year, everyone should be a little shiny. It just looks better than being chapped and raw. My very oily complexion is usually powdered within an inch of its life, but lately, I just like letting it do its thing. I use the thickest cream I own—Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream—in the morning. Alone, skin just looks alive, like you actually own a humidifier. Products layer really well on top of it, if you chose to do that. When it comes to signifying status, an ambient highlight via rosehip and camellia oil is right on par with using empty Diptyque jars to hold Q-tips. Elevated yet utilitarian. A status goal if there ever was one.
—Or Gotham
Photo via ITG
