As the title says, I can’t tell if I’m just doing my makeup wrong or if my face is just not looking good to my eyes.
I think I have a pretty decent foundation match in a few different brands, a Juvia’s place powder foundation and Clinique’s medium coverage foundation. Both at least seem to look just like my skin when I put them on. A half face test just makes it look like half my face is matte. I usually only go one coat of mascara, and go for a winged eyeliner. It looks OK in the house, in both warm and cool lighting, but I s2g it seems like as soon as I step outside and look in a car mirror or in the mirror at a ship I look like a clown. One coat of mascara seems to look like 8, and the brown eyeshadow that I do very little of, looks like I slathered Nutella on my lids.
Problem is, nobody ever says my makeup looks bad, and I occasionally get compliments on it. I just can’t tell if those compliments are genuine or if they’re the compliments that have an unspoken insult behind them. I don’t normally wear makeup during the workweek, so I don’t know if maybe it’s just the difference when I put it on during the weekend? I just seem to notice that as soon as I step out my front door it’s like my jowls dial it up to 1000 even if all I put on was eyeliner and mascara? Like, what is this phenomenon where make up that looks fine in your own home looks like circus makeup as soon as the front door is opened?
It’s the lighting; sunlight is harsher, in general. In addition, as the sun moves throughout out the day, the lighting changes. Even light through windows is different bc of how it travels through window panes, curtains, everything really.
If you’re getting occasional compliments, accept them for what they are: someone being kind 🥰 (unless you sense a snarky tone, in which case, forget them).
You could also try different products like a lighter coverage foundation, tinted moisturizer, bb cream, etc (ask if you can get samples so you can try before committing); if you have nice skin, you may consider foregoing full face makeup in general and just try some concealer in areas to even out skin tone.
For mascara, maybe look into lash conditioners instead of mascara. Some lash products will help you get a fuller lash look and they’re not as heavy looking as mascara.
With eyeliner, maybe try out tightlining then blend with a soft eyeliner brush for a more natural look.
For eyeshadow, you could try a lighter brown. My “natural look” eyeshadow is usually 2-3 shades (depending on how much time I have): a medium natural-ish color on the lids, a slightly darker color in the crease, and the lightest color on the brow bone and inner eye area - the key here is blending. If you like the color you’re using, maybe blending more will help it looks less like you slathered Nutella on your eyelid.
If you’re happy with your makeup routine, however, it sounds like it’s just a lighting thing and maybe just play with different products