You’re Gorgeous!
Now play it up.
by Andrea Downing Peck
Too many women are misusing makeup to cover their beautiful, unique features, says Carmindy Bowyer. She should know: the radiantly beautiful makeup artist on TLC’s hit show “What Not To Wear,” spent years as a high-fashion makeup artist in Paris, Milan and Brazil. The New York-based 38-year-old also works for Elle and Cosmopolitan and has written two books, with a third, “Crazy Busy Beautiful,” out this year. Her Sally Hansen makeup line, Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy, helps women put her philosophy to use.
Military Spouse caught up recently with Carmindy to discuss ways to stretch a makeup budget, her cosmetics line, and the surprising beauty product found in her bathroom.
MSM: How would you describe your beauty philosophy?
Carmindy: My beauty philosophy is really about enhancing your natural beauty. Since I’ve been doing “What Not to Wear” for seven years, I’ve made it my point to explain to women that there is really no set standard of beauty. All women are gorgeous in their own way. Our uniqueness sets us apart from one another should be celebrated. We shouldn’t be using makeup to conceal, hide, and change who we are to fit some ridiculous standard. There is no standard.
One of my favorite quotes is from Charles Darwin, who said if we were all cast in the same mold, there would be no such thing as beauty. I really try to get that message across to women, not only on the show, but in day-to-day life as well. Take what is yours and celebrate it by playing with makeup to enhance it, not hide or change it.
MSM: When you walk down the streets of New York City, what makeup mistakes do you see women making repeatedly?
Carmindy: Women don’t realize their beautiful features. All they focus on is their flaws so they use makeup to try to fix their flaws. I see women who are overplucking their eyebrows like crazy to get an arch and they end up destroying their eyebrows. I see women who are using colored lip liner to paint on a bigger-shaped lip when in fact their smaller, beautiful palate is the most flattering for their face. I see women who are constantly trying to make their eyes appear bigger, smaller, or farther apart and all you are seeing is eye shadow. I see a lot of women overcompensating with makeup. That’s really what is unattractive.
MSM: Do African American and Asian women make similar makeup mistakes?
Carmindy: [Over compensating] is universal. I see beautiful porcelain-skinned women who are getting that savage spray tan and they are walking around bright orange. They are trying to look like they are Brazilian or something, and it just looks so off. If they embraced their fair skin and went with a peaches and cream look, it would be so much more beautiful. I see a lot of African American women taking black lip liner pencils and lining their lips when they already have beautiful, beautiful lips. They should just be putting a little color on and leaving them alone. I see Asian women trying to paint on eyelids. They are all trying to compensate for what they think they don’t have when in fact each one is uniquely beautiful.
MSM: Many women prefer shopping for cosmetics in department stores rather than drugstores because they want to be told which products are best for their skin type and coloring or they want a lesson on how to apply it. What is your view?
Carmindy: A lot of women when they walk into a drugstore [to buy cosmetics] become overwhelmed and they don’t know where to start. They would rather pay to have somebody tell them how to do it or what colors are right for them. The problem is people in a department store are trained to sell you what is hot that season to boost sales. They are not going to say, `Your skin is beautiful. You don’t need three types of concealer. You don’t need an eyelid liner.’ They are trying to sell you everything, especially colors that are not right for you and are hot that season. You can’t trust it. The best thing to do is arm yourself with the right information. That’s why I wrote books like “The Five Minute Face” and “Get Positively Beautiful,” and I put shopping lists in the back so you can actually read what to buy.
MSM: When buying makeup products such as foundation, for example, are high-end name brands worth the extra cost because of their superior ingredients?
Carmindy: Absolutely not. Being a makeup artist for so many years, being in the fashion industry, and now dealing with real women on “What Not to Wear,” I was sent every kind of product under the sun from every company. I have used $175 jars of foundation to $10 jars of foundation. What I came to find is that it is all about the story and the packaging.
MSM: Are there certain products you believe women should avoid?
Carmindy: I think powdered foundations are the worst things ever made. The reason why is it dulls the skin. It makes your skin look dry and chalky. A lot of these mineral foundations are just a big trend. It doesn’t really do much. It dulls you down and there’s no radiance. Liquid is the best there is. The second [best] is airbrush spray makeup. The foundation that you spray onto a sponge and apply to your skin is like a fine mist. When you put it on your skin, it is the lightest texture. These look the most natural.
MSM: When buying beauty supplies, are certain products worth splurging on?
Carmindy: SkinCeuticals sunscreen is my favorite sunscreen out there because it contains a zinc oxide, and it really coats the skin and makes sure you don’t burn or tan through it. SkinCeuticals is more expensive than Neutrogena. It is $30 as opposed to $11, but I swear by it.
When it comes to face creams, I happen to be a La Mer girl. The reason I like La Mer is not because of the fancy jar. I have skin that is dry like the desert. I have never found a cream that is rich enough to coat my skin the right way. This cream does. I will skimp on everything and splurge on my face cream. It also works as a night cream.
MSM: If a woman has only a moment or two to put on makeup before running out the door in the morning, what steps can she take to look pulled together?
Carmindy: If you don’t have five minutes and really have to run, there are a couple of things that wake up your complexion. The first thing is black mascara. Putting on black mascara is going to frame your eyes and give you definition. The second thing is flake on a bit of tinted gloss. Colored gloss gives your lips a little bit of protection, a little bit of moisture, a little shine so it looks like you are instantly pulled together. The other thing is grab a little concealer and tap it in the areas where you need it.
You can skip powder, you can skip blush, you can skip eye shadow, all of that. Just a little bit of concealer dabbed where you need it, a little bit of mascara and a little gloss. That’s all you need.
MSM: If I were to look at the makeup and beauty supplies in your bathroom, would I find anything that would surprise me?
Carmindy: Most people when they go into my shower get surprised because there is a box of sugar in there. I use white sugar to exfoliate my face and body. It’s the best exfoliant out there. If they stay at my house in Miami, women say, ‘Are you baking a cake in your bathroom?’ I scrub my face and my body with it. A lot of exfoliants say brown-sugar scrub or this sugar scrub. You can very inexpensively go into your kitchen and pour a handful of sugar and wash your face and you’re done.
MSM: Are there ways for military wives to enjoy a “spa experience” without the cost?
Carmindy: Instead of going to a spa, I would always recommend getting a group of girls together on a Sunday or Saturday. Have them bring over the kids, hang out together, and everybody bring their favorite beauty find. Have a makeup party. Maybe one girl has gorgeous hair and she’s found the most incredible hair product. Somebody else is a makeup junkie and she’s found some good stuff. Come together and share all your beauty tips with your friends.
It’s fun because you can have these great spa days where you paint each other’s toenails, tell each other secrets, gossip, and read mags. You are not spending money and you get to see your girls at the same time.