My Thanksgiving Face

Last night I met the little bro for a (few) glass(es) of wine and a salad. Okay, to tell the truth, there were French fries involved. Two orders. That is the whole truth... moving on.

After dinner we were play-fighting over a cell phone or a set of keys or who-knows-what and the little bugger got a wee bit too close to my face with those grubby little paws. I exclaimed, "Stop! You're going to ruin my face for Thanksgiving!" upon which he exploded into laughter and made some comment to the effect of, "Who cares?"

Am I alone in feeling like the Thanksgiving look matters? Alas, I know it's just family (and friends) scattered around the table, and the focus is on the food and the feeling and all the rest of it. But it also happens to be (one of) the most family oriented holiday(s) of the year, and someone's always snapping photos. In my house, tons of photos. Occasionally we'll find an old album and start leafing through; no matter what the year, there is always at least a page of shots from Thanksgiving--usually many.

I spent years in braces, some of those years overlapping with baby fat; then there were the metallic liquid eyeliner days of middle school and the bleach-blond cheerleading years too. Thanksgiving photos are a veritable timeline of the many stages of Jensy and why not put my best face forward this year for the current chapter?

All of this to say, I have started putting some thought into Thursday's makeup look. It's so important to find a balance somewhere between smoky eyes/juicy lips and nothing at all. Here is what I'm thinking...

EYES
A subtle smoke, something in the bronze family with hints of violet. This makes blue eyes pop but doesn't look too intense. Do-able with a dusting of sheer golden powder over the entire lid, a smokier purple in the crease, a quick line of bronze liquid and of course, plenty of black mascara (top and bottom, I can't help it).

Seen here with the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection of products.

LIPS
A lovely nude infused with just enough sparkle that it feels festive, but not over-the-top. After all, this is a family affair. I like to give lips a nice buff first (especially in colder weather). Achievable by brushing gently with a spare toothbrush *yes, I keep an extra around for this!* and water.  Follow up with a great, creamy lip balm--my favorite is La Mer, but Rosebud Salve will do just as well. Then one coat of a pale pinky-beige lipstick covered with one coat of a great nude gloss. Not to give all the love to Estee today, but their Pure Color gloss in Peach Sizzle ($20) is perfect for this look.

Here is what I'm talking about; can you guess the famous face?







BRONZE FACTOR

A look from the Chanel 2010 Fall Makeup Collection

Same little bro (I only have one, after all) commented in a car trip last Saturday that I was way too bronze for the family get-together we were attending, let alone during daylight hours. I rectified as best I could with no sink, soap, or even towelettes on hand--covering everything with a dusting of mineral makeup one shade lighter than my skin. It worked, but not great. For Turkey Day, I think I will embrace the pale and warm up the cheeks only (as opposed to my famous all-over bronzing, yikes) with a faint dusting of pink as seen here.


So, that's the plan. Let's see if I can master the look and keep those photos looking cute, fresh, and not too dated this year.