Basic Bobbi: A Minimalist Makeup Lesson

A few months ago, Bobbi Brown announced she was leaving the makeup brand that bore her name after 25 years.  It's hard to grasp how revolutionary this sensibly dressed woman with her natural makeup and philosophy of, "You.  But better ..." was back in the day.  Trust me, it made a refreshing change.  

Before a makeup tidy after going cruelty-free, I thought about the products I used and how.  It made deciding what to replace / ditch and identifying future needs easier.  As well as going cruelty-free, I wanted to downsize my collection and keep it that way. When it comes to makeup, I am a bit of a magpie.  Sophie over at Private Life of A Girl wrote:

"The “haul culture” of beauty (and fashion) blogging encourages women to purchase every new release or cult product, and own a multitude of products that do exactly the same thing. ... it’s surprising how quickly drawers and countertops fill up with unnecessary, unused, or unwanted items." 

My default makeup is a variant of Basic Bobbi.  Sharing it is a small, belated tribute to someone who's been a great influence on me. Ta v much Bobbi and all the best for the future.

None of the products I use are from Bobbi Brown.  Not cruelty-free.  Sells in China.  Oh the irony.

You need a face primer, concealer(s), base, powder, bronzer, highlighter, blush, a pale matte eye-shadow and a darker, shimmery eye-shadow, eye pencil, brow gel, mascara, lipstick and settling spray.  

Once you've gathered your bits together, off we go:

1. Prep skin with primer to help makeup stay on longer.
2. Apply concealer under eyes and anywhere else that's needed to even out the skin.  
3. Follow with a foundation that matches your skin tone.  Great instructions from Paris B at My Woman Stuff.
4. Dust powder all your face or just where it tends to get shiny.
5. Use bronzer to either warm the face by applying it to where the sun hits or to contour.  Tips from Blooming Rouge.  Blend.
6. Apply blush on the apples of the cheeks, blend up towards the hairline, then downwards to soften.  Blush basics from Cupcakes & Cashmere.
7. Brush some highlighter on top of the cheek bones.  Blend.  
8. Apply the light, matte shadow from the lash-line to the brow bone and a darker, shimmery shadow on the lower lid up to the socket line with a fluffy brush.  Blend the darker shadow with a finger so there are no hard edges.  The technical term is "one wash wonder".
9. Line upper and lower lash line with a pencil. Bobbi uses a gel liner, but when I try this, I look like a panda.  No one wants to look like a panda.  Unless you're a panda.
10. Spray with setting spray.  Helps makeup stay on longer.
11. Define brows with something- pencil, shadow or gel - that matches your brow colour.  Begin at the start of the brow and work towards the end using soft, feathery strokes.  Follow with mascara.
12. Apply some lipstick or lip gloss. All done!

The wonderful thing about Basic Bobbi is it works for almost anyone and for any occasion.  Party - glittery eye shadow, lots of eye pencil and mascara with a red lip.  Office or home - natural colours and a nude lip.  It doesn't take that long either.  I can usually get my face on in about five to ten minutes.  See, like a makeup ninja!

How do you do your makeup?


Sometimes the Scheduling Fairy smiles on you and, although you haven't planned it, your post coincides with something you've forgotten about completely.  Last week's Moomins post appeared on National Book Day.  This week the Scheduling Fairy frowned.  My posts for the week of International Women's Day ... One on kitchens and this one on makeup.

I'll leave you with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's brilliantly simple but comprehensive description of feminists: “a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes”.   

She also says: "Some people ask: “Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?” Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general – but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender.”