5 Sheer Foundations to Ace Your WFH Base | Friday Thoughts on Looking Good on the Outside and Feeling Good on the Inside

If there were ever a time to appreciate the wonders of a sheer, everyday workhorse foundation, this would be that time!

These are my favorites at the moment. What are yours?

5 Sheer Foundations to Ace Your WFH Base

1. Lancôme Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint Healthy Glow: Ultra lightweight with a demi-matte finish; looks great in person AND in pics.
2. MAC Face and Body Foundation: The most natural-looking of all the sheer bases, and it’s long-lasting too. I kid you not, skin still looks like skin when you wear this.
3. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer: A beautiful satiny finish with medium coverage! Plus, it blurs pores.
4. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare: This one is also medium coverage, but the finish is closer to matte than the others. The barely-there formula practically feels like water.
5. MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick: This one is SO easy to blend and has a gentle, soft matte finish. Sometimes I like layering this on top of Face and Body. 😊

Thoughts on looking good and feeling good

Most of the time, when we look good, we feel good. I heard something along these lines recently in a fashion video (it was about how not to look “frumpy,” in case you’re curious), and it spoke to me.

At the beginning, Erin, the host of the show, says…

“We’re talking about how the way you look affects the way that you feel, affects everything in your life. When you’re looking good, you will feel better. You will feel great. You will have more to give everybody else.”

This struck a chord with me, because whenever I have something to give — whether it be my time, energy, money, love, etc. — I always give what I have to my friends and family, which I’m always happy to do, but what I hadn’t realized, though, is that the strain of the past year has left me with very little (or rather, zero) leftover “oomph” for myself, and it’s been slowly chipping away at my confidence. My proverbial well is bone dry.

Lately, I can feel myself getting dangerously close to the point where one rolls out of bed one day and stays in the same crusty pajamas for two weeks straight.

I think a part of it is my hair, to be honest. I haven’t had a cut in more than a year, and it’s been bothering me. I haven’t wanted to do anything with it lately, because it’s almost impossible to wrangle it into any sort of workable style. That frustration then leads to me saying, “well, f*ck it,” to everything else. Why bother putting on sunscreen or mascara when none of it feels fun?

Oh, and forget about getting properly dressed, because nobody will notice if my shirt is inside out or backwards — not even the people I live with, and I know this because it’s happened several times.

Because I haven’t really talked to anyone in person lately, unless it’s the occasional curt one- or two-minute conversation with the sales associate in the checkout line at Petco, or a brief in-passing conversation at preschool dropoff, I sometimes find myself wondering, “Why do I even keep trying?”

The funny thing is, logically I know that 1) this is all temporary, and 2) what’s mostly bothering me is exterior stuff. It’s all frosting, and not the cake, which is something I tell Connor all the time. I know in the grand scheme of things that the outside stuff is frippery. I’m 100% aware that what’s on the outside does not determine my worth on the inside.

Yet…when I look in the mirror and see myself looking sloppy or unkept, even when I remind myself that the exterior stuff isn’t everything, and all the best stuff is on the inside, I still feel yucky. 🤷‍♀️

People often say that the first step to helping yourself is being able to admit that you need help, and watching that video made me realize that I need a little help.

So, here I am, gently reminding myself that doing the things that make me feel good are not a trivial burden. Brushing my hair, putting on sunscreen in the morning, and curling my lashes — these are all good things, and they are worth the effort, because when I look good, I feel good, and I will have more to give.

Oh, and another gentle note to self: it really doesn’t have to be hard. The effort does not have to be Herculean.

For the last few nights, right before bed, I’ve been setting out a bottle of one of the sheer bases listed above, along with a lash curler, a mascara, a brow pencil, blush and a lipstick, and I make sure to put on makeup first thing in the morning.

Surprise, surprise! — I’ve been feeling a little better since I started doing this, and my plan for the next few days is to do the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the next….

Oh, and earlier this week I bought myself some clothes for the first time in…I can’t even remember how long.

Also, I found a stylist who does outdoor cuts. Mind you, I haven’t booked an appointment yet because of the virus and whatnot. I’m still nervous about the pandemic, but at least I know that, when I’m ready, she’ll be there, and that’s such a mental relief.

Anyway, that’s what’s been going on with me. Thanks for listening, and on that note…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!