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Face Powder Face Off

Helen Troy

A-List Customer
Messages
421
Location
Bergen, Norway
Fair, and happy with it?

I have noticed that many of you girls say that you have very fair skin, and that you therefore want very pale powder/foundation to match it. (Like me!) In daily life, I seldom meet girls who look as pale as me, or who uses as pale powder. Also, considering how difficult it is to find paler shades in usual make-up brands, the cosmetics companies don`t seem to find a high demand for pale make-up.

That makes me wonder: Why are so many of us Fedora-girls in need of paler makeup? Are we less out in the sun? Is the vintage-loving gene connected to the gene for fair skin? Or, could it be that other girls with fair skin wear darker make-up to look more tanned, while we modern vintage-girls are less likely to follow fashion on this point and more willing to like the skin we are born in?

For me, it`s the latter. Nature painted me in pale hues, and sun makes me red, not tanned. I hate to sunbathe anyway, it`s boring! I think make-up that is too dark for the skis color looks fake and stupid, and have never wanted to follow fashion, so I opt for the "pale and interesting-look".

What do you girls think? Are we vintage-lovers more often pale then the rest of the population, and why?
 
G

GoldLeaf

Guest
Being tan didn't really become popular until Coco Chanel came back from a yachting trip and accidently was sun burned. However, she was so popular that the tan caught on a bit. Being pale used to be a sign that you were a woman of high standing and didn't have to expose your skin to the harsh elements.

In the 30's and 40's it became acceptable to be seen in public in a bathing outfit and women ventured outdoors in clothing that was increasingly revealing.

I am pale, for two reasons. One, my skin coloring is on the pale side. Second, I don't want to age poorly or develop skin cancer. I guess I have a third reason, I was a goth girl for many years, and being tan is a big no-no lol

I am 30 and I look in my early 20's. I attribute that to the care I have taken with my skin. While I enjoy the sun and the beach very much, I always am careful to protect myself. I tan easily and burn rarely, which makes staying pale difficult sometimes. With any luck, I will look like my mom, who at 60 looks 45.
 

pigeon toe

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
los angeles, ca
As for pale skin, I've always had a weird pale skin that neither burns nor tans. I take it as I'm the mixture of my parent's skin, I'm super pale like my dad (who burns very easily), but have my moms resistance to burning (she has olive skin and tans), so I guess the two cancel each other out and I'm always a constant shade of pale!

I have the same reasons as GoldLeaf for embracing my pale skin (minus the goth phase!). Since I was a child, everyone in my family would tell me to protect my skin from the sun, and I've been trying my hardest to take care of it. I'm not afraid of aging, but the main reason why I neither smoke cigarettes nor sunbathe is because I don't want my skin to show it in the future.
 

HadleyH

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,811
Location
Top of the Hill
Let me tell you that if there is one thing that is hammered into our brains everyday, here where I live, is that too much sun is really, really bad for you, so we should stay out of it.
Since I'm an obedient girl, I do what I'm told. ;)
 

princessofcandl

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Deep in the heart of Texas
I'm not pale. I'm Mexican. Hahaha... but I hate tan lines. I wear lots of sunscreen for skin health and to avoid tan lines (I will tan walking to the mailbox). But I am not tan.

It gets a bit challenging cuz, IMHO, you can wear dark colors (especially reds) only so far. At some point you get too "dark" to wear those colors. Then you have to switch to light colors to emphasis you lips. During summer months I end up avoiding reds infavor of corals or pinks. Otherwise my lips fade into my face. Again, this is a personal opinion.
 

VanillaT

One of the Regulars
Messages
105
Location
Michigan
I haven't tried Besame powder yet, but I have tried the Coty Airspun. I like the Coty pretty well. I would like to let everyone know however, what my favorite powder is. It only comes in one shade, but that doesn't seem to matter (actually the gal that introduced me to it was a v. dark-skinned). It is the Cornsilk powder (I use both the loose and compact versions). It smells something heavenly to me, and it gives me the correct matte look that I go for without giving a lot of heaviness or adding any strange colors. Just wanted to let you all know about it. Oh yeah, and it is also pretty affordable. Just look in the Sally Hansen section of your drugstore/megastore... they should have it there.
 

Shearer

Practically Family
Messages
779
Location
Squaresville
On being pale...

I must have gotten my pale skin from my dad's side of the family, because my mom has olive undertones and can tan very nicely. My dad's side had Irish redheads and Germans and I swear I can burn on a cloudy day!

I live in Southern California, so I really feel like the odd duck sometimes, especially during the summer when everyone is SO TAN and I'm just searching for the next spot of shade :D During the summer I have to be careful what I wear, how much sunscreen I put on, and how long I stay in the sun, because I have gotten some very odd burn lines.

If it was up to me it would be cloudy and cool year round and I could wear coats and stockings and hats as much as I wanted!
 

mysterygal

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,667
Location
Washington
Up until a few months ago, I loved sporting a nice tan. Whether it be from the sun or the bottle. For me it took two things to embrace the pale; #1. was getting the comment from two people who I highly look to for advice, saying that the tan needed to go. #2. I went on a routine dermatology appointment and ended up having 5 moles that looked very questionable and had to be biopsied asap (the results turned out to be totally fine..thank God!).
Now I find that I absolutely love having pale skin! Now I"m just in the search of a good make-up product. Everything I've tried so far has either a pink hue to it or just doesn't have the coverage that I'm satisfied with.
I've just finished reading a book on this topic (the beauty trend of fair/pale skin) this has actually been the favored look for women until very recently.
 

RetroModelSari

Practically Family
Messages
863
Location
Duesseldorf/Germany
I do my best to keep myself pale cause I have a olive-greyish skin when I tan - not very pretty. I adore pale skin on both men and women. All my boyfriends had only one thing in common: Pale skin and cute freckles... lol
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
I am extremely pale by nature; my skin simply does not tan. This makes finding foundation and powder a very difficult thing, as almost no company makes a shade light enough for me (you ought to look into 'stage' makeups, as they offer a wider range of colors and are not at all heavy if applied properly.) I can wear both Besame and Coty powders, though I don't use the translucent shade that Coty makes. Instead, I use their lightest shade, Rachel No. 1, which is nearly white and a perfect match for my skin. I do find powder to be a must even though my skin in on the drier side; I prefer creamy makeups which tend to leave an oily finish, thus requiring powder.
 

Emblaze

Familiar Face
Messages
61
Location
England
I have a bit of a powder-related dilemma you might be able to help me with, if you would be so kind. :eek:

Having heard so many good things about Coty powder here, I decided to type it in to eBay and see if any sellers had any for sale. I bought the only result the search brought up - something called 'L'Aimant de Francois Coty Dusting Powder'. Is this the right stuff? It came today, and I've succeeded in making myself look like Caspar, and in covering my black jumper in a dandruff-like covering! I followed the instructions I've read here (Put on loads with the cute puffy thing it comes with, then brush off with a make-up brush) but it didn't look right, even though my skin is quite pale. The powder is very white and just looks like talcum powder.

So, what is this stuff I have bought and how is it supposed to be used? :D
 

Miss Neecerie

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,616
Location
The land of Sinatra, Hoboken
Emblaze said:
I have a bit of a powder-related dilemma you might be able to help me with, if you would be so kind. :eek:

Having heard so many good things about Coty powder here, I decided to type it in to eBay and see if any sellers had any for sale. I bought the only result the search brought up - something called 'L'Aimant de Francois Coty Dusting Powder'. Is this the right stuff? It came today, and I've succeeded in making myself look like Caspar, and in covering my black jumper in a dandruff-like covering! I followed the instructions I've read here (Put on loads with the cute puffy thing it comes with, then brush off with a make-up brush) but it didn't look right, even though my skin is quite pale. The powder is very white and just looks like talcum powder.

So, what is this stuff I have bought and how is it supposed to be used? :D

Well 'L'Aimant is a perfume by Coty...so it sounds to me as if you have bought a perfumed dusting powder which would indeed be white powder, instead of a cosmetic face powder.

What you are looking for is called Airspun Loose Powder...

http://www.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/masterid=2131814/form_keyword=/
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
think of it as powder for the body that makes you smell nice...and in a warmer climate sometimes helps keep you dry and not as sticky.....

And they are also good for layering scents, if you want to increase the staying power of your perfume (soap, lotion, perfume, powder.) But you wouldn't want to use it on your face, as it could potentially irritate sensitive skin.
 

~landgirl~

A-List Customer
Messages
485
Location
Hampshire, UK
ShrinkingViolet said:
Hooray, another mineral make-up fan! I use the foundation from Lily Lolo and I'm very impressed with it. Unfortunately the mineral foundation does go cakey if I apply it over my spf 50 sunscreen - but then again they say that the minerals naturally act as a sunscreen.

Sigh, the vast problems that a girl has to face... lol
Does anyone perchance know of a high spf non-greasy sunscreen for everyday use that works well with foundation?

I am another Lily Lolo user! I use to use BareMinerals, but so expensive over in the UK and sometimes difficult to buy from the US. Lily Lolo works just as well and not a bad price either!
 

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