Thread: Plight of the pasty north-girl....

I know you ladies have great makeup tips, so maybe someone can help me out.

I am blonde. Really blonde... blonde eyelashes, blonde eyebrows - super blonde.
(like, staring at an orange juice container for hours because it says "concentrate" on the label blonde)

I wish I could say I have porcelain skin, but I don't. It's more pink. I burn if I'm in the sun for mare than 15 minutes. I can see arteries and old scars, and I change colors if you touch my skin (which is incredibly sensitive).

Because my face is so pale, I can't wear black or brown eyeliner. It makes the rest of my face look washed out. I'll wear clear mascara; it gives a slightly dark, wet look. I tend to wear torti-colored glasses, not too dark, not too light, to give some kind of pop to my face.

What's a pasty girl supposed to do?

Originally Posted by linnieanah

What's a pasty girl supposed to do?

Wear sun-block. I burn really easy too, and my skin turns really pink when I touch it. It's annoying when I put on foundation because my face turns red when I touch it!

I really don't have a lot of advice for you, but I can share your pain. (My hair is fairly dark, but my skin is transparent!) For everyday wear, I usually avoid black. I tend to wear green or violet eyeliner. I used to wear lighter colored mascara, but I just gave in and started wearing black. I just wear it on my top eyelashes though.

My very first thought on looking at this thread was to take some tips from Andalee (andaleedance.com), who is also very fair. Not as fair as you but in the same ballpark.

If this is regarding performance makeup looks you just have to, excuse the expression, get over yourself and wear it. Your eyes cannot be too dark. Your lips cannot be too red. Your cheeks can be attacked with blusher and contour for balance. Eventually you will find a look that feels right for you, but it won't feel right at the start. I do think that blondes should avoid jet black eyebrows in general, though there are always exceptions, but that's about it.

There are lots of very blonde, bottle or otherwise bellydancers out there to take inspiration from.

Check out this thread: Rockin' the Alabaster Look

While it may not have a lot of suggestions, it will make you feel better!

{{{HUGS}}}

First of all, what are your goals & what are your performance settings? If you're dancing at a hafla where it's a student situation, people don't have 'pro performer' expectations, and the lighting often doesn't call for full stage face.

If you're performing on a stage under lights and don't want to look like Caspar, especially on video, you will need to do more. A lot more.

OTOH, if you're a professional performer, people are paying hundreds of dollars to hire (in their minds) a 'costumed character' who meets the definition of glamour from head to toe and there's a certain obligation to glam up!

My advice below is based on being a professional performer, and/or being under true, intense stage lighting but you can take as much of it as suits you!

L'oreal Sublime Bronze, in the gel formula. At least twice over a few days leading up to the gig - body & face. I learned about this product from the incredibly beautiful Samira, the dark-haired lovely of Dahlal modeling fame, before she moved to Hawaii where I'm sure she no longer needs it. LOL. Not only gives my pasty skin a warm glow but makes me look more toned, somehow, too!

Eyebrows. Blonde or very light brown brows are invisible under stage lights and don't show up well at a distance -- and that inhibits our ability to express ourselves. Also makes dark liner/lashes look ridiculous & unbalanced. I use a slanted brush and a taupe eyeshadow to do mine, looks more natural than most brow products and only takes a moment!

Liner. I agree with you, I look horrible in black. I like to use a deep jewel-tone, like sapphire blue or emerald green. Makes my eyes really POP from a distance without closing them up.

Lashes. I use brown for everyday, but in character I ALWAYS have black lashes, and fake ones for paying gigs.

Lips. Once you get your brows & lashes on, you'll find you can take more color on your lips than you ever thought possible... but if red isn't you, try a rose or deep/bright pink.

Cheeks. Finding the right color is critical. I find that less intense colors, kind of apricot or pinkish tones work best for me, but they can't be too dark. My favorite are gel blushes that blend with my foundation a bit.

I suggest spending a day at MAC counter (I think you have to pay now, though, or at least agree to spend?) or call your local Sephora store & see when they're doing makeovers. Discuss your concerns & your needs with the makeup artist & see what they can show you. If you hate what they come up with, don't despair. Give another one a try some other time (they're not all great at their jobs any moreso than any other field I guess)!

You might also browse online or in magazines for pictures of pale-skinned, fair-haired beauties done up in ways that look exotic/glamourous/exciting to you. Collect them to try the looks yourself or take the pics to the makeup counter for help.

I sympathise, having a similar problem to the OP. Dark blonde hair but almost invisible blonde brows and lashes. I have to use liner and mascara or I look like I have no features. I've found grey looks pretty good, or even pinkish brown shadows. My skin is that fair pinkish/blue colour, so my legs always look cold! I wear tights to disguise that.
I'd love to have that alabastar hue, but instead just look like a giant blush. Or a tomato, as one of my kids once told me, lol.
Fake tan is a godsend, but I find I have to use double the amount on my legs as for some reason it simply doesn't want to 'take'.

First of all, yes you can use dark brown mascara and eyeliner and eyebrow makeup. Yes, you are fair, but no fairer than myself and many other dancers I've seen with nice makeup. You just need to learn how to apply it and get accustomed seeing yourself made up differently than your current look.

You might want to make an appointment with a makeup artist to learn some techniques, as it can be difficult to break out of one's normal makeup habits and try new things without expert help. Five years ago or so I had someone in a MAC store do my eye makeup and it revolutionized my makeup application skills.

If you perform under any kind of stage lighting (or really even without stage lights), clear mascara is going to do absolutely nothing for you. Without mascara (or better yet false eyelash strips) and your eyebrows significantly darkened, your eyes (and facial expressions) will completely disappear during a performance.

With respect to your "pinkness" that can either be toned down with a full coverage foundation, or if that isn't enough, a light green-tinted corrective primer.

If you click on my website link, then go to "media gallery", check out some of my photos (Sedonia) and also Shiira Sahar. We are both super super white. I'm a redhead, but my eyebrows and eyelashes are blond and practically invisible without makeup. In the photos of me in the pink dress, I had my eyes done in shades of dark brown and earth tones eye shadow, with brown eyelash strips, dark brown eyebrow pencil, and brown mascara. My skin is mostly white but I have mild rosacea on my cheeks, nose, and decollete (but my makeup covers it). Shiira Sahar is uber blond with an ivory undertone and she generally does her eye makeup in bright colors rather than black/brown/earth tone (but she still wears black mascara and black eyelash strips).

Okay, when I was born, if I hadn't had blue eyes they would have labeled me albino and I was "allergic to the sun" for the first few years of my life. Horrid for my mum. I've actually developed a little bit of pigment and my hair is now dark blonde, but I also live in Alaska, so any pigment I may have had is bleached by 8 months of cold & dark (oh, I am such a good promoter of my native territory, ain't I?)

Pasty does not begin to describe it. If I'm going to work/intimate setting, yes, I stick with more of a grey or pine eyeliner ("blonde" liners look dumb & my eyes look really red with them)

For performance, I *absolutely* wear dark browns and blacks. I use a medium brown brow pencil. Good coverage foundation, a nice gentle blush as well as contour powder/bronzer make me look human instead of like the walking undead. Mascara &/or false lashes are a must or you can't see my eyes at all, which is tough since I am allergic to most of the mascara out there and all of the eyelash glue! I like larenim and beauty without cruelty and tend to use mineral powders for my eye color, contour and blushes. if you have a pinkish tone, I'd look up "winter" complexion recomendations. Mine is more sallow and I'm something like a winter-y autumn. have to kind of combine & experiment.

Here's another vote for going to a makeup artist. Every couple of years, I go to a new makeup artist for new input and modify/update my stage makeup based on that new input. Others have talked about going the MAC or Sephora. You could also check into the makeup counters inside big department stores such as Macy's or Nordstrom. Or try a Mary Kay sales rep - maybe sponsor a home party for yourself and your dance classmates in which the product demonstrated is glamor makeup rather than skin care. In fairness to any of these sales reps, please buy some makeup from them after you get the makeover.

For my most recent makeup refresher, which was last June, I paid a makeup artist at my hair salon to do a "smokey eyes" makeup job on me. I too am blonde with fair skin, and for me she did purple eye pencil with brown liquid liner over it. I did my makeup myself for this photo, but it's based on the colors she recommended for me and some new ideas she gave me:



As you can see, the "look" she went for in the above photo is to embrace the light color of my skin, and then go for dramatic color on eyes and lips. For eyebrows, it's possible to get a light shade of brown.

If you don't wear makeup in your daily non-dance life, then ANY makeup you put on will look weird to you when you look in the mirror. So the brown eyeliner and mascara might actually be GOOD, but because you're not used to seeing it on yourself, you may think it isn't. You WILL get used to it. I promise.

Another thing to remember is that there's a big difference between how you look to yourself when you're looking into a close-up mirror versus how you look to the audience with their distance from you. The point of stage makeup is to look good at audience-distance, NOT to look good at mirror-distance.

Something that may help you: get on the web and look for before/after pictures showing blondes getting a smokey eyes makeover. When I look at OTHER people's before & after photos, it makes me feel more confident about doing something bold on myself.

just a word of caution. if you use mac/sephora...pay attn and ask questions but take what they do and go home and look at is cuz usually its WAYY too much. i recently went to mac n when i got home i looked at least 15 years older (i have a baby face...and am a baby...so thats saying something lol) but i was able to use bits of what she did toned wayyyyyyyyyy down (not talking about for stage but for closer dancing). and it looks a lot better then the before and the after mac hahaha :D

Thank you, everyone!

I know for stage I have to pack it on, my primary concern was for more intimate settings and one-on-ones. My apologies, I should have been more clear to that affect.

I didn't even know they had other colors available for liner (I had only seen brown, black and charcoal - except for some neon pinks and oragnes around Halloween time). I guess I definitely need to go see a makeup counter.

Not that I need another "sparkly" addiction, but I can so see myself requiring another suitcase for cosmetics.

[QUOTE=linnieanah;943117]Thank you, everyone!


I didn't even know they had other colors available for liner (I had only seen brown, black and charcoal - except for some neon pinks and oragnes around Halloween time). I guess I definitely need to go see a makeup counter.
[QUOTE]

a neat trick that i learned that i love is i put on the black eyeliner top and bottom and then on the bottom i use an angly brushy thing and take little bits of my eyeshadow and put it on top of the eyeliner on the bottom to match (i tend to have tri or more tone eyeshadows) the above sections

edit...quote fail!

Real ren-fest nerds can recognize MRF from parking-lot photos!

Try metallic blue or metallic grey/silver eyeliner. You can find it at Sephora at the MOA. Liquid can be tricky to apply, but it looks great on.

And brown/taupe pencil eyeliner is great for making your brows stronger. Keep it in the refrigerator if you like a sharper line.

If you don't want to go to a makeup counter where they will use only one brand, look at local salons and spas. They sometimes offer makeup sessions where they teach you how to use products to get the look you want.

And for a cheaper option, look for a beautician school. Not only will they be cheaper, you get both the student's and the instructor's input.

Originally Posted by linnieanah

I didn't even know they had other colors available for liner (I had only seen brown, black and charcoal - except for some neon pinks and oragnes around Halloween time). I guess I definitely need to go see a makeup counter.

Liquid liner usually does come in a very narrow range of colors, which may be why you've only seen dark brown, black, and charcoal.

"Eye pencils" are pencils that can be used as either liner, shadow, or brow pencil, whatever you want to do. I'm not a big fan of eye pencils for liner and shadow purposes because the pressure you have to place on the eyelid to apply the color annoys my contact lenses, but they're fine for brow color. I do sometimes use them for liner, when I'm willing to put up with the discomfort of doing so. In the photo I posted up-thread, I used a purple eye pencil, then over that applied brown liquid liner.

Some types of eye shadows can be dampened to make a liquid eyeliner you apply with a brush. For example, the "matte" ones sold by Meleah: Meleah - Belly Dance - Bellydance - Makeup - Weddings - Meleah These are nice because shadows come in a HUGE range of colors, and it's easy to find a color that produces the effect you want.

[QUOTE=sarahshimmies;943216]Real ren-fest nerds can recognize MRF from parking-lot photos!QUOTE]

It's so true - we do have the best parking lot of all the Fests!

My best friend, who is a Fest-gypsy and Tribal dancer, put me in black liquid liner 2 summers ago for our group day out at MRF (Minnesota Renaissance Festival). Oh, boy... that was not good. Not only did I look even more pale than usual, it smeared all over and I ended up looking like one of the Washer Wenches!

If you're looking for a make-up consultation local to us (I'm local to the OP), I would recommend Toha (in Jawaahir) and Holly Robin Luckes. Both have a lot of experience in the field of make-up, both are awesome people, and both have specific experience with belly dance. I learned a lot of my stage make-up techniques from Toha (make-up workshops) and hired Holly to do my make-up for a photo shoot, and she rocked! I apparently missed the "how to be a girl" classes, so I have needed all the help I can get- these ladies are excellent!

I know this is a bit late, but I just wanted to note that E.L.F. cosmetics eyeslipsface.com have cheap eyeliners (like $1 pencils and other forms) in a variety of colours. I cannot advocate for their quality -- I'm planning to try some soon but have not yet, and I'm sure you get what you pay for as usual...but just a thought to get some variety to play around with)

If you can't get to a make-up counter, you could try from them and just play around with colors without investing a lot of money. Once you find that, say, your eyes look smashing in purple liner, then you can purchase a higher quality product with more certainty about the color.

First of all why worry about being pale. It's about time we Celtic pale wenches stopped worrying that we are are not San Tropez/Californian tanned. We are part of a spectrum of human from yes "us" to Equitorial ebony and long may be all remain in our wondrous variety.
Yes as a young woman I hated it..I tried to tan and just,like you went the delightful shade of blotchy cooked
langoustine..now it's factor 50. I am no longer in a minority there are others who know what those who tan in the sun are doing is damaging their skin. I am not trying to sound superior but I am told I look 10 years young than my great of age of (nearly)65 thanks to not cooking myself. I do still envy those I consider to look exotic especially when I think of myself as bellydancing. But as a young Tunisian told me..exotic...exotic look..that's blondes with fair skins.
I wear black mascara, I don't wear much liner but in performance it black or black grey.
I suit more neutral shadows greys,taupes,dusty blues only strengthening up for the stage and lights.
I'd say go subtle on any blushers..don't have too much contrast with your base.
Well shaped brows not too thin help with eye defintion.
Yes I wear tortoiseshell-framed specs and I think you look great in them.
There are pale celebs these days and in fact in the UK, no one is more ridiculed than the cuprinol-shaded,tango'd over made up Z listers. Nothing looks more interesting than a classy Goth! Now there's a contrast between pale skin and raven hair.
Blondes used to be popular as mates, they reckon because it is easy to see when we are healthy and when we are not. A work colleague said to once..."you're lucky..everyone knows for sure you are ill..you always lose what little colour you have and look terrible!"Pale skin was popular because tanned skin indicated you worked in the fields and were therefore a peasant so rest assured that up to the 20th century, you at least look aristocratic!

Lots of good make up tips and advice from others. I think for performances that false eyelashes and dramatic make up are a must, once you find the colors that work for you.

Looking at your photo, I wonder if the dark navy blue is not a best choice for you for costuming, that's a lot of contrast between your skin and the fabric. Maybe in addition to make up, you could also experiment with costume colors that are a bit lighter, at least experiment with colors outside the jewel tone range.

There is a fabulous dancer in our area who is very pale-skinned and has blue eyes and blonde hair. She does not tan or try to darken her skin. She plays up her fairness and she is stunning. Be different, be yourself, be fair and proud! You have assets with your coloring that a lot of women (and men) adore.

ETA Your hair appears to have a reddish tint, you could also play that up with a temporary color that fades out gradually, no root line and no long term commitment. Red hair is great for belly dancers.