The Girl Stuff Thread

Fruitbat

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I want to talk about girly foo foo stuff although of course boys are welcome too. You know, shoes, hair, beauty treatments, and diet and fitness and stuff. Yes?

One thing I notice, when I'm stressed or miserable my mind wants to go to fingernail polish or something else that's "surface." So when I meet a woman who's all about all that and other people think she's shallow because of it, my first thought is uh-uh, she's coping. But whatevs, it's fun too.

So then we get into objectification if we think too deeply on it. And, omg. Yes, no, I don't know. Also, I'm old and I am how I am, yanno?

Anyway, next up on my list is getting my eyebrows done at a brow bar, a possible new Coach bag from the outlet store here on my month-long vacation, and I want to try the TCA peels which are now available for home use on the cheap and actually really do remove freckles and age spots (and even tattoos, if you get the high percentages). Careful though, you can definitely burn your skin, so start with a low acid percentage. Don't even get me started on pearls of all types.

Anyone interested? Tell your girly foo foo stuff here. Also, I could swear I write better when my nails are done.
 
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michelle-a-go-go

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I recently discovered I feel better about everything if I put a little eyeliner and mascara on in the morning. So I'm going to keep doing that. I had gotten into the habit of wearing nothing but chapstick. So I was looking a bit deadish, but with well-moisturized lips.

Also, I'm in the eternal struggle to grow out my bangs. I made a Resolution to leave them be this whole year.

I'm struggling already.
 
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Ken

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Waits for someone to start The Boy Stuff Thread.
I predict an hour or so ;-)

(Interesting thread here. Useful resource for female character construction.)
 

Devil Ledbetter

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Eyeliner. After decades of abject failure and avoidance, I finally have mastered the application of liquid eyeliner.

Still can't polish my fingernails though.

Life skills!
 

Friendly Frog

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Getting to paint my nails is fun because I can't do it all that often. My nails have to be the right length and it has to be weeks since I last did so because the nail varnish makes my nails brittle so they need time to recover. Also, for my work I need to open and move a good deal of heavy plastic boxes with lots of impossible ridges and edges (who designs these things?!) that are hard on painted nails.

I have a few, mostly metallic varnish colours which I absolutely love. And what the heck, I usually don't care all too much for that, but they do make me feel pretty. :e2cloud9:
 

Marlys

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(Interesting thread here. Useful resource for female character construction.)

Er...for me, too. Some of this stuff is totally beyond my experience.

I do get my hair colored--cheap, at a local cosmetology school--and paint my toenails when they start to turn black from running (if they fall off, I paint the empty nail bed). Can I get some girly points for that?
 

Maryn

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I never shopped high end cosmetics until our older daughter took me along on her trip to Ulta. I'm never buying drugstore again!


Trial and error have led me to two terrific nail products:

ZOYA nail polish goes on smoother than most and offers great coverage. Often one coat is enough, even in dark colors. It costs about what OPI, Essie, China Glaze, and other beauty-store polishes do, about $8.50. I'm not crazy about their color selection, but there are many I liked enough to buy. They have buy-three sales through email pretty often.

SECHE VITE topcoat is a freakin' miracle. It's not just one more layer of nail polish, like other topcoats. It somehow changes the polish on the nail to bond with it and makes it dry hard in a very short time, plus it extends a manicure another two days or so. Since I started using it, I no longer do my nails early in the evening and find my sheets' weave or the pattern of my own hair pressed into the "dry" polish in the morning.

Seche Vite has two problems. One, it tends to thicken in the bottle over time, so you need to use thinner periodically. Two, it does not play nice with Zoya as it does with other brands. I have not had it drag or crumple the underlying polish, but our daughter has. However, I still swear by it.

Maryn, beauty queen liar
 
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Kylabelle

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I love the way nail polish looks and do not not not have the patience to polish my nails! I did a bit this last spring, because the other gals here do and I started to feel underdressed. And I do love the look!

But then I started gardening again. For a couple of weeks, I wore gloves, but I also gardened in flip-flops so the toenails took hits, and eventually I gave up on the manicure too.

I can barely wait for one coat to dry, let alone topcoats and sealers and that. My hands want to be busy, always.

But! I did find a place to buy myself some cheap, sparkly ballet flats, and they actually fit and they are actually comfortable! Whoa. Now I just need it to be warm weather again.
 

AbielleRose

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Eyeliner. After decades of abject failure and avoidance, I finally have mastered the application of liquid eyeliner.

Still can't polish my fingernails though.

Life skills!

Lucky. I've tried the eyeliner thing but my eyes get tiny panic attacks and water therefore making it all run.

Being a girl is hard.

Bras suck.

*takes off bra and fills a wine glass with half wine and half OJ*

Honestly, the thing I have the hardest time maintaining are my eyebrows because its either 10-15.00 for a wax (and I get tiny zit like bumps that last for 2 weeks) or I have to pluck through tears.
 
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phantasy

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Finally, a thread just for me! :)

I'm a girly-girl too and have become even more so since I graduated college and started working. Since it helps me afford all the girly girl things. Though I'm not much of a splurger and more of an intense planner, even when it comes to clothes and beauty supplies.

Went to a one engangement and two baby showers this past couple of weekends. Got classy dolled up for all, makeup and hair and everything. It really satisfied the craving, esp since I'd been traveling looking like utter crap the whole time. I'd see nicely dressed girls in the airport and get fashion ideas.

When I got home, I spent it online clothes shopping, since it was Christmas time and the malls were a nightmare. I've returned 75% of what I've gotten online so far, none of it really worked out. I've been trying to hit the malls, but because of New Years they kept closing at six, which only meant a couple of hours of looking around, not to mention getting coffee and returning my ill-placed purchases.

I did get a Marc Jacobs watch though. It's my first ever 'expensive' watch and plan to wear it daily. I honestly wanted one of the more afforable Movado watches, but they were sold out of the one I wanted. They are pricey, but I'm a big girl now and I want to make big girl purchases that'll last a lifetime.

Was that girly enough for you? :D
 

Ken

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Depends on the female - I can't remember the last time I wore earrings, let alone makeup...

those are the kind of female characters I usually like portraying
not really used to using cosmetics etc but sorta called upon to do so

so this thread may be really helpful :)

Devil's and Marly's, inspiring already.

Not that I'm taking notes or anything.
 

Chase

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I'm glad I live with a woman's woman who takes care of herself.

Manicured hands sign with sureness. Colored lips are easier to read. Accented eyes are more expressive.

A retired college bookstore buyer, she continues to shop every day for fun and profit and considers me hopelessly handicapped because I leave the house on occasion to purchase one item at one store, buy it whether it's on sale or not, and come home pleased with myself.

She says gun shows don't count 'cause I never take cash or plastic, and once she liked a Charter Arms Chic Lady lefty revolver in light blue.
 

michelle-a-go-go

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Er...for me, too. Some of this stuff is totally beyond my experience.

I do get my hair colored--cheap, at a local cosmetology school--and paint my toenails when they start to turn black from running (if they fall off, I paint the empty nail bed). Can I get some girly points for that?

You get lots of points for painting empty nail beds. My toenails stopped turning black from running when I got bigger shoes. I worried bigger shoes would mean heel-slippage and therefore blisters but that didn't happen. All that happened was that my toenails stopped taking such a beating. Just a thought. I used to hate when my toenails would fall off, blerg.
 

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Okay, here's a little trick you might like: If you wear sunscreen or foundation or just moisturizer, whatever the last creamy stuff you put on your face is - dissolve a little Goody's Headache Powder into it. It's just aspirin and caffeine and I've found that topically applied, it encourages a glow and it's great for keeping your skin clear and even-toned. Love it.

Also, I never apply anything to a fully dry face. Everything is emulsified with a spritz of this first. Makes all the difference.
 
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Maryn

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AbielleRose, there are tips to make brow plucking less an ordeal. Brush brows into place gently. Dab the area with an astringent (witch hazel, BonneBelle 10-06, etc.) on a cotton ball. Press the skin to the underlying bone as close as you can to the root of the hair you're plucking. Use good tweezers (I like the scissor grip kind) and make sure you don't pinch the skin. Pull in the direction the hair grows, usually toward the side of your face. When done, wash with cold water and a mild soap, then use tea tree oil or your astringent again to minimize those bumps.

Usually people who can't get a pencil-type liner to work are using one that's too hard, so they have to pull at the skin and/or press hard. Of course their eyes water--I'd be crying, too. A sales person at a beauty store can guide you to a softer one in a color range that works for you. I like Tarte's Skinny smolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner. Much, much easier to apply than Revlon, Almay, Cover Girl, Maybelline, etc.

Phantasy, you've obviously graduated to the woman mindset. Unless finances force it, why go for cheap and plenty when you'll be so much more pleased with quality that lasts? A good watch, purse, or coat will last you for years and years, so if they're within your means, they're as cost-efficient overall as a cheaper one which breaks or becomes unfashionable after a year or two.

Chase, you sound so very like Mr. Maryn! He cannot see why I'd like to browse the women's wear part of a store when I don't need a specific item. Not that he doesn't want me to do it, if it pleases me, but he just doesn't see how I might enjoy it. He decides he needs a brown belt, goes to one store, buys the one he likes best, and comes home satisfied. If I need a brown belt, I'll shop three stores, wait for sales or coupons, and look online, too.

Maryn, such a girl
 

Ari Meermans

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The last time I wore makeup was the first day of Bouchercon 2013. Bought the "works" at Sephora (let's not talk about the cost of that foray). I didn't think it looked half bad until I caught a glimpse of myself in the sunlight--garish, old-crone-trying-too-hard; so it came off and stayed off for the duration. But it was also a wake-up call to do something about the decades of abuse, primarily from pack-a-day smoking and a six-pack of Diet Coke everydamnedday for 62 years now. I like Vitamin C serum for rebuilding collagen, removing wrinkles, and removing dark spots*, of which I now have none--dark spots, that is; I do still have some crinkles at the outside corners of my eyes, but the sagging and deep wrinkles are gone. (I also upped my intake of Vit C and, since carbonated drinks deplete magnesium, I have a lovely magnesium salts soak twice a week.) Makeup now consists of mascara and a tinted lip gloss.

* Smoking cause more dark spots and wrinkles than the sun ever could. just sayin'.
 

Maryn

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Is it too much to hope for pictures of people using the products they discuss? I hate sharing my own picture--god, when did I grow jowls?--but not everyone is so modest.

Maryn, no friend of the camera and vice versa
 

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... I caught a glimpse of myself in the sunlight--garish, old-crone-trying-too-hard; so it came off and stayed off for the duration.

Even at just about 45 and never having smoked, I find that it's better for me to have backed way off on the makeup. It makes me look harsh now.

Why Vitamin C serum do you like?
 

Marlys

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You get lots of points for painting empty nail beds. My toenails stopped turning black from running when I got bigger shoes. I worried bigger shoes would mean heel-slippage and therefore blisters but that didn't happen. All that happened was that my toenails stopped taking such a beating. Just a thought. I used to hate when my toenails would fall off, blerg.

I wear a full size larger in running shoes than in street shoes already--I can't go any larger or they'll fall off. I just have oddly-shaped feet, and shoes are made for the masses. I can cope.
 

Melanii

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Being a girl does suck!

The MAIN reasons I wear makeup are:

1) Conceal my acne, because it never seems to go away
2) The eyeliner makes me feel "cool"

I dye my hair a lot, though I forget why I started it. I love jewelry, but only due to the fact that it can add a bit of who you are. For example, if I'm wearing fairy earrings and a key necklace, you may guess I'm into fairy tales or fantasy. :p
 

Devil Ledbetter

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My eyeliner trick is to use a copper color (instead of black, which is a bit too contrasty with my skin tone), use a magnifying mirror, and do a short blast with the blow dryer before moving on to the next eye.

I am really hard on nail polish because I play guitar. I also keep the nails of my left hand very short for fretting, and the nails on the right longer for fingerpicking, so it's best not to draw too much attention to them.
Okay, here's a little trick you might like: If you wear sunscreen or foundation or just moisturizer, whatever the last creamy stuff you put on your face is - dissolve a little Goody's Headache Powder into it. It's just aspirin and caffeine and I've found that topically applied, it encourages a glow and it's great for keeping your skin clear and even-toned. Love it.
I might try that. Will it curb my peri menopausal migraines?
 

rhymegirl

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Interesting thread.

I do what makes me happy. I'll turn 60 this year so I am really trying to take care of myself, inside and out.

I color my hair because I like the way it looks and it makes me look and feel younger.

I do wear makeup because it makes me look better. If I had great skin, I wouldn't bother, but I don't.

Nail polish--sometimes. It's a lot of work to put on.

I've never cared much about clothing. I worked in a gift store during the holidays and was surrounded by scarves, nice clothing, jewelry, etc. I even had a discount I could use to buy some of these items but I bought nothing.

Exercise is great for feeling good and looking good. It's at the top of my list for living life to the fullest.