Anyone had their makeup done on the salon on board?

[dream trip 06]

I am going on a Meditteranean Greek Isle cruise next week and was thinking about having my makeup done on board Brilliance by the salon staff. Has anyone done this before and what was the result? Mind you, I don't wear makeup at all and wouldn't know how to put one on. I'm in my early 30's and do not want to look like someone that just came out of the circus if I get my makeup done onboard. I like it to look natural but still elegant. Any ideas or comments will be appreciated!

[Happy ks]

This has been discussed before on these boards (I love talking about makeup!).

 

If I were you, instead of paying all that money for makeup for one evening, go to a department store cosmetic counter. Explain to them what you want and they can help teach you to get the look you desire. There's no need to purchase a whole line, it sounds like a little eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick is all you need. You might opt for powder or a tinted moisturizer, but I think it can be a bit too much for women who don't wear any makeup on a regular basis.

 

Makeup artists typically do the works and I think a lot of them have a heavy hand. I'm not fond of looking like you can scrape the foundation off my face, I prefer a more natural look to my skin.

 

A few tips:

 

Don't try to "match" the color of your outfit with eyeshadow, compliment the color of your eyes instead.

 

Don't wear a heavily frosted eyeshadow if you plan on having your picture taken, the frost in the shadow will look brighter.

 

I think I read this here, and it really works well, when you select a lipstick color, try to stay close to the color of your gums. If you are wearing a red dress, don't try to match the lipstick to your dress, rather, wear a burgundy toned lip color.

 

A good makeup artist will help you select the right shade of blush. If in doubt, you should go with the lighter color.

 

My own tip, if you wear eye cream, avoid the area next to your lashes, it keeps the mascara from smudging. I use regular mascara on top, waterproof on the lower lashes. Waterproof can be hard to remove, use it sparingly.

 

Blush is simple, just put it on the apples of your cheeks and blend well, I like it almost imperceptible. Just make sure you don't get too dark a color, a mistake a lot of women make.

 

I use eyeliner (you probably won't) but if you do, after lining my eyes, I dip a thin brush (I use an artists brush for this) in the darkest color of my eye shadow and go over the line. It softens the line and blends the eyeliner into my shadow. I also use a waterproof eyeliner.

 

Don't forget your eyebrows! If you don't tweeze, go to a reputable esthetician for waxing or plucking (or threading, if you have that in your area). Many women don't know how to shape eyebrows, the wrong shape can make your facial expression look off (ex. surprised, mad), may women also pluck the ends of their brows too far in on the sides. I can shape my own fine, but I prefer the clean feeling I get from waxing, my eyeshadow goes on smoother.

 

Just a touch of makeup can make a huge difference, you don't have to have a mask on to look pretty :)

[dream trip 06]

Kathy

 

Thank you so much for all that info! I'm a little overwhelmed with all these different choices! I've thought about going to one of those department stores, but was worried that they would just pressure me into buying all of these things that I probably would only use just on special occasionss. I guess I can try it and see. I can always say no if I don't like it right?

 

I'm definitely going to get my eyebrows professionally done. I don't trust myself with the tweezer. I might pluck too much off...that would be a nightmare!

 

Thank you again! I appreciate your help!

[Happy ks]

You're welcome, but you should really have no worries, never let anyone pressure you into buying what you don't want!

 

Tell the cosmetic counter person exactly what you want, most all of them have knowledgeable people. Sometimes, you can even make an appointment. I'm not crazy for drugstore brands and the people there are typically just minimum hour employees, not trained by cosmetics companies. While I hate to recommend a brand (although I love several) you might start with a company like Clinique. They have nice stuff that is not real expensive.

 

I will tell you, the cruise line salons really put the pressure on you to buy, more so than department stores.

[LBB]

Try going to the cosmetics/perfume counter on the ship. I had a lovely black eye on my last cruise (my fault for playing hockey two days before I left - my boyfriend was not too happy with the dirty looks he was getting). The shop was offering free makeup consultations and I made an appointment at around 5:00. The lady did all my makeup and I was set for formal night!

[momofmeg]

My daughter did last year on MOS. It was part of a package with a reduced rate because she had a coupon being a former Royal Caribbean PAX. she paid $75 and got a neck massage, a facial and her makeup done.

 

She loved the mineral makeup they used but it was too pricy for her budget. she and I both recently bought Loreal's mineral makeup. Now we both just bought the one color for foundation-we may buy the darker later to use as eye shadow and the lighter to cover blemishes but neither of us have yet.

 

I do like the Loreal mineral makeup-once I learned not to apply it too thickly. I have this one enlarged pore on the left side of my nose and at first I had too much on and that emphaisized it-but once I did it correctly-I found I like it much better. then regular foundation makeup (Max Factor)- even the powdered foundation-I have not used creme foundation in years.

 

I have used the Indian Earth and Ruby Glow before-years ago-they were very similiar to mineral makeup-I liked them for daytime eyeshadow and blush although I would use other products when I really wanted to look nice for an evening event and wanted to look more "made up".

 

anyway I have not tried the pure mineral brand-so I can't say how it compares-but Loreal's is nice and alot less money. It is $12.95 for one color-so even if I buy the other 2 colors-that is still only around $40 total.

[Trevoli]

I did it once, years ago. Will never do it again.

 

The girl who did my makeup didn't say a word to me. Didn't even ask me what look I was going for - she just dived right in.

 

I kept thinking, OK, she's going to apply some foundation, and then she'll ask me some questions. Didn't happen. OK, now she's going to apply some blush and THEN she'll get specific about what I want. Still didn't happen. OK, this time, she's going to apply some mascara and THEN, FOR SURE, she'll ask me what kind of effect I want to achieve. Nope.

 

I couldn't see what she was doing, it took a long time, and when she was done, the final effect was nothing better than I could have done on my own.

 

When all was said and done, I gave her some feedback (which elicited 0% response), a minimal tip, and wrote it off as an expensive lesson learned.

 

Now, when I've had my hair done, those experiences have been fabulous.

 

T

[sgttami]

On a cruise in 1995 my sister told me that I needed to "treat myself" and get my hair and makeup done for formal night. Now, I have never denied myself anything. I probably overindulged back then but I agreed and both of us went to get "primped."

 

My hair was short then and I was very comfortable with "wash and wear." The girl teased it and sprayed and fussed and on and on...and when I left and looked in the mirror..OMG..it was like one of the old Saturday

Night Live episodes when they had the "coneheads. " I said nothing.

 

On to makeup....this actually turned out OK. Don't remember what they used but I do remember a look that I was happy with but there was no way I was going anywhere other than the cabin with that hairdo..

 

I paid the bill which I recall was quite pricey for the time. I went back to the cabin and tried to wash my hair without ruining the makeup. I had about 20 minutes till dinner.

 

A comical site as there was so much hairspray, my hair didn't move. I did the best I could and after dinner went back to the cabin and scrubbed my face and hair.

 

Suffice to say, I never did it again on a cruise.

[sgttami]

In regards to my previous post...thought about it and just might do the makeup again on my next cruise...

 

the hair....NEVER!!!

[melissa76]

HI!

 

I think you should buy some makeup and do some experimenting on your own. You could be really disappointed with the results from the salon. I'm a huge fan of mineral makeup! It's all I've used for the last 3 years. I originally bought Bare Minerals, but now I use Everyday Minerals (everydayminerals.com). You can get a whole kit for the price of one product from Bare Minerals.

 

You can get a really natural look from mineral makeup, plus you can make it as subtle as you want (since you don't normally wear makeup). The salon is more likely to OVERdo the makeup.

 

Oh, and about the salon...I did get my hair done once on a formal night, and it turned out great. I have really really long straight hair and it always looks exactly the same (boring!). I'd always wanted an updo of some kind but can't do it myself, so I had it done on the ship. It came out awesome! Of course, it could have been horrible. But then I guess I just would have taken it out :).

 

Melissa :)

[Travelight]

"Don't forget your eyebrows! If you don't tweeze, go to a reputable esthetician for waxing or plucking (or threading, if you have that in your area). Many women don't know how to shape eyebrows, the wrong shape can make your facial expression look off (ex. surprised, mad), may women also pluck the ends of their brows too far in on the sides. I can shape my own fine, but I prefer the clean feeling I get from waxing, my eyeshadow goes on smoother."

 

How do you do "threading" to your eyebrows? What exactly is it? I have plucked my own forever! But I think I would like to reshape them a bit. But I don't know how without letting them all grow out - gross!!! Thank you for the info:)

[Happy ks]

"Don't forget your eyebrows! If you don't tweeze, go to a reputable esthetician for waxing or plucking (or threading, if you have that in your area). Many women don't know how to shape eyebrows, the wrong shape can make your facial expression look off (ex. surprised, mad), may women also pluck the ends of their brows too far in on the sides. I can shape my own fine, but I prefer the clean feeling I get from waxing, my eyeshadow goes on smoother."

 

How do you do "threading" to your eyebrows? What exactly is it? I have plucked my own forever! But I think I would like to reshape them a bit. But I don't know how without letting them all grow out - gross!!! Thank you for the info:)

 

Travelight, Perhaps look into it at some of the local spas in your area. I have never had threading done and don't know much about it other than what I've read. Some women swear by it.

[RachelD]

If you are a more 'natural' person, you really do not want to go to the salon onboard.

 

Like Happyks mentioned, go to a cosmetic counter, or a Sephora if there is one near you, and have them do your makeup. If going natural is what you want you have some options:

 

Foundation: if you want it to even out your skin tone. There are liquid formulas and the newer minerals. I personally like to minerals as they are more lighweight and do not feel like you are wearing a mask

 

Consealer: buy a lighter shade and apply under and over eyes

 

blush: I just use a bronzer in the summer and a lighter shade in the winter. Apply to the apples of your cheeks with a light hand.

 

eyeshadow: I would buy a taupe shade (if your skin is light) to just make a clean slate. Don't try to get too fancy with different shades at this point... you could end up looking like a clown.

 

Liner: You could use a liner, but if you want a natural look, take a chocolate (or darker) shade and apply it on the upper lid on the outside half. This will add some drama to your eye without a heavy line.

 

Mascara: this is one of the most important steps. It can open up your eyes and make you look fantastic.

 

lips: I would choose a neutral gloss if you are scared of too much color. Adding some sheen to your lips can add sparkle to your face and make you glow.

 

eyebrow: go to a salon nearby and get them waxed if you need to, or if you already do, tweeze them.

 

These are the basics. Remember to experiment before you go. You may find that wearing make up makes you feel like a better you and you may want to continue with it after the cruise. There are some cases where just some consealer and lipgloss will do and there are times that I wear a full face. Depends on my mood and where I am going.

 

Have fun with it and I hope that you have a great time on your cruise!