How Young Is Too Young for For Makeup?

QUESTION OF THE DAY

How young is too young to wear makeup?






Sam Fine

 At what age is it appropriate to start wearing foundation and other makeup products? According to beauty expert Sam Fine 14 is the perfect age for young girls to start experimenting with makeup. While he is not a proponent for young teens to have a dark smokey eye or wear heavy foundations and bold lipsticks, there are a few things that he says young girls should do.

Young girls (around age 14) should start:

• grooming brows
• proper skin care
• start the using a light application of a pressed powder
• lip gloss
• a little mascara

"If a girl is using deodorant, tampons and wearing a bra, they can begin to groom their brows, wear lip gloss and a thin coat of mascara and powder" -Sam Fine

I do remember growing up that a large number of my friends started wearing makeup between the ages of 13 and 15. Apparently it was a really big deal to them. I personally didn't start wearing tons of makeup until college. I was a tomboy growing up and makeup just wasn't my thing, however I was always concerned with having clear skin and wanted clean brows. So I guess according to Sam Fine I was right on track. Despite the fact that I was a late bloomer in the world of makeup, my mother tells me a story of a time when I was 2 years old. She said I accompanied her to a party and I took it upon myself to go through a woman's purse and I found some red lipstick. At the age of 2, she said I put the lipstick on perfectly without a smudge and without a mirror. My mother said she knew from that point on I was going to be addicted to makeup at some point in my life. It took 20 years...but it happened.


When did you start wearing makeup? How much did you wear?

*peace love & couture*

Blame It On The Birth Control?

Ok....I normally don't post things that are too personal or political for a number of reasons, however this is something that has been bothering me like no other and I have to say something about it.

I'm sure all you of ladies (and gentlemen out there if you're reading) have seen commercials that say "after your birth control has failed......" Let's get this clear right here and right now...birth control doesn't fail when it comes to the pill. There is not an error with birth control, however a user error. I made this statement on twitter one evening and there was an alarming number of women who wanted to argue that birth control does indeed fail. I have to say I was enraged that women could be that silly and not take responsibility for their reproductive organs and make excuses.

They don't put that piece of paper that folds out the size of your desk inside of your birth control case for nothing. You're supposed to read it! And when you read it you will find out a plethora of things that can save you from user error.

Birth control is just a high dose of progesterone which tricks your body into thinking its already pregnant, however you need to take it EVERYDAY at THE SAME TIME in order to maintain these levels. Miss 2 days and you're screwed. Want to know why?!? Because it only takes 2 days for your body's natural estrogen levels to spike and initiate ovulation. So don't think just because you doubled up that you're fine...you're not. And then YOU would have failed.

You know when you go see a doctor and they say "are you currently on any medications right now"...well birth control counts. Too many women don't think of birth control as a medication and just see it as a form of oral contraception. Well you need to tell the doctor yes. This way they can tell you that antibiotics BLOCK birth control pills leaving you wide open. Normal course of antibiotics is 7-14 days...and remember you only need 2 days without the pill to be subject to ovulation.

In a nutshell women really need to take responsibility for their bodies and stop blaming things on medicine. Understand your cycle and ovulation as well as the pills that you pop in your mouth. Its my honest opinion that if you don't know how your body works then you don't need to be using it. And if that went over your head let me put it this way....if you don't understand your uterus and other reproductive organs then don't have sex and don't bring babies into the world. Period, point, blank. #yeahisaidit

*Peace Love & Couture*

What's In a Ring? Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William finally proposed to long time girlfriend Kate Middleton. I'm so excited. This means there is going to be a royal wedding and I can only imagine what the gown is going to look like. To seal the deal he presented her with an 18 carat, oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. This is the same ring that his father, Prince Charles, presented to his late mother for their engagement.

Ummmm...ok...I have a few thoughts about this here ring. I think the ring is gorgeous. Absolutely amazing. I love sapphires, its my birthstone. But I honestly don't think I would have wanted this particular ring for my engagement.

It is my understanding that rings, be it engagement or wedding are meant to be symbols. Anything symbolic has a specific meaning to me. When I see a wedding or engagement ring I think of love, honesty, trust, commitment, etc. We are all very well aware of the fate of their relationship and why it ended. If I were Kate I would be thinking, "I know what marriage and fidelity meant to your father...what does it mean to you?" If you're going to give me a ring that your father gave to your mother, I would hope that your parents were the shining example of what you hope marriage to be. I don't want a symbol of love to come from a place that was full of lies, secrets and infidelity. I don't care how beautiful or how much the ring costs. I understand he wanted to give a family heirloom of sorts, and his mother is one of the most important female influences in his life. I'm sure there is another ring from her personal collection of jewelry that he could have given to her as an engagement ring.

Am I over analyzing the situation? What do you all think? Comment and let me know!

Bible Bling!

While I was perusing one of my favorite sites Horchow, I stumbled across some couture books. Books on Chanel, anniversary Dior books. I've hit the jackpot! And then I saw this....

A bedazzled and bejeweled bible! I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I love the lace and pearls because I like pretty things. I also wonder is this too vain to have such a couture bible? A bible for $300? Don't get me wrong I love beautiful things, however, I feel that this is just a little over board. Embellishment on God's word is going to do nothing with your comprehension and ability to live by it.

What are you thoughts? I would love to know.

Couture Debate: Forever21 Maternity Line

Today it was brought to my attention that Forever21 will be expanding its line to add maternity. The line is going to feature "hip maternity wear on a budget". I've heard mixed emotions from friends and twitter followers as to how they feel about this line extension. I thought it would make for a nice juicy and couture debate.

I personally have mixed emotions about the line, but they are leaning more toward the negative. I understand that there is a large market in the fashion industry with the pregnant woman in mind, many whom are young and would like clothing that is trendy yet affordable. I understand that you're only going to be pregnant 9 months and don't want to spend a fortune on the clothes. My major problem is the target demographic for Forever21 is teenagers. With teenagers getting pregnant at alarming rates, I feel as though this new affordable line of maternity clothing in one of their favorite and most frequented stores, somehows condones these teenage pregnancies. Despite the fact that the target age group includes 13-18 year old girls, the pregnant women posted on the website's blog appear to be much older.

I think Forever21 needs to be very clear in its marketing as to whom this maternity line is for. I would really hate for all the young girls that are getting pregnant to think they can now spend their money from their babysitting jobs on cheap clothing for their growing bellies. Don't get me wrong, I shop in Forever21 from time to time, but they don't have the best quality clothing. These garments aren't going to last you a life time. They are trendy and inexpensive. That is the key, not quality.

With that being said, we in the Couture Lounge want to know what your thoughts are on the Forever21 maternity line? We would love to read your comments. Feel free to share this post with friends.

Disclaimer: All comments are the personal thoughts and opinions of Couture Lounge staff members. They have not been influenced by any brand or label.

*picture credit: www.forever21.com/blog