This year was an eye-opener for me in terms of hair and makeup. I learned numerous things, like to make my next appointment at the beauty salon before I leave the beauty salon (otherwise, I’ll just forget, and by the time I remember, my roots will be out-of-freaking control), and how a messy sock bun can help you make it through one much more day without washing your hair.

I also realized that Laura Mercier’s flawless Fluide is essentially a makeup miracle in a bottle, and Smashbox’s Pore reducing primer is capable of some seriously remarkable skin-smoothing feats.

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But the most significant hair/makeup lesson I learned was to push past the point in my eye makeup when everything looks like a hot mess.

I call it: the metaphorical makeup hump

It’s that moment in the eye makeup application process that I like to call (air quotes) “the metaphorical makeup hump,” when you feel like you’ve just jumped off a bridge, and you’re plummeting to the ground, and you start to freak out because you’re not sure if somebody remembered to tie your bungee cord to something solid.

I learned that at this point you have to press on and push through the doubt; the look will come together eventually, if you Just. Keep. Going.

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For me, the feeling typically strikes when I’m trying something out of my comfort zone, or when I’m doing a look where there’s very particular placement of dark colors, and everything looks awfully janky when I get to the hump, like a “don’t picture” in a “dos and don’ts” column in a glossy magazine (“Don’t do this!” and then you see a picture of me with half-finished smokey eyes looking all confused, haha!), but if I see it through, things typically fall into place.

How about you? What have you learned about your hair and/or makeup this year?

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Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,

Karen

P.S. Merry Christmas Eve!