That is  a TON of money to spend on appearances, but I completely see it happening. It is human nature to want to look nice, and putting effort into appearances takes money. We buy clothes, shoes and jewelry that make us look our best — and beauty products nicely fill in the gaps where we each feel we could use improvement or something new and exciting. And with our general fixation on the superficial, trends changes season to season, spurring us into extra spending to keep ourselves on the leading edge of coolness.

Without going through the effort of digging up all my purchase history for recent beauty-related spending and embarrassing myself, I can safely say I’ve shelled out over $1,000 on makeup alone within the last 12 months.

The study takes in account all costs of beautification, including spa treatments, salon hair care, mani/pedis, tanning and waxing, among other stuff like botox injections, laser hair removal and other plastic surgery procedures.

I wonder if this six-figure revelation will curb the money people dole out on beauty stuff. I haven’t been buying much lately, mainly because I have everything I want and need in my makeup collection right now. And given this economic situation we’re in, will the booming beauty industry ever see a slip in its sales? I’m inclined to think not — in this culture, the surface is almost more important than the substance.

Lips: Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine – No. 5 Candy Shine

Eyes: NARS Duo Eyeshadow – Bohemian Gold; Dior Diorshow Mascara – Noir

Face: Stila Oil-Free Foundation – No. 2; Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil – Feather Light

Early last week I got an email from Blogger informing me that this blog was flagged as a potential “spam blog.” So, not wanting my blog to be expunged from the record, I did as I was asked and requested one of their trained monkeys to come in and look it over so see that I am not, in fact, a robot.

So all last week, there was an ugly warning page whenever I pulled up my blog saying that this was being investigated for possible violation of terms of service and conditions [note: this was when I was hosting my blog on Blogger]. Way to make me look like a criminal! That wasn’t very nice, but I understand these things happen, so I rolled with it and kept my eye out for an email from someone at Blogger telling me that everything was just swell, and the case would be closed, just like I was told I should expect within the few days following my request for review.

Well, no such email ever arrived, and I happened to “accidentally” discover that the hold had been removed, and my blog was readily available to anyone again. So, thanks for not letting me know, Blogger.

This has left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth, but no matter. I’m back online again.

This is not a political blog, but my topic for today is Sarah Palin and her horrifying facial deterioration from having her makeup slathered on with a paint roller. And also, I guess, from the stress of being thrust into the unforgiving eye of a public that isn’t all head-over-heels for her party and what she says (or doesn’t say) and stands for.

Exhibit A: Gov. Palin within the last 2 years

Exhibit B: Gov. Palin in recent weeks

… Woof.

In all seriousness though, the woman looks like she’s aged almost 10 years in a matter of a month and a half. It must be stressful being in the public spotlight all of a sudden, and it’s seeming to take a drastic toll on Gov. Palin’s looks.

I chose these two photos to compare because both are screen captures from television. Hence, there isn’t any airbrushing that’s been done to them, as is common in pretty much all photographs you see of people in magazines or on the Web.

In the first picture, she looks fresh-faced and attractive. Her makeup, while it’s apparent she’s wearing it, is not overdone and flatters her. The second one, on the other hand, shows deep lines and saggy skin around her mouth and cheeks, and even her neck is beginning to look flabby. In the VP debate and in recent (rare) television appearances, her makeup has only served to make her look puffy, haggard and older, and it is not flattering at all.

Caking on makeup is unfortunately very tempting and sometimes happens by accident, especially by beginners or for people who lack the confidence in how they look to begin with, respectively. My philosophy is that makeup should only be used to enhance your existing appearance, highlighting the features you think are your best.

I’ve never seen Hillary Clinton look overdone in her makeup, and she’s the same age as my dad (61)! Just by looking at her one might even think she was younger than that, perhaps in her late 40s.

Poor Sarah Palin though is just 44 years old. She looks to be more mid-50s with the plastered-on face of someone who can’t accept that she just isn’t as young as she used to be.

I feel bad for her. That can’t be good for her skin, and it’s certainly not good for her if she’s so stressed out that she looks this old in so short a time.

Ladies (and some gentlemen), don’t overdo it. Clownish faces are not sexy. Instead of liquid and cream foundations and concealears, go for the mineral formulations. Bare Escentuals made mineral makeup famous and sells shades for every skin color; I happen to use Laura Geller Balance -N- Brighten, another top shelf brand offering baked makeup for luminous, even coverage. Powder-based foundation/concealer is much better for the pores and is a lot more natural.

Second, go easier on the rouge, and remember to blend, blend, blend, and then blend some more. A healthy flush is instantly beautiful but an unnatural streak of pink or red or brown or orange is just hideous. Did I mention to blend it in?

Finally, basic skin cleansing is required to maintain a youthful-looking, tighter-skinned face. You should never go to bed without washing off your makeup first. I use Lumene products, whose facial cleansers gently remove makeup and freshen skin with various revitalizing, vitamin-rich berry extracts (berries have long been used to keep skin healthy and conditioned), and their exfoliating formulations use sugar, a natural, tested and true exfoliant.

Without getting my opinions about Sarah Palin into the mix, I hope that after Nov. 4 she takes a spa vacation. Judging by the sorry visual proof, she’s going to need it if she wants to keep looking like a MILF.

Or who knows, maybe she’ll just do botox.

Take YSL, for example. I own one thing from Yves Saint Laurent: that Elle fragrance. I dig it – and wear it often, love the warm amber notes in it, and my boyfriend thinks it smells very nice, which is always a positive sign. Plus, it doesn’t fade very fast.
I got it from Macy’s along with its matching body lotion. I think in sum it set me back $60-something, but for perfume, that’s really not that unheard of. Being an avid window-shopper and test-strip-sniffer, I know that upscale fragrances typically run somewhere in the $40-$100 bracket.

But… $35 lipstick? A $40 skin highlighting/concealer pen? $30 lipgloss, mascara?

You get the message.

I’ve wondered the same about NARS, whose cosmetics I adore. I think that I’ve found the blush I’m going to use for the rest of my life (The Multiple in Orgasm), and yeah, it came with a hefty price tag for a stick of makeup. But it turned out well, and I’m happy that I got it. So why question the validity of some things costing a lot of money?

To name names, a few other big pricetag brands I’ve coveted but never had the gumption to buy: Givenchy, Guerlain, Chanel, certain things from Dior, Benefit and Urban Decay.

I suppose it’s really just a matter of how badly one wants a certain thing, as well as how convinced one is that it will be just what they wanted (and more, possibly). I wanted that NARS blush really bad, so I bought it. I also wanted to try Benefit’s F.Y.Eye! eyeshadow primer, but costing $22 and getting just about a tenth of an ounce less than Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Potion Primer (which costs just $16, and I know it works great), I didn’t think that paying more for less physical product was justified. I love Benefit’s cream eyeshadow, but I got a sample of the Dr. Feelgood mattifier and haven’t been impressed. So, because my opinion of the brand’s inconsistency in quality I’m hesitant to fork over more cash and potentially end up disappointed.

So, I’m reluctant with these upscale brands, because I don’t know what I’m going to get for my money. Reviews are fine and dandy, but they’re other peoples’ experiences, not my own. You should never buy something purely based on someone else’s results.

I would love a tube of YSL’s Rouge Volupté lipstick in No. 2 shade. But I’m not inclined to get it (at least not until I have hundreds of dollars to throw around on a whim) because it costs so much.

There are some things that are worth the investment, and I really do believe that makeup is an investment. One’s appearance is what people base first impressions on, and shallow as that may be, it’s the way things are. Why else would we dress to impress when we go to job interviews and stuff like that?

It’s totally based on opinion and what one deems is worthy of handing over a fair amount of money for something that’s so small and possibly sub-par. Good judgment is key, and if there are any reservations about buying something… it might be a good idea to hold off.

I just don’t think that $40 eyeshadow compacts or teeny tiny pots of $20 primer are really all that worthwhile. And that’s okay – ’cause that’s just me.