Products — the labyrinth

[Anonymous]

Ladies,

I’ve been wanting to ask a GG for a long time: how in the heck do you navigate the absolute flood of women’s beauty products out there and figure out what you need and want and what you don’t?  What works for you and what doesn’t?  Hair, makeup, skin, nails, etc etc.  It seems overwhelming and daunting.  I look at all my wife’s stuff and my daughter’s stuff and think to myself  about what hard work, money, and time must be put into figuring it all out.  Is it trial and error? Advice from others?  What your mothers or older sisters taught you?

Then I think about the issue from a CDing standpoint where there is no real basis of knowledge to glean from with likely no role model or mentor when it comes to beauty when we grow up.  Much harder for CDs (at least those who don’t have knowledge and acceptance from their wives or moms or whatever) to access information, and there are a number of services who try to scam CDers, by selling stuff that is overpriced or unneeded.

I’d love to have someone tutor me on what things I should be looking for based on my individual needs but for a lot of us, it’s just overwhelming.  Well, at least it is for me.

Thank you! 🙂

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I’d love to experiment. I really wish I could but my CDing days — at least in terms of putting myself all together — are over. 😞

[Anonymous]

Thank you Rita. You’re very kind. I understand her position, but I don’t think there’s any way around it. Doesn’t matter which way I go, I feel bad. She won’t change her mind — of that I’m sure — and when I dress (behind her back) it feels like I’m betraying her and being a hypocrite. But I have this dual nature that involves the female side of my standing in the corner with her arms crossed stomping her high heeled foot…lol. And I don’t share my wife’s view about the morality of CDing, so outside of the context of jeopardizing our relationship, I see nothing wrong with it. I’m in a trick bag… Thank you for your kindness and sensitivity.

[Anonymous]

Dear Eileen,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. It’s interesting to me that almost every woman who answers this question and similar ones focuses on skin care over everything else. Most of us (well, at least I do!) jump to the end paint job. I look at all my wife’s moisturizers and skin care products and my head spins. I love your base coat analogy.

I also know that men’s skin is different than women’s. I’m not sure if or how that changes the equation and whether it is better or worse. I started using my wife’s facial scrub and moisturizer in the shower — it was mainly a desperate attempt to find a solution to the dry skin issue I have with my beard. And voila! It relieved a lot of that problem and also made my cheeks feel so smooth! Lol. But it is relatively expensive stuff I fear, and I don’t want to be secretly depriving her of her product faster than she thinks it should go, so I only use it on occasion.

I wish we could just share in Stephanie as we once did, when she gave me her hand me down products when she was experimenting with different brands, but alas, that ship has sailed I guess. 😞

Im SO thankful for your response! You are very kind (and your husband a lucky guy).

God bless,

Steph

[Anonymous]

Eileen,

Oh I have no intention of broaching ANY CD related topics with her! Lol. Much less makeup. She was INCREDIBLY supporting and encouraging for about 5 years before changing her mind and deciding that CDing is sinful. She was very adamant about wanting it to stop, and so I purged everything — including her old hand me down makeup she had given me when she changed brands.

The beard exists both to dissuade me from dressing (and to hide as much of my face as possible). I’ve only shaved it off once in 12 years (and dressed fully when I did with a couple new things I acquired along the way). So there isn’t really a way currently for me to openly obtain anything that could even be mildly construed as CD-related. A circus freak I definitely am! Lol 🎪

You are so generous with your time and your advice! I’m very appreciative! And I’m keeping it all in mind in case things change with her acceptance level.

God bless,

Steph

[Anonymous]

Dear Eileen,

Your remark to Stephanie about lipstick caught my attention. Revlon and L’Oreal seem to dominate the market; I use both, but I’m not impressed by either. The only other I have used was a tube of Becca, following a makeover at Ulta last year. Since she became disabled, my wife quit using makeup, and can’t help me. Would you be willing to offer any suggestions?

Hugs,
Bettylou

[Anonymous]

Thanks Eileen,

I dress in private on very very rare occasions, I look ridiculous with my beard, and I sacrifice for my wife as husbands are called to do. Guess that’s about it!

I hide my face, but you can see what I otherwise look like in my public photos.

And I want to thank you on behalf of all of us for you kind, selfless loving acceptance of your husband. It’s a beautiful picture of sacrificial love!

God bless,

Steph

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Eileen..and doing my wife’s makeup is something I’ve thought about, but didn’t have the nerve to suggest. I’ll do it when we go the the jewelry show next weekend.

Hugs,
Bettylou

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