I could make a lip oil. I won’t.

I've been a makeup artist for almost 20 years, which honestly doesn't register in my head.

I've always been really picky about how things look on skin. Not in photos, in real life. Up close, normal lighting, a few hours in. I notice when something sits weird. I notice when it looks like makeup. I notice when it doesn't. I can't really turn that off.

Lately I've been seeing people use AI for makeup advice. I get it, it's easy, kinda fun. But it also feels a bit like getting advice from something that's never actually touched a face. And it's not even about skill, it's taste. That thing you build over time where you just know when something is off.

For a long time I thought the way I like makeup was too specific. I've always leaned toward really skin-first makeup, the kind where people aren't sure if you're wearing anything or if your skin just looks really good that day. I tried to force myself into heavier looks at one point because that's what was everywhere. Contour, full glam, the whole thing. I could do it, but it's just not my style.

And I think that matters more than people admit. There's this idea that getting better means being able to do everything. I don't think that's true. Sometimes it just means getting more precise about what already feels natural to you.

I think about that a lot with skincare. There's this pressure to keep adding more. More steps, more products, more everything. I've been told more than once that I should expand, have more, do more, but honestly I don't really see the point.

I like to make things with an actual purpose. Things that make sense next to each other.

I could make a lip oil. Everyone has one. But honesty, I've never really been into them, so I don't. Not because I couldn't, I just don't see the point. Maybe it's stubborn, but to me it's just being mindful of my time and people's money.

If your skincare is doing what it's supposed to do, your makeup should sit better, not fight it. No pilling, no heaviness. So I kept it simple. I made a few things that do what I was trying to get out of a whole routine. Use one, use all of them, it doesn't really matter. The only thing that matters is that your skin still looks like skin at the end.

I guess that's what 20 years of doing this gives you. Not all the answers, but a better filter. You stop trying to do everything and start paying attention to what actually makes sense. And maybe that's also why I like giving beauty advice. I really enjoy the connection, seeing someone get excited about how they look or feel better in their skin. So yeah, it's no wonder it's a bit frustrating when people would rather hear what a robot has to say than artists who actually worked on real faces.