Introducing Wendy

When did you first start wearing makeup?

It was actually in middle school. My daughter is in middle school, and I’m not ready for her to wear makeup yet! When I started, it was the 80s. So, I wore brightly colored eyeshadow because that was popular. I also wore mascara and super shiny pink lip gloss.

What is a typical skin routine?

It’s definitely evolved now that I’m older. I used to have much more oily skin, so I didn’t have to moisturize before. Now my skin is changing. It is definitely dryer, so I’ve had to start using moisturizer. I’ve also started trying to get a facial once every several months at Essentials, a local spa near me. I get an hour massage and an hour facial for $50! There are two women that do the facials, and they are both excellent. They are the ones who suggested I moisturize because my skin is changing, which is normal for my age. The moisturizer is still really light because I hate looking and feeling greasy. In addition to getting facials and moitsurizing, I wash my face twice daily using a mild cleanser with a charcoal base (Alaffia Purifying Coconut Facial Cleaner). At night, I spray on the accompanying facial mist (Alaffia Toning Coconut Facial Mist). I found it in this natural product store near me. From what I have read about the company, it has a great mission to promote gender equality in Africa by investing in the communities.

What products do you use on your face and body?

For mascara, I really like is Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof by L’Oreal. It’s waterproof because the humidity in Florida is ridiculous. It has a great brush and makes my eyes very defined. For foundation, actually I switch between summer and winter. In summer, I wear lighter ones, such as Simply Ageless 3-In-1 Liquid Foundation by CoverGirl. It’s super light and has sunscreen. In the winter time, I switch to Neutrogena Healthy Skin because it has more moisture in it, which is good since it can get a little dryer in the winter. For my face moisturizer, I like to use Ponds’ dark spot correcting cream. It’s super light and doesn’t feel greasy. For my body, I started using lotion much more frequently. I actually don’t have one I’m particularly fond of. Sometimes I use something with aloe in it because of the sun, but I’ll use cocoa butter at times since that’s what my boyfriend uses. 

Do you pack any particular beauty products when you travel/for trips?

I actually have a separate bag for trips that I take with me in terms of just having something that I can easily grab when I go away. Most of it is the same stuff, but one thing I absolutely have to have is Nivea Cream. I never leave home without it. I’ve used that my entire life to take off my mascara. It’s the only thing I’ll actually use to remove my mascara. It must be working because I don’t have crows feet, and I’m in my 40s and in the sun all the time.

Where do you shop for clothes?

I basically go wherever. If there is one place I tend to go more often, it is Macy’s. One of my other favorites is White House Black Market probably because most of my clothes are white and black.

What drastic things have you done to your look?

The most dramatic thing I did was when I went platinum blonde accidentally. Over the last 10 years, I’ve experimented with various hair colors, but now I’m back to darker colors with highlights. My hair length has varied a little bit (sometimes I have had bangs), but it’s typically pretty long as that is easier for me to take care of.

Do you have any favorite date night activities?

My boyfriend and I just recently moved in together! We haven’t had a ton of date nights. We’re sort of just developing our routines. Our schedule gets crazy since my daughter is with me during the school year. My daughter is getting into a lot of different activities, so I drive her around a lot. This summer, though, my daughter is with her father, so my boyfriend and I could actually have a date night. We like to relax. We have a big outdoor patio. We’ve worked on the backyard and added a fire pit. One of our best dates is hanging out alone and listening to music by the fire pit. Relaxing is the key!

What would you like your daughter to know about beauty?

I would like her to know that it’s not just what you see on the surface. It is absolutely driven by the inside. I think that’s something she’s already starting to see. There are people that she thought were awesome, amazing, cool, fun, and beautiful people. But, once she gets to know them, she realizes they are not so nice. She’s getting to realize that when you’re beautiful on the inside, it reflects on the outside. Makes a big difference.

How do you change your look for special occasions?

I don’t change it too much. I think that’s one thing that my boyfriend actually really likes about me. What you see is what you get. I’m not super high maintenance. I’m mostly not high maintenance because I don’t know how to do my hair very well. If it’s a super special occasion, I’ll have someone style my hair for me. I do add a little bit more makeup. In addition to my foundation, mascara, and eyeliner, I will use brown eyeliner  (L’oreal Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner), blush (Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends) and eyeshadow (Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strip Warm Nude) in neutral colors.

What is your beauty philosophy?

Over the years, I’ve kind of varied in what I thought was beautiful. I think I’ve come to a happy place in my life where I’m comfortable with whom I am and where I am. There is a lot of change happening in my life, and I’m OK with that for the first time in a long time. For me, it’s about acceptance. To me, beauty is all about being really happy from within. When you’re happy from within, it reflects on the outside. That’s really where I’ve come to be in terms of my thinking. In order to get there, I had to learn a lot of hard life lessons. When you are a little girl, you don’t grow up thinking you’re going to become a divorced single mom. But, you just have to do it. I’ve had people say I don’t know how you do it, but I don’t think about it as a choice. This is my life. Everybody has things that don’t work out as planned, but you don’t stop living. You continue doing. That forces you to grow in ways you may not have expected. I’ve had time to sit, reflect, and think about where I’m at with my life. My daughter is growing up, and I need to think about my ideals. I need to think about how I want her to see me and see herself. I think that I’m very comfortable, and it reflects positively on her. It was out of necessity really, because I want to be the best mom I can be.