Glossy-Ary
The Glossy-Ary started off as a text document I kept on my desktop to look up strange, frightening beauty terms. Then I realized…why keep it to myself? There are quite a few beauty terms out there and at some point you’ll run into all of these on my blog. It’s a work in progress and will be added to as I pick up terms. Please note that this list is not at all conclusive. I am not including definitions for well known terms, ingredients or brand acronyms.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Astringent – Chemical compound that constricts body tissues, dries skin and absorbs oil.
B
Beauty Balm / BB Cream – “Blemish Balm.” A product popular in Asia for its combined primer/concealer/foundation/skin-treatment properties. Originally developed to help repair facial scar tissue. Unless you’re pale as all heck or companies start coming out with darker colors you will probably never try this.
Bronzer – Any product that gives the skin a darker or “tanned” appearance. Commonly used by the pale ones on the cheeks and body to duplicate a summer glow.
C
Concealer – A make up product, usually of thicker consistency, used to disguise skin irregularities that are not hidden by foundation.
Contouring – Using a darker shade on areas of the face to exaggerate their depth and give the illusion of shape.
Cupid’s Bow – Center of the upper lip where there is a dip. May or may not be prominent. Often exaggerated for the purposes of giving lips more “shape.”
D
Depilatory – A substance used to eliminate hair from the skin’s surface. Usually achieved through use of chemical dissolution or heat. Sounds like a good idea until you realize you just placed a chemical that can burn hair on your bare flesh.
Dewy – Finish that gives a lit-from-within look. More reflective than Matte but less reflective than Shimmery.
E
EOTD – Eye Of The Day. Denotes a post centered around a particular combination of eye makeup on that day.
F
FOTD – Face Of The Day. Denotes a post centered around an overall makeup look on that day.
Frost/Frosted/Frosty – A finish with luminescent properties that reflects ample amounts of light.
G
Glittery – A finish that contains light reflecting particles of varying sizes.
H
Highlighting (cosmetic) – The use of lighter shades on high areas of the face to exaggerate their shape and height.
I
J
K
L
Lemming – The strong desire to own a product seen in a review. Both a verb and noun. Note that lemming after something does not indicate a justification for wanting to own it.
M
Manscaping – The act of waxing a man’s body hair to give a more polished appearance.
Matte – A finish that reflects little to no light.
MLBB – My Lips But Better. A shade of lipstick that is inspired by one’s original lip pigmentation but with improvements. Such improvements may include a more even color, better definition, more intense pigmentation.
MUA – Make Up Artist.
N
NOTD – Nail Of The Day. Denotes a post centered around a particular nail polish/art/design for that day.
O
OOTD – Outfit Of The Day. Denotes a post centered around an outfit for a particular day.
P
Primer – Substance typically used prior to the application of makeup (but after moisturizer). Serves to 1) Create a barrier between skin and makeup 2) Even skin’s tone and texture 3) Prolong the time makeup stays in place.
Q
R
S
Shimmer – A finish that reflects light as an overall byproduct of its consistency. Particles should ideally be small or invisible.
Stippling – Application of makeup using a bouncing “up and down” motion. Can be achieved with a sponge or with a Stippling Brush. The idea is to apply the makeup using several dots that are then blended together for an airbrushed finish.
Stippling Brush – A brush used for the application of makeup that lends itself to the stippling technique. Contains fibers of two lengths with wide spacing in between. The greater the density the more seamless the stipples or dots will appear and the more easily they will blend.
T
Tanorexic – Someone with an unhealthy obsession with achieving a tanned look. Popular mediums include tanning beds, lotions and sun exposure. See: Jersey Shore
U
UDPP – Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. A popular eyeshadow magnet/base.
