What did the quiz say about you? Was it accurate?

And while we're on the subject ... how much time and money do you spend on your appearance on the average day? Do you wear makeup? Do you use complicated hair products? How often do you go to a salon? What about manicures?

Or do you think all that stuff is just a waste of time?

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Answers

I was really into makeup for about five minutes, and then I got over it. Seriously, for awhile there I was hitting the cosmetics counters once a week, putting the stuff on every day, the whole shebang. I guess I was reliving puberty or something. Thankfully, I am now over it.

Now, I wear a little makeup if I'm going out somewhere special, but that's it. On an average day, I get up, wash & blowdry the hair, throw on some clothes, and bike to work. And let me tell you, the bike helmet is the great equalizer. I don't care how much time you put into your hair, the bike helmet will destroy it in five seconds flat.

I actually do enjoy going to frou-frou salons and such to get my hair done. I figure that I only go have it done every six-eight weeks, so I might as well indulge. I like the expensive salons because they take such good care of you there. It's like total indulgence. Everybody needs that every once in awhile.

The quiz basically said I was a minimalist individualist romantic, and I guess that about sums it up for me.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I can't get to the quiz. The page keeps freezing up everytime I try to load it. Oh well.

It takes me 45 minutes to get ready in the morning. That is from the time I get out of bed to the time I walk out of the door. I wear virtually no makeup--powder and chapstick is about it. I have very fair skin and very red hair so makeup tends to look kind of wierd on me. I'm 25 and I look about 15 (I'm not complaining) so if I wear makeup and it's a little too heavy, I look like some sort of high school slut. About the only thing I use religiously is sunscreen, every single day on my face and hands.

As far as the hair goes, I confess it is about time I should have something done with it. It is in absolutely no style or cut (my mother just lops it off to my ears at the beginning of every summer and that's my haircut--hey, it's CHEAP!!) and I pin it back at work and will usually just stick it in pigtails when I get home so I can work outside. I keep pondering what I should do with it but the Louisiana climate does not lend itself to curly hair so my ending thought is usually that I will just wait until I move somewhere else to do something with it.

I went to a salon the other day for the first time in three years to get my eyebrows waxed. I've been doing it myself through the plucking method and that was too painful and slow. So I just paid this lady five bucks to do it for me. Very convenient. No manicures for me, I have to keep my nails short for my job. Besides, I'm not very much of a girly-girl and long nails tend to get in my way.

Largely I think it is all a waste of time. I can't get up any earlier in the morning to do anything else. Mornings are not a good time for me.

-erin

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I'm a natural beauty.

"Your sense of beauty is not limited to the latest fashion magazines or the hottest trends. You believe beauty is something that is different for everyone. You appreciate and respect the ever-changing kaleidoscope around you."

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

A sophisticated beauty (I like it...).

Actually, I'm pretty low-maintenance. Wash long hair at night, air- dry, brush it in the morning. Makeup routine takes five minutes. I'm diligent about using sunscreen, washing my face and brushing and flossing my teeth. I get my hair cut every six months or so (I cheat and trim my bangs myself). I don't usually have polished nails, since I can't manage to keep polish unchipped for longer than five minutes. I keep my nails well-groomed, though.

I enjoy makeup and other girlie stuff, although I don't spend hours primping. I feel like a little goes a long way.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Oh, I'm a "stylish beauty." The description is pretty on-target.

As for my habits:

I have no hair habits to speak of. I wash, condition, and then comb. Then my hair dries on its own. I am lucky to have long shiny straight hair. It has no body, but I really could care less. I hate hair driers with a passion.

I'm a little more into makeup. I wouldn't leave the house without foundation on (fading pimple marks, waaaah!) and I do like a little lipstick and blush. Other than that, the rest is occasional luxury: eyeshadow, mascara.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Um, I'm a "polished beauty", which sounds lovely, but is unfortunately pretty far from the truth.

I try, I really do. I love cosmetics. Deep down, I think I'm a girly- girl, but I'm an utterly incompetent one. I wear pretty minimal makeup (especially by Italian standards), but even so I tend to look faded and frazzled by mid-morning. I've got two left hands with a blowdryer, no fashion sense whatsoever, and basically just can't seem to get my act together.

All of which makes it even funnier that the quiz tells me, "In a disciplined manner, you devote the necessary time and resources to making beauty a reality." Well, no. I wish it were true, though...

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I'm a natural beauty, floating in a field of romantic wildflowers, with my family... it was fairly accurate.

My routine doesn't even exist. I wash my hair & face, brush the hair, slap on a headband and go. My bangs can't seems to grow past my nose, so putting my hair up any other way (if I knew how) always leave straggley bits that tickle my nose. My face breaks out on its own schedule no matter what I do, but its still relatively minor. I can't stand to wear makeup, and the hubby hates it. Other women say I look so fabulous the few times I've had it on, it seemed really odd.

Before kids & hubby, all i used to wear was eyeliner, mascara and lipstick, if that. Hair was usually short and "done" by scrunching the top with some gel or mousse.

I've always trimmed my nails with my teeth. they're weak (hereditary) and I can't stand to have them long. they just get in the way. I'd love to get a manicure, just haven't.

I get my hair trimmed once a year or so. Yes, i know it should be more often, but I've never had to get it trimmed on a regular basis, even when it was short and I lived in the city.

Sometimes I go all out and cleanse my face with masks & toners and all that other stuff, but not on any kind of regular basis.

Now that I'm old, though, I have to start doing something about that neck skin before it gets really creepy.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I'm a makeup whore, but clueless as to how to use it. I have tons of eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, and nail polish, usually in variations of the same shade. (Except for nail polish which ranges from palest pink to electric blue. Oh, and can't forget the glow-in-the-dark glitter polish.) I also have tons of hair styling products, barrettes, clips, pins, etc.

Yet my daily routine is shower/shampoo/conditioner. Lotion (same for face and body). Brush out hair. Pull short bangs forward. Clip growing-out bangs back. If hair's still too wet, twist up and clip to back of head. Get dressed. Stick lone lipstick in pocket of cargo pants. Go.

Frankly, mornings are much simpler since I gave up on styling and makeup. And my husband prefers no makeup at all, but I'm sure I'll die clutching my lipstick.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Freakish-ly on the money. Talking about money, I spend the most on eye cream [La Prairie - I highly recomend it, it's worth every penny.]

I wear make-up but only the smudged liner and mascarca are actually noticable - oh and CARMEX for the lips.

Simple hair products, but I will not travel without my Conair air curler [it's like a hairdryer but shaped like a hot brush curler. WOW!] and every three months to the *Hair Guru* .

The Test Results:

YOUR PROFILE - SOPHISTICATED BEAUTY
Is a beautiful woman a work of nature or a work of art? You believe a little strategic artistry just helps nature along. While not a person of extreme beauty regimens, you do take pleasure in putting your best face forward.

Get the sorrid details right here

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I got a very varied analysis - half Marilyn Monroe / half Courtney Love - which I guess is truthful - I like to be glam but don't want the effort that goes in to achieving that - Im very much bright lipstick, tousled hair, creased clothes kind girl!

My routine wake up: snooze, snooze and then snooze again - realise I have about 10 mins to get out the door. Try to escape from horny boyfriend who tries to hold me captive in bed. Go to bathroom - wash face with body shop stuff, put in contact lenses, try to show hair who's boss - fail miserably, brush teeth. Sing along with radio as I dress- tell boyf - he better get his arse in gear and get out of bed or he'll be sacked and we'll end up in the poor house! : ). Open curtains to try shame him in front of the neighbours, slap on tinted foundation and mascara - Try to remember to put lipstick on after kissing him goodbye - get distracted by squirrels bonking in the garden - boyf ends up looking like rob smith of the Cure. Grab my collection of three huge bags containing the pared down ,essential only' stuff I need with me every day and dash out to catch the bus sending OAP's, kiddies and sulky looking cats flying on route !!

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Hmmm, mine wasn't completely accurate. It claimed i like the best, which i do, but i often settle for what i can actually afford. It said that i've got my two feet on the ground - not necessarily so, though yes it's true in certain situations. And it said that i've got a Courtney Love-ish tough attitude. I disagree on that one - the only reason i will chew off a half-broken nail is because i don't often have the time to suddenly sit my self down, file the nail and re-manicure myself.

My routine has become quite smooth. In the a.m., i wash and condition my hair at the same time - 2-in-1 things don't do any good at all for my hair so i slap conditioner on my ends and shampoo on the roots at the same time.

Then i blowdry my hair at least a little bit. If it's the weekend, i only blowdry the bangs to set them, if it's the work week, i try to fix the sides and ends a bit more. Luckily i finally got a really good layered mid-length (just above the shoulders) cut, so styling comes so much easier now.

I put my makeup on at the office during the week because mornings are a big rush affair at the house. I put on a bit of eyeshadow, some brown eyeliner, and some of that curling mascara. Recently i've taken to wearing lipstick now that the winter is over and my lips aren't alligator-like. If i'm gong out, i just intensify a bit.

I've discovered i *can* go without makeup and without sprucing up my hair. However, i am never out and about without concealer. Ever. Freakin' adult acne, grrr!

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

It says I am a natural beauty -- which I think means lazy. ha.

I spend probably 1/2 an hour showering, blow-drying my hair and getting dressed. I wear mascara and that's it for the makeup. I do wear sunscreen and if we are going out I'll throw on lipstick. I never paint my nails really because housework wears it off. I sometimes wear clear. I do like painting my toes nails. I don't let my fingernails grow past the ends of my fingers because it's a hassle.

I have been cutting my own hair lately and I have never had a manicure. I dont think it's a waste of time if that's your thing. It just doesn't happen to be mine.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

One part of the profile was very accurate:

Your choice of the sheepskin slippers reveals a quiet, cozy personality whose fantasy self revolves around the comforts of the home. While you may actually prefer the aesthetic vision of a delicate ballet slipper, pirouetting on hardwood floors, you choose to wrap yourself in a plaid mohair security blanket of toasty sheepskin slippers. Your woolly fear of being fleeced may account for this hibernation tendency or conversely it may result from your insomnia as you endlessly count sheep and recite nursery rhymes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."Realistically though, there is a darker side to your fantasies, as your reputation as the black sheep of the family precedes you.

Bang on, I say.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I am a "polished beauty".

"The idea of beauty has captivated your mind, and your body. It is one pleasure in life that you pursue with passion. You enjoy sensing beauty in the world around you, and feeling beauty in yourself. In a disciplined manner, you devote the necessary time and resources to making beauty a reality."

Um, couldn't be more true. I love to be beautiful, but mostly I love to feel beautiful. I love to be soft and smell yummy. I own so much makeup and fragrance and lotion and scrubs and powders and shit, you wouldn't believe it. But I can be out the door in thirty minutes, looking like I took a week to get ready. I'm that good. I absolutely loose my shit at any makeup counter. Just last night I made a new discovery. Pollen by Lancome. It is this shimmery face and body oil type stuff that makes you look all sunny and tan, without the sun. Many compliments today at work. One thing that has changed about my beauty routine in the last couple of years is the time I now take for my skin. I use to just apply makeup and go. But a while back I started noticing some little lines. Now I am all about skincare.

I am going to shutup now, I could talk about this all day. I always wanted to be a makeup artist, as it is I am stuck in front of a computer all day. Bleh.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

I'm a stylish beauty, which surprised me a whole lot.

I wash my face every day and put on moisturizer. No makeup except for special occasions (like my wedding day). I hate wearing it. I've never had a manicure or pedicure and the idea fills me with dread. I don't blow dry my hair but just let it dry however it pleases. I do get it cut every 6 - 8 weeks, and I color it every 4 weeks or so.

I am practical but may be a martyr. (don't think so)

My choice of the Doc Marten boot "reveals a rebellious, independent personality whose fantasy self strides confidently ahead in an equally balanced unisex landscape". Woo hoo.

I have a "do it yourself" attitude. Yeah.

My gold navel ring reveals "unconventional dreams". Nice. Pretty accurage, though I don't have a navel ring in real life.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Shampoo and conditioner for hair. Wash face in the shower. Darth Vader body wash. (Not kidding.) That's it, really. I only put on makeup if I'm out doing something important, and classes and downtown photography wandering sessions don't classify as makeup-worthy, I'd think.
Now, what did it tell me about my shoes?
Your choice of the Doc Marten boot reveals a rebellious, independent personality whose fantasy self strides confidently ahead in an equally balanced unisex landscape. Recognizing that centuries ago boots were reserved mostly for men, you have taken them over as a symbol of strength and power, crossing all genders, and giving you an erotic charge. Although you reject most pop music as vacuous, the classic "These Boots Were Made for Walking," by Nancy Sinatra always strikes the right chord. You can be described as tight-laced and disciplined, moving about with great ease and mobility in utilitarian, streetwise style that is not out of place with goths, punks, skinheads and tattooed grunge rockers.
Um. I have a pair of battered combat boots, which is why I picked that. I probably would find one lying under a table. Was I supposed to pick a dream shoe? I don't know about being urban and erotic, I just wanted something relatively indestructible that would keep my feet dry...
Animate.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Sophisticated Beauty...hah! But the family heirloom, sheepskin slippers & love letter analyses were pretty close.

I wash & condition hair daily and blow dry if I am leaving the pool and it is cold out, but I do try to air dry on weekends and in the warmer months. Hairspray, but not much else. Barettes on a real bad hair day. Natural hair, but may resort to highlighting soon if the grey ones keep coming back! Face powder, blush, mascara, lipstick (+/- eye and lip liner) on most days. Moisturiser with suncreen and eye cream *religiously* in the AM and a 3 step regimen each evening too. Nails are short and clear polished mostly, toes can go wild tho! Hair done every 6-8 weeks and manicure/pedicure whenever I can get out of the boonies to get them done.

I love girlie stuff and am addicted to products and beauty/fashion magazines. I haven't a hope in hell of ever looking like that, but a girl can dream can't she?

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Hmm...I am a 'Polished Beauty'

And I feel like one, too, sitting here in a pair of my husband's boxer briefs and a huge men's shirt whose name tag identifies it as a an old room-mate's brother's shirt, circa 1985.

Maybe they mean 'polished' as in 'things to polish the piano with'?

This was a totally fun quiz (thanks!) and some of it really hit home, like this line:

"You maneuver through life exercising your formidable taste with strict pronouncements on what is and is not acceptable. "Gilt trips," whether in 14 karat or simply gold-colored lacquer, do not bother you, however you show no patience for reproductions."

I am pretty fanatical about skin care. My beauty routine is mostly me spending a fortune on skin care product. Right now, the favourites are Philosophy, and La mere, with a soupgon of La Prairie and Chanel. My theory is, wash with Noxema, moisturize like crazy, and you can never start to early with the eye creme! I am also a big fan of monthly facials, but haven't found a good salon here, yet.

I don't wear make up, really. I think good skin, really well manicured eye brows, and carmex/vaseline are enough for day, for me. i have always wanted to wear black, liquid eyeliner, because I think it looks sexy as hell, but i have zero talent for applying it.

You know, I have a fascination for other women's beauty secrets. Lipstick in the fridge, preparation-h under the eyes, dipping one's nails in salt water before polishing...I just love them. It is like the secret currency of women.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Stylish Beauty

That seems about right:) I am in fact a blend of romanticism and practicality.

As for my routine .... what routine?

I get up in the morning, take a shower and wash my hair. I let it air-dry and occasionally drag a comb through it and toss in some barrettes or twist it up with a scrunchy.

On special occasions I might dab on a touch of lip color and some eye shadow.

If I wake up quickly and get right to it, it takes me less than a half hour to get out of the house in the morning.

Of course, all bets are off on the whole "waking up quickly" issue.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

i'm a "natural beauty." individualist, independent, no-frills, etc.

it should be noted that i didn't even know what half of the stuff on that quiz meant. "french provincial"? a "ferragamo pump" or "pink satin marabou mules"? oookay.

i made various half-hearted efforts at wearing makeup when i was in high school and college. none of them lasted for long. i'm rather conscientious about moisturizing (lotion, lip balm, facial moisturizer) and sunscreen during the summer, and occasionally i tame my hair with a little gel...but i can't remember the last time i wore makeup. i don't even own a tube of lipstick any more.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2000

I'm a stylish beauty. Oh in my dreams!!

I wash my hair every day, and condition it every now and then (the shampoo is a 2 in 1, but it needs a little bit more conditioner occasionally). It's very wavy and getting down towards my shoulders now, but I want to grow in long. Really long.

I was my face with Lush Fresh Farmacy soap - this stuff is the business if your skin persists in behaving like that of a 15 year old. Lush products are great, their scrubs and things are fab as well (buy their stuff here if you're in the UK

I also use Lush Angelicum moisturiser, which is lovely. And either JPG or Chanel Allure perfume.

Make up is such a pain, but until I'm blessed with perfect skin I'll have to continue wearing it. So it's a tiny bit of foundation (Estee Lauder), a helping of concealer (Maybelline), a bit of 'get rid of dark circles under the eyes' stuff (YSL Radiant Touch), Clinique blusher, Lancome eyebrow stuff (because my face looks half invisible otherwise - I'm really pale with reddish hair), and no other eye make- up because I can never be arsed taking it off. And Clinique Glosspots - currently 'Raspberry Jam'.

Actually, that's quite a lot when I think about it! But I don't blow dry my hair because I'm too lazy, it takes too long, and I'm crap at it anyway.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2000