And I deeply resent this whole "for the children" attempt to censor the cable stations. I didn't drag myself out of childhood by the skin of my teeth just to watch the freakin' Waltons 24-7. Most of the country is over 18 and should damn well get to watch whever they want.

For the record, I do, too. My wishing for general audience programming was directed at some genius who could make it appealing, not to some asshat who is writing a bill. You can't really just sit down at 8pm and watch non-animated shows with elementary school kids any longer--or at least, I can't.

Fred is me. As it's my sister's birthday on Friday, I went to the city centre today to buy her present. I thought I was being very clever, as I actually remembered that a few weeks ago she'd mentioned that she desperately needed new makeup brushes. Ordinarily I just panic the on the day and buy her a cd, but today I put some thought into it. However, as I've never worn makeup myself, I was unaware of exactly how complex the world of application brushes was. All I wanted was to get a nice, thoughtful gift for my sister, instead I got a lecture on the differences between blending brushes and angled application brushes and straight-edged brow brushes and why in the hell do all these things cost about thirty euro each?! Why?!

In the end I caved to the inevitable and got her a voucher.

Fred, I feel for you. I really, really do.

All I wanted was to get a nice, thoughtful gift for my sister, instead I got a lecture on the differences between blending brushes and angled application brushes and straight-edged brow brushes and why in the hell do all these things cost about thirty euro each?! Why?!

Har. This is why I usually don't wear makeup. It's all way too overwhelming.

Fred, that's great. What the others saida about nothing too garish or glittery. Black mascara, cover-up/concealer, a neutral sort of lipstick (not too red, not too orange or pink) are basics.

I'd say get black/brown instead of black.

Black/brown mascara tends to look more professional, and suits more skintones than black, which tends to be a bit harsh.

Plei's right, Fred. It's been years since I've bothered with my eyes in the day. I was thinking what's in my makeup case, but I only ever bother with mascara at night, and my eyelashes and eyebrows are black--hence the black.

All I wanted was to get a nice, thoughtful gift for my sister, instead I got a lecture on the differences between blending brushes and angled application brushes and straight-edged brow brushes and why in the hell do all these things cost about thirty euro each?! Why?!

Thitry EURO??? I've never spent anywhere near that much on anything makeup-related. (For brushes, I have the set from Sephora that comes in the little black tube, and a few random other ones that came with the makeup.)

Sephora has a very nice set for $40 or so. Powder, blush, two sizes eyeshadow and lip brushes. Any more than that is getting a bit advanced.

my eyelashes and eyebrows are black--hence the black

Mine are sandy, blonde at the tips. They may actually be lighter than my hair and brows. I'm on the eternal quest for the perfect true reddish-brown mascara. (Auburn mascaras are rare, and tend to be too brick red. MAC used to make a great mahogany, but they discontinued it. Right now, I'm using Tony & Tina Herbal Eye Mascara in brown, which is a true brown-brown, and will do until the holy grail turns up.)

The good news for Fred is, he's buying for a bunch of people he doesn't know, so most things will work for someone.

I plan to buy some makeup to contribute to the drive. However, about all I know about makeup for women is that Too Much Is Not Good. Any advice on purchases?

Matte finishes are definitely the best idea for eyeshadows/powders, and the best ones are all going to be ones that are natural colors. I'd say a rosy pink blush would work on most people, and eyeshadows that are in the brown, taupe, and pink range are generally pretty flexible for different eye colors. I agree about staying away from black mascara, though soft black might be okay, the best one is probably going to be black/brown or dark brown. Lipstick is like blush, in that a rosy pink that is very close to natural will probably be the best bet, and one that is merely a cream, with no glitter or other "shine" elements in it is the best type.

Also, this is very sweet of you.

Fred is me. As it's my sister's birthday on Friday, I went to the city centre today to buy her present. I thought I was being very clever, as I actually remembered that a few weeks ago she'd mentioned that she desperately needed new makeup brushes. Ordinarily I just panic the on the day and buy her a cd, but today I put some thought into it. However, as I've never worn makeup myself, I was unaware of exactly how complex the world of application brushes was. All I wanted was to get a nice, thoughtful gift for my sister, instead I got a lecture on the differences between blending brushes and angled application brushes and straight-edged brow brushes and why in the hell do all these things cost about thirty euro each?! Why?!

Hahahaha. I'm sorry. The proper application brush can make a world of difference, but really, unless you're doing something really complicated, you don't really need them. But they're super fun. And only the really nice ones are crazy expensive. Cheap ones are available, but they're not as effective. (ETA: But you can get some very very decent ones for much less than 30 Euro.)