Thank you so much for the detailed (and very confidence-boosting) reply!

Something about the shininess of my skin after being out in humid weather plus the lighting and my crappy camera, I think, is making the tip of my nose look weird. I should have probably slapped on a little powder first! As for the expression, I think it’s a habit to counterract my resting...sad...face, haha. Not quite RBF, but people often say my neutral expression looks sad.

A major consensus in these comments is that I can get away with—and indeed, should use—heavier blush than I ever have before! I’m gonna try my hand at contouring before looking into Botox (is it possible to contour my jaw into looking less square?), but Botox is not off the table, especially as I age. Same with dyeing my eyebrows before attempting microblading, as tempting as that is (but, sadly, expensive).

These comments have given me an “aha!” moment—I’m afraid to look like I “tried,” because whenever I put obvious effort into my appearance as a teenager (full makeup, nails done, lipstick, more involved hairstyle, wearing jewelry), people made fun of me. Something something lipstick on a pig, you know? I dress very modestly, and never wear jewelry or try for a bold or striking look, because I’m too shy to take the risk of attracting attention...because I’m afraid all that attention would be negative. Unobtrusive is my comfort zone, but it’d be wonderful to shake things up now and again. You all have got me feeling emboldened to go for it! I’m so, so grateful.