I've had a lot of fabulous new discoveries lately (don't tell the DH, he might fall down in a dead faint if he knew that the Overflowing Makeup Collection was growing in girth, and we wouldn't want him to hurt himself! Yeah, that's the reason I don't want him to know - concern for his health.....) But I'd also like to address the topic of under eye concealers for a bit. I may have already mentioned previously that I think that under eye concealers are an absolute MUST for brightening an Older Face. After my brows, I head right for the under eye concealer as the second step in preparing the Face for the day. Today I bring you several different choices, all pretty decent:
From left to right, we have Laura Geller's Dream Creams Concealer & Highlighter Palette (mine happens to be the Porcelain/Fair choice, but there are others to suit your skintone); Mally's Cancellation Concealer (mine is the Fair choice), shown without its coodinating setting powder, which I do not use; and Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer in the Ivory/Pale Yellow combination. I did not show them open because with the exception of the Bobbi Brown palette which is brand-spanking new, the others are looking mighty sad these days from months of use.
I just tried the Bobbi Brown product for the first time this morning, having received it (and a few other goodies which I shall review at a later date) this week. I hate to say it, but I'm not impressed. The title of the product SPECIFICALLY INCLUDES the word 'creamy'. I am sorry, but it is not particularly. Creamy, that is. Nope. My Laura Geller and Mally products are MUCH creamier in consistency than this puppy. And Bobbi's products are not cheap. I confess I have blocked the actual price from my head (although I did snag it during the Friends and Family sale last week and I DO remember that it was at a discounted price), but I know it was more than $25.00. I also cannot recall the prices that I paid for the Laura Geller and Mally products, but I do know that, at least in the case of the Mally concealer, the product came as a part of a kit from QVC, and therefore the price per item was extremely reasonable, as makeup kits from the Q generally are. (Yes, I'm a confirmed Q-a-holic when it comes to beauty, fashion, and jewelry - the Trifecta of My Downfall!) Of course, there is a fine line between being WONDERFULLY creamy under the eyes and OOPS IT SLID RIGHT OFF MY FACE creamy, and we definitely need the previous and not the latter. Bobbi's product (and Mally's as well) comes with a fine powder to 'set' the concealer in case it threatens to slip too much. I personally am wary of powdery things under the eye, as, for me, they tend to magically accentuate the fine lines that have magically developed there. (If only that magic worked to make things DISappear equally well, because I can think of a FEW things that need 'disappearing' right about now!)
But I digress. As usual. I highly recommend the Laura Geller and Mally concealers. If you particularly love the Bobbi Brown line and need an under eye concealer, go ahead and knock yourself out, but I personally will not be replacing this brand of concealer if and when I use it up. And one more word of caution when using under eye concealers, girls: Apply sparingly. And concentrate it at the inner corners, where there is the most darkness. You generally don't need to extend it all the way to the outer corner of your eye! Be sure to take it up along the side of your nose just above the inner corner of your eye as well, because there can be a really dark area right there that totally benefits from being lightened up. :)
On to some new finds! I've recently become enamored of Stila products. (Please refer to my April 1st post for comments on the new Stila Lip Balms that I am actually STILL loving - you know how sometimes we Beauty Hoars have the attention span of a gnat and flit from product to product, each one becoming our 'new favorite'. I'm still really loving the Stila Lip Balms. And I might have purchased another one in an equally beautiful color. Maybe. Yeah. Because deep down, I AM, after all, a Beauty Hoar.)
So, for the eyes! Stila has come out with something called Countless Color Pigments. Now, if you go to the Stila display in Sephora, you will see a lot of choices for this product that are totally inappropriate for an Older Beauty. I am SURE that these products are geared toward the gorgeous Twentysomethings (don't hate them, we were all gorgeous Twentysomethings back at the Dawn of History ourselves, right?), but there is ONE color choice that is FABULOUS for Older Beauties, and here it is!!! (Shown below in 'Groupie', with the equally wonderful Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in 'Lionfish'
And further swatched below, on my STILL wrinkly Fiftysomething arm, with the liner in the little heart shape at the top:
I cannot say enough about these colors. (Top smudge of shadow is the darkest shade in the pan, middle smudge the lightest, and the bottom swatch is what my brush picked up at the bottom left side of the pan.) I happen to believe that browns/taupes/bronzes and the most flattering shades of eyeshadows a Beauty of ANY age can wear, and the eyeliner is an absolutely delicious melange of brown/gold that just shimmers and glimmers in the bright light. Color payoff is great, and you only need one swipe to get wonderful depth of color with this formula. And, remember, with eyeliner for Older Beauties, we only need the thinnest line possible, and on the bottom lashline, we do NOT need the line to go completely from edge to edge of the eye. Try only the outer third. Lining the entire bottom lashline can give us that 'beady' look. And I'm pretty sure we were going for 'beautiful' and not 'beady'. There are other color choices for the liner, but I recommend the brown (Lionfish). And the formula is - oooh, my favorite Word of the Day - CREAMY - it just glides over the crepey upper lid. Oh. You don't have crepe there? Liar. Or Lucky.
And speaking of brushes, I picked up the newest Bare Minerals kit that was featured as the TSV last week, and the pictures below show one of my favorite parts of it - a nifty new brush design! Very clever, because it solves the problem of storage for double ended brushes. I like to have my frequently-used brushes standing up in a basket next to my lighted makeup mirror, but double ended brushes get ruined when you try to stand them up! This new design is wonderful, because you have two brushes in one, but you can still store them on end. Love. Here is the brush as it appears when it arrives:
And here is the brush with its clever bottom removed!
The top portion is great for applying blush, and the hidden portion is a great eyeshadow brush that I used this morning to apply the Stila shadow shown above.
Finally, a new lipcolor. Also a part of the aforementioned Bare Minerals TSV from QVC last week, we have a Moxie lipgloss in the new shade of Starlet. Well, I think it's a new shade. Please don't think I'm intentionally misleading you. I am not totally conversant with all of the Moxie shades, but I believe that Leslie Blodgett mentioned that this shade was exclusive to this kit. However, as with everything else these days, the hearing is not what it once was! ;) I love the Moxie lipglosses for their lovely colors and the minty tingle, and this shade is pretty decent. I think it might actually look good on both warm and cool skintones. I'll try to remember to do an update when I speak with youngest daughter Kelly. She is a fellow Beauty Hoar and also purchased the kit, and she is a cool skintone where I am a warm. Of course, she is one of those Twentysomethings, and pretty much everything looks great on her. LOL Anyway, here is the Moxie swatched:
And here it is on the blurry kisser:
Dang, my face looks THIN in that shot! LOL Please ignore the nostrils. I took several pictures trying to get rid of them, but a photographer I am not. (Ha. As if you hadn't already figured that out!)
I'm really liking the more sheer formulas on the lips these days. They just seem right for the season. So get out there and check out the Sheer Stuff. I wouldn't be caught dead with sheer clothing, but for the lips, it's a big thumbs up!
Until next time, my Beauties, go forth and treat yourself to a new beauty product! <3
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