I’m still reeling over a comment made to me last week by a male cashier at Pet Smart. The following incident validates one of the reasons why I really should wear makeup when I’m out and about: Chippy, being the good and spoiled little rascal that he is, needed some chicken-flavored treats. It was one of those “Smelly-hog” days for me; the kind of day where I throw personal hygiene out the window and give my face a rest from makeup—this sort of day is usually reserved when I have no plans to leave my home. Feeling rather bold, Chippy and I took a five-minute road trip to Pet Smart to make a purchase of his beloved treats. (Vincent could not understand why Chippy gained three pounds in two months.  Shhhhhh. I’m not tellin’).

Treats in hand and ready to pay, the cashier looked up and said “Is that it sir”? SIR????????  Hey buddy, I know menopause has taken its toll on me but I tweeze those chin hairs every day, I get my moustache waxed on a regular basis, and I’m an expert at disguising my baldness. While I realize I’m no raving beauty, and I may be considered a rather handsome woman, I don’t think I look like a guy—even sans makeup!

I’m no beauty–but “sir”?

This guy stunned me so much that my crossed eye almost straightened out! I swear if it had been summer, I would have lifted my shirt right there to prove to him that I am a woman. If this guy hadn’t been in a wheelchair, I would have channeled my inner Karen Gravano and “Big Ang” and gone all “Mob Wives” on him.

Moving forward, methinks it is a good idea to enhance my “beauty” before I leave the house. Come on. Do I really look like a man? (I don’t wanna know if you think I do).I’ve posted about my beauty “essential” tools and skin prep in a previous post. Today I want to go over my make-up routine. The everyday routine that stops people from thinking I’m a sir rather than a ma’am—and yes, I would rather be referred to as ma’am rather than “sir”. Here we go:

Foundation: A good ten minutes after applying primer, I apply foundation.   I use Make Up Forever liquid HD Foundation in N135—this is a great foundation because it doesn’t oxidize and turn orange. It also glides on smoothly–great for mature skin. Be careful with foundations and try to get a sample before you buy. Remember, the lighting in stores is NOT the lighting you will be seen in every day.

MUFE N135 Tarte Brush

I’ve been  using this foundation for a couple of years now and it doesn’t look “cakey” nor is it drying. I dot a small amount of the foundation onto my face then I blend, blend, and blend with this big brush from Tarte cosmetics. Chippy bit a chunk out of this brush, but it is still useable.

Eyes are next. I’m never without Bare Minerals “Well-Rested”. As soon as I run out of this I take a trip  to the mall to pick up a replacement. Even though it’s a powder form, it doesn’t exaggerate fine lines. This stuff hides any blueness that you may have in the corners of eyes and if you have dark circles or darkening around the eyes—this is GREAT!

Well Rested by Bare Minerals

Because I wear eyeglasses, I also use a light cream concealer under my eyes to lighten up the shadows that the lenses can cause. This is a concealer by Benefit, I normally use YSL’s Touche Éclat, but I ran out and presently, I am not spending $40.00 to replace it.

Cream Concealer

When I become gainfully re-employed I’ll go back to the Touche Éclat.

The brows that used to be dark and luxurious are no longer. I fill in by brushing in a black eye shadow. BTW, I have a gripe with cosmetics companies on their “brow” powders. Cosmetics companies seem to think that nobody has black eyebrows.

Eye Shadow for Brows

Did you ever check out the brow products? The deepest color is a deep brown that turns orange. Trust me. I know because I’ve tried most of them. The one cosmetics company that does produce a black brow product is NYX, which I’ve purchased repeatedly, but lately I can’t  find it anywhere. Oh. I wonder why? Maybe it’s because all those women with black eyebrows have gotten to it before I have.

Eye shadow coming right up. I switch between Stila’s “In The Know” and Urban Decay’s “Naked2” palettes. Both offer neutral shadows that work well with my “cool” coloring.

Stila “In The Know”

As you can see from the pics, I’ve hit pan with the most-used shadows and I’ll use these until every shadow is gone. I’ve had both for over a year so the cost is well-worth it.

Naked2

Let it be known that I do keep certain makeup products around for a long, long time. I’ll toss mascara out after three months, but everything else stays. I’m frugal…..speaking of mascara. I love the new lash extension product from Physicians Formula, but when I want a less-is-more look, I’ll just curl the eyelashes and apply either Tarte’s “Lights, camera, Lashes” or Lancôme’s “Définicils” mascara.

Tarte and Lancôme Mascaras

Both are great for giving lashes nice definition. Even though I applied mascara to my bottom lashes today, I normally leave the bottom of my eyes alone. Mascara on my bottom lashes smears during the day and I hate that. I don’t wanna mess with any touch ups during the day.

Eyeliner. I love eyeliner. Presently, I’m into that “winged” look of the ’60’s –the Bardot/Loren/Hepburn vibe—it’s awesome. I switch between two liners. The felt-tipped liquid liner pen from Sephora is greatness. The tip is so thin and makes the application so easy to draw a slight line or a bold line.

Sephora Eye Liner Tip

NY Color also makes a fantastic liquid liner in a tube and the brush that comes with it is very thin which is great for application, AND it’s less than $2.00.  I’ve purchased super-expensive eyeliner that stunk—the application was horrific, the product didn’t stay on. You don’t need to spend a fortune for decent eyeliner.

Getting Cheeky:

Dandelion, LaBamba, Josie Maran and Too Faced

Cream blush is the way to go these days because those powders can be very drying and cakey looking. Oh the trials and tribulations of aging. I use a very light hand when applying blush because I cannot stand clown cheeks. Too-Faced makes a great cheek color called “Sweet Pea”—it’s a really pretty pink. Josie Maran makes an incredibly long-lasting, moisturizing blush. I have a travel-sized jar of this Coconut Water Cheek Gelee in “Pink Escape”, in the jar it looks red but when applied is a very natural pink blush. I thank the Sales Assistant at Sephora who told me about this. In the summer I’ll bring out the powdered cheek color.

Hitting pan with the blush!

Benefit makes the two that I really like—Dandelion and LaBamba, but I’ve heard that LaBamba has been discontinued. As you can see from the pic, I’ve hit pan big-time on the cheek color!

Those lips:   There was a time when my mouth was very full and in my younger day as a single girl in NYC, men in bars I frequented on the Upper East Side(who realized I was a woman), would actually comment on my mouth and buy me drinks.   I was able to wear dark colors and I do believe I looked rather fetching. These days, Chapstick and clear lip gloss in a tube are my friends. However, every now and then, I will add some color. My two reliables are Guerlain’s Kiss Kiss in Number 560, “Pushy Pink”. This is a great lipstick because it goes on lighter than how it appears in the tube and is so smooth and luscious. I got it in Paris last summer and haven’t been able to find that particular color here in the States so it’s on my shopping list for my next visit. Oh la la!  Make Up Forever has another nice color—Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in Number 36.

Guerlain on left. MUFE on right.

This lipstick is very matte and when I do wear it, I have to wear a clear gloss over it because it has a tendency to dry my lips but the color lasts all day. Neutrogena clear gloss in “Gleam” Number 40 finishes the look.

It’s quite enjoyable to take my time applying makeup at this point in my life; I am able to be methodical and can do it at a leisurely pace.   During those pre-empty-nester days, the process of applying even the smallest amount of makeup seemed to be rushed. Beds had to be made. School lunches had to be prepared. Those “forgotten” homework assignments had to be completed. Getting everyone out of the house in a timely manner was a challenge at times. It was chaotic fun, but now is the time to relish in the mundane and enjoy every second of life in a more relaxed and chill way. Life is good—know what I mean?Wear a smile too. If you don’t have time to make up that beautiful face of yours, sunglasses and a smile will do the job. I shoulda taken that advice when I went out with a naked face and was called “sir”.  Ya gotta laugh when stuff like that happens. Am I right??

Speaking of “Sir”. Here’s a great little video of Lulu from 1967 singing “To Sir With Love”. The hair. The makeup. The pantsuit! I love Lulu! I love the ’60’s!

And so my dear mature ladies. Feel free use me as an example if  somebody makes a derogatory remark about your appearance. You can laugh and say “Well, at least I wasn’t called “Sir” like Ms. Atypical60 was!

XOXOXOXOXO!