Before I continue, I want you to know that the laptop is going back tomorrow.  I will be looking for a different model. Unlike this HP Pavillion which has the crappiest touchpad that cannot seem to be disabled.  And then the mouse works every now and then. I’m lucky tonight!

Moving on…

Remember my post from last week about older women and makeup?  I wanted to elaborate on on..

Contouring.

I know, I know. Contouring is so intimidating—or at least that’s what you might think. It really isn’t anything to be put off or intimidated by.  It’s all how you play the game.  Or apply the product.

Through trial and error, I’ve discovered what works best for me and what doesn’t.

It’s all about the shadows and light.  And sculpting the face.

My face is square. And angular and now that I’m older and gravity has fallen, I need some help to put the bone structure back in order.

The first contour I ever used was the Marc Jacobs Mirage Filter in Number 40.  It’s the lighter of the contour powders his brand offers.

My very first contour kit. Marc Jacobs!  I’m getting sentimental.  This works much better in summer for me but my winter face is just too dry.  It goes on so lightly and really–if you are thinking about contour. This really is a good beginner choice.

This is an EXCELLENT contour for beginners.  The highlighter gives a nice glow without being overly bright.  The contour brushes on so incredibly lightly that you honestly cannot tell you have used any product until you take a step back and see the shadow.  I use this in the summer because with the humidity my skin isn’t as dry.  During the winter months.  I turn to a creamy formula.

Needless to say, I did purchase a contour palette by NYX and ended up using the powders as eye shadows.  The contours are not “cool” enough for my skin tone.  These would work much better on warmer skin tones.

These powders photograph a lot cooler than IRL. They are a bit more warm.  I do love using these as eye shadows though.  Very neutral.  I love a product than can multitask–this is it!

The cream formulas definitely work best for me. And I think they are a better choice for mature skin because the blendability is great and the creamy formula just works on drier skin.

The NYX Wonder Stick was the first cream contour/highlighter that I used. And I continue to use it. But, the color I use, Light, always seems to be out of stock.  The taupe contour is so incredibly user friendly to pale skin tones.  I find the other offerings, Universal, Medium and Deep are to orangey for me.

NYX has a wide selection to choose from in the Wonder Stick collection.  Just my luck, the “light” which works so well for me, is always out of stock!

I don’t know if you can tell from this photo, but the Wonder Stick in Light is on the right. On the left is “Universal”. It was slightly orange-brown.  The taupe color seems to work so much better.

When I was unable to find the Wonder Stick in Light I purchased The NYX Mineral Stick foundation in Light and the Maybelline FIT ME Shine Free Balance Foundation Stick in Number 355—a dark color that I thought would work well.  Using both as a highlighter/contour, they’re ok.  Nothing spectacular.  The FIT ME stick is very dark on me and would work well in the summer, but for the most part, they sit unused.

NYX Mineral Stick…

FitMe foundation by Maybelline. This is wayyyyy to yellow/orange/brown for my skin tone.  I’ve used it but am never fully happy with the results. The texture is very creamy and not drying at all–but the color is just a no-go for my tone.

Then I tried the Maybelline Master Contour by FaceStudio.  I purchased Number 10. Although this has quite a bit of love in reviews, for me, it’s “meh”.  The concept of the two-tone stick is great—but the execution leaves much to be desired. When I apply the highlighter side, I get a bit of contour and when I apply the contour side I get a bit of highlighter. It’s too clumsy for me.

Top left is the two-toned Maybelline Master Contour. Unfortunately I’m no master of using this stick. In theory–it’s great. Realistically, it was a miss for me.

 Two weeks ago, I was perusing the cosmetics area in Target.  I came upon a crème contour palette by e.l.f.  At $6.00 I couldn’t pass it by.  Surprisingly, I am a huge fan.  There are three darker contours and one lighter cream for highlighting.

This is a great palette. Creamy.  Six Bucks. And the colors are all cool ones.  I need to hurry back and pick up another one of these!

The smaller spoon brush blends the contour perfectly!

These colors glide on so smoothly and you honestly cannot tell that product is on.

Take a look:

Mostly makeup free.  Geez–my skin looks like shit. True that stress has an effect on the skin. I’ve been so upset about the election results that my skin is in bad shape.  I need to relax….

All it takes is a little swipe and a blend, blend, blend…

Done with the contour. You can’t see it but…

When the rest of the face is done, there’s some enhancement working!

As difficult as it is to find the NYX Wonder Stick in Light, at around $12. It is worth tracking down.  It is that good—but the e.l.f. is such a delightful surprise that I’ll be heading to Target to buy a backup and one for travel.

I also noticed that Lancôme has come out with a version of a contour stick.  At $36, I don’t think I would bother when I can get a great product for a lesser price point.  If you have used this, let me know what you think.

Lancome’s version.  At the price of $36.00, I cannot imagine it being better than the twelve-buck NYX stick!

You know, contouring is something I would have never thought about until I got older. And it’s fun to try new products out.  It’s fun to experiment.  I never thought I would chisel my face with a cream and a brush. But hey—you can teach an old dog new tricks!  Woof!

Oh. I decided to add this tidbit for today.  I normally use Bare Minerals “Well Rested” to cover the blue undertones by an around my eyes, but because my skin has been under so much stress, I revisited my Mally’s Perfect Prep. It’s a creamy yellow souffle of corrector!

You don’t need much product to get a good result with this. It took me a while to find the right amount…

Some blue discoloration..

Applied, patted and blended like crazy…

Definitely works..and with the full “face” on..

…and with my full “face” on, you can’t tell I had any discoloration at all!

That’s another thing–as we age, we need a bit more than the usual blush, foundation and eye makeup. We need to hide, highlight and sculpt!

PET PEEVE TIME!  Do you have any pet peeve’s about your cosmetics–like the packaging?  I do.  Look at the photo below.  It is the Vitality Flush Color Stain Stick by iT cosmetics.  You can tell that I use it–a lot!  But it angers me that there is so much product at the bottom of the tube where you can not longer twist product up!  I have to dig with a brush to get the remainder out. That is just bad and greedy packaging.  I’m sure there are more women who toss this when the product can no longer be twisted. Not me! I’m cheap! And I want every pennie’s worth of this stick.  Thoughts?

A ton of product is at the bottom of the barrel here…

And I’m scrapin’ it out!

Enjoy your evening ladies!  I’m going to slather my face in cream and oil now!

I’m loving my new CD by Lisa Leblanc!  Here’s some music to pump you up–and make you ponder moving across the northern border to Canada!  “J’pas un Cowboy”-it’ll get you up and dancing!