Sometimes we can get into a cosmetics rut. I’m not necessarily talking about going out and purchasing a ton of new cosmetics. No. Not at all. I’m talking about a rut with how we approach cosmetics.
Perhaps some of us are too light-handed and conservative in our application. Some of us may be too heavy handed (Guilty!!). And some of us may just simply be afraid to experiment!
Remember the last time I went very heavy-handed and tried to turn myself into a Kardashian? (Click the underlined to find out)
For me, I know what I like—dark eyes and a light lip.
The rest is up for grabs. It’s always fun to learn a new way to apply foundation or new makeup tricks to enhance our features. And as we age, it’s always good to change things up a bit.
Trust me, I’ve had horrific experiences with some in-store makeovers because it sometimes seems that the sales assistant isn’t listening to you and only wants to make a sale or they insist on making you up to look like either a jack-o-lantern or a twenty-year-old.
Yes. I HAVE come home crying from in-store makeovers because nobody listened to me!
It’s daunting!
When I worked in the Handbag department at Nordstrom, the Cosmetics department was close by. There always seemed to be a crowd where one particular young man was working. He wasn’t only a sales assistant but he was a young makeup artist. His name was Jochy and he was incredibly talented. When I got bored (which was often), I would walk over to the counter where he worked and would watch and study him. I had never seen any woman leave his chair without looking spectacular.
This guy. Jay. The Master Jay. Makeup Artist Supreme! Look at the lipcolor he’s wearing! I want it! And those brows!!!!
But the other thing is—Jochy was just such a nice and sweet guy. He was never in a foul mood (like me), he was always kind and always helpful. I wished Jochy, or “Jay” as he is called, had done my makeup. But I just never had the time.
Until now. I ran into him a couple of times and ran it by him that it would be great if we could get together and do a blog post about a transformation on me, the “older” woman. Would he be up for the challenge? He was all about it!!
And on Sunday I had the pleasure. I was very afraid that I would scare people as I exited my car without a stitch of makeup on. I didn’t even have Chapstick on! My brows—well, let’s just say the hair on my upper lip was probably darker and thicker—ok?
Not a stitch of makeup. Just wait till you see the photo of me like this in department store lighting. I was scared of me!!!
Jay is working at Charlotte Tilbury these days and has been for quite some time. Tilbury started out as a makeup artist and worked her way up to being a successful, very successful businesswoman with her cosmetics empire.
But this is about the transformation. What I love about Jay is that, even though he’s young, he absolutely adores working with women of all ages. His motto is “I want to make women of all ages beautiful”. And I will vouch for that. When he was making me over, I was his main focus. He wasn’t looking around the counter for prospective customers. He was attentive, patient and worked his magic while educating me.
Here’s Jay with co-worker Allison. Is she adorable or what? I was surrounded by beauty, I was!
Here’s how I went from ghastly to beautiful:
I came in naked—which was a pretty profound step for me—but it’s important to be real and to show you what I really look like when I’m not posing for one of my at-home or car selfies. This is hard-core, unforgiving department store lighting. And it is the ugly truth!
I swear to God, I have NEVER seen a worse photo of myself than the one of the left. OK, this could be the second worst. The first worst was my eighth-grade graduation photo. I looked like boy. I’m not kidding. My mustache gave me that handsome look! But look at the photo on the right! Yeah. Same person! Can you believe it? And my eyes don’t even look crossed! How did Jay do that?
First, Jay made sure that my face was cleansed from any residue (like how did he know all I did to wash my face was to splash cool water on it?)
Then he massaged Charlotte’s (I’m not being sponsored. I’m mentioning all the products that Jay used on me. It’s cool.) Multi-Miracle Glow into my face. I’m telling you, it was so soothing that I almost fell asleep! It was having a mini facial. J massaged “Angel Wings” style. Down and out and up, and kept massaging and massaging the cream in until my skin felt hydrated and supple.
I smelled rose and when I asked, he said that rose hip oil was one of the ingredients. I have to admit that my skin felt really nice after this was applied. At $60 for 100 ml, it was a pretty generous sized jar. I was going to make the purchase but Nordstrom ran out of stock. I’m going to say that it must be a pretty decent product for Nordie’s to run out. I need to do more research on this.
Next step was the Clay Mask. Ok. Not gonna lie. This is pricey! $70 for a tube. However, a little goes a long way. He applied what looked like a very small amount but darned if it didn’t cover my entire pasty face! Surprisingly the mask didn’t dry to the point my skin looked like the arid desert.
What a sight! The clay mask was a huge treat. Relaxing and hydrating.
I relaxed while Jay took care of a phone call from a customer and ten minutes later it was time for him to take the mask off.
I asked when he started to become interested in makeup and cosmetics. He told me that as a child he was fascinated with the makeup his mom used and he would gravitate towards the makeup whenever they went shopping.
I’m having a hard time believing Jay ever had issues with his skin. It’s in great shape now!
As a teen, he had bad skin (who didn’t—right?) and when he “discovered” foundation, it was his “aha” moment. He went on to explain that his first foundation was one by Maybelline and he practiced, practiced and worked it until his skin looked much better. Foundation was his defining moment!
From there on, he played around with cosmetics and took them seriously. He’s completely self-taught. I have an incredible amount of admiration for him because, let’s face it—how long have we all tried but couldn’t perfect?
He works hard and earnest. And his goal is to become a makeup artist for celebrities one day. Let me tell you, if I was a celebrity, Jay would be doing my face on a regular basis!
Is Jay re-thinking about the transformation? No. He is deep in thought about how to work magic on me!
Ok. Back to the canvas known as me!
After the mask, Charlotte’s Magic Cream was applied. Again, the floral scent of rose was so mesmerizing and pleasant. This is another product that is not inexpensive. $100 for 50 ML. I was also informed that Tilbury’s company was founded upon the success of this cream. It plumps and hydrates and feels good on the skin.
He explained that if you are going to spend money, spend it on skin care products before you spend it on the cosmetics. You can’t get a great look without preparation first. He’s right about that. And I loved his honest approach as well. Point well taken!
The point is that, as we age, or since we already have aged, we need to take care of our skin more importantly. And, we can find a plethora of skin creams that run the gamut from inexpensive to pricey. It all depends on your budget.
Up next Jay applied Wonderglow, it’s a primer, but it is a bit more. It gives the skin a bit of a glow and can be worn alone. I have this and don’t use it every day. It costs $55 so I save it for special occasions. And in all honesty, I use it more for a glowy look than a primer.
I purchased this from Jay back in November and wrote about it–and how I use it as more of an illuminator rather than a primer. It’s good stuff!
And speaking of primer, he believes that in many cases, moisturizer works as well as a primer and can be used as a primer.
Now it was time to move on to the transformation of a browless, pasty-skinned, 62-year-old woman into a beauty queen!
Tilbury is a marketing genius. She sells different looks and specific products to achieve that look. The look we went with was “The Dolce Vita”. I decided on this look because I loved the dark and smoky eyes. It’s a great look for going to an event or a wedding or big gala. And yours truly never gets invited anywhere—I have no friends. So I decided to make my own event! Look. That’s what makeup is for. It’s the stuff experiments are made of. Let’s do this!
This is the look we went with. No. I did NOT end up looking like HER. I still looked like me, but a more va-va-voom version! Tilbury is a marketing genius. She has various “look” and cards that show you the end result. On the back of the card are the products used and she sells the coordinating kits. Oh if only I was an heiress!–the stuff I could buy!
He started with the brows. I’m lucky he could manage to find the remnants of the brows that once were. Here’s where it gets good. He used brow pencil. I always use a powder because I’m too heavy-handed. His touch was so light and feathery. He gave me the brows I had when I was younger.
He’s a huge fan of brows. My God. I wish I had Jay’s brows. They’re perfect!
They may have been thick, but they looked so natural! These were the brows I had in my ’20’s and ’30’s. Now I’m used to no brows so It took me a while but I loved them! There’s no way I would be able to dupe this brow look!
He’s also a fan of “eyes first” because there is always the chance of the elusive fallout from shadow or a smudge from liner or mascara. You don’t want to wipe good foundation and concealer off after applying. Best to leave that for the end.
A bit of Smashbox primer for eyes to keep the shadow in place and then Tilbury’s “Bette” cream eye shadow. This shadow has a nice golden sheen. It looked great and I’m going to say that it would look fantastic for an après beach dinner or event.
Next up was the shadows from the Dolce Vita palette, which I ended up purchasing. At $53, it’s a pricey little quad, but the colors are wonderful and heavily pigmented. Plus, it’ll travel well (another item for my travel bag—right?).
I’m looking at this now and am still amazed at how well-blended this is. I LOVE the liner and the shadows…and the brows!
I asked how to apply shadow or liner to the bottom lid without looking hard or harsh. He did it!! He ever-so-lightly, barely touched my bottom lids with shadow giving me a defined look that was softer. I learned something!!!
When the eyes were done, foundation was next. Magic Foundation in Number 4, Fair was used. He applied with a brush. I asked him if he liked the spoon brushes (that I adore) and he wasn’t a fan. He’s very particular about his brushes and he had some good ones. He’s also a fan of Sigma Brushes. I gotta check this out.
He stippled, stippled and blended, blended, blended. I think he got a bigger workout blending the foundation on my wrinkly skin than he would have by going to a gym! Same with the concealer. He applied and blended up and out. Up and out lifts the skin a bit. You know I’ll remember that!
I’m starting to look like very hot stuff rather than a hot mess!
Bronzer was next, and he used it as contour. O.M.G!!!! What a difference when a professional sculpts your face!!! I was in a state of shock. It looked like a natural shadow and unlike anything I do when contouring! *Please God. Please let me win the lottery so I can hire Jay to do my makeup every day. Amen*
Look how sculpted and glowing my face is! I’m stressed just thinking about how I could do this by myself. Jay–can you come over????
When he approached me with the face powder I balked? I can’t wear ANY powder because it makes my face cakey.
Um. He used such a light touch I didn’t even realize the powder was there! And it wasn’t cakey!
Ugh. My camera sucks. This is the bronzer Jay used. Filmstar Bronze and Glow in Light to Medium.
A little bit more bronzing with the Beach Stick in Ibiza. I looked very dark but went on a lot lighter. I wanted to purchase but I’ll have to wait to do so because, just my luck, they ran out of stock.
A few of the products Jay used on me. The Ibiza Beach Stick is on the far right. I wanted this so badly. I was bummed that they ran out!!
Lip liner and one of the most beautiful lipsticks I’ve ever seen. Penelope Pink (I bought it. As if I need another lipstick). A satin lippie that, surprisingly, is very long-lasting!
Penelope Pink. This is a beautiful lipstick. Beautiful!!!
This is the Penelope Pink in natural light and not department store light. It’s even more beautiful!
Mascara, setting spray, and J had not only met the challenge, he freakin’ mastered it!
More before and after. Look at how large my eyes look! My skin was absolutely glowing and is so dewy and hydrated! I honestly felt gorgeous. And confident. Some women may pooh-pooh cosmetics as we get older but you cannot deny that the use of cosmetics ENHANCES what you already have–or once had.
Poor Jay. I just about attacked him I was so happy!
There’s no love like selfie love–now is there?
I was so happy I didn’t want to take my makeup off when I went to sleep.
Another pic in natural light. Jay knows his stuff. The cosmetics not only looked fantastic in store lighting but looked so naturally pretty in natural lighting. I can’t say that’s ever happened before! I really love this look!
I may have taken my synthetic hair off my head, but I just could not part with the makeup that Jay did for me. I slept with it on! I KNOW, I’m disgusting!
Here’s the disgusting thing. I didn’t take it off. I slept with the full face. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to go to work with my face on! And I did! I slept on my back. In the morning, all I had to do was wipe a bit of smudge from under my eyes and then reapply some of the shadow.
And it looked great the day after!
Was The Dolce Vita a look that I would wear every day? No. It would take forever for me to duplicate the magic that Jochy performed on my face. But I will remember the “up and out” way to brush my foundation. And I will apply foundation after my eye makeup. And I will spend a bit more on skincare. I realized that after looking at my skin naked. It looks awful. I’ll also practice with the brow pencil!
I also learned from Jay that I can still have my dark eyes with a lighter hand. I use liquid liner and I learned that I can “soften” it by going over with a smudgy pencil and tightlining in between the lashes to create a more wide-eyed look.
Thanks to Jay, I received a lot of compliments on my skin (which I never do), and my eyes (which looked less crossed) and my makeup.
Thank you Jay!!! I give you another kiss!
All it takes is the magic of a great makeup artist. Nordstrom and Charlotte Tilbury are very fortunate to have the Jochy Rodriguez working for them. Something tells me that one day, he will be a celebrity make-up artist. And I’ll have bragging rights!
Thank you so much Jay for turning me into a more mature version of Cinderella!
One of the perks from my days at Nordstrom was meeting Jay! I’m truly happy I had the opportunity to have been transformed by him! If you are ever at Nordstrom King of Prussia, stop by to see him!!
Sometimes, we all need that transformation. Are you up for the challenge? Get your fierce on and go get that makeover! Show the world that we older women are beautiful and we love learning about what makes us feel good and look great! Because sometimes you just need to do something special for yourself!
Joe Cocker. You Are So Beautiful. Because YOU are!
