Ok guys. This is one of those weird posts. I planned to start out with a bit of a rant but then I had a change of heart. My original thought was to go into yet another blog post on how our demographic and every woman over the age of …60, 70 and upwards (and I’ll add mid-to-high-50’s too) is ignored by the beauty industry.
This is me, begging cosmetics companies to pay attention to our demographic. As you can see, I’m ignored!
Kind of like No Country for Old Women—but beauty-related!
True dat. We are the girly version of “No Country for Old Men”! (Do you like the look I gave to Javier Bardem?)
But seriously—how many times can I write about the lack of inclusion?
How many times can I go on about the beauty industry not being truly diverse when they don’t recognize us?
No! I’m NOT going away! You need to include my peers…and me!!!
As much as I love and admire the beautiful Helen Mirren—just because a cosmetics or skincare company uses her in an ad doesn’t mean they are being inclusive. In fact, sometimes I think it’s a bit patronizing!
But overall, I love me some Mirren because she embraces her lines and she’s age proud!
And so, I’ve decided to change my tune to a more positive note because we need those cosmetics. Those cosmetics not only make us look good but they make us feel good.
Truth be told, this is how I feel after I put on a full face of makeup!
Screw it. It’s not about them. It’s about us!
Wanna know what I’m doing? I’m Age Crashing! That’s right I’m crossing the boundaries into the land of over-photoshopped, over-filled, completely unnatural Instagram, Blogging, Pinterest and Brand Name Cosmetics website galleries to do makeup geared to the way we can wear it!
That’s right. I am shasaying and sauntering my way across the age border to take charge of makeup that is not marketed to the mature woman. Come to think of it there aren’t any cosmetics companies exclusively marketed to the mature woman!
A couple of weeks ago I took a chance and ordered a lip balm and a palette by the brand “Winky-Lux”. This is a brand marketed to the very young. The palette I ordered is named “Mini Uptown Kitten Palette”. Word to the wise—any makeup with “kitten” in the name is not geared to your average older woman. Regardless, I made the purchase.
When I first opened the box, I thought the palette was covered in sandpaper. Then I realized it was glittery glimmer!
The palette, six shadows. Three shimmery shades and three mattes. I would say overall; these shades are in the berry family. But—this actually is a pro-aging, mature woman friendly palette. The shadows are not heavily pigmented and would work very well for a no-eye makeup look—understated but with a hint of something-something. I’ve worn the shadows once (and didn’t take a pic) and liked the way the shadows blended. The shimmery shades are very subtle with a hint of glimmer so this is a great palette for those who shy away from shimmery shadows.
Surprisingly pro-age friendly! These shadows are not heavily pigmented and blend well. I’ll be taking pics of an eye look with this over the weekend to share with you!
The lip balm in Rosé is beautiful. It’s really a bit more than a balm because it has decent staying and wear power. It changes color. From first look, the balm has bits of golden shimmer, but once it touches the lips, it changes into a gorgeous pink. I have to say I really, really love this!
The Winky Lux Lip Balm in Rose. See the glitter? But see the top of the bullet–it’s pink. That’s from use…
Goes on pink. I LOVE this stuff!!!
Both were purchased, along with a metallic Winky-Lux cosmetic bag for $21.00 and it was a very good deal!
My love for Jeffree Star knows no limits. I have his Sarcophagus highlighter and I absolutely love it. But recently I purchased one of his lipsticks. Beam Me Up. This is another glimmery lipstick that, back in my youth, I would say it’s a frosted shade. I’ve been wearing it under the Winky-Lux lip balm and am very happy. At $18.00 on Beautylish, it’s a great buy.
The Jeffree Star “Beam Me Up” lipstick. I have been using this under all the lipsticks I use and this is good. I feel like I’m revisiting all my frosted lipsticks from the 70’s!!
I only wish Jeffree was inclusive of the mature woman.
Today I wore the Jeffree Star Beam Me Up underneath the Winky Lux Rose Lip Balm. It’s a great office look!
And now…. for the greatest purchase in eyeshadow palettes. Anastasia Beverly Hills Riviera Palette!
I swore up and down I wouldn’t buy it. But I did. And I’m so happy that I did!
A mix of neutrals and Easter-egg colors and is just fun and perfect for the upcoming warm weather and it’s so …. well…it’s just plain ol’ feminine!
This palette is like a basket of bright colored Easter Eggs, but with the shades, Estate, Yacht, Coastline, Palm and Sails, you can achieve a beautiful neutral look!
Now—I’ll tell you, I have seen many reviews and all the reviews were by younger women ranging in age from around 19-ish to 30. And most of the reviews had “looks” that not only would not suffice the more mature woman…but would be questionable under normal, everyday situations like at the office or a trip to the OB/GYN!
I’ll leave this look to every Instagramer and YouTube reviewer. But a more subtle and understated look CAN be achieved with this palette.
But anyway, I decided to pull the cash outta my wallet and I bit the bullet. Here’s another look at the palette.
And in my ultra clumsy way, I’ve managed to mess the Seychelles shadow a bit. The Bahamas, Cannes and Palm shades are all pure pigments. It’s instructed to use caution with these shades as they may irritate. I used all three –two as liner and they were fine!
Isn’t it beautiful?
The beauty industry loves fabulosity. And flamboyancy. And makeup looks that, if you left your home and ventured outside under normal circumstances, you would get a ton of side eye. But—our young peers can carry those looks off with no problem.
If you are interested in leaving your comfort zone, these looks are actually pretty darn creative and the YouTube channel, Annette’s Makeup Corner is a good makeup channel. This young woman has a very nice way about her and I may try the bottom left look. It’s colorful but not over-the top!
I prefer a more…. sedated look and the Riviera palette offers that. That’s what I love about it. You can go with the brights one day then tone it down for the office the next. Take a look at how I used these shadows!
Sunday’s look. I washed lid to brow bone with the white shade “Sail”. It’s very pigmented and gives a good base color. Then I went into the crease with “Cannes” and blended it out. I lined my lid with the pigment shade “Bahamas” and lined the bottom lid with “Yacht”.
The color is there but it’s pretty-much toned down.
Monday’s look was more subtle. I went with “Estate” on the lid and used it as a transition shade. Then ever-so-slighty, I took the pigmented “Palm” and went into the crease. Again, “Yacht” lined the lower lids and I lined my upper lid with “Seychelles”.
Here’s today’s look. Neutrals with a punch! I used “Sail” as an allover wash up to the browbone. Then used “Cabana” as a transition shade and lightly added a bit of “Palm” to the crease. I got very bold and applied “Inheritance” to the inner corners of the lid and touched the brush with both “Monte Carlo” and “Bahamas” and dotted it to the center of my lid. “Yacht” is very popular with me as a liner for the bottom lids. There’s a lot to love with this palette!
What do you think? Are you willing to crash the age border with me? I do have to say, the Anastasia Beverly Hills is quickly becoming a favorite brand for me. The shadow palettes are wonderful and the dipBrow is my HG brow product.
Have a great mid-week. I’ll be back with what I wore this week in a couple of days!!!
I totally get where you are coming from. There should be no restrictions on what we choose to wear because we are a certain age. That said, bright blue or yellow eyeshadow is not “me”..whether I was 16 or 70…but you look great , as always. I started using the Hourglass brow mascara and am happy with it…covers those pesky grey hairs fairly well.
Looking lovely, Catherine!
I love makeup. Love lipsticks and blushes, but those brights are just not me, You have a way to wear these colors but I don’t like them on me. But I do like the lavenders and aubergines etc. Do the women in your office notice how good you are at makeup? I recently had surgery and either it was the sedation or the lights, these nurses do a fabulous job on their eye makeup. Isn’t that interesting that nurses are great makeup artists. They also do a great job of taking care. Oh, back to that ageism thing. You know I get so tired of everyone saying that everything is anti aging. B*ll Sh*t. Come on. If it were we’d all look like we were 18/. Also that photo of Helen Mirren must be old and or photoshopped. Saw her recently and she does not look like that. But good for you carrying the torch for the rest of us.
To be honest, I would like to have at least one magazine that focused on beauty and fashion for us, but your positive and comprehensive approach is the next best thing and much more personal. Young models didn’t look like me forty years ago, so old models probably wouldn’t look like me today, anyway, nor do I find any relevance in extravagant “editorial looks.” I love your real life wardrobe, wigs and makeup, and your real life budget. Thanks for being positive!
Hi Terry. Oh to sit with you and have a conversation on this topic. Back when my daughter, Oona, was in middle-school and reached 12 years, I forbid any fashion magazines in the house. I was so sickened by the waifish and eating-disorder thin of the models I did not want my normal sized daughter to suffer from a bad body image. In addition, I wanted her to have her own style–my plan worked well because she has impeccable taste for a 29 year old.
And I stopped reading ALL fashion magazines some time ago. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when Anna Wintour placed Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the cover of Vogue. That cover said to me that Wintour is more intested in celebrity than true fashion. I think that was also the straw that broke the fabulous Grace Coddington’s back too. She abhored the use of celebrities in the magazine. Now the fashion magazines are chock-full of too-tall, too-thin, too-young celebrities mixed with the models and NONE OF THEM SMILE!! And the clothing is styled in such a ridiculous way. Fashion needs to be normalized and age-proud! I’m getting off my soapbox now–LOL! XOXOXOXO
True, it’s all geared to the young. But who has the money to spend? Us older broads!! Gotta say though I have ordered The Ordinary products you reviewed and am blown away( and a price point even a millennial can afford!) After your Sephora debacle I went directly to The Abnormal Beauty
Web site ( actually Deciem.com) and found that they have a few lines of products very suitable for the pro aging woman.( proudly Canadian I may add!) I bought The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalene and the Caffeine Solution eye serum but also upgraded to the Hylamide line of products ( also fantastic price points)
I’d rather deal with a straight forward company like this than those phoney baloneys that sell the sizzle but no steak…believe me this wrinkled crone needs the steak!!!!😂
I love that ABH palette, the colours are crazy beautiful and you do them proud, very nice look!
Haha, you are so funny! But I rather see Javier in his normal self! But yeah, I agree with you! And we should shout it out!
Catherine, I have done some research, and decided not to go to any department stores for a make over due to all the young kids working. I am 65 and been fighting breast cancer off and on for 7 years. My make up needs to be clean and free of parabans also natural and organic. I was using other companies you can order from but decided I need a make over. During my research I found Jane Iredale at Soft Surroundings and they are geared and cater to the older generation. The owner of Jane Iredale is also older her self. I called the Soft Surroundings in St.Louis, Missouri and they also have a Aesthetician in the cosmetics and mostly order women they are catering too. I had them put my make up on several times to make sure no problems. They were very kind to help. It maybe a little more pricey but the benefits are in the product and the help they give. I happy so far with all the products of Jane Iredale skin care and make up. I appreciate they greet you at the door if not busy offer you a bottle of water. Very pleased Dana
Hi Dana! And you keep fighting that battle!! Thank you for making us all aware that makeup needs to be cean and free of parabans and natural. I’ve heard of Jane Iredale but never used the products. I’m off to check the products out now!! Oh…it’s been a while since I ventured into a department store for makeup! It’s kind of ridiculous–isn’nt it??? XOXOXOXOXO
Thank You Catherine for reaching out to me. I also wrote Sephora, hoping you could be a voice. We are aging but still not giving up on looking great. Blessings
Thanks Dana. I appreciate your writing to Sephora. Luckily, I have moved on from that disappointment and not giving up either. Blessings to you too my friend! XOXOXOXO
Those colours are so pretty – they really work with your skin and your ability to sort out which ones to pair up. I LOVE your pro-older woman stance – we can’t fight youth, we cant even fight the arrogance of youth (bless, they dont realise that other younger ones are coming up all the time and they are sloooooowly inexorably …. ageing!). One day they will learn – but thats their battle. Still, your approach of guerilla forays into the youth market has me dancing about with glee – I think it is exactly the right approach – lets burn our money on what works for us, money talks and quite frankly it is time we focused on us and what we want rather than waste our efforts asking for permission to join the party.
Oh, first of all, I love how you used Mayhem Miller! I have always bought nice shiny eyeshadows. For a while, after I turned 40-ish, I read I shouldn’t use shimmer shadows. So, I quit…for a while. Then, I decided, WTH! I’m over 18, I can wear whatever I want! So, shimmers appear on my eyes all of the time. I don’t do the glitter ones simply because a speck will always end up in my eyes! I haven’t seen either of these palettes, but I think I may have to check them out if a neutral eye girl says she likes them! I love all of the looks you put together. I don’t like Jeffree Star so I do boycott his line. You keep on doing what you’re doing! This old broad loves it!
Thanks Marsha!! Ohhhh….don’t even get me started on the “you shouldn’t wear shimmery eye shadow over a certain age”. I swear the shimmery shades enhance the eyes. Some mattes can be aging to the eyes. Shimmery shades and satin shades can give off a nice glow! LOL. Your boycott of Jeffree Star is like my boycott of Urban Decay. They wrote me the most condescending reply to an inquiry and I just can’t with that brand! And this ol’ broad WILL keep doing what I’m doing!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO
I love how you use memes in your post. I also want to use memes in my posts. Please give me tips about this.
You look very pretty in the frosted lipsticks and eye shadows with shimmer. I like the way the bright colored shadow used as eyeliner looked on your eyes. The lipsticks and eye makeup you showed us here all look so fresh and Spring-like
I would like to wear them, but gave up trying because eye shadow with any kind of shimmer makes my dry eyes itch to where I can’t stop rubbing them. And the frosted lipsticks that I have tried in the past couple of years make my lips chap and burn. I wore shimmery eye shadows and lightly frosted lipsticks whenever I wanted ever since I was old enough to wear makeup, until just the past couple of years. I don’t know what’s in them that causes the problems for me now. I suppose it’s just me as I’ve gotten older my skin, and eyes are more sensitive. Any skin product with even a small amount of retinol in them make my eyes itch, too. It’s very aggravating.
I have had good luck with the Burt’s Bee’s Lip Shimmer but it only lasts a very short time on the lips, so I put it over an old Wet and Wild Balmstain moisturizing lipcolor that I stocked up on a couple of years ago or more when I realized they were being discontinued. I’ve almost used up the last of my stash now. They always discontinue stuff that I like shortly after I discover it.
Hi Susie! Have you tried using an eye primer first before applying a shimmery shadow? I use MAC paint pot or Catrice concealer as an eye primer–it’s also a barrier between the skin and shadow. Also with a frosted lipstick. Do you apply Chapstick or a balm first–I find that balms and Chapstick often help to keep the mouth dry. Ugh..don’t even mention the word “discontinued”..you have no idea how many of my favorite products have been discontinued and I can never figure it out! XOXOXOXOXO
Where did you get the silver wig in this posting?