As we head into July, we’re in the full-blown throws of summer! That means heat, humidity, haze with a touch of afternoon showers that can either bring the humidity down or keep it lingering.
Ummm hmmmm. I beat the heat with a dunk in a pool or the ocean…and I wear my fake hair doing it!
And summer is that time of lightening it up a bit. Lighter clothing. Lighter hair (whether fake or made golden by the sun or a bottle). Lighter makeup which I touched upon in my “There’s a Summer Face” blog post.
Yup! With my lighter fake hair there’s no need for “Sun In”!
Fact is, I’m rather enjoying going almost barefaced. With the few Saturdays we’ve spent at the beach, my skin as gotten was I call the “Irish Tan”. Red-to-almost-tan and tons of freckles!
My Irish Tan. Not quite tan but not too red. And Freckles!
The foundation has been put away until the Fall. The exception being Oona’s wedding in less than a month. Blush? Not really! Contour? Nope!
Heading into the deep summer it’s eyes only. With a swipe of lip gloss or lipstick.
And here’s the thing. I’ve rediscovered cream eye shadow! Do you remember cream eyeshadow of decades past?
The sticks by Max Factor that practically broke if you applied with too heavy a hand and the ever-popular Yardley of London Pot O’Shadows that were whipped cream for the eyes. Both looked great the first hour but after that initial 60 minutes, the shadows took on a life of their own by creasing and melting and falling victim to nature’s and your skin’s oily elements!
That stackable eye shadow stick. My mother had it and I thought it was so cool but the shadows wore off so quickly!
And the mother of them all Yardley Pot O’Shadows. Just for nostalgic reasons, I wish Yardley of London cosmetics was still around. I would buy everything!
Okay. So they aren’t creams but do you remember this kit? A forerunner to today’s palettes? I had this. It was all you needed!! Too bad the shadows weren’t neutrals!
I had all but forgotten about cream shadows until I happened to come across a YouTube video about Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks. I was drawn. I was intrigued. And oh-so-interested.
So interested, in fact, that I had to beg, bother, whine, ask the keeper of the credit cards, Bonaparte, if, perhaps I could use a card to purchase some Laura Mercier Cosmetics.
Yes. It’s true. When I want to spend, Bonaparte makes a quick exit and races away from me!
Okay, let me backtrack a bit. The Frenchman now has control of all the plastic spending instruments in the home. It’s either a cash purchase or, in very rare instances, online purchases.
When he sees I’ve been spending he’s about as happy as his French peers when they dance!
I swear to you what I’m writing is the truth. I mentioned that I wanted to purchase the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick cream shadows. Only two of them, mind you, simply because they ain’t cheap! At $29 per stick, they are pricey. My trusting and loving husband inquired why I couldn’t just go to the mall and buy them. Then I had to go into a long-winded explanation of how none of the luxury stores at King of Prussia mall carried the shades I wanted.
He caved in and I ordered two sticks plus a lip gloss.
The good stuff has arrived!
My shadows, a lip gloss, a sample shadow and a sample of powder! And the samples are generous!
What I loved was that I received a very generous sample of one of the shadows I was thinking of purchasing.
I actually received TWO powder samples. I’ll tell you I was giddy!
But lets’ get to the sticks, shall we?
I ordered Cobblestone, a true taupe and Intense Amethyst a gray/taupe/purple stick. The sample sent was Au Natural.
Cobblestone on the left, a gorgeous taupe and Intense Amethyst on the right. A steel/taupe/violet. Very pretty!
And this sample! OMG it is probably the best sample (along with the bareMinerals VIP lipstick) that I’ve ever received. There’s nothing like a generous sample! This shade is Au Natural!
Here’s a photo of the swatches on the inside of my wrist. And I have to say, that these shadows do NOT go anywhere. When I went to wipe the swatches off, nothing moved. Then I took a paper towel with water. Nothing moved. Finally, when I used soap and water, they washed off.
From the bottom up, Au Natural; Cobblestone; Intense Amethyst. I’m telling you, it was difficult to wash these swatches off–and that’s a great thing!
Another plus is that there’s a bit of a satin/glowy finish to give the shadows more depth. They aren’t over-the-top shimmery…just very subtle. And the shades are beautifully neutral.
I do see more of these in my future..but don’t tell Bonaparte!
And as much as I love my eyeshadow palettes, I’m becoming more and more fond of these cream sticks for the summer.
A perfect example of how well they blend! I’ve been wearing all three sticks the past couple of weeks!
Now. They don’t glide on the eye the way those whipped cream shadows do and the sticks aren’t as “creamy” as sticks of the past. The sticks are denser.
I went with a heavier hand and a bit of shimmer on the lids this past Saturday when The Frenchman and I went out to dinner! And the glow is real–we were at the beach all day!
Application? Since these shadows really stay put, you need to work fast in blending. I take a synthetic eyeshadow brush and blend to the desired finish. That’s it. Done.
I’m wearing Au Natural on the lids and blend it with either a synthetic brush or my fingers!
And the shades last all day. LIT. UH.RUH.LEE all day!
About that price…. I love me a great discount on makeup. But every now and then, a product will come along and I’ll shell out my The Frenchman’s money for a good cause—Me! And why not? We need to treat ourselves!
Seriously. I give these shadows a very-well deserved A+! They are beautiful and do the job!!
Going almost bare-faced this summer has me thinking. Do you remember when we were all younger? Our teen years? We didn’t wear the amount of makeup that young women wear today. It was a more natural look. We didn’t glop the face makeup on our faces. We had no idea what contour or bronzer was!
My favorite model of the 1970’s–Patti Hansen. Look how natural. Freckles and all. And she went on to marry Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones! We need to get back to this natural look!
Nobody filled in their lips. Nor did we pencil in our brows to look like railroad cabooses.
The only highlighter we had was sweat and it looked marvelous.
Don’t get me wrong. I love makeup but I’m starting to think that less is more. What’s your opinion? I’ve been posting pics on my Instagram account of me in less makeup but I don’t think it’ll be a growing trend!
I’m wearing the Cobblestone and Au Natural Caviar Sticks. Just a touch! And my Finn wig by Estetica Designs! Keep it natural–even with fake hair!!!
What’s your opinion? Are you going barefaced this summer and saving the heavy stuff for the cooler weather?
I also liked the LM Caviar cream eyeshadows (via a sample) but so pricey. Have not yet purchased them. You look wonderful as always.
Thanks Nancy! They are pricey and I’ve heard that Cover Girl makes a great dupe. In fact, I went to Walmart to look for them but they were unavailable. Elf is supposed to make a decent stick too. Thank you so much! XXOXOXOXO
Catherine thanks for the trip down memory lane! I remember the Yardley pots and every Christmas I would get a Maybelline eye shadow kit. I agree young girls wear too much makeup now, especially foundation, why with such fresh faces? They should just play with the fun stuff. PS. I also remember when I was a tween, mascara came in a solid cake in a small red box which you wet with a bit of water and brushed on with a tiny brush which came in the box – I can’t remember what brand it was though. Mascara in a tube, Great Lash in it’s pink and green tube, wasn’t available until I was in high school.
Joni. Please. I wish I still had those Yardley makeup items. I LOVED the Pot O’Gloss in it’s heavy container and to this day, those glosses were THE best lip glosses of all time! I had that mascara!!!!!!!!! It was from Maybelline and being the lazy tween I was, I would spit into it because spit worked better than water. I’m amazed that I never got an eye infection!!! XOXOXOXO
I loved the Bonnie Bell line of makeup also aimed at tweens. I have a few old Seventeen magazines in the basement from 1970 – i should do a blog on it sometime, for nostalgia’s sake. The ads are funny to look at – remember Sun-In….which I tried it once but it never worked for me.
I think the red box of mascara was Maybelline. My Aunt had a young woman working for her as a maid one summer. She was so sweet and probably was 18 or so. I remember she had the mascara in the box as well as the stackable eye shadow sticks which her mom had bought her from Avon I thought she was SO sophisticated. My Aunt made the poor girl wear her hair up when working and she always had it in a beautiful French roll and looked very pretty. How she tolerated my old Auntie I’ll never know. I remember my younger brother thought the name Maybelline was hilarious and would walk around saying “She may be lean but he’s probably fat!” Don’t ask…he was six years old!!!
I remember Yardley cosmetics!! I got some for Christmas one year along with Oh! de London cologne. I loved the graphics on the packaging and thought I was pretty sophisticated in my mini skirt and maxi coat combo with my Yardley lip gloss!!! That’s all the make up I was allowed to wear at the time. Besides I went to convent school and wore a uniform Mon-Fri and no make up allowed or else D-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-N. Good times!!!
Momcat. I’m still chuckling about that Maybelline joke of your brother’s. That is right up my alley and I’ll be stealing it!! Oh yeahhhhhhhhh. The graphics on the Yardley packaging AND their ads were all that! I wasn’t allowed to wear anything more than lipgloss and mascara till I was 16! I was a late bloomer!! XOXOXOXO
I think you look great in your summer minimal makeup with eye emphasis. I can’t bring myself to purchase those expensive caviar sticks, but Ulta brand offers a pretty good dupe with their cream shadow and eyeliner sticks. Much less expensive!
Hi Colleen! *listens*. Ulta brand has stick eyeshadows? Oh boy, I foresee a trip there this weekend!!! Thanks for the heads up on that! XOXOXOXO
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I never use foundation powder of highlighter! It doesn t feel good on my skin. I d rather look a bit lees good then putting all that on my face.
Hi Nancy! Powder just adds to the dryness of my skin. The thing is..when the cold weather comes back, I’ll definitely be going lighter on the foundation. I’m starting to really love minimal face makeup! XOXOXOXO
Ooooh my lord – those pencils, those colours – we are so on the same page. I find pencils the way to go, so easy and no fiddly little brushes that can be left behind if you’re travelling or on the go. We all learnt to colour in as wee ones so they are a doddle to use… and those colours – oh my. I love the soft pinky / muted grape tones – they are perfect on rosy/ cool tones skin, much more natural than brown or greys as I think the purple colours are closer to any natural shadows or darker pigment areas we naturally have – whatever, they look divine!
Juliet! I’m so glad that you brought up greys. I can’t wear them. Gray shadow makes my eyes and my face look really weird. The taupe and purples are so much better! You brought up another GREAT point about travel. With the sticks you don’t have to lug the brushes around! Thanks so much for that one!!! XOXOXOXO
Totally with you – I never wear foundation in summer or winter. Less is more for me as I age. I do have to fill in my sparse brows, mascara, eye-liner sometimes, light blusher and lippie – that is it for me. Sometimes eye shadow at night – the sticks look interesting. I remember the eye-mousse from Maybelline in pots in the early 2000s – they were great, light and fluffy and stayed put. Lise
Hi Lise!!! Oh. I have to fill in the brows because they have thinned out so much over the years! I’m learning that less definitely can be more!! XOXOXOXO
I have rosacea, so I always wear something – foundation or tinted moisturizer – to even out my skin because otherwise, I keep getting asked if I am OK, if I burnt myself, etc. I do like the caviar sticks.
I’m reading a book I think you would enjoy, called Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes, who is a beauty writer for The Guardian in England. One of the things she talks about is a Yardley product, and apparently at least some of them are still available in England. The book is a fun read, whether or not you know the products or agree with her.
Hey Bridget! That’s basically why I do the foundation in the winter..my skin becomes rather ruddy so I even it out.
I just put that book in my cart at Amazon. I’m completely intrigued. Thanks for the heads up on the book!!! XOXOXOXO
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I can’t seem to get away from the foundation. I tan well but need a little during the summer to even out the tone. I love how you wear eye shadow. I have a hard time applying it without looking like a raccoon. I tend to even out my skin tone, add a little eyeliner and add a color to bottom eyelid. A lot of mascara to make it look like I have eyes. A little bronzer under cheek bone and off I go. I never feel caked with makeup, I actually feel confident that my skin tone is balanced.
Hi Denise! I use my foundation all winter to even out the skin tone. One of my favorites is The Ordinary’s Serum Foundation..it’s like a second skin and it isn’t all cakey! I used to be big on eyeliner but now I tightline because with my eyes growing hooded, the liner makes them appear smaller! Hey..it’s all about confidence!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXO
Thank you for the tip! Any recommendations for Mascara? I usually by the cheap stuff but have to use a lot to make my lashes look long.
Love your blog! Just wondering if you are wearing the new lip gloss in any of the above photos?
Joyce. I’m not which was pretty dopey of me. It’s a gorgeous and light shade. Very summery!! XOXOXOXO
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Hi CATHERINE, sorry I missed this post earlier.
I have an Irish tan also ☘️.
Earlier this week I decided to have a temporary blogging break as, although I have enjoyed the blogging process, it was compromising my daily journalling practice which helps keep me grounded.
Thank you for your support & see you soon.
If I am not back before Oona’s wedding, enjoy 😘
Cathe…I only wear foundation if I’m going to the opera. Why? I have no idea, just seems classier…I wear brow pencil, light eyeshadow, mascara, a light blush/bronzer and Long lasting lipstick and I don’t care if my Irish tan shows…I’m 74 and an elder and my critics can kiss my a**!
I love those caviar sticks.I’ve go the amethyst and love it. The only shadow I took to Israel last year. I wear it above my crease to make it look like I have a crease. They I blend it out so it’s only a shadow. i’ll look into the cobblestone. I also like her pencils better than anyone elses. They’re soft yet they stay on. I haven’t found the perfect summer makeup. I do have a sunscreen in a tint that I guess I’ll wear this summer. Cobblestone here I come. I don’t like glosses because they don’t last long on me. Looking forward to your daughter’s wedding. PS. How do you wear those caviar sticks?
Hi Sandy! I wear the caviar sticks the same way that you do. I draw the cobblestone over my crease because my eyes–especially when I wake up are hooded and it takes a while for them to look otherwise. I also add a bit of the amethyst to the corner of the lid and line the bottom with cobblestone. I’m so happy to have found out about these great shadows. I’m still a gloss fan due to the shine. I like a shiny mouth!!! XOXOXOXOXO
You’re looking great with your minimal makeup! I definitely agree: less is more. Both of my very up-to-date, 30-ish, city working daughters-in-law take a very light approach with their cosmetics. As do their friends. It looks very fresh, and modern. They all seem very confident and comfortable in their skin, which makes me happy. 😉
I love Laura Mercier caviar sticks, (and her lip pencils too: Plumberry suits my fair skin perfectly…I just add a little balm on top, and I’m done.). Her tinted moisturizer is lovely as well. It’s a great approach in hot weather, though at almost 62 it’s turning into my year round everyday. More moisture in the winter of course, smile.
Enjoyed the walk down cosmetics memory lane, Those Yardley ads! The glamour of red boxed Maybelline cake mascara! Happy times.
Hi Beverly! Seriously. Less IS more–especially during the summer! I’m growing into a huge Laura Mercier fan–those caviar sticks are incredible! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh how I wish Yardley would resurface their makeup line!! XOXOXOXO