Nah. The title isn’t click-bait.  I was just deep in thought the other day about how much we, as the older woman, are continued to be ignored for the most part by the beauty industry.

And don’t get me started on the Golden Girls stereotype. The clothing is horrific. The hair an ageing disgrace and I cannot even with the makeup. OK?

I’m not talking about the small companies that have been kind to me by allowing me the opportunity to review and share.  I’m talking about the beauty industry in general.  And that’s one of the reasons I’ll try to write more blog posts on “Mature-Woman-Friendly” makeup and cosmetics.  We need each other to show us what’s out there because God forbid the beauty industry actually includes our demographic.

We have the beauty industry acting like they are all-inclusive by showcasing ads with women of color; men; the LGBT community, the disabled but all the while, ignoring the over 60 and older or over 50 and over demographic.  To be truly inclusive you must stop the ageist behavior.

Yo. Tucci. You talkin’ ’bout ME? Sadly he’s saying what industries and corporations think. 

And now that I’m down from my soapbox, I did a thing.

You know from a couple of blog posts that I’m deeply in lust with cream makeup. Over the past few months, I’ve pretty-much ignored my liquid foundations in favor of everything cream. And I am happy with my choice.  I love the way cream glides on the face and really gives a natural finish. The creams do a fine job of evening out skin tone and the different products such as contour and blush over the cream foundations blend very well.

My creamy stacks…

And my creamy sticks!  I love ’em!

So, I thought.  And pondered.  And I took out three liquid foundations that I hadn’t purged.

Three unpurged foundations. One was the hands-down best. One was fine and one was trashed.

Jouer Essential High Coverage Crème Foundation (it’s liquid) in the shade Vanilla; Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation in the shade 150W  and Burberry liquid foundation (which has been discontinued) in the shade Light Neutral No. 40.

Now. I’m not gonna lie.  The liquid foundation, IMHO, works better for a special event face such as a wedding, Mother-of-the-Bride look, a very special date night, or any special occasion.  Whereas the cream foundations work far better for the everyday look.

I’m not a glam girl as far as makeup goes but I did do the closest to a glam look for yesterday because I also want to touch upon cream eyeshadows and powder shadows.  In a while…

My glam look from yesterday!

Anyway, I’ve written about these foundations separately in past posts but today I’m comparing.

The Jouer. I used today and during the week.  I’ll say that the first time I used this—I hated it!  It looked chalky, I looked pale AF. T’was a mess!  Then I took a step back and learned and educated myself on the proper way to use this foundation.  It’s all about applying a tiny amount and the correct brush.

With this foundation, you really need the correct brush. A very, very dense one!

This is full coverage at its best! It covers my one larger sun spot and does a stellar job covering the redness on my nose. The oddest thing is that it is very liquid when coming out of the bottle and dries to a matte almost powdery finish. But it doesn’t make your skin look dry!  It is an incredible foundation!

This small amount covers the entire face–and gives full-coverage!

Let’s face it. Makeup on at 6:30 AM and pretty doesn’t necessarily mean the same at 5 or 6 PM. I’m usually pretty worn out looking after working all day—bent over my desk—staring at two computer screens.  But I’ve great news!  This foundation stayed put all day!  And stayed pretty smooth. Granted, I have wrinkles and there’s no way that foundation isn’t going to creep into those lines. Jouer is minimally invasive on those creases and lines.  Overall. The Jouer foundation is my favorite.

Trust me, this foundation stays on all day. I would show you the filthy tissues with the makeup that I washed off but you wouldn’t want to see the mess!

Will I wear it every day? No. I prefer a cream for everyday use. But for those times I want glam or if I’m going out and will be out all day (I don’t speak of work—I speak of fun) once the pandemic ends, I can see myself using this for when Bonaparte and I head to NYC for the day or a long weekend. Would I repurchase this? Yeah. I might head to Sephora later to see if it’s in stock. If not, I plan on ordering another bottle.

Next is Anastasia Luminous Glow.  Again, a great liquid foundation.  This had more luminosity than the Jouer but they are two different animals. This is a medium coverage so to get full-on coverage you need to build it up. That’s where I stop. Building upon building with liquid foundation can look very cakey on mature skin and the more you use the more it’ll slide into those fine lines and creases.  The trade-off with this foundation is to apply lightly and the dewiness of this foundation is wonderful. Staying power is good. Not as good as Jouer but good enough.   Would I repurchase?  I don’t think so.

Foundation Two: Anastasia’s foundation. I had to build this up for a more full-coverage look.  Is it good?  It certainly is but, I prefer a cream over this and narrowing down my liquid foundations, I would not repurchase simply because I don’t like building foundation up on my face.

As much as I love a dewy finish, I can attain it with the Jouer by applying Glossier’s Futuredew underneath the foundation for a dewy look. The addition of a highlighter also gives a satin and luminous look.  But, if you don’t want full-coverage and prefer a medium-coverage, then the Anastasia foundation is for you!

Honestly, for added dewiness and luminosity, Futuredew is remarkable!

Burberry liquid foundation.  I picked this up a while back at Nordstrom Rack.  I also picked up an eyeshadow and highlighter by the Burberry brand which I’m happy with!  However, the foundation ended up leaving much to be desired.  The shade blended in well with my skin tone but after less than 15 minutes, I had to start re-blending the foundation that caked up in my wrinkles. I used a damp blending sponge and brush and remedied the situation for a while but during the day I noticed it caked up again. At the end of the day, much of the foundation had worn off on my mask.  It’s been discontinued and I get why.  Despite the really beautiful packaging, it’s being purged.

Slightly darker than the other two foundations, the Burberry photographed nicely but close up, after a while was a complete mess.  I fell prey to the pretty packaging!

Cream eyeshadow vs. Powder?  A dilemma that is difficult to face.  I’ve always loved powder eyeshadow. And have preferred it to creams. But aging happened.  I’m not talking about the aging of my forties or even fifties. I’m talking about the mid-60’s aging. Despite wrinkles and fine lines, the skin on the eyelids gets really thin and crepey!  And in the past year, I’ve noticed that powders are not looking too flattering anymore.  Granted, I’m still using them but I’m being very particular about which powdered shadows I’m now applying.

When Jeffree Star’s Orgy palette became available, I jumped at the chance to order it. It was pricey but there’s a ton of shadows in there! And as a lover of neutrals, this was right up my alley.  What I’ve noticed lately is the shadows are starting to look very “chalky”, and one-dimensional on me.  I prefer more of a shimmer or satin finish. And despite what the “experts” say, I do believe a satin and even lightly shimmery shadow is more flattering to the mature eye.  I’m not purging this though because there are a few shadows in this palette that still work!

This is Jeffree Star with his Orgy Palette.  Sorry but I forgot to take a photo of my now very much used one. It’s got great neutrals but I’m finding that lately, some of the shades look a bit chalky on my “mature” eyelids!

Mally Nude Attitude Palette. Hands down. The greatest powder palette of all time!  I still use this discontinued palette. The one I currently use is a mess-it’s over two years old (Yeah. I realize there’s an expiration date but I keep my makeup climate-controlled and powders last longer). I have one unused, boxed, in a drawer and just tracked down another. When you love something-you keep multiples.

Here’s the Mally Nude Attitude palette. I have TWO unused palettes-in-waiting! That’s how much I love this.  The shadows are spectacular and I’m flummoxed as to how Mally would discontinue THE perfect eyeshadow palette!

Cream Shadows in the form of a crayon/stick are my jam. I’ve very recently written about the fact the Laura Mercier Caviar sticks have a tendency to dry out.  I did some playing around and found the best way to use the brand’s sticks is to glide a flat brush over the product and then apply to the lids. It works like a charm and there is no pulling or tugging!

Some of my sticks–with a little pink gloss thrown in there!

Anyway, lets get down to the application of my favorite, Number One foundation:  Jouer Essential High Coverage Crème Foundation.  As I stated I use Vanilla. The shade is perfect for those of us with pink undertones.

It’s matte but you can work with it. Trust me you can work with it!

After washing my face and adding a bit of moisturizer, I applied Laura Mercier Canvas Illuminating primer. No particular reason—it was the closest within reach.  After that settled in, I went over my face with Glossier Futuredew for a bit of dewy glow.

Ouch! Here I am!  Old Lady face with nary a stitch of makeup upon my visage!

I did the eyes next, which I’ll show you further down the post.

When eyes were done, I shook the foundation bottle well.  Then pumped one time—that’s right—once, into my Ecotools flat, dense brush. This brush is perfect for applying the foundation.  A dense spoon brush is also perfect.

Again, this small amount is all you need for your face–incredible and full-coverage!

I brushed in a circular motion all over my face.  Then I took another brush—a Kabuki brush of sorts and did some more blending and I’m pretty heavy handed with this second blend.

Look at the amount of coverage AND look how far that small amount goes–I’m not done yet!

Then I blended in with a Kabuki brush and an inexpensive one at that!

Then I patted all over with a damp blending sponge. This picks up any extra bits and gives a nice finish. It’s also needed to pick up product that could eventually cake in wrinkles. Let’s be honest here-we have wrinkles!  Makeup doesn’t make them go away. Fillers and surgery do!

More blending and patting and wiping the excess away!

After the foundation was applied and blended, I grabbed for my powder Jouer bronzer in Suntan.  There are many schools of thought but if I’m using a liquid foundation, my preference is to follow with a powder bronzer or contour. Creams atop liquid foundation can have a tendency to “move” the foundation around.

I’m a fan of the Jouer Suntan bronzer becausne it veers toward cool and doesn’t oxodize. 

Blush was next. Again, I would go for a powder blush such as Too-Faced, which I used yesterday. Today, however, I went with my Perfectly Pink cream blush from Subtl Beauty and applied with a very light hand.

This peachy pink shade from Too-Faced is beautiful and I wore it the other day..but..

I do prefer my lip cheek colors from Subtl Beauty. They are pigmented and don’t “move” liquid foundation.   I used Perfectly Pink today!

I find that the lighter hand won’t move the foundation.  The blush was followed by my favorite highlighter ever.  A powder also from Subtl Beauty in the shade Champagne. At $14, this highlighter is better than any luxury brand I’ve tried.

This highlighter! Champagne is currently sold out. I’m on the wait list for more.  If there is one highlighter you need–it’s this one! 

Cheek color and highlighter!  And I’m not hiding my wrinkles by filtering. I want you to see a wrinkled face with makeup that works!

A swipe of lip balm and Tickled Pink lipstick by L’Oreal with a generic clear gloss applied over the lipstick.  Having perpetually-chapped lips, lip balm is always on hand.  Seriously, not a day passes that, at some point, my lips are like sandpaper!

I’m glad I loaded up on this Laino Lip Balm at CityPharma on our last visit to Paris. Next time I’ll buy in bulk!  And Tickled Pink is my new favorite pink lipstick! It’s just really beautiful!

Back to the eyes—Well-Rested by bareMinerals has been my holy grail, go-to for over a decade.  Recently, I realized that the mineral powder isn’t working as well for me due to the aging process.  What I’ve found to replace is Becca Undereye Brightening corrector. I use it on my lids as well for a primer.

Creamy and eye-brightening.  I use it as an eye primer and love it…

I apply all over with a flat brush!

Then I go in with the shadow. Today (and yesterday) it is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Cobblestone applied with a brush. I must admit this is a stellar way to apply.   Then for a bit of a more intense look as I wear readers, I went with Mally’s Cocoa in the outer corners

• .Laura Mercier’s Cobblestone Caviar Stick applied with a brush (this photo was taken before I had a manicure earlier today)…
• 

..is easier than if you apply the shadow directly from the stick!

Brows were done with Trestique’s Brow crayon and Brow mascara, which is now another favorite!

Quite possibly the best brow crayon on earth!

Lined with a Maybelline Tattoo pencil both on outer lid and inner lid, mascara and I’m good to go.

Got dressed and threw on some hair. Today it’s Raquel Welch Wigs Big Time in Capuccino.

So, yeah. It depends on what you’re looking for in a foundation. For every day use, I prefer the creams.  The coverage may not be full-tilt-boogie, but does the job and does it well.

For that “extra”, the Jouer Essential is stellar.  But if you want a more luminous look, rather than full-coverage, the Anastasia is fine!  The key is to be cautious. The Burberry didn’t perform. There is a plethora of liquid foundations out there.  I know this because I’ve tried a great number of them. And while most worked for my younger face—my sixty plus face needs more TLC these days.

It’s always a good thing to switch the products up every now and then. And for a switch-up! Liquid foundation can be one of those good things.

Before and After.  Yeah.  There IS a big difference, isn’t there?  

Let me know what foundation you prefer—or none, if any!