The Power of Makeup, my thoughts
When I started to be seriously interested in makeup and beauty products I never thought it would come with the whole package : new amazing friends, new creativity challenges and more fun, but sometimes telling your friends you are passionate about makeup can be seen as “inappropriate for your age“, “shallow“, or “pointless“, I had this kind of conversation more than once :
“What do you do on your free time?“
..this, that and I have a beauty/makeup blog“
“oh…. really ? you don’t look like that kind of woman…“
“hmmm and what would that particular kind be ?”
There is a sudden embarrassing silence, then I stop their agony and change subject before they have a stroke… Maybe I don’t match the “beauty model magazine” standards, or can you not enjoy makeup after you reached a certain age ?? Ok, I don’t wear a killer smokey eye on a daily basis but make up is not only intended for runways or movies and it’s not only meant to make you look fake and superficial, I just want to have fun and use it to make me look healthier, glamorous, yet natural.
I receive many emails from women in their 40+ who would like to start using make up but who just don’t know where to start. Unfortunately I am no professional, all I know I got it from talking to make up artists or to sales assistants at the beauty counters, getting advice from Youtube gurus and watching nice and useful videos so if I can manage a nice make up look, you definitely can.
My needs were different some years ago, now I focus more on anti-ageing tutorials and products more adapted to mature skin. It depends what you are expecting from makeup, just make you feel better ? more confident ? younger ? fresher ? desirable ? or just conceal a few flaws ? Lisa Eldridge gives great advice on her channel so just try Youtube and search for what you want to do and try it for yourself. Tammy is a sweetheart, I just recently discovered her channel, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, a great resource for anti-ageing advice and she is so fun to watch. If you know of any other gurus that give anti-ageing tips, please share !
I will be 42 in 2 weeks therefore today I am simply trying to achieve an enhanced version of me, a fresher and healthier one, exactly like Wayne says here. I cannot pull off strong and heavy makeup looks at my age but I can still look sexy with a smokey eye, there is a beautiful and hot smokey eye for everyone, it’s just a matter of getting to know your features, choosing the appropriate products for you and using efficient make up tools also helps a lot, it takes time but it’s so worth it.
Edward Bess Prismette Eyeshadow Quads – First impressions
I am a big fan of astronomy – not the horoscope oriented one – but the actual universe science, Edward Bess nailed it when he called these palettes Sun and Stars, Cosmic Bliss and Over the Moon… these palettes suddenly became very tempting.
I knew I could use these palettes on a daily basis and with Edward Bess quality on top of that I am pretty sure it’s going to be interesting.
These are very new palettes, just recently released and I got mine at Zuneta :
Summer 2012 favorites
I don’t know about you, but here in Switzerland you can clearly feel that summer 2012 is over.
I thought I would write a post on products I have been using the most during the last season, this can involve LE items, older season items, early fall releases… I just took all the products that have been used and loved the most and here they are :
Holiday post – Beauty items packed lightly…
I used to pack too much makeup in the past but I am getting better, this time I really have to pack even lighter, I don’t have the choice since we are leaving on our motorbikes. Not my favorite means of transport but next year I will do something more “me”, maybe New York or the Maldives ?
I started packing, even though I could absolutely leave home only with my moisturizer, my mascara and my lip balm, I decided to pack some more things, still too many but let’s see what I can do…, so far it sums up to :
Ultimate flattering matte and satin eyeshadows for everyone
Some years ago I felt it was time to upgrade my makeup products and adapt my makeup routine, I sat at the Trish McEvoy counter one day and they told me what I was doing wrong. They kept on saying “Now you have to… Now you cannot..” it was a bit upsetting because I had to face the fact that I wasn’t 20 anymore and I was also sad because I loved shimmery and metallic textures and daring looks. However, when I left their counter that day, I looked much younger and refreshed, they weren’t wrong at the end 
I am in my 40′s and it’s now a necessity for me to pay attention to what makeup I wear and how I wear it, these are my eyeshadow rules and recommendations :
- Find the right texture, not too powdery, not too shimmery, if you see that the texture accentuates the wrinkles and settles into the lines, upgrade your makeup to a more appropriate eyeshadow finish
- Place the dark colors at the right place, use smaller and more precise brushes
- Blend well and define without harsh lines
- Find the colors and the looks that are the best for you, “Less is more” is definitely the best way to go, but with the right products and right techniques there is no reason you could not afford a more dramatic look
- Always use a primer, it will help to prevent the eyeshadow from sliding into the fine lines and I choose a primer that is lighter than my foundation (Laura Mercier, Trish or UD Eden)
- After applying the eyeshadow, if I find that the result is too shimmery and not appropriate, I take a cotton a go softly over the eyeshadow application, it really does help to remove that over shimmery-looking effect when I don’t have time to start over.
- I sometimes use secret-weapon products like the Trish Line Refiner for around the eyes orthe Chantecaille Lip contour for around the lips…
- Last but it’s actually the most important advice I could give you : use good make up brushes !
The eyeshadows I will show you here are mattes, satin, some are even more shimmery but they all are extremely forgiving and flattering, I have tried to pick mostly mattes but I really love a more luminous and silky finish so there’s a bit of everything :
Most of them are extremely expensive brands, you can find less expensive brands that also work well but here I am talking about ultimate results and most of the time you will have to pay the price for that.
Some of these palettes might be discontinued and I am really sorry about that, but, it will show them to you anyway, this will give you an idea of what the brand has and if one day you come across some sale or outlet, then you may even find them at a good price. If I mention them here, it’s because I highly recommend them and I am hoping that if they are not available anymore, the Brand will re-promote them or add them into their permanent collection.
My thoughts on Edward Bess
Edward Bess…. well, first of all, I love men with beautiful long hair so he already scored a point there. He knows what he is talking about, he scored again.
He made the right move when he decided to launch his own line of products, he most certainly brings to life the concept of ”less is more”.
Since I am a make up lover, in the morning I play with make up… a lot. When I am ready to leave home, sometimes my boyfriend, with his beautiful shiny long blond hair… 
tells me “Are you sure you have enough make up on???” I can assure you that when he says that, that’s not good… it means it looks “too much”, not appropriate, too cakey or too fake. Unfortunately it does happen sometimes and he is right. With Edward Bess, surprisingly, he never comments, no comment = boyfriend happy. That’s simply how it goes.
EB started by creating his lipstick range in 2006, then in 2010 he launched the face and eye products.
The first time I heard of this brand it was via Makeupalley. Many were raving about his eyeshadows or his bronzer and after checking out the products, I ordered a few of them. My collection grew and today I can show you some of the EB products with a few swatches.
The colors are not that unique, but the results are fantastic.
I will not list you all the products he is currently selling because this could change but you can find his product range on his web site, in Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Zuneta and probably in more online shops.
Sweet Make Up Temptations
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