The Eyes Have It!

Even when I was younger I liked to keep the eye makeup on the subtle side.

I know that there's a bit of controversy as to whether women who reach a certain age should or shouldn't be wearing eye makeup.  But really, with my thinning and sparse eyebrows and eyelashes, CFIDS/ME and fibromyalgia have made me go solidly into the must-definitely-wear-eye-makeup camp.  And really, eyebrows and eyelashes DO get washed out with age, even if you don't have the DD.  I think it's all about the degree of how much you wear.

Well, of course, there's always the amount of eye makeup that's worn that makes the difference!  I mean, I really try not to look like a drag queen on a really bad night - not that there's anything wrong with being a drag queen.  It's just that with my identity crisis (I didn't have one in college when everyone else seemed to have theirs, so I'm due one about now) "drag queen" is not one of the identities I'm trying to decide upon.   But whatever it is, good eye makeup will definitely be a part of the identity.  After all, one of my mottoes in life is "Not the face!  Not the face!" as I've often written.  That IS prime real estate!

Right.  So, in that spirit, I thought I'd pass on a few products names that have proven to be successful over the years. After all, we all pretty much need to deal with dry eyes and what do dry eyes lead to?   All together now: RED EYES!  Very good!  These products have really helped me keep red eyes to a minimum and that's why they're listed.  So, here we go!

• Elizabeth Arden Advanced Eye-Fix Primer:

I have no idea what possessed me to buy this primer when I bought it.  I think primers hadn't even been invented yet!  (Why do I always insist on dating myself?)  At the very least they weren't huge-selling items yet, the way they are now.  Maybe I was just so thrilled to be in an actual, real live store that I couldn't leave without buying SOMETHING to honor the occasion!  Anyhoo, I've been using this one for absolute ages.  I've tried many other eye primers - in fact, I seem to have an impressive collection of various primers - but this is the one I keep coming back to.  It's just that good.

• Bobbi Brown Chocolate Eye Palette:

I bought this when it first came out, years ago and it's become a classic for me.  Oh sure, every time a new neutral pallet comes out I inevitably find myself trying to talk myself out of buying the latest thing.  After all, how much makeup does a woman who almost never goes out at all actually need, I often wonder?   Ah!  It must be the Girl Scout in me!   "Be prepared."  Yes, that must be it!  And all 13 years of Russian (think "survival") camp helped too: "Будд готов!"  (Yes, those funny letters mean "Be prepared!" also!)  Well, I think I'm ready all right, with enough product for great-great-granddaughters to inherit old decrepit makeup in the year 2112!   But really, Bobbi Brown's palette is what I even  use on those barely-there brows of mine in a pinch - there's certainly enough of a selection in color to have a choice depending on the shade of my hair.  Yep.  "Будд готов" indeed!

• Trish McEvoy with the straight across eyeliner brush, shadow transformer and eye shadow squares:

This may be my favorite liner if I were forced to choose; however, I may have to do a separate post on eyeliners alone. I absolutely love a discreet eyeliner and there are a few that I alternate between as being my favorites, but somehow, I always seem to come back to Trish.  I dip the brush into a tiny drop of Trish McEvoy’s shadow transformer, which I've already put a drop onto a shadow in a palette or on the individual shadows.  You then have an almost endless supply of wonderful shades and staying power.  If I had to give an answer to that silly "what would you take with you on a desert island" question, you can bet your sweet bippie that I doubt any makeup would make it.  Instead I'd want an endless supply of fresh cold water and then I'd want a book ON makeup!

Mascara: that's a Pandora's Box for another time!   So  that’s it for today!

As always, I hope everyone's feeling their best, only better.  Ciao and paka!

A CFIDS/fibro-Friendly Beauty Line

My latest planner workhorse, it's taken me to a lot of places and  has room for a few extra products in the  detachable pouch on the left side.
 

If I had to pick one beauty product line for the foreseeable future, especially one for my funky CFIDS/ME/fibro skin, it would most likely be a hard choice between Chanel and Trish McEvoy.  Chanel is famous, a true class act.  In the end, however, I think it would be Trish McEvoy who'd win out.

Each and every time I use her products, I have at least a nanosecond where my mind says, "this beauty line is really pretty darn perfect for those who have CFIDS/ME and fibromyalgia."  Truly!  Our skin is just so finicky and unpredictable.  Yet I've been using the line for ten years, at the very least, and have never had any skin problems with any of her products.  (Knock on wood: I can't afford any more bad skin reactions for a while, thank you very much!) 

Trish McEvoy is rightfully famous for three areas in the beauty industry: her incredible brushes and her unique and ground-breaking planner system, the "Makeup Planner" systems.  Furthermore, everyone also agrees that a huge part of the reason for the Trish McEvoy line's success is that her husband is a dermatologist.  Combine the science of dermatology with the creativity of a makeup artist and you come up with a pretty amazing line of products, from skincare to cosmetics to fragrances.

I must admit that I'm very partial to brushes in the first place and the TM brushes are amazing. They're always well-balanced in the hand and put makeup on very nicely. They're incredible for the "blend, blend, blend!"  The brushes with the lucite handles are almost works of art.  And the travel-sized brushes in the smaller planners are pretty decent as well.

But I do think that what Trish McEvoy will always be best known for is her unique makeup planner system.  I must say that over the years I've bought several of the limited editions of the planners, as well as the traditional ones, from the smallest sizes right through to the mid-size planners and even one of the large ones.  (BTW: the smaller ones make for great Christmas presents for a special daughter or friend.)

I return to these planners over and over again, especially if I'm forced to travel anywhere. They are such a great answer to an easy way of using fewer "spoons" and fewer "health credits," whether it be for getting ready to go out your door or packing for a trip. The makeup can be moved around from one planner to another. You can reorganize any of the planners to suit a short trip or a decadently long one, from one season's colors to the next. Sometimes I get flashbacks of coloring and organizing toys in kindergarten and think to myself that these planners are the adult equivalent of those early years.   Fun!  Great fun!

I'll revisit Trish McEvoy in the future (please! someone remind me if I forget!).  If I were to describe all the products in her line it'd be such a long post that I KNOW I'd end up chasing away even my most loyal and diehard readers. Her brilliant, beautifully designed brushes alone are a post unto themselves.

As I looked over my collection of Trish McEvoy's products and compared it to what is currently in the stores (available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and at Saks Fifth Avenue). I noticed that one product I love, the "Beauty Booster" moisturizer/primer that really and truly worked (even lifted!) appears to have been discontinued or changed formulas.   Don't you just hate it when a favorite product is suddenly dropped?  However, I saw a couple of skincare products that I'll read up on.  If the reviews pan out, I'll give them a try.  Knock on wood, but Trish McEvoy hasn't let me down yet!

In the meanwhile, I hope everyone's enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather this past weekend. Yes, the temperature changes are a bit rough on us. Our symptoms worsen with the changing seasons, but the beauty out there, even if it's only looking out of our bedroom windows from bed, is worth it in so many ways, or so I hope!

So, here's to all feeling their best, only better. Ciao and paka!

Another example (and view) of the "Planner Makeup System"

Please not that I do not have any financial compensation in any way for anything on any of the posts on this blog!  Everything is my very honest opinion.