On Friday, Estée Lauder was holding an event at my local Macy’s called “Picture Me Online”. A couple of weeks ago, I made an appointment to participate. I wasn’t sure what the event was all about, I just knew that I would be able to get my makeup done by one of their makeup artists. I’m on the lookout for new anti-aging makeup tips, and I thought this would be a good way to get new some makeup application ideas that might work for me and also to find out about Estée Lauder’s new products.
When I arrived for my appointment with a clean face and no makeup, I was introduced to Diane who was my MUA. Although I had put on some moisturizer at home, Diane applied Advanced Night Repair Serum which I use from time to time and a new Estée Lauder moisturizer that had only been available in Europe until very recently. It has become the number 5 best selling moisturizer worldwide since its recent introduction. It’s called Revitalizing Supreme: Global Anti-aging Creme. It comes in a large jar (maybe 1.7 oz?) for $75, and online, I discovered it comes in a 1 oz size as well for less money. Though I like jars, I understand that the ingredients can lose their potency when exposed to air when the jar is open. I wish Lauder would start to put their moisturizers in airless pump jars instead.
Revitalizing Supreme is a highly emollient cream that, for me, was absorbed readily, in spite of the fact that I had on my own moisturizer and Advanced Night Repair Serum, an oil. Like most of the Lauder products, it had a scent, but it must not have been significant because I can’t remember what it was. I asked about whether there were any unique or new ingredients in the new product, but Diane didn’t know. She said it was a multi-tasker: lifting, wrinkle repair, hydration etc. Here is the ingredient list that appears to have many of the ingredients in other Lauder moisturizers but I haven’t done a search on what’s new:
Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-10, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phyllostachys Nigra (Bamboo) Leaf Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract, Whey Protein/Lactis Protein/Protéine Du Petit-Lait, Caffeine, Sucrose, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sorbitol, Polysilicone-11, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake, Isododecane, Acetyl Glucosamine, Ergothioneine, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Carbonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-32, PEG-6, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Polyethylene, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
Next, Diane continued with the process. She applied an eye cream by putting on dots of cream around my eyes and patting it on, but I can’t remember which one! Too bad because she said it was a better choice for me than the Resilience Lift eye cream I am currently using. She didn’t apply any primer. I asked her about this, and she said it wasn’t necessary because she applied the serum and the moisturizer had dimethicone in it.
Foundation was next. She asked which foundation or type of foundation I generally wear. I told her I recently returned a bottle of unopened Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Liquid Foundation and exchanged it for the Estée Lauder BB Creme. She suggested that I try Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Creme Foundation. She color-matched the foundation to my skin by applying a swatch at my jaw line. Number 2 was a great match for me. The foundation comes in a tube and looks pretty much like the BB cream. I guess the difference is that it has an SPF 10 versus SPF 30 for the BB cream which is ultimately a deal-breaker for me. I looked up the ingredients, and it seems to have a lot of different dimethicones in it, so not putting on the primer first wasn’t an issue.
Diane applied the foundation with a brush, by putting some foundation directly on the brush rather than on the skin as I had been doing it. Not sure if or how that makes a difference. I often apply foundation with my fingers and on rare occasion with a sponge. She suggested that there’s less tugging on the skin with a brush than with fingers or sponge.
The foundation was lightweight, gave almost flawless full coverage (though my darkest spots showed a bit and strangely she forgot to apply concealer afterwards). The foundation lasted till I removed it 8 hours later (and it still looked really good!). If you’re looking for a liquid/cream foundation, Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Foundation that comes in lots of shades and works well with both dry and oily skin is a terrific foundation to try. Ann-Maire, the area manager for Estee Lauder, gave me a 10 day supply to take home to try. You can get color-matched for foundation and receive a free 10 day foundation supply at the Estée Lauder counter of any store anytime. I wasn’t aware of this. It’s a great way to see how foundation works for you before plunking down the cash.
Next, Diane dusted on a little powder to set the foundation. Note to self: I need a good loose powder.
Then, she went to work on my eye makeup that was harder for me to follow, but here are the steps:
- She applied foundation to my eye area rather than the eye primer that I usually use, but again the foundation seemed to have priming ingredients in it. She brushed on a light shimmery powder shadow beneath my brow bone that I would have skipped because I think it brings attention to my crepey upper eye skin, but it looked fine.
- I’m not sure what shades of powder shadow she put in the crease toward the outer corner of my eye or on my eyelids, but it looked nice.
- She applied Double Wear eyeliner in plum, a mixture of black/brown/purple that was subtle and pretty. She started at the outer corner of my eye and made short strokes at the lashline, and she applied a tiny bit of liner to the outer corners beneath my lower lashes. She did not go all the way to the inner corner of my eye with the eyeliner, but stopped where my lashes got smaller/fewer.
- To finish off the eyes, she applied Sumptuous Mascara in black to the upper lashes only. She said she did not apply mascara to the lower lashes to draw attention upward. I know that’s the rule of thumb for applying makeup to older women, but with my blonde lashes, I think it looks like something’s missing. I like a little mascara on my lower lashes…even if it’s brown mascara on the lowers instead of black.
Finally, Diane applied a little highlighter followed by a peachy-pink powder blush using a brush across my cheek bones in an upward fashion toward my ear to again create a lifted look, a tip I will immediately incorporate!
On my lips, she applied a nude pencil to keep the lipstick from wandering, a little Pure Color in not sure what shade, followed by Pure Color gloss that is my absolute favorite lipgloss but in a peachier shade than I own. It was pretty.
Nice job, Diane! Thank you 🙂
Then I discovered the theme of the event, Picture Me Online. They hired a professional photographer to take “after” photos of the participants. I am a horrible photographic subject, so I was kind of nervous. But Cory Stierley was a great guy who told me he had “seen it all”, and that he had already had his “worst subject of the day”. He made me laugh, and it was fine. He gave me a glossy 5 x 7 photo to take home and also emailed me a jpeg of the photo to crop and use online as a headshot for social media or whatever. I was quite pleased! I usually hate all photos of me, and this one was quite good in spite of all my wrinkles.
If I needed a photographer for an event, I would seriously consider Cory. Here’s the link to his website to check out his work: http://www.corystierley.com
Afterwards, I bought the Double Wear eyeliner pencil in Graphite that I planned to buy. They had a special box of Estée Lauder Youth Dew products that I splurged on. Instead of buying the Youth Dew Bath Oil for $40 that I wanted (I often prefer to use oil rather than perfume/toilet water because the scent lasts much longer on me), I bought the special edition box with parfum spray, soap, powder, and body lotion to layer the scent. I’m sure that many of you consider Youth Dew a granny scent, but to me it’s just old school. The modern, light, green or floral or fruity scents that are so popular now do not work with my body chemistry. I prefer the big exotic, spicy or Oriental fragrances, and Youth Dew is one of those that has been around forever. In fact, it was Estée Lauder’s first fragrance.
The Picture Me Online event is going to continue in the months to come, appearing at other Macy’s stores as well as other department store chains throughout the U.S. and maybe Canada too. Keep your eyes and ears open for whether it’s coming to your area. I had fun. The women were incredibly friendly, nice, helpful, and fun to hang out with. They gave me a gift for participating and for purchasing Estee Lauder products:
- (yet another) travel size Sumptuous Mascara in black
- lipstick Pure Color Crystal Pink Creme 03, a sheer shiny pink
- and a sample of the new fragrance, Modern Muse, a light, modern, gardenia scent.
In sum, it was a great way to spend an hour or so after a busy week of business travel.
Oh, you look GREAT! What a fun event. I really love the double wear eye liner that I have in brown. I also have the black which is really a black/blue (not a fav), but I’ll have to check out the gray liner as well.
Monica.
Monica P recently posted…Red highlights, pineapple t-shirt, and Santa Ana weather
Thanks a lot, Monica! And you were the one who “introduced” me to the Double Wear eyeliner. I like the graphite/grey that I bought, and the plum shade that she tried on me was very nice too — subtle rather than a vibrant purple
You look fabulous!! I love the look on you, eyes, cheeks, everything. Your hair was perfect, too 🙂 Thanks for the tip-offs re: the foundation and moisturizer. Gonna give those both a try before the winter comes in full force.
Thank so much, Kim! Other than the crinkly eyes, I thought it was a nice picture. I remember you were looking for a liquid foundation recommendation months ago, and this one comes in both liquid/bottle and cream/tube. Just for the heck of it, I checked other women’s ratings of the foundation, and the vast majority loved it. Some day when you in a department store, ask for a 10 day sample at the EL counter — the best way to know if you like it!
Wow! You look radiant! I think I need to check to see if Estee Lauder is doing an event in San Diego!
Natasha recently posted…Friday Fitness: My First Giveaway!
Many thanks, Natasha! It was fun. And thanks for your comment. I’ve gotta check out your site and giveaway 🙂
I will keep my eye out for this event at my store love the professional photo. You look very beautiful in your final look!
Tina @ My Highest Self recently posted…Swatch & Review: Youngblood Luminous Creme Blush in Plum Satin
Thanks so much, Tina!
Hi Allison,
That was a pleasant experience 🙂
Thank you for sharing these makeup tips. I use a sponge for applying my foundation, but it seems more and more are recommending a brush.
Sometimes I see makeup artists using a straight cut brush, and sometimes a rounded one, does that make a difference?
Probably not too much difference, Dima. The brush I use looks like the one in the photo– with soft rounded edges. Usually you would use a straight cut brush when you want to draw a line but brushes are flexible. I really like the way my foundation, BB or CC cream goes on with a brush. I used to use my fingers or a sponge, but with the brush, I think I use less, it goes on smoother and more evenly, and maybe like Diane says, it’s less tugging and pulling on the skin! Thanks for the comment, and have a good weekend! 🙂
Allison, you look fantastic. I love Estee products too, but they are on the high end of my beauty regimen.
Judy recently posted…Are Boomer Guys Really Different From Boomer Girls? Yep!
Thanks so much, Judy! This past year, EL had a number of promotions with Lilly Pulitzer and I really wanted those adorable, colorful tote bags and makeup bags, so I ended up buying a number of Estee Lauder products. When I was at the Macy’s counter, they invited me to the Picture Me Online event, and I thought it would be fun and good to write about 🙂