Holly-Kay, thanks for the tips. I'm still happy with Clinique Even Better liquid foundation. I also have, um, mature skin and need to strike a balance between too glowy and too matte. I like a natural look, i.e., something that will look okay outside at midday.

Makeup lines are always discontinuing something I love. I could kill Clinique for discontinuing Double Date eyeshadow that had the *perfect* neutral taupe in the right finish for all over my lid area. I have been bereft ever since. Try as I may I can't find anything that comes close...not too gray, not too beige(tan).

I love Clinique's lipsticks! I can't remember the name of my most favorite shade as it's been discontinued for 20 to 25 years. My favorite for the last 15 years or so is AllHeart but now it's a bit too bright for me.

I use an Urban Decay Naked palette for eyes. Nice neutral eyeshadows but I'll bet nothing that comes close to the one you loved.

Good information, can you tell me how well long the BB eyeliner stays in place. I have a few pricey ones that smudge and I do prefer the gel. ty

Linelle, have you gone through MAC eye shadow's display to see if they have the right shade. It seems they have every eye shadow color imaginable. I too have had trouble with my favorite brown shade being discontinued. I have a lot of back ups though, so I haven't had to search lately. What about the color Brulee by Wet N Wild, their eye shadows are surprisingly good quality and I have really sensitive eyes, yet I have no issue with Wet n Wild shadows. brulee

holly kay, have you tried wetting your brush bf using the eyeshadow as a liner?

or do you apply it dry?

I'm along the same line of linelle...I don't want something too matte or too shiny. I'm also currently using Clinique Even Better foundation. I've been in search of a new foundation while using the Clinique and I think my next foundation will be Too Faced Born This Way foundation. Lancomes Tient Idole foundation was nice too. Got a sample of that and I would consider purchasing.

I recently switched from a loose powder to a compact, same brand Estee Lauder but the compact instead of the loose powder. I also picked up a MAC pressed powder, Carablend. Both nice powders. One of my favorite eye shadows is a cheapie one too...it's neutral nude light brown. I don't know who its by though, the little sticker on the back is gone.

Don't you hate it when they discontinue your favorite color? Then they offer the replacement color and it's nothing like the original.

Arkansas, I have bought a couple of Mac eyeshadows that seemed great in Macy's and not great IRL. Era and Omega, the former too frosty and gold, the latter flat (as in, dead) and yellow. I think lids just have to be the right color and finish. I think Brulee might be a bit too brown for what I'm after.

Here's my late lamented shadow. The one on the left, the other for shading. Not yellow, tan or gold. Not dead matte, just enough satin to give it some life.

If you ever see something like this--cost no object at this point--let me know. I'm bereft.

It's worse than paint, because you're wearing it on your face.

Yaya, the BB cel eyeliner lasts from the morning when I put it on until I take it off in the evening. It is very long lasting and I love the selection of colors. I bought the espresso ink.

mitch, I put the powder on dry. I never thought of wetting it before hand. I may give that a try but I'm delighted with the BB gel ink.

aiways1step, both of these foundations are perfect. I can't do matte on my face it looks awful but I also don't want a shimmery face. The Candleglow says luminous and it does give a lit from within look but no shimmer.

linelle, that is a gorgeous color. You have me wanting it too!

Here is my review of my new eyeliner Urban Decay 24/7 waterline eye pencil. For years and years I have just wetted the tip of my eye shadow applicator and used the charcoal eye shadow as a smudgy eye liner. Over the years though my lashes have gotten a bit more sparse so I started looking for a liner that was creamy but not too creamy to get right into the lash line. I'm in Florida so also wanted something waterproof. There was a little learning curb using a real eyeliner pencil but I really like it. Once you put this stuff on it doesn't budge. I still use a little of the wet eye shadow on top to soften up the line but you really don't have to, it's $20 at Sephora and a few other shops. Oddly after I bought it I looked at the mixed reviews with some saying it smudges and doesn't stay on. I got mine for a trip to the Florida Keys, wore it in high humidity and went swimming in the pool. Had no problems.

justerrilyn, I looked up that eye pencil just now and am unsure what is meant by "waterline." Is that the area along the lashline that come into contact with eyeballs?

Hi Linelle, I'm not sure if it means anything. However, what you say makes sense except actually touching the eyeball part. I do a soft line on my lid along the lash line as a "follow" line and then flip my lid to get right into the lashes. As I said I had a bit of a learning curb. After applying my mascara (using lash curler first) and with the liner right into the sparse lash area my lashes look much thicker by illusion without looking overly made up or adding to much mascara .

Agree there is a bit of a learning curve when tight lining the waterline but it really defines the eyes nicely and is worth the effort to learn. I'm able to do it quickly now but it did take some practice.

HK - I've been using the BB Gel Eyeliner for years. It stays put from the time I put it on in the morning until I take it off. I have good luck applying it with the BB Ultra Fine Eye Liner Brush. I'm currently also using Espresso Ink. Be prepared to replace it about every six months, as it dries out. Once it starts to dry out, you can add a drop of water & mix it up. It softens it for a couple of days. I usually just order a new one - no patience & I make a mess mixing it up.

I think we are about the same age, the beginning of our S years. I went through the foundation hunt a few years ago & a new blush hunt just recently. I really like Josie Maran's Gel Blush. I don't use any other Josie Maran makeup products, but ran across great reviews for the blush & decided to give it a try.

Justterrilyn - I'd like to have a waterproof liner for the beach/pool. I'll pick up the Urban Decay for my next trip to Florida. Thanks.

Holly-Kay, I'm glad you posted about experimenting with new make-up. I think it helps many of us to know we aren't alone in the continual make-up search, especially as our skin ages. I switched to Revision Intellishade tinted moisturizer several hears ago but I use a Bobbi Brown make-up for a little more coverage and glow when we go out in the evenings.

I also am a big fan of the BB gel eyeliner, but I also use the long-wear gel pencil by BB and like it too. Have you tried it? I think it has a slightly softer look (I use Steel Grey or Chocolate Truffle). It took some getting used to for me because I had used the gel liner for years. Romy is right about the gel, it will dry out after about 6 months.

BB makes an eye shadow called Cement that might be a good grey-beige color. I hate when there is a color discontinued or there is a color in a sample palette that you can't buy later.

Holly Kay, thank you for starting this thread. Makeup is driving me crazy right now. I used Prescriptives Photochrome foundation, loose powder and Virtual Skin compact.for at least twenty years. It was perfect for me. When Prescriptives left the scene, I bought up everything I could find in my shade from stores, online, Amazon and eBay. I stored it in the fridge and had enough for about 5 years. Then I discovered Prescriptives had an online store, but of course it did not offer any of my 3 needed products. I tried the other foundations and powders but it's a no go.

At 51 I still have an oily t-zone,which was no big deal before powder settled into wrinkles.

Does anyone else have good solutions for wrinkles and oily skin? I use Retin A and a Clarsonic. Before makeup, I use Becca Ever Matte. I use blotting papers and try not to powder. I miss powder!!

I got so frustrated with my BB eyeliner, that I started using Revlon Color Stay eyeliner. For me, it stays on all day, and is easy to apply. If you leave the top on, it never dries out, always nice and creamy AND cheap!

My favorite liner, and the only makeup item I keep repurchasing, is Stila Stay All Day liquid liner pen in black.

I have all Tarte blushes right now, and like them a lot. It will be a while before I need to buy more blush, but I might stick with that brand.

Thanks for the L'Oreal Lumi recommendation. While I was out today, I bought some. I don't usually buy drugstore makeup only because I can never test it to get the color just right, but I took a stab at it since I am in need of new foundation. (I bought it at Ulta, so I can return it if need be.) I'm not 100% sure I got the color right, but otherwise, it goes on super smooth and has great coverage without being thick and sticky. Perfect for summer and maybe for winter, too. I really like it!

Romy, I'm using the same BB brush. I would like one with a even finer tip though. I did expect that it would dry out which is why I didn't buy any other color once I knew it would work. I will wait until this dries out and toss it. Yes we are both about the same age and thank you for the Jose Maran recommendation for the gel blush. I'm going to google it. I was actually hoping to try a gel blush so you've inspired me to try it.

Outside, do try the L'Oreal. I am just so tickled with this foundation. The last time I used a drug store type foundation was probably forty years ago or more because I normally purchased Lancôme. I do like the Laura Mercier a tad more but the L'Oreal is perfect for every day. I tried a YSL foundation that was highly rated and it doesn't even come close to the L'Oreal. I returned it because fortunately they sent me the wrong shade. I didn't notice the error until I used it and thought the color was too light. That's when I discovered it was BR20 Ivory not the BR20 Beige that I ordered. It just didn't go on flawlessly and I had to do quite a bit of blending to do to make it look acceptable. I haven't tried the BB eye pencil but will keep it in mind.

Catty, the gal who did the review for the make-ups I mentioned is more my age than your's but she still has an oily T zone which I don't have so I would think either of the foundations I mentioned might do the trick for you. Can you just powder the T zone. I have a Chanel compact that is quite a nice powder. I don't normally use powder but will use a quick go over when going out for an evening.

Mitch, the Maybeline might be a great alternative.

Frankgin, is the Revlon Color Stay a pencil or a pot eyeliner? It is definitely worth a try either way.

Pippiep, I tried the Stila liquid liner and it doesn't' the work for me because my hands are a bit shaky so I always made quite a mess trying to get it on. It was an all day lasting eyeliner and if I were better at applying it I would have had a winner. Some blushes seem to just get absorbed by my skin and give me no color. Are the Tarte blushes a powder or a cream?

Bluebell, you posted when I was posting. I'm so glad you like the L'Oreal Lumi. I got the color right the first go around, which usually isn't the case. Anyway, I am super impressed with this make-up. I have always gone for a department store brand but I am so so glad that I tried this. It barely needs to be blended it goes on so nicely. I use a magnifying mirror and the coverage is just perfect.

My favorite eye pencil is also from Urban Decay -- it's the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil. After I tried one, I bought several other colors and tossed all my others in the trash. It's the only one that really stays put all day. I am very lazy when it comes to makeup, but if I'm putting in some effort, I will use this eyeliner and mascara (Maybelline mascara, the pink one, is my all time favorite even after trying the more expensive ones).

I also have several Laura Mercier Caviar Stick eye shadows. It's a creamy shadow in (obv.) stick form. I find that powder eye shadows are too dry in my old age (51) but these aren't so creamy that they disappear. I took advantage of a package deal a few months ago so I have 4-5 smaller-than-normal size "sticks" in different colors, and I like all of them -- all brownish or plummy neutrals.

Finally, I just bought something new that I can recommend. Usually I use Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer as an everyday light foundation, esp. in summer. But the spf isn't very high, so I wanted something with more protection. I found good reviews of Shiseido Urban Environment Tinted UV Protector. It has 43 SPF and is water resistant. So far, after using it for about a week, I like it a lot. It's not a lot of coverage, but I have given up on the illusion of perfect skin! Just trying to prevent further damage.

Those of you using gel(ish) eyeliners. I love the idea of eyeliner staying put, but I also like a soft daytime look. I'm wondering if it might look harsh on older eyelids.

I didn't begin using liner until a few years ago, believing it looked harsh when I was younger. It may not be for everyone but I think it can look nice when applied with a light hand and just very, very close to the lashes. It really makes my eyes stand out. I don't use it on my lower lids, just a touch of mascara on the lower lashes.

I use it on my upper & lower lids & can get a nice thin line with the gel. I have deep set eyes and need liner & mascara to look alive.

I have a really dumb question- when you say you flip the lid and put on liner- are you talking about the upper and or lower lid? I do the lower lid but cannot fathom doing the upper. Just curious.

Hey Sheila, out of curiosity I checked YouTube to see if there was a demonstration vid, there are a few. This gal needs to watch a vid on how to apply blush but other than that explains it fairly well.

http://youtu.be/epePoN8odho

Here is another vid. From what I watched it seems excellent but I didn't make it to the end because I would find that much work on my eyes exhausting . Lots of good little tips though.

http://youtu.be/4XTqJibu5b8