Beauty Makeover Shopping Spree!

Lynnette is one of our nearest and dearest friends.  I can’t really speak enough about how much I love this woman.  She is truly awesome.  So when she asked me a few months ago if I would help her buy some skincare and make-up products, I said absolutely, yes.

The two of us at my birthday this summer

Lynnette is 47 years-old, has raised two beautiful daughters both in their 20s, is married to a wonderful man, and works full-time.  As you can see from the photo above, she has bright blue eyes and great luminous skin.  Let’s all hope we age as well as she has.

She hasn’t really worn much make-up in her life and only started wearing moisturizer about a year ago.  She has normal skin, leaning towards slightly dry, but not sensitive.  After looking more closely at her complexion, she has a few wrinkles and some sun damage.  I told her that I wanted to focus our shopping trip on getting her set up with a good skincare regimen.  We would also shop for make-up, but she wouldn’t need to buy that much, because she’s one of those lucky women who doesn’t need much.  Lynnette had the complete right attitude towards this endeavor, saying that she didn’t want to look like she’s in her 20s, just her best self she could be.

Based on her skin type, I had a rough game plan of what I wanted her to buy for her new skincare regimen: a daytime serum, a daytime moisturizer with SPF, a nighttime serum, a nighttime moisturizer and an eye cream.  I knew Lynnette could afford to shop among the luxury brands, so I started by looking online at Beautypedia for quality products with appropriate ingredients for her skin issues.  Then I cross-referenced the highly-rated products against other reviews online.

For the skincare, it seemed like Estee Lauder would be a good fit for Lynnette.  We had the lady at the counter give us a rundown of the products, and she pretty much recommended what I had in mind. The only difference, which was a good one, is that the Estee Lauder rep said she could use the moisturizer both day and night.
MORNING: After cleansing her face, she applies the Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum.  Next, she’ll apply the Time Zone Line and Wrinkle Reducting Creme SPF 15.
NIGHT: After cleansing her face, Lynnette applies the Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex.  Next, she’ll want to apply an eye cream, which we didn’t purchase that day, but I recommended she go to either the grocery store or drug store and buy Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum.  I’m still on the fence on the efficacy of eye creams, so I didn’t think she needed to spend too much money on this.  And finally, she’ll again apply her Time Zone moisturizer.  Easy peasy.

For the make-up portion of the shopping trip, we went to where else, but Sephora!  Knowing that Lynnette doesn’t really wear make-up now, I wanted to keep the routine simple with minimal products.  I thought that a tinted moisturizer would be a good option, and since Oregonian Jenn loved it, I suggested Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Nude.  And you know I think concealer is essential, so she bought Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Color Concealer in 315.

Lynnette gets lash extensions, so she has no need for mascara. However, I did recommend eyeliner for a little emphasis, so she bought my favorite eyeliner, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Rockstar.

One area I definitely wanted Lynnette to pay attention to was her eyebrows. As you’ve heard Wendy and I say many times over, brows are important, and Lynnette’s are naturally lighter than the color she wears her hair. After combing Sephora for all the eyebrow color options, we found a match in Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette/Dark Brown.  To apply the brow powder, she bought the Sephora Classic Brow Brush #10.

Lastly, one can never underestimate the power of a good blush.  She tested my favorite powder blush made by LORAC, and we decided on Rose.  It’s a color I used to wear, but it looks sooo much better on her than it ever did on me.  I love that it goes on first as a sheer wash, but the pigmentation is easy to build.

After the Sephora trip, we had some time to spare, so we jaunted over to Neiman Marcus, because … well, it’s fun over there!  Lynnette had mentioned that she might want to wear a foundation with fuller coverage on occasion, so of course I had to bring her over to the Giorgio Armani counter.  I left Lynnette with Martina, the Armani rep, and when she came over to find me later, her skin looked radiant, and she was carrying a little NM bag with her very own bottle of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, coincidentally, in the same 5.5 shade I wear.

I saw Lynnette this past Sunday at our annual girls’ holiday party, and she looked superb!  She still very much looks like herself, just a little more polished and fabulous.  I can’t wait to check back in with her in a few months to see how her skincare products are working out.  For all you non-makeup wearers, doesn’t this make you wanna try maybe just a little somethin’-somethin’?

With Lynnette post-makeover, December 2011 (Can you believe this gorgeous woman just became a grandmother?!?)

Images: Lynnette & Jenn – author’s own, Estee Lauder Perfectionist, Time Zone, and Advanced Night Repair, Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Make Up For Ever Concealer, Anastasia Brow Powder Duo, Urban Decay Eye Pencil, LORAC Blush