We're Off to See The Wizard – Some Dos and Don'ts of Applying Shimmer Powder

Now y’all know by now that I LIKE shiny.  Which is why when I finally came out of my new- Mamahood coma about a year ago and discovered that LO AND BEHOLD, a healthy, shimmering glow had finally arrived as a cosmetological THANG, and I could now buy products that’d lustre me up good every day, not just on Halloween, I was understandably enthusiastic.

I rushed right out and bought some Revlon ® Skinlights Face Illuminating Loose Powder, brought it home, whipped it open, tossed aside the ridiculous little stubby round included brush (I think I may be a brush snob, y’all), grabbed my own powder applicator and proceeded to fumigate my entire bathroom with a cloud of shimmering dust as I swept it from forehead to chin, cheek to cheek and shoulder to shoulder.  Then I stood back to gaze upon my brilliant, radiant, glistening new look and beheld —

Jack Haley as the Tin Man.

(Of whom I cannot find a single uncopyrighted or protected photo to SAVE MY EVERLOVIN’ LIFE, by the way) (Which makes this post considerably less visually impactful and funny as I had originally intended it to be, much to my chagrin.)

Whoopsie!

Turns out, there is a line of shimmer demarcation that you do NOT want to cross.  And "metallic" is a look that falls a good two or three big-city blocks beyond that line.  On the way to "metallic," you’ll also cross over "sweaty," "greasy" and "egg-washed." 

I haven’t seen those looks touted on the pages of Cosmo, Style or Glamour lately, either.

So it seemed I needed to back off a bit with my newfound cosmetic toy and strike a balance between the "Skin" and the "-lights."  It’s taken a bit of research and a lot of experimentation, but here’s what I’ve learned so far.

• A bit of shimmer goes a long way.  When in doubt, think less is more.
• Shimmer adds emphasis wherever you’ve put it.  Applied correctly, it can bring cheekbones into prominence, draw attention to lovely eyes, pull a weak chin out of hiding or grace an evening look with sleek, sexy shoulders.  Applied incorrectly, it can lengthen or widen the nose, or fluff up under-eye puffiness you sought to deflate.
• Shimmer belongs on only the smoothest of skin.  A shiny, light powder applied where fine lines hide will not only deepen the look of the lines, it will draw attention to an area you’d rather subdue.  I’ve read that women over 40 need not apply for shimmer, but I say PAH to that. Just be careful where you shimmer, and you’ll be golden. And I don’t mean that in a "Golden Girls" sorta way, either.
• Shimmer comes either with or without color.  The more translucent and colorless the product, the more versatile its uses, sometimes in combination with other products like blushes or bronzers.  A colored shimmer powder, though, can take the place of a bronzer or blush and potentially reduce or even eliminate the need for foundation on some skin.

In my one year of shimmer experience, I’ve come up with these guidelines for application.  Your face is different from mine, assumably (I hope it is, for your sake, anyway!), so your application may vary a bit.

• I apply a narrow band of shimmer on the upper edge of each of my cheekbones, starting about even with the center of each eye and sweeping outward and upward along the curve of my face, to end at the edge of the bone, carefully avoiding getting any powder in the hollow below my eye or into the temple area.  This highlights my cheekbones and pulls them out a bit from the rest of my face.
• I apply about a quarter-sized circle of shimmer in the center of my chin, to bring it out from my neck, into which it tends to settle all-to-readily into oblivion if I am not careful.
• I have side swept bangs that reveal a portion of my forehead.  I use a very light application in this revealed triangle to brighten that one place.  I am careful to apply it ABOVE the area my brow naturally creases with – ahem – certain facial expressions.
• Some experts say not to use shimmer anywhere on the nose.  Throwing caution to the wind, I’ve discovered that I can play up the subtle upturn of my pug nose, if I feel like being cute and a little sassy, by dusting a light layer of shimmer just to the tip of it.  Or I can elongate and smooth my nose by running a thin line down the center of the length of my nose, starting about halfway down.  Yes, seriously.
• Until last week, I also placed a thin band of shimmer just under each eyebrow and a finger-tip sized circle in the inner corner of my eye-socket, just where it meets my nose.  Now I use a shimmering shadow with a little bit more opacity in those two areas.
• I apply shimmer powder over my foundation and under my final light dusting of regular facial powder, although I usually try to avoid putting that second layer of powder over the areas I’ve shimmered. Too many layers can be a bit unfriendly in the light of day.

Where will YOU shimmer***** Think of it this way:  What part of your face do you receive compliments about***** Your beautiful blue eyes***** Your pouty lips***** Experiment with a shimmer powder and find ways to play up these lovely aspects of your countenance.  Shimmer is like light – try different angles and you’ll find the best way to focus it on yourself to enhance your natural beauty.

Revlon ® Skinlights is the only shimmer powder I’ve tried, and I’ve been pleased with it.  It’s on the low end price-wise, and I love a good deal.  It’s packed with glisten-power, yet it’s fine and smooth so that it captures and diffuses light gently rather than reflecting it blindingly like so much glitter.  I’ve had my little pot of it for a year now and there’s plenty left to keep me radiant well beyond the time that radiant is still "cool," which will actually be just fine with me.