Undereye Puffies And Bags

I was definitely unhappy with my baggy, tired eyes and did some product research. I found these cruelty-free products for me and for you, pigeons!

First thing, clean face! I apply my serum and moisturizer and used a new eye cream. I heard that caffeine was an effective de-puffing active ingredient.

While my skin care products settle in, I drink coffee and get dressed.

Then, to ze make-up!

After applying my foundation and blending, I apply concealer in dots. This is a very thick and creamy formula so use a light touch! Some of this is obviously for highlighting and not for undereye dark circles concealing! I blended with a small brush and Beauty Blender.

As the concealer settles in and dries, I apply blush and lipstick/gloss. I do my eyebrows. Then, using a small blush brush I PRESS setting powder into my undereye area. Because the eye cream and concealer have dried and the powder is very fine-milled, the powder does not settle into creases. Miracle.
When you’re done with your eyeshadow, whisk the undereye powder away with a small fan-shaped or an angled brush.

Final results. Car selfie on the way to church! A huge improvement.

Here’s what I used and where I got it:


Skin2Spirit Caffeine Eye Whip. Got it on Amazon, but I gave up Amazon for Lent. $26.


E.L.F. 16 Hr. Camo Concealer. Target. $5.


Beauty Bakerie Flour Setting Powder in Translucent. Got it at BeautyBakerie.com. $24. Keep in mind that powders last for literally years.

What are your favorite eye creams? I have tried so many over the years!

Best Highlighter

So, you’re like, “Good LORD, PeaceBang, I’m not a KARDASHIAN. I’m not adding highlighter to my make-up routine. I don’t want to look like a shiny freak.”

Calm down!

Highlighter is a face basic now and it is your friend. I promise! If you’re young and dewy (or old and dewy!), you can go away while those of us with ordinary complexions discuss this important topic and bless your dewy heart.

But chances are that even you, the Dewy Enchantress, have days when your skin looks blah and could benefit from a little cosmetic glow. When that’s the case, you’re going to be so glad that you have this sweetheart on hand. I love this formula because it’s kind of powder, kind of creme and blends easily.

It’s Colourpop highlighter in Smoke & Whistles and while it doesn’t look like much in the container, it is lovely on human skin of many hues. You rub a few clean fingers over it and blend it up along your cheekbones, the tip of your nose, and the bow of your lips. You can also tap some onto your eyelids for a pretty lift there.

It’s not a big financial investment and there are loads of lovely colors to choose from. Don’t agonize too much over your choice as all the formulas are sheer enough that you don’t have to match the way you do with foundation.

I love this stuff. It catches the light and creates BEEYOO-TY.

Runners Up:

Anastasia Moon Child Glow Kit For more dramatic unicorn looks. Got it as a gift and love it for more dramatic cool-tone looks.

Nyx Strobe of Genius Great for beginners. Very low pigmentation, buildable. Less than $5.

Benefit High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter
A classic. I don’t still own it but I do own a similar discontinued formula (Stila All Over Shimmer) and it’s beautiful as a mix-in with foundation. A bit tricky to apply on its own but just dot a bit along cheekbones and blend carefully.

Not Recommended:

Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Highlighting Stick
Would not recommend as it drags on skin, does not work over foundation (although creates a pretty nice glow on bare skin), and leaves glitter behind as it fades. Avoid.

Glowy pigeons, what are your best highlighters?

All Ye Brushes

Don’t be intimidated!

The trick to successful make-up application is to take good care of your skin. Keep it clean, keep it exfoliated (with something gentle; no harsh scrubs), keep it moisturized. I have never used a primer but sit at my vanity table with clean skin — and if I haven’t recently washed, I spritz a little rose water or swipe a bit of micellar water across my T-zone and under my eyes to eliminate any oil.

Use foundation not to obliterate your features but to even out skin tone. Blend, blend, blend. I love my fancy foundation buffer brush — I’m well over 50 now and it makes a huge difference — but a moistened sponge also does a great job. If you use your fingers, make sure that they and your nails are CLEAN, and buff, buff, buff. It’s very hard to get an even application of foundation with your fingers but it can be done. Please pay special attention to the nose, the eyebrow area and the edges of the face to make sure things are blended. BLEND TO THE GODS.

You also want to have in your arsenal a blush and powder brush. Guess what you use those for? BLUSH and POWDER.

You want something soft and rounded with compact bristles so you can really target the apples of your cheeks. Remember to tap off excess product before applying as it’s far better to build than to apply a big blob of blush or powder all at once and try to blend it out.

You also want to have a few eyeshadow brushes on hand. A small “finger brush” (named for its shape) for pressing shadow into your lid — don’t flick it on or you’ll make a mess–, a brush for applying lighter blending and browbone colors, and one small fluffy blending shadow brush. The finger brush is on the far right.

If you glow up with highlighter you can tap and blend that in with your fingers if it’s a liquid formula or use a small blush brush to apply. I can’t live without highlighter anymore and I either blend a few drops in with my foundation or brush it on with this little angled brush (from Nyx) that I love.


The fan gizmo is a wiz at whisking away powder from under the eyes (I use powder both to set my concealer and to catch any eyeshadow that falls during application). The fan is also great for applying powder formula highlighter.

Look, I feel like I’ve aged 30 years since Bozo took office. My skin is shot to hell, the bags and shadows under my eyes are de profundis. I call from the depths, O Lord.
But my church is doing beautiful and faithful things and I want to keep showing up as fresh and with-it as I can, even though I struggle mightily with comfort snacking and moving my bod as much as I want to, staying hydrated and remaining grounded in prayer rather than in Twitter conflagrations.

Please take care of you.

$7 Foundation Stick from ColourPop

I am a huge fan of Colourpop. They make beautiful, cruelty-free products at an incredibly affordable price point. You can order a few things without breaking the bank and have a grand old time playing with their formulas.

EVERYONE HAS BEEN LOOKING HAGGARD AS HELL LATELY. SLAP SOME PAINT ON THE BARN, LADIES. I’m serious. When the Zombie Apocalypse comes we’ll have plenty of time for deep circles under our eyes, blotchy skin, scraggly brows, faded eyelashes and chapped, pale lips. Why is everyone in such a rush to look that way now?

I currently wear ColourPop matte liquid lipsticks in now=discontinued pinky neutral shades, a hgihlighter (out of stock right now), and many of their Super Shock Eyeshadows, which I apply with my pinky and which are gorgeous and pigmented. My favorite everyday color is Truth (out of stock). It’s got a bit of beautiful, flattering shimmer and it dresses up the day with one quick swipe. Did you know that just touching a bit of foundation on your eyelids can brighten up your whole face? Yea, because bags and shadows aren’t just under your eye, they’re all around your eye.

All noodging about make-up aside, I really think that everyone benefits from good skin care and that the quickest way to step into a more polished look is to smooth out the skin tone with good skin care regime, sun protection and drinking lots of water. And yes, a touch of make-up to even things out. You don’t need a full face of foundation with concealer — just try a bit of well-blended concealer or foundation stick.

I was just tempting myself by looking at ColourPop’s Cyber Monday deals and saw that they make a foundation stick in lots and lots of skin tones. That’s not easy to find, so I thought I’d pop a link to you. No, I don’t get any money or discounts from ColourPop. If anything, I’d just like them to bring back my favorite lip colors.

If you try their foundation stick let me know how you liked it! I’ve been using one of Rihanna’s Fenty line stick foundations in a very light tone for my undereye area and I think it’s great for that but would be a bit too powdery and drying for the whole face.

At Least I Can Have Fun With Make-Up: Urban Decay BackTalk Palette

When the going gets tough, the tough buy make-up.
I adore Urban Decay. This is me playing around with their Backtalk Palette, a super fun collection of gorgeous eyeshadows, blushes and highlighter. I’m wearing several of the eyeshadows, plus Urban Decay eyeliner in Empire and lipstick in ZZ (creme formula, Vice line).

Please try to hang in there and show up with rage-fueled power and commitment. I am hanging out with the prophets right now, and the imprecatory psalms and it helps.

I am turning off devices and cutting off the news and commentary by 10PM, no excuses and no exceptions (except one night when there was a bizarre series of gas explosions 20 miles north of me).
I am getting to sleep earlier.
I am reading women theologians and authors.
I am checking out of conversations that stick their finger in the wound of misogyny.
I am triggered but not cowed. F*ck the patriarchy. God be our witness.