Thinking outside of the box - The giant highlighter!

Or compact. Or tube. Or pot. Or whatever.

I've been getting creative trying to come up with ways to use products to their max, stretching them beyond their original job titles of eyeshadow, blusher, lipstick etc

I'm particularly obsessed with products which are generously sized or little used. Finding new uses for products gives me a little thrill akin to buying something new.

Except obviously it's not new and I'm obviously getting a bit desperate under the shadow of Project Pan.

But bear with me, because I'm actually quite chuffed with my 'new' discovery. I have a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder in the colour Soft and Gentle. A huge compact of champagne-beige shimmering powder, it was a gift from one of my brothers (Brother P the Elder) a couple of years ago. Still haven't figured out how on earth that happened.... how he ended up in MAC and how he ended up picking out a highlighter, lipgloss and eyeshadow..... it will probably remain one of life's great unsolved mysteries.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

Still, if you know the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes you'll know how big they are. They are meant to be highlighters. Even if you use highlighter every single day, you only need a teensy amount each time. I don't think that I will ever get through this powder to be honest. There's just so much of it. I'll be 70 years old and I still won't have hit pan on this bugger.

100 years of highlighting!

It's pretty and I like the effect it has on cheekbones and browbones, especially after a few hours. It gives a subtle candlelit glow when applied sparingly. But it sits in my vanity case feeling useless most of the time because I only use highlighter when I can remember and sometimes in the evenings if I go out.

The other day I was in a hurry and I wanted  a neutral, shimmery eyeshadow to just whack on with a bit of liner and mascara. You think I'd be able to find something with all my stuff, no? NO. I saw the Mineralize powder poking out of the case and I just grabbed it along with a big fluffy eye brush and put it on my lids. And the rest as they say is history..... I've been wearing it as an eyeshadow ever since, all over my lids and underneath the bottom lashline. It's not obviously coloured, but it's just enough to provide a subtle shimmer to the eyes which looks oh-so pretty and very groomed. In the evening it's even better.

Swatched heavily, below, and blended out, above

The other place I've been dusting it is just above the upper lip. It gives a slight volumising effect to the lips by highlighting the cupid's bow.

I haven't used it on the body yet but now I'm 'thinking outside of the compact' I'll keep it to hand for the shins and collarbone. I'm pretty sure that's what it's meant for too, but I was so fixated on it being a 'face' product I just never considered this before.