A personal care applicator apparatus has a barrel, a piston upwardly moveable within the barrel, and an actuator coupled to the piston to shift the piston upward. The barrel has a bottom end, a top end, a front face, a back face, and an external shoulder. The shoulder faces generally upward and has a first portion spanning the front and back faces along a left side and a second portion spanning the front and back faces along a right side. The shoulder lacks a portion centrally along at least a first of the front and back faces.