Hey all! I know I’ve been absent from the BCP comment boards (I’m blocked at work, and my home internet is in the shitter), but I still would like to address all of the queries left on my Look Good Enough to Eat post. In fact, I live for this sort of thing. It makes me feel like Santa Claus or something, receiving letters and finding out what folks want. Except, it’s less about footballs and ponies and Red Rider bb guns and more about blemish remedies and lipgloss colors. Just how I like it.
This is going to be long, I’ll warn you, and probably pretty boring as pictures and graphics are not really necessary. But, if you want to read about makeup and skincare there’s a load of beauty goodness after the jump! (OK, and maybe there’s a surprise graphic at the end, click to see!!)
SHB Says:
Oh, and after a certain age, when the grey gets into the eyebrows,forget the brow pencil and be religious about (discreetly!!!)dyeing the brows. You’ll be glad you did.
– I actually already have grey in my brows. But only a couple. To cover it, and keep my brows in place, I use Neutrogena Clean Lash Tint on them. The effect is great, but still subtle.
Susanelle Says:
What does it mean to “set” the foundation with translucent powder? Why do you have to do that? What will happen if you don’t “set” it?
I have tried this “setting” once or twice, and maybe I had the wrong powder, but to me it just looked cakier to do this.
– Setting basically amounts to holding the makeup in place. Most foundations are liquid, your skin contains its own liquids and oils in addition to whatever moisturizers and products you have on, so layering one wet thing on top of another wet thing that’s bound to get wetter as time goes on = makeup sliding off. The powder that you dust on top of your foundation helps to bind the makeup to your skin, and it also absorbs some of the excess oil your skin secrets throughout the day. If you don’t have the problem of your makeup sliding off or getting shiny, you can probably skip setting.
cate3710 Says:
And now a relevant comment/question: Is blush necessary? Because I’m terrified of it. I have a fear of looking like a clown or something. I don’t use liquid foundation; I use Clinique’s ‘almost powder’ stuff. (Which I guess might qualify as pancake makeup? I’m unclear on the exact definition of pancake makeup.)
– First of all, nothing you’re buying at a Clinique in this day and age is pancake. You can only ever buy pancake at a theatrical or beauty supply store, and even then it’s hard to find. A pancake is a solid block of dry makeup that you blend with water and a sponge to create a foundation. It’s maximum-coverage, but with minimum realism. Pancake dries to a chalky, dull, mask-like pate that’s almost impossible to apply evenly. Like I said, it works to great effect in the theater, but should never be worn in real life. Pancake eyeliners, however, are still pretty cool if you can learn to apply them.
To answer your question, though: I don’t know if blush is necessary for you. It may not be. All I know is that I look a little bit sickly and unfinished without it. Oh, and if you’re going to be photographed with a flash- you MUST wear blush. 90% of cases of people looking pale, tired, or older than they should look in pictures is the result of getting washed out by a flash b/c they weren’t wearing blush. You ever wonder why no contestant on What Not to Wear ever wears makeup before the makeover portion even though they are on freaking TV? It’s because the producers want folks to look as pale and old and sallow and bad as possible before the big reveal. Absence of blush under studio lights does a great job of making folks look like Gollum next to Stacey London. As for you and blush- give it a try. If you use a nice, sheer powder and apply with a light hand, you’ll never look like a clown.
sigourneyfever Says:
Panda, you are already better than Carmindy, in that you know how to dispense makeup advise to people without adding a little backhanded compliment to it, as she does. For example:
Panda: “You have a really nice smile. You should play it up with blah blah lipstick.”
Carmindy: “You have a really nice smile. It would look even nicer if you used Crest White Strips.”
– Awww, aren’t you sweet, Siggy. Eeep, I know. Carmindy’s segment is sponsored by Crest Whitestrips, kind of like how Top Chef constantly has to shill for Glad. In order to get good TV, we must put up with brand BS. But for real? Some people do need Whitestrips. I am one of them, for sure. If I were to ever suggest that someone whiten their teeth, it would seriously be out of love. It is true that whiter teeth strip years off a person’s age. They also make the complexion look clearer and the color of the lips look deeper. As asshole as it sounds, teeth whitening is great beauty advice that looks great on anyone. And, if you’re going to do it, do for the Whitestrips 5-minute daily whitening, because they’re milder, won’t irritate sensitive teeth and gums, and they actually work better than the 30-minute kind, even if you don’t use them everyday because you’re lazy and forget (me!).
nadarine Says:
@cate: And if you’re using a cream or liquid blush, don’t wait til after powdering to apply. You might be able to do that with a cream, assuming it’s a light dusting of powder, but I always do foundation, then blush, and then the coat of translucent powder. Otherwise the blush will inevitably go on streaky and smeary and weird.
– Word.
Skinny Bone Jones Says:
I have also read conflicting reports of applying Blush First! and even Mascara First! I am hoping it’s not wrongful that I use a lip/cheek stain after bouncing around impatiently, waiting for tinted moisturizer or moisturizer to dry before I apply it. I’ve found that I’m less tempted to put more makeup on when I do that. Like my brain goes “Ooh, pretty flush! Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, all you need is some mascara and lip gloss.”
– Actually, that sounds about right, IF you’re good at makeup and know what you’re doing. For makeup n00bs, I recommend blush last to avoid the dreaded clown look cate was wondering about. But kids, like always, feel free to experiment!
Amoureuse Says:
Had bad experience with Carol’s Daughter’s moisturizer, it left me feeling greasy and smelling of patchouli. Maybe I will give them a second chance.
I have darker tinted lips so finding lipstick/lip gloss is no easy feat. Certain lip glosses make my lips look like Tyrone Biggums’.
– I have a real problem with Carol’s Daughter making everything hippie-scented. It’s just like, NO. For the lips, though, I’m really excited about all of these dark, vampy shades that have been coming out since Fall. Like, have you heard of the Wicked Lovely lipgloss by Smashbox?
It seems like a color that would suit deeper skintones. If you try it, let me know what you think!
Jerseylicious Says:
I need a good liquid foundation and a good moisturizer with spf. I started Retin A recently and I need a moisturizer that won’t make my face feel like it’s being dipped in acid. I’ve never been good with liquid foundation, but especially as my skin has been getting dryer (retin a + winter = nasty dry flaky skin) I’m beginning to realize that I need to put down the powder.
The Retin A site recommends Neutrogena Healthy Defense spf 30 and Neutrogena Skin Clearing Liquid Foundation… but I don’t know if that’s because it will work well with the Retin A, or if they just have a partnership with Neutrogena and like to pimp their products. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve used that moisturizer, and it was good as a sunblock, but way heavy for regular use.
-Eeeeeeeep! Powder and Retin-A? Noooooooo. Powder and dry skin, irritated skin, or winter skin = NO. When I get flaky, I only apply powder to the tip of my nose, eyelids, and the area between my eyebrows. Basically only the places that get shiny.
I also recommend that people who are in the process of treating their acne don’t wear makeup. I know that that’s asking a lot, but there are so many reasons why makeup exacerbates breakouts and impedes healing, bacteria growing in the bottle/on the brush/on the sponge/in the compact chief among them. If you must, use a tinted moisturizer that you can squeeze out of a tube and apply with clean hands (I like the Perricone Tinted Moisturizer. It doesn’t irritate my skin, has SPF, and covers OK. However, it’s $65 a tube. BUT! I’ve had my contamination-proof tube for well over a year now, and there is no sign of it running out anytime soon. I suspect that I’ll make this puppy last 2 years). Also, if you can’t go 100% makeup-free while your acne is healing, def give your skin at least a day or two a week off. It will really help your progress.
As for suggesting other moisturizers, I’m not really sure what to tell you. Retin-A s hardcore stuff, and it works differently on everybody. My suggestion is to try and find a dialogue on this topic on Makeup Alley, that way you’ll get lots of suggestions to choose from written by other Retin-A users who may have a similar skin type.
# mllejanine Says:
I will love BDJ forever and ever for suggesting Boudreaux’s Butt Paste for the dried nostrils.
– Shoot! BB Paste is the JAM. It’s good for chapped nostrils from colds and such, moisturizing cracked winter hands, ingrown hairs from waxing or shaving, and you know, actual diaper rash on a baby’s butt. I know a girl who uses BB Paste on that little area of her inner thighs that rubs together and chafes inside her running tights (because if you forget to shave for one day in those things, you’re screwed). I’ve yet to try it for that, but it makes total sense!
Any more questions/comments/whatever, I’m all ears!!
As for MY Christmas wish…..
December 17, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I don’t wear blush either, but my skin is so oily I put as little as possible on it and blush is just not worth the hassle of re-applying several times a day. Plus I have cheek redness that is ever present which also dissuades me. However, on occasion I have wished I had some I could dust on, I’m just never able to pick a shade that would look good on me. Panda, I’mma need you to go with me one of these days.
@Jerseylicious: have you tried Clinique’s Almost Makeup? it’s super light, moisturizing and has SPF but the coverage is just enough to balance out skin tone. it’s $20 for a pretty good size tube and you can apply it with clean fingertips. I’m using it with a new acne regimen right now and I love it.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P122744&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=1254
December 17, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Panda, we have the same Christmas wish.
Amoureuse, I have naturally dark lips (and very pale skin) and I love Fresh’s sugar lip glosses. They’re super sheer, so they never go on frosty. And then come in some really nice shades.
And panda: I have one for you: Why does red lipstick, no matter what shade I choose, go fuchsia on me within 30 minutes?
December 17, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I have a question: I have porcelain veneers on my four front top teeth. They can’t be whitened! Yet I need whiter teeth! So do I have to go and have them replace the veneers at great expense?
I want whiter teeth so badly so that I can wear red lipstick. White teeth are essential for dark lipsticks!
December 17, 2008 at 9:29 pm
*sigh* Good point about the makeup-wearing with the acne. Maybe it’s because I’m Southern, IDK (tongue in cheek), but I have a hard time not wearing makeup (even just Almay with salicylic acid) even when my laid-off ass is sitting around at home alone. I really should take days off.
December 18, 2008 at 8:36 am
A suggestion for the perpetually dry skinned (or Retin-A users), I’ve been using this for a few months now after finding a tiny bit left in a jar in my roommate’s room. It absorbs really quickly, doesn’t seem to block any pores, and doesn’t have any smell (I’m very sensitive to fragrance.) Just be sure to buy the tub, not the tube, it’s just different somehow! The only thing that sucks is that it has no SPF but my tinted moisturizer does so I just use that.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=45864&catid=10394
December 18, 2008 at 9:52 am
@Kadinsky: I may have to make a Sephora run at lunch today (working next to a mall has been so rough on my wallet, dudes). What else do you use in your regimen, if you don’t mind me asking?
I feel like I’m spending so much money trying to get this sorted, and it’s driving me nuts. Plus, I’m going to Chicago for Christmas next week with my boyfriend’s family, and I imagine the weather there will only make me look like even more of a scaly monster.
December 18, 2008 at 10:06 am
@Jerseylicious: I’m using ProActiv, believe it or not. Nothing else I was using was working the way I wanted and I felt like every day I was waging war on my dirt choked pores, with my complexion as the casualty. I had tried it waaaaay back when but I never used the cleanser, toner and lotion like you’re supposed to, so I figured what the hell, give it a shot. It’s been a month and I’m very happy (I wanted to see what would happen through my period when my skin goes crazy) and I plan to keep using it. Prior to the ProActiv I used lots of different rx stuff from my derm, but it was either a hassle to keep up with or would end up being too harsh. (When I used Retin-A I had to use the grey one? The weakest one, and I was only able to use it every 3 days).
I hear you on the $$$ woes for face stuff, even with insurance my cost for stuff like Differin or Duac was over $50.
December 18, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Thank you, BDJ, I get it now — it’s chemistry! Setting = colloidal system in which the dispersed and continuous phases are both liquids (e.g., oil in water or water in oil), requiring an emulsifying agent to stabilize the dispersed particles.
December 18, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Yep, Panda, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste is fabulous. I recommended it to a friend yesterday.
December 19, 2008 at 10:23 am
@trixie: But but but — any red lipstick automatically makes your teeth look whiter. (Doesn’t it? I mean, I love tea and coffee too much to have anything approaching the world’s whitest teeth, but I feel like I do whenever someone gives me a nice red lip.) And the people on the tooth-whitening ads. They all wear beigey, nudey, pinkey lip colours before trying the OMG MagicWhiteStripz, or whatever, at which point they are suddenly brushing their dazzling chiclet chompers whilst wearing bright red lipstick.
The starkness of the tooth/lip contrast creates the optical illusion of whiter teeth, or some shit.
December 19, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I’m a medium-to-dark skinned African American, and even *I* wear blush. It’s a peachy/bronze one that’s very subtle. I wear it because I find it gives me a nice glow.
December 19, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Photo: No, the wrong red lipsticks can really make your teeth look yellow. Even yellower than they really are.
December 19, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I hope to God I’m good at makeup and “know” what I’m doing.
For the most part, with my common person knowledge. Whee!
December 20, 2008 at 5:43 am
Just wanted to say, Panda, that you’re my new hero. I’m not big with the foundation/powder/blush stuff, but I have a BIIIIIG party tonight, so I wanted to try something different. I went out and got a good base, powder, blush and new brushes (all on the cheap, since I might want to try new things but I’m not rich) and I just did a test run, and my face is looking FAB. It’s not a day thing for me, too high maintenance, but it’s looking great.
Also a shout out to the lady at Sephora who found me the right colour and showed me how to apply it!
Now I just need to go figure out if I’m going for smokey-ish eyes or a simple line and some shimmer. The cherry lip gloss I just bought is trying to convince me I should go with the latter.
Anyway, wheeee, thank you, I look pretty!
December 20, 2008 at 11:41 am
@hauenite: yay! so glad you found a new look to love! oh, and either play up the eyes or the lips, but not both. sounds like the cherry lip gloss is begging to be seen.
December 20, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Yes, definitely! I tried out heavier eyestuff, but quickly decided against it. And then I remembered that the party’s Roaring Twenties themed, and so red lips and eyeliner are really all I need. HURRAH!
Also, I can avoid wrangling with an updo (which always fails thanks to the great sleekness of my hair) and just have my bob suffice. HURRAH!
December 20, 2008 at 9:36 pm
@haguenite: I totally read that as “…just have my boob suffice.” I was all, “Well, howdy doody! AWESOME!”
Hahahahah.
December 21, 2008 at 9:26 am
Well, my boobs ALWAYS suffice, that’s sort of a given.
December 21, 2008 at 10:23 pm
@kadinsky: I am SUCH A FAN of ProActiv! (Yes, I am an infomercial). I refused to use it for years, despite having such bad skin that I had to spend ten to twenty minutes every morning applying layers of concealer, because I didn’t want to use something that advertised in infomercials. I finally started using it a year and half ago when my aunt recommended it, and my skin has been FANTASTIC — clear, smooth, and soft. I only ever get blemishes now when I’m bad and pick at my skin, and I used to get them by the dozen, daily, without even touching my face. The scrub and toner also help with ingrown hairs from shaving.
I can’t wear blush, as I get very flushed when I’m having a good time, especially when I’m drunk. I’ve been informed that my Asian glow is quite impressive for someone without a drop of Asian blood. I rather wish I could, so I could have a delicate flush instead of an all-over mottled redness.
Also, BDJ, I used false eyelashes twice this fall for the first times ever. I was always terrified of them, but I remembered your instructions, searched them out, and followed them faithfully. It went so smoothly! And then I felt so glam all night! Yay!