I guess I have bad luck then 
What brand do you buy?
Two of the discontinued items were Clinique (a foundation and a lipstick) and one was a Givenchy nail polish.
I’m waiting on the Clinique eye shadow to go, too, since it seems only about half the Clinique counters in Dublin even stock it.
Ahh. Yes - counter brands do tend to fire through their colors a lot faster.
You could try MAC - they seem to keep things around for quite a long time. There first Viva Glam came out at least 10 years ago and it’s still around, as is Shroom - one of my favorite eyeshadows from them.
Is their stuff good? I’m somewhat put off by their marketing.
!!! :eek: !!!
Hey - as Rue Paul says - If MAC make up can make a 7 foot tall man look good, imagine what it can do for you!
The quality is excellent, period.
As to their political stance, all the proceeds from their Viva Glam I, II, III, and IV goes towards AIDS research and people living with AIDS. They have a recycling program - bring in 6 empty plastic containers and receive a free lipstick (about $16 worth). The don’t test on animals and contain no animal products.
I suppose if you don’t support those causes, then you might not like them. However, their quality remains excellent. For face I like their studio fix, and their eye-shadows glide on very smooth.
I like their quality better than Clinique, actually.
And as a final note - my store doesn’t carry MAC, so I have to go elsewhere and pay full price for it, which I do happily.
Oh I wasn’t even aware of the causes they support, they just come across as a bit too flashy, which always makes me suspicious that a company is putting style over substance. But, since you say otherwise, I will give them a try. Thanks.
Right.
This thread has convinced me to ditch the cheap foundation I’ve been wearing…it comes off in five minutes anyway…and go back to Elizabeth Arden. Yeah its expensive, but it lasts a year anyway.
I have problems with off-color around my eyes. Its kind of a nasty greenish-yellow under my eyes and on my eyelids. Like a faded bruise. I’ve been trying to lighten it up with a little white concealer, but it also comes off in about five minutes. I’ve got really deepset eyes, so I’m hesitant to put a lot of eye-make up on there anyway. I don’t want to look like a raccoon.
What do women usually do about this? Or am I the only woman with eyes like this?
OK, as long as we’re consulting here…
I am naturally very fair, but have somewhat sensitive skin, and, well, what with one thing and another I’ve turned more red than anything else. My face is very pink. So I use the Physician’s Formula green face powder, which makes me look more average. And if there’s anything I don’t need, it’s blush. But what would you recommend for skin that is very pink, but pale underneath? (I have brown eyes and hair, but with some gold/red tints. And I don’t use foundation or even eyeshadow very often; around here, most people don’t do much.)
ouisey - discoloured eye bags are really common. There are two brands I can think of that make nifty many colour kits for this exact problem Quo Bags Away and Lise Watier Portfolio. Unfortunatly, they’re both Canadian, which I assume does you no good, whatsoever. (I don’t know your location.)
You can probably improvise using a concealer ONE shade lighter than your foundation - if it’s actually white, it will only draw attention to the area - mixed with a bit of pink color corrector - it will neutralize the green shadow - NB, you’re going to have to play around a bit to get a perfect color match. Pat it on ONLY on the shadow.
For a deep set eye, shadow is even more important than for large eyes - I also have deep set eyes and I consider it one of my staples. Choose light colors to brighten the area, and avoid heavy eyeliner as it can really make the eye receed and close up. A smokey eye is one look that’s particularly horrible on deep set eyes, as it tends to make you look like a heroine addict. Lovely. Anyhow - keep the colors light and eyeshadow will be fine.
dangermom - a lot of redness is the sort of thing that rather than covering with make up, my first suggestion is to correct - it can be a sign of sensitive skin - I flush like crazy if I go out in the wind/sun, etc or if I exercise. What products do you use to cleanse and moisturize your face?
I ended up buying some MAC foundation and concealer today. I’d checked out Clinique first, but the women at the Clinique counter ignored me completely while I was browsing (they were talking to each other instead), so I guess that explains why no one else was at their section. I know it’s not Clinique’s policy or anything, but I wasn’t going to reward them for inattentiveness.
Two women at the MAC counter came up to help within a minute or less of me browsing - one said she’d be right with me, then another who wasn’t helping a customer came up to help. She was very helpful, didn’t push sales on stuff I wasn’t interested in - she asked if I wanted to look at eyeshadow or mascara, and I said I didn’t really wear anything on my eyes, so she didn’t continue in that direction. I mentioned that I wear some lipstick, so she asked about that. Didn’t push anything, I brought up concealer and powder and asked for her advice on types for my skin.
I asked for stuff with very light coverage, to match my skin tone and just blend out any unevenness in tone, and it looks like I got what I asked for.
If I’d known about MAC’s social policies, though, I might have gone to them first. I work on a medical study involving people with AIDS. I don’t pay much attention to cosmetic advertising so I had no idea.
I’ve heard good things about Bobbi Brown, but damn, $40 for a bottle of foundation? I don’t think so.
So THAT’S what went wrong with my cartilage piercing! It wasn’t infected, exactly, but after a year it just would not heal. It constantly felt as if I had just had it done and it was always sore and sensitive.
For me, my make up always looks good at the beginning of the day, but when I get home, I might just as well have gone without!
Also, I have never found lipstick that DOESN’T fade. Any reccomendations? I tend to like darker brownish red shades. And when it doesn’t fade, it seems to look like I drew it on with crayon when I look in the mirror hours later.
Well, all make up needs to be refreshed somewhat throughout the day.
Noses need to be powdered, and lipstick needs to be reapplied. Stage makeup will last longer, but it’s much, much heavier and looks like, well… stage makeup.
Depending on what you use, you can lengthen the staying power, however.
To increase eye make up wear length, always put a bit of foundation on your eyelid and brow area before applying your shadows and liners. You use loose powder, but you may want to apply a touch of liquid foundation to just the eye area.
You mention that you have an oilier skin, but you also mention that you use cream products (blushes). Unfortunately, oilier skins can cause stuff like a cream blush to just slide right off your face - you’d get much longer color with a powder. Additionally, you mention that you use loose powder which tends to have the least staying power of any foundation type product - it is a good choice for an oily skin. That being said, you could try a cream to powder foundation with a wet/dry formula - you’ll find it lasts on the face a bit longer. Alternatively, you can just re-dust your face throughout the day. The reason you get home and it looks like the powder is gone is because it’s done it’s job - it’s absorbed the extra oil from your skin. A touch up through the day will keep you looking fresh.
Finally, for lipstick it’s a bit of a trade off. Long lasting colors tend to feel dry and can cake and crack by the end of the day. My preference is to use foundation on my lips, use a lip liner and then apply a moisturizing lipstick. You’ll still have to refresh through the day, but it least gets you to work or school. Lipliner makes a big difference and is an excellent investment - you’ll pay between $4-$15 for a liner and they last forever - make sure to get the pencil kind as oppose to the dial up kind - if the end of a pencil (usually red) gets that funky lipstick gone bad smell you can just sharpen the icky part away - with the dial up kind, once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Oh, I’m pretty basic. I have managed to figure out that I have sensitive skin (something I never believed in until I realized I had it :p). The pinkness appears to be fairly pernament and dates from a time when I worked a lot outside–super sunscreen notwithstanding. That was several years ago now. Anyway, I use a Neutrogena face wash, Dove soap, and Ponds moisturizer, all for sensitive skin. If anyone could tell me something to get the redness to go away, I’d love it!
Oh, and my skin is a bit oily underneath, but dry and flaky on top. Joy…
This is one of the top reasons I love being a guy: I don’t have to worry about anything having to do with makeup, unless my girlfriend (currently nonexistent) wants my opinion of hers, and then the answer is automatically ‘lovely’ or some variant thereof. Delivered with feeling, of course.
I couldn’t identify my skin type for a million dollars. Well, I’d at least try, if I could get a million dollars.
Well, here goes.
Quit using your Neutrogena, Dove and Ponds. They are good products - just not for you. I know this, because you have red skin that is difficult to cover with foundation and claim (I’m not saying your fibbing :)) to wear sunscreen. Ergo, you’re not using the right products.
I would recommend using Vichy Purete Thermale Calming Cleansing Solution - it’s a one step cleanser that will remove your eye-makeup as well. You use NO water with this product - just the product and a cotton puff.
Then, for a moisturizer, I would suggest either:
Vichy Thermal S 1 - entensly rehydrating moisturizer which is available by contacting any Brooks or CVS Pharmacy in Rhode Island
or
Biotherm Biosensitive moisturizer for combination skin which is available at Macy’s among other US locations.
or
Avene Hydrance Optimal Light (Legere)
which can be ordered from beautytarget.com
The US distribution of these lines is rather limited (you can’t swing a cat in Canada without hitting one of their displays) but they are worth the extra shipping hassle.
I think if you switch to a slightly better quality product, your redness will diminish eliminating the need for foundation fixes.
Nice try. 
At least 30% of my clients are men looking for skin care products, shaving products, etc. etc. I don’t sell a lot of makeup to guys, but I do get the occasional fellow who buys concealer.
A lot of these fellas get dragged in by their lady-friends, but many come in on there own.
Ya know, there are lots of lonely cosmeticians out there…perhaps you could meet someone…
I’m kidding! I’m kidding!
Seriously though, my poor SO winds up being a guinea pig for loads of men’s face products - I bring them home and test them on him so I can be more helpful to my customers.
Thanks for your helpful response, Alice.
To answer your questions…no, I don’t use any eyecream, ever (should I?), I’m not pregnant, I use Maybelline EverStay Foundation and I go through a tube of it in about 2 1/2 months…just bought a new one. No known allergies, two dogs, and no new environment. My eyeshadows are all at least 2/3 months old. I don’t use very much of 'em so I just keep them til they’re gone. How often should I be replacing them?
I hadn’t thought of eczema; three days ago the skin was red and flaky, but it’s improved since I haven’t worn any eye makeup. It’s still flaky but it’s no longer red or irritated-looking. The thing is, I was thinking about it and I realized that this has been an off-and-on thing for awhile now; it just hadn’t progressed to the point that I really thought about it.
And this summer I had surgery, and didn’t wear an ounce of makeup for over a week, and it completely vanished. Only to gradually return since then. That’s why I’m assuming it’s an allergic reaction to my makeup. (Which is a type of eczema from what I read?) Of course I was also on antibiotics, and my skin always looks great after a few days of 'em. 
Thanks for the heads up, in case that’s what it is; I’m hoping it will continue improving either way. I intend to buy new eyeshadows and a new kind of foundation once it clears up completely. I’ll also try to get that Burt’s Bees eye cream.
I may try MAC, since you like it and my girlfriends swear by it. I’ll brave the cosmetics counter one more time, and think of you. 
Hi Alice!
Thanks for sharing your cosmetic wisdom with everyone. I’d love to come to your store, but it’s a bit far.
I don’t wear makeup, except for a little bit of the Body Shop’s Luminous Lotion (and I’m another Burt’s Bees Lip Balm lover–that’s good stuff.) Here’s my problem–sometimes I have dark smudges under my eyes. Is there any way I can minimize them or cover them up without having to put on foundation? I’ve tried several different varieties of eye creams, but I haven’t found anything that really helps. I have dark hair, and my skin has a bit of a yellow tone, but is on the light side.
So, is there anything I can do, or am I destined to go through life looking like I haven’t gotten enough sleep?
Thanks!
ME
Thanks alice; I’ll go take a look at the Macy’s counter next time I’m in the Big City.