Tinted gloss for me. I’m not really big on makeup. I’m more of a skincare person. I usually have pretty nice skin, but not today. I look so blotchy and have a couple tiny pimples from not sleeping right and not following my usual skincare regime.
Oh wait, I also love Biotherm’s liquid foundation. I don’t know what kind I’m using because it’s actually a mini sample, which is great because I only use it on the apples of my cheeks. Sure beats concealer! It’s actually my first liquid foundation because I was afraid of them for a while (whenever I put it on it looked so obvious) but now that I’ve learned to use it sparingly, I’ve decided that I’m not going back to powder.
This might sound silly, but do you use a decent moisturiser? I didn’t for years, on the grounds that my already-oily skin didn’t need it, but then someone gave me a bottle of Clinque Dramatically Different Moisturiser and it made a huge difference.
As far as make-up goes, I use Nina Ricci foundation- it’s very light and natural looking, and is the only one I’ve found that matches my skin-tone perfectly. I apply it with my fingers - as someone’s already said, it’s more hygenic, and a make-up artist told me that the heat of your fingers melts the product slightly and makes it easier to apply evenly.
I also swear by Benetint by Benefit - a red-coloured liquid (looks exactly like a bottle of nail polish) that, dabbed onto to the apples of your cheeks and blended in, gives you the most natural-looking blush around - you look like you’ve just been for a brisk walk in the fresh air. Another favourite is Bad Gal mascara, also by Benefit - my desire to look natural goes out of the window when it comes to my eyelashes, which I like to be as thick and black as possible!
The only make-up I usually wear is foundation, mascara, and lipstick. Sometimes a little pressed powder to freshen up at the end of the day if I’m looking oily.
For foundation, I like Clinique Stay True Make-up or Neutrogena SkinClearing Make-up. I actually used the Clinique product for years, but I’ve recently come to prefer the Neutrogena.
Sorry to hear you can’t get to a dermatologist right now. The one thing you must stop doing is picking at it. I’m not saying you can’t drain the occasional egregious whitehead, but squeezing and messing around make a big mess of your face. I know, I used to do it as a teenager.
I would also recommend that you throw away any harsh zit creams that contain 10% benzoyl peroxide. All that does is dry out and irritate your skin. You can get just as good results from a product with much less such as Neutrogena’s On-the-Spot Acne Treatment with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide.
I have medium fair, combination, really sensitive skin. I also can’t stand that mask feeling. Bare Escentuals mineral makeup has no scent, which I think is important because I’ve never found a makeup that smells good to me. Their products are versatile: you can get very heavy coverage if you keep brushing the makeup on, although I don’t really like that look. Also, they have a huge variety of product and colors. I don’t break out from their stuff, I don’t itch from their stuff and it doesn’t seem to irritate my eyes any more than regular makeup.
My current favorite trick is to take my Burt’s Bees lip balm and dip it into one of their all-over face colors – makes great tasting, no fuss lipstick in a sheer color.
I don’t wear much make-up - I tend to look like MiMi if I do.
My 3 best pieces of advice…
Dermatologist - A clean, moisturized face is best. Wash at least twice a day with a pH balanced cleanser. Use a mild astringent - if it stings, it’s too harsh. Moisturize twice a week and deep clean (masque) once a week.
Beautician - pH balanced cleansers are expensive. Shampoos are mostly pH balanced and are much cheaper. Yep, I wash my face and hair with Pantene and now I never have break-outs. And maybe only 2 pimples a year. (My dermatologist was fine with this.)
Make-up Artist - Shadow and contour are better than colors. Find colors that are good with your skin tone and stay with them. I have a very round face and even toned skin and good natural color. I use powder in the oily areas. Instead of adding a bright blush on my cheek, I apply a slightly darker color just below the apple of my cheek. I also apply this (lightly) to my brow and chin. I use brown eyeliner and a deep rose eye shadow. When I wear mascara (brown/black), I only use it to frame my eye - Never go all the way to the tip. It just makes me look like I’ve spider if I do.
Dung Beetle, I’m glad you used the phrase “fairly accurate”. I’m no makeup artist and I can’t pick good colors for eye shadow, blush, lipstick, etc. I just buy what looks pretty in the display, for example, I love jewel tones so I buy blue eyeshadow, pink blush and fuchsia lipstick. When I get it home and try it on, I wonder why I look like a hooker. When it comes to applying the bare minerals, I’m a genius. The application is idiot proof. The minerals are packaged in a jar with a sifter insert. You invert the jar briefly so a small amount of product goes through the holes into the top part of the jar. You then shake the jar so that most of the powder falls back into the lower part of the jar. Then you open the jar and run the brush along the inside of the jar to pick up a small amount of the minerals. Tap the side of the brush to knock excess minerals back into the jar. Important note: close the jar and tighten the lid as soon as possible. If you knock the jar over, it’s a big mess to clean up.
Brush all over your face, or just where you need the coverage. If you have basically good skin with only a few flaws and you’ve picked the right color, you’ll be amazed at the transformation. My large pores are covered, freckles and small blemishes are covered. Put the brush down and further buff your face with a new, clean brush. This will buff off all but the smallest amount of minerals which is the effect you’re looking for. If you need spot coverage, apply a small amount of minerals to your skin with a concealer brush and buff it in. When you’re happy with the coverage, apply mineral veil to your face. The final effect should look like perfect skin, not masklike. The feel of the minerals is elegant, not plastic film like.
As far as the rest of the infomercial, I suspect that trained makeup artists picked out the most flattering colors for the models and applied them.
Sorry for the novel I just wrote, but I love Bare Escentuals and thought you’d like my experience. Silly Dog has a post which I agree with as well.
