Jane Doe: I’m looking for a good eye primer for red eyelids but can’t decide which one to go for. I want something that neutralizes the skin on my eyes (I have a lot of redness) but also gives my shadows mega staying power.
Me: I have 3 favorite eye primers; M.A.C. Paint Pot in “Soft Ochre” ($16.50), Lancome’s Ombre Perfecteur Pen ($23), and Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($18). All have yellow undertones to neutralize redness, and the staying power of shadows are amazing!
Jane Doe: I have normal / combo skin and in winter it usually gets a little dry…but this winter it’s behaving very differently. My skin is very dry in the cheeks and around the eyes, enough to where it is tight and uncomfortable most of the day. But my t-zone is just as oily as it would be in the summer and seems to be more prone to breakouts than usual. Any suggestions for how to tackle this? My current system is to cleanse with a normal cleanser, use a mild alcohol-free toner and moisturize with philosophy hope in a jar / eye hope for the eyes. I also exfoliate 4x a week and do an at home peel every other week.
Me: I would say stop using Hope in a Jar. Any oil on your face will make the oily areas worse. I don’t want you to waste your money though, so just use it at night with an oil control lotion on your t-zone. During the day, I would suggest MAC’s Studio Moisture Cream ($32). It’s safe for oily skin, but is very moisturizing. It gives time released moisture throughout the day and has spinach to help circulation. It will also add radiance to dry dull skin. Keep using your cleanser for normal skin, but switch to one with a toner in it. A toner’s main purpose is to pH balance your skin after using a cleanser that is too acidic. All of MAC’s cleansers a pH balanced, so you don’t need a toner. No toner= no irritating dry skin and no under-toning oily skin. Try MAC’s Creamwash ($19.50) or Green Gel cleanser ($19.50). Both are ok for all skin types.
Jane Doe: Perfect thanks! I haven’t tried any of MACs skincare maybe it’s time to give it a go. I think I’ll have to grab something from the Champale collection too.
Champale was made for you! All of MAC skincare is made with natural ingredients. No synthetics. No animal testing. All cruelty free.
Jane Doe: I love everything in that collection, I really want the quad though. It reminds me a little of my fav MAC quad Liza eyes which is really really old but just very pretty neutrals. Does the MAC skincare smell good?
Me: Some of it has no fragrance. I don’t remember what Studio Moisture cream smells like, but the Green Gel cleanser is very crisp and clean. It’s got green tea and algae extract. Balancing combination skin can be tricky, but you will eventually get there with the right products.
Jane Doe: I have horrible skin and I have tried a lot of cleansers and toners ect for it I look forward to trying a mask I hope it will help, ’cause so far nothing works and it is embarrassing. I have even had women tell me you need to wash your face more. It’s Rosacea and acne scaring I tell them but still get the looks of question .
Me: I can only really tell you how to cover up and soothe rosacea. Only dermatologist prescribed treatment can cure or control it.
As for acne scarring, you might want to try Stri-Vectin. It’s pretty pricey ($135), but it lasts a long time and works wonders. Within 2 weeks of using stri-vectin, my purple stretch marks turned white. Stretch marks are scars too. For something less expensive, start out with Maderma (you can get it at Walgreens, $30) until you notice results are not improving anymore, then move up to stri-vectin. You will need to use a very good moisturizer on top of Maderma and Stri-Vectin, because there is a lot of retinol in it and will make your skin feel dry and uncomfortable.
When you cover up acne scars, always wear a makeup primer underneath your foundation. This will fill in any lines, wrinkles, pores and acne scars so that your skin will have an even texture. Since you have a lot of redness, I suggest using the Sephora brand green corrector primer ($15). The green hue will neutralize any redness. Follow with your foundation, and setting powder.
Jane Doe: Ok I will do when I can find one in my area and TY for the advice. Doctors are way to expensive for me right now to go to for skin care. I used to have a face wash with tea tree oil in it that worked wonders for the Rosacea but it is no longer made I have looked for a new one to try but can’t find anything like it. Never thought of using Maderma on my face I have some and will be using it thank you.
If you can find pure tea tree essential oil, one drop in your cleanser and/or moisturizer should do the trick.
Here’s my latest makeup tutorial based on one of Beyonce’s looks in her “Why Don’t You Love Me?” video. I have it on YouTube, but they disabled my audio due to licencing issues, so I had to replace the soundtrack with one of their pre-authorized songs. The Vimeo version has the original soundtrack; a tribute to Miss Eta James.
Beyonce Inspired B.B. Homemaker Tutorial from Marissa Rhoades on Vimeo.
I really loathe plucking my eyebrows, but since waxing regularly doesn’t fit in my budget, I might as well get some good tweezers to make the process easier on me. Tweezerman makes excellent quality grooming products to fit the needs of everyone. My favorite product is the Pointed Slant Tweezer ($30) recently released by Benefit cosmetics. These are super sharp, therefore precise. You can pluck out super short hair and thin hair with these. If you want save $5, you can get the simple stainless steel ones on the Tweezerman site.