Ask The Makeup Diva

Boy, have you come to the right place! I have a really hard time justifying spending that kind of money, too, because there are so many great choices in the $3-$10 range.

Drugstores are the perfect place to find just the mascara you are looking for. If you want something to build up your lashes and make them look thicker, try Rimmel Extra Super Lash (at Wal-Mart), L’Oreal Voluminous and Maybelline Volum’ Express are just as good or better than the expensive department store brands.

If you want your lashes to look longer, L’Oreal Longitude Lash Out, Almay Amazing Lash and Neutrogena
Full Length Defining are definitely ones to look for.

For natural looking lashes, L’Oreal FeatherLash, Maybelline Lash Discovery and Almay The Insider are all excellent choices.

Try just one of these and you’ll agree - $8 every 3 months is much more attractive than $25!

The lid area of the eye is very thin and delicate. Most of the products recommend that you dot the cream around the bone of
the eye (all the way around), and gently pat it into the skin.
Use your ring finger, as it is the weakest finger. If you place
it directly on the lid, or too close to the eye underneath, it
can cause burning. You also only need to use a VERY SMALL
amount.

It is also possible that you have sensitive skin, so you might
want to make sure you use products that are developed for
sensitive eyes. A few that you might like: Awake Hydro Plus,
Philosophy Eye Believe, Clarins Eye Contour Balm, Joey New York.

Heh heh! If only it were that easy. Wrinkles come with age because the production of collagen slows as we get older, as well as the fact that years of exposure to sun and free radicals causes damage over the long term.

Honestly, I won’t shine your apple here. Lines and creases are
a part of life as we get older. Think of each line as being
representative of a new kernel of wisdom you’ve gained, or a
good joke you’ve laughed at, or a new lesson you’ve learned.

Treat your skin well by staying hydrated, exercising, eating
well, and using products to exfoliate and moisturize; dozens of
brands are reviewed at our sister site CosmeticConnection.com,
so you can just sift through them until you find some that
appeal to you.

Hope this helps!

It sounds as if you have what is called hyperpigmentation. This can be caused by an irritation of the skin from acne, sun damage, or hormonal changes (such as pregnancy, birth control pills, and changes of your estrogen level during menopause). The darkening is caused by the skins’ increased production of
melanocytes, which contain melanin ( an natural coloring pigment
in the skin.

The way to fade them is to use a bleaching cream. You can go to
the dermatologist, who will give you a prescription for
hydroquione (Glyquin, Lustra, Melanex). These will contain 4%
hydroquione. Hydroquione is a bleach, and you must be careful
being in the sun when using it (use LOTS of suncsreen!). It will
also bleach any part of the skin it touches, so you must be
careful to treat only the spots. It is a slow process. It can
take several weeks to notice any improvement.

There are also products that are available from cosmetic
companies (non prescription) that I think work just as well.
These products use a lesser amount of hydroquione (usually 2%)
in combination with other ingredients, such as kojic acid,
lactic acid or citric acid. You might try:

Sage Bleaching Lotion with Kojic Acid (at ZeroZits.com)

Philosophy A Pigment of Your Imagination (at Philosophy.com)

pHaze 13 Pigment Gel (at SkinRx.com)

Peter Thomas Roth Lightening Gels - comes in varying
strengths (at Sephora.com, Dots2.com, Beauty.com)

First, if you are 35 or older, you should definitely add an eye creme to your routine. An eye cream will moisturize the skin surface and “plump” the skin. This will help the “baggy areas” you mentioned. You should use this at night following your
cleansing routine. The eye cream should be dotted on the bone
around the eye, and gently patted in. The eye will absorb what
it needs and the cream will help prevent dry, tired-looking
eyes. As we age the eye area becomes dull and makes us look
tired. It will also help prevent fine lines from forming.

You should also consider using a firming eye gel during the day.
The firming eye gel tightens and firms this delicate skin. It
should be used around the eye bone, as with the cream. This type
of care is cumulative in nature, so the longer you use it the
more you will notice a difference.

If you are experiencing puffiness under your eyes, then consider a
smoothing eye gel. This type of problem is generally worse in
the morning. Be sure to drink lots of water, and do not pull or
tug on the delicate eye tissue.

Some good Eye Creams:
- Awake Hydro Plus Eye (at Sephora.com)
- Philosophy Eye Believe (at Sephora.com)
- Clarins Eye Contour Balm (at Clarins-Paris.com)

Firming Eye Gels:
- Joey New York Firm and Tone (at Sephora.com)
- Clarins Extra Firming Eye Contour Cream (at Clarins-Paris.com)

For Puffiness:
- Joey New York Lift Up Eye Gel (at Sephora.com)
- Philosophy Dark Shadows (at Sephora.com)
- Origins No Puffery (at Origins.com)

Good luck and let me know if I can help any further! Many times
the creams will also double for firming and toning. Check
the products for what they propose to do for your eyes.

It’s difficult to say that one moisturizer is the “best”, although some are certainly better than others! A good moisturizer will hydrate without greasiness while leaving your
skin smooth, soft, and - optimally - protected from sun damage.
Also, many moisturizers now target older skin with an arsenal of
anti-aging ingredients - alpha and beta hydroxys, grapeseed,
retinol, etc. What’s best for one person’s skin may be a
disaster for another. You didn’t mention whether you have
sensitive skin, breakouts, lines or other problems, so it’s hard
make a recommendation. Total Effects is targeted toward
anti-aging, but it may be a bit rich for some combination skin.
If you feel greasy, you might want to try an oil-free daytime
moisturizer and use something richer at night.

First, I would ask if you smoke, because smoking will definitely cause the fine lines to appear around your mouth. You are too young to have age wrinkles. Could it be dryness? If that is the case then I would recommend using your eye cream that fights wrinkles around the mouth and see if that helps.

Normally the darkening around the mouth and sometimes other
areas of the face as you age is hyperpigmentation. The darker
your complexion, the more common this condition becomes. It can
be caused by hormonal imbalance, birth control pills, sun, etc.

There are several products to use to “bleach” the skin. A couple
that I would recommend:

Sage Bleaching Lotion with Kojic Acid (at ZeroZits.com)

Philosophy A Pigment of Your Imagination (at Philosophy.com)

Peter Thomas Roth Potent Botanical Skin Brightening Gel Complex (at Sephora.com, Dots2.com, Beauty.com)

When bleaching, follow these recommendations:
• Apply the bleach only to the darkened area. Continued use on
normal areas will lighten the normal skin tone also.

• Bleaching should be stopped when desired effects are received.
Continuing could cause the skin to become too light.

• Sun protection is an absolute MUST! The bleaching product will
make your face more sensitive to the sun, and it will try to
darken the areas you are working on to bleach.

• Be patient! Bleaching is a slow process. The darker the areas,
of course, the longer it will take.

Hydroquinone is probably the most used bleaching agent until
recently. It is available in non-prescription form (2%) and
prescription form (4% - Glyquin, Lustra, Melanex) from
dermatologists. There are people who cannot tolerate
hydroquinone, so for those people, kojic acid works very well.
There are also products that combine kojic acid with glycolic
acid. Check out the ingredients if you know you are sensitive to
any of these I have mentioned.

Hope this helps!

It sounds as if you’re already doing the right things to take good care of your skin, but I think you would benefit greatly from the use of a gentle Alpha/Beta Hydroxy treatment.

AHA’s and BHA’s do a wonderful job of removing the top layers of
the epidermis to reveal fresher, moister skin. Fine lines become
less noticeable, and you’ll probably notice a rosy glow. You
don’t need to spend lots of money either; I love Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream! You can’t beat it for the price, and it is very effective! You might also want to consider Prescriptives All You Need cream, which has everything you need for wonderful looking skin, all in one formula.

Something to remember: always use a sunscreen, especially when
using AHA’s or BHA’s. Because the skin being exposed is more
delicate, you’ll need to make sure it is well protected by using
a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen. But you should be doing
that already, and I’m sure you know that Sun exposure without
proper protection does great damage to skin, and causes all
sorts of problems like premature aging, wrinkling,
discoloration, or worst case scenario, skin cancer. I like
sunscreens by Peter Thomas Roth and Blisslabs, but Oil of Olay
makes a fabulous Olay Complete UV Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 15 full spectrum sunscreen, if you prefer to spend less (and who doesn’t?).

As far as drinking water goes, you should definitely be drinking
at least 8 full 8oz. glasses of water per day, and even more if
you are active or exercise regularly. I personally drink about 12
glasses a day, and cannot overstate its importance in
maintaining moist skin. Water hydrates your body, flushes out
toxins, and is essential to cell activity. Water consumption is
the cornerstone of a healthy body!

Hope this helps, and thanks so much for writing!

Usually, the best route to go for faces is to pick a self
tanner designed expressly for your complexion. I’ve used, and
liked, Coppertone’s formula, but I feel it would be more
appropriate for the body because of a breakout risk. Neutrogena
makes a very nice facial self-tanner, as does Clarins.

However, you have so many options for your face. You can use a
powder bronzer for temporary, natural-looking color. Consider
trying Hoola by Benefit (at Sephora.com), Wet and Wild’s Powder Bronzer, or
Morning Sun by Clarins. I also love gel formulas, and have been
a big fan of Bonne Bell’s gel bronzer for years. Lastly, BeneFit
makes a product called Glamazon, which totally rocks. It is a
liquid bronzer that blends beautifully, and looks very natural.
Choices, choices! Just do a bit of experimenting, and you’ll
find the formula that works best for your skin type.

For the sake of your skin’s health, I absolutely cannot advocate using a tanning bed, or being out in the sun without an SPF of at least 15. The concentration of UV rays a tanning bed emits is quite high, and will contribute greatly to premature
wrinkling, dryness, and even skin cancer, which is one of the
fastest growing cancers in the USA. Really, it just isn’t worth
risking your health over. Not to mention that a tanning bed
doesn’t provide a very attractive color on most people.

Instead of trying to fight your skin’s natural color, why not
revel in it? Pale skin is sexy and glamorous, and can look
absolutely stunning in vibrant colors such as red and hot pink.
If you really want to add a bit of color, use a self tanner like
Coppertone, Bain de Soleil, Clarins, or Neutrogena. Be sure to
pick the lightest shade available.