The Makeup Bandit

*Photo Courtesy of seenindonesia.com*

So we’ve all done it.

You find a cosmetic mirror, pick it up and check to see if your lip liner has smudged. WAIT.. There’s a 5x magnifying side on this thing?? Sweet! Up to eye level the devil mirror goes & realize that you can now see the micro organisms having a party in your pores. Depressions, Dents and Divots galore..

First things first..

PUT THE MIRROR DOWN. Your first reaction is going to be to pick away at what you see on your face. This will potentially introduce more bacteria to all the blemishes and black heads, making them a bigger issue than before.

I’m here to tell you that no one looks at you from 1/2 an inch away from your face and YES YOU ARE STILL AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS.

Now that we have the situation under control, I am going to help you out a bit with two products combating large pores and the irritating muck that loves to inhabit them..

1. Skincare: I mentioned in my previous post that I use a mask called ‘Bliss Steep Clean’ I am going to give you a quick explanation on why I love this guy..

It comes in a pump form and you will notice there are two colors going on, blue & yellow. Place your pointer finger on one side and your middle finger on the other, press down equally and it will dispense both colors. Now mix these thoroughly to activate the solution (when it turns green) and smear it all over your face in an even layer. Leave on for 15 minutes (I usually get distracted and it ends up on there for around 25-30 min.. Oops!).

Do this once a week and you will be thanking me. Why you ask? Well here’s the quick ingredient break down..

-Prozymex: Exfoliating enzyme that helps texture and skin tone.
-Vitamins A, C, and E & Grapeseed Extract: Fights free-radical damage, brighten and moisturize.
-Salicylic Acid: Surface exfoliator and anti-inflammatory, also helps reduce sebum blockage.
-Zinc Gluconate: Helps regulate sebum, oil, and shine. (The culprit of your black heads)

This means..

-It doesn’t dry out your skin (I know you want to feel squeaky clean, but that only means the product has messed with your skins PH, freaking it out and now it will over produce oil to compensate.. This is NO GOOD.)

-It loosens congestion so those stubborn black heads will be removed with less strain. Please wash your hands before attacking your face, it will help against spreading all the germs.

2. Cosmetics:

- Too Faced Wrinkle Injection: Meet my magician.. I love this product for filling in large pores & light wrinkles. Reasons? Well you aren’t smearing the dimethicone (which is a silicone polymer) all over your face where you might not need it, it acts more like a spot treatment.

Warm up a pea sized amount between your fingers and then gently pat over the areas you want to fill in. DO NOT use a silicone based foundation on top of this product, they will roll over each other and you will think your face is peeling off. (At least that is what I thought when I first made this mistake.)

**Disclaimer about pores - You cannot physically shrink the actual depth/size of your pore, this is something that is genetically decided. The best way to make your pores ‘appear’ smaller is to keep them clean. Make sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser at the end of the day, exfoliate, and smile alot.

Ok.. well that last one isn’t proven, but I believe that smiling can solve any issue, so its worth a shot right? At the very least a pearly white smile distracts people from my pores ;)

Until next time!

*TMB

Happy 2012!

So I have been getting requests to explain what skin care & foundation I use, so here’s my answer!

Meet my skin: Generally normal all over with oil through the T-Zone. OIL?!?!?! I’m not complaining. Oil keeps your skin lubricated and protected, preventing aging. Yea my pores will be the size of New York by the time I’m 65, but who really cares then?

Back to my dilemma.. I have WAY sensitive skin. I’m talking any fragrance, weird dye, or word you can’t fully pronounce in the ingredient list will make this horrible red rash appear all over, and worst of all? I am also allergic to antihistamines, the dude that calms down allergic reactions. Sucky? Yea.

SO, 3 years ago my face had an allergic reaction and hasn’t been the same since. :(

I have peeled, scrubbed, exfoliated, Glycolic’d, and salicylic’d. I have bought little machines that spin in circles to cleanse with, used Alpha and Beta Hydroxy, every fruit acid or enzyme you can think of, everything! NO DICE.

For 2012 I looked at my box o’ skin care and said SCREW THIS NOISE.. I am going to stick to Clean and Clear Cleanser for Sensitive Skin, Oil of Olay Oil Free Moisturizer with Spf 15, whatever random eye cream I find, Bliss Steep Clean once a week (to control blackheads), and…. Drum roll pleaseeeeeeeeeee: DRINKING 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY.

Can I tell you how much my skin has improved in 2 weeks? I’ve gotten 2-3 compliments a day on my complexion.. How friggin exciting!

Its all thanks to waving the white flag on the war against my skin, proper diet/water intake, and the cosmetics products I’ve listed below…

FIRST: Under eye..

Givenchy Mr Brite: only on the areas of darkness, and a bit on my upper lid.

Tarte Smooth Operator Waterproof Concealer: THIS PRODUCT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. Please go and buy this now so it can change yours.. Its creamy, doesn’t set in wrinkles, IS WATERPROOF and doesn’t dry out under eyes. I use my fingers to apply so it warms up the concealer.

SECOND: Foundation..

MAC Face and Body: I mix C4 and N2 together to get my current color. (They are my summer and winter foundations) I buff around my face with the Sephora Pro Foundation Airbrush #55. I like both of these products because they allow for coverage where I need them, but allow my skin to show through.

(I switch back and forth from MAC to Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Spf 20 *ANOTHER AMAZING COMPLEXION PRODUCT*)

THIRD: Set with Powder..

My ALL time favorite is MUFE Duo Mat Powder Foundation, but I have come to love and currently use MAC Studio Fix in NC25. They are both pretty much the same, but I started doing makeup with MUFE so I gotta give them a HUGE shout out. **User note, they tend to run a bit yellow**

Also! The powders above are MAT. Meaning they do NOT contain anything luminous (good for me and my oily face) and they are also full coverage. I only recommend full coverage in powder, as most of the time you will be off by a shade or two and you are less likely to have a line with powder then with liquid.

Until Next Time!

TMB