Make-up hints

NarberthMom

Marin --



What about an exfoliating cleaner ... I quite liked the Saint Ives Apricot Scrub. I used it in the shower -- easier to rinse off there! Right now I'm using something I got in my Looks Good,Feel Better package ... Skin Simple Efficiency Expert Toner and Cleanser. I don't think it's made anymore, so I plan on going back to Saint Ives.



As for my lower eyelashes .... I think that they are unusually close to the edge of the eyelid, so I'm not sure how to get the white in there. But, I will persevere!!



I also remember seeing something on TV (maybe on one of the shopping channels) about putting white just on the inside of the eyes near the nose. Anyone hear of that?



Hillary

Raye99

Marin - I use Mary Kay exfoliator...running upstairs to look at the label...Okay, it's called Timewise Microdermabrase sp? (not running up there again). My SIL sells Mary Kay, so I get a break on the price.

Here is what I used to do before I brought an exfoliator. I used to take a wash cloth with my soap (Cetaphil, very gentle - you could use your cleanser) and gently scrub my face with the cloth. I  could feel a big difference.

Hillary, I have heard of that, but have never tried it. Is that supposed to make one's eye appear more wide set? or brighten them?

iodine

I also use my wash cloth for exfoliating along with the daily citrus stuff and occasional light buff puff.

I have a few cloths that are rougher than the others and they work well in scrubbing off the extra skin cells.

Anonymous

I love medicated Apricot scrub ... CVS brand. 

Wet washcloth for the lips and eyes, just water.

Tina, glad that you like the collagen filler!!   

abbadoodles

Blush tip:  Don't use it just on your cheeks.  It's more natural looking if you put a touch at your hairline/forehead with a very light application over the bridge of your nose, your chin and a small, small tad on your neck just under your jaw. 

Tina

Anonymous

Marin - I have used the Garden Botanical Radience Revealed Skin Refining Microderma Scrub. It worked well for me.

WELL GIRLS - I am a Botox loser! The wrinkle on my chinny, chin, chin...is NOT gone! I talked to the Dr. and she said they are always conservitive in that area. But going forward...she may want to consider Juvederm to "fill it in" as opposed to "deadaning" it. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....oh well. Nothing ventured...nothing gained. Right?

gsg

best exfoliator ever is in your kitchen cupboard....sugar.  mix it in with any lotion..it can be cheap hand lotion.  whip it up together, the lotion will become frothy.  then rub it all over.  i do my whole body...sometimes just my face.  then take a shower.  you won't believe the creamy complexion you'll end up with and so velvety smooth.  i learned this tip from a girl from bolivia. 

i've read on-line some people add lemon juice to the concoction.  i haven't tried that.........yet.

Anonymous

gsg - That sounds like a great concoction.

Question: I'm too chicken to call my Onc and ask...so the next best thing is you girls! LOL

Would it be really bad if I went for two or three 10 minute sessions at a tan salon? I'm leaving for MX this Sat. - I'm as white as a frickin' ghost. I want to kick start my tan so I don't have to hide behind palm trees when I get there. Help...thanks!

Anonymous

Laura..I came on to encourage you to go ahead with a filler if your chin wrinkle actually needs plumping out. Botox is really only good for fine lines around the eyes and on the forehead. Anyway, I saw your recent question about tanning and will just say that I'm a proponent and if I were leaving for any vacation that would involve skin-baring, I'd be right there in the tanning bed first. But you will get differing opinions here, some of them vehement. We had a long thread going on over on the "Young Women" board about 6-8 months ago (Raye? Beth?) and the consensus was that spray tanning is alot safer and looks really nice too.

Patrice....Does the sugary lotion thing feel sticky?

~Marin

Anonymous

Marin - Thanks! I always appreciate your advice. My Dr. said the same thing about botoxing the chin vs. the forehead. But since they were having the seminar and I practically got it for free, we figured we'd give it a try - I was the "Guinea pig model" that day, so to speak.

I've had the spray tanning done for special occasions and I love it, but it comes off in salt water or chlorine in the pool. So it would be a waste of time/money. Hmmmm...I have to mull this one over.

I HOPE I DON'T GET VEHEMENTLY ATTACKED here for asking! LOL Please girls - be nice! LOL I have been exfoliating like a maniac the past few days and I started the self tanning lotion (which will also rub off) but atleast it's a start. The Loreal Sublime works really well. I still have to WAX/rip! Yikes...

gsg

Marin:  re the sugar scrub:  Kinda sticky, but it isn't as sticky as you'd think....it is messy, though when doing your whole body.  I stand on a towel next to the shower.   It really feels good on the feet.  When I do just my face, I also include my neck.

It gives the skin a translucent quality and smooth as a baby's bottom.

Raye99

Laura - sorry the Botox didn't "take" in that area - you are still beautiful!

As for the tanning, I'll tell ya right now, your onc will say "no way, Jose" on the tanning. I asked my rads onc, my onc, my bs - they all said noooo! ha. And Yes, Marin, we had that long discussion about tanning last spring and came to the consensus that tanning lotion, spray on, etc. was healthier and does look nice. However, I must confess that before vacation last year, I broke down and bought a tanning package. I am evil!! I was careful to cover my breast area (and of course, my face). I felt it was better than burning on vacation, right?  

That sugar exfoliating concoction sounds wonderful. How original. I am going to definitely try it out.

Raye

gsg

Laura:  Have a great time in Mexico!

Anonymous

raye - AWWWW...thanks so much. You're so sweet. If I decide to "tan"...I will take your advice...cover the ex-boob area and the face! Next time you're in Chicago...let me know and maybe we can meet for lunch. I'd love to see which one of us is "taller" sitting down! OMG  LOL

gsg - Thanks! Our little "trip" pales in comparison to you and your son's adventures! Nothing quite so exotic or remote, but yes, quite relaxing! I miss seeing the photos of your son's travels....

gsg

thanks, laura. i absolutely love mexico.  it's where my husband and i were married 30 years ago this june.

i need to cull through my son's photos to find some more to post.  he has had some remarkable experiences.  they have now left southeast asia and are in the philippines.  after that, they will head to china.

sometime this week i'll find some and post them. thanks so much for asking about him. 

Anonymous

hey gsg...I felt as though I was passing along with him...what an aincredible experience! If I had my knowledge and wisdom and means back at that age...I would have loved to travel the world. Such a remarkable and incredible experience. Please do keep us posted...start a thread if you must... it's a journey through life and cultures and languages. My dh and I JUST TONIGHT had a long conversation about our existance and creation...yikes...it was heated at points, but we came to the same conclusion....weird how we all began.

iodine

My dd, the massage therapist, does a body scrub, but theirs contains salt.

She told me I could make my own using an oil base and even add some fragrance to it.  Even canola oil works with the salt.  And I agree, it DOES make a huge difference in how your skin feels.  I also heard that it makes the skin more "open" to accepting lotions and such.

I do mine in the shower after soaping up and rinseing off, then turn the water off and do the polish, then rinse off again.  The oil makes my skin feel great, too.

I'm sure it would work with thick lotion as well.

Anonymous

gsg - one more thing. You said you and your dh were married in MX...me and my dh met in Jamaica! LOL

abbadoodles

Laura, have a great vacation!  I know what you mean about being so white that you glow.  It IS dangerous to plop yourself out in the sub-tropical sun with white skin, esp. since you will probably be in it for hours at a time.

I don't think a little judicious tanning in a tanning bed would be the end of the world, but DO cover up delicate areas AND your face.  Nothing worse than a leathery old face from tanning.  You can always fake a facial tan with bronzer.

If it were me, I would probably opt for self-tanner before the vacation, then use high quality sun-block when I get there.  My reason is that I take for-e-ver to tan and I don't think one week's worth of tanning bed would even begin to do it for me. 

gsg, the sugar scrub makes sense.  I am even looking into sugaring to get rid of facial hair.  I have read (on the internet) that it's an ancient practice and is as effective when done properly as waxing, PLUS is less painful because the sugar glop sticks only to the hair, not your skin, as wax does.  So, to the panty we will go..........

Speaking of salt, it was somewhere on these boards that I recently mentioned using spit and salt to calm mosquito bites when you have no access to lidocaine creams.  My grandmother taught me that when I was a kid.  Sounds icky, but, what the heck, it's your own saliva.  Just apply spit, rub in a shake of salt and it REALLY helps!  Laura, you might need that hint when you are in Mexico.  I hear they have mosquitos as big as robins!

Does everyone have a make-up drawer or what kind of containers do you use?  I have a two bathroom drawers that hold things like toothpast, creams, make-up, etc. and I make them organized and pretty-looking by dividing them with mid-20th century rectangular planters.  My colors are those cools varied shades of blue-green.  It makes me happy every time I open those drawers.  I wish I could be as organized in the rest of my life!!!

Tina

Anonymous

Tina - Your drawers sound beautiful! I just use a plastic divided tray...but now you have me thinking.

As for mosquitoes - I have never even seen one there. I worry more about the JUMUNGOUS Tarantula (sp?) I once saw! LOL

One thing I am lucky with, is that I tan rather quickly...even though I am Casper's sister! It only takes a few days. I start out with #30 and then gradually go down.

Anonymous

Laura...I laughed at the thought of your trying to spit on and salt a huge tarantula! It sounds like you might hit the (tanning) bed? Wish I had an excuse too since I really love just being in there, all naked and warm. I'm so sick of winter, y'all....

Oh and btw, I told my rad onc that I was tanning during rads and she nearly fainted! She finally just pleaded with me to at least put a little towel across my cancer boob and I said I would - as long as it didn't mess up my tan! I never, ever tan my face though....well, maybe every once in awhile .

As for organizing my bathroom drawers for my products....uh-uh....I just throw everything in and scoot them around when I need something. Even my rings and multitudes of earrings (I have 8 piercings!) are among the mess. I love it though and actually pretty much know where everything is! Every once in awhile, I'll feel that OCD urge coming on and I organize everything in containers and get them all size and color-coded. Once the urge passes though, they just all magically merge into a vast pile again. I guess that's just me! Sigh......

~Marin

NarberthMom

I have so little makeup that it can all fit in a basket. I don't have any drawers in my bathroom (it's really just an alcove off the main bathroom, with a toilet and pedestal sink, with a medicine cabinet above. I found some wire shelves that fit into the two corners around the sink and put stuff in baskets.



As for earrings, well ... I only have the two ears pieced (LOL!), but my earring collection has grown with my retail therapy! (And the fact that my new short 'do just cries out for long dangly earrings). I just recently invested in a cool earring stand, purchased at the same place where I've been getting most of my earrings. It's nice to be able to see them all laid out and figure out which ones to wear. It will also help when I feel the urge for retail therapy to know where the gaps are in my earring collection!



One last work about earrings ... I used to have really, really long hair and wore little diamond studs every day. For some reason, a few months before my diagnosis, I had this urge to buy several pairs of long dangly earrings. Of course, no one could see them what with my hair and all. When I get diagnosed, my earring compulsion made sense!



Hillary

Anonymous

Too funny! OMG - "here terantula, terantula, terantula." LOL

I think I will tan 2-3 x. Tanning during rads! LOL OMG - You are one brave girl!

snowyday

Marin a cheap and really great exfoliant is olive oil and sea salt. Mix it together until you have a paste and then rub gently all over, your skin feel so soft afterwards, it's amazing, or if you have really sensitive skin, blend some oatmeal and blend it and use it to bath in or wash your face, or use in shower, feels really good.pearl49

Anonymous

Pearl....I love it, but I think the oil might make me break out. I heard that jojoba oil was a good makeup remover (I read/post over on iVillage's "natural beauty products" board) and thought I'd use it all over my face, but I broke out from it. I have a T-zone and combination skin, so I have to be careful. What else do you think I could use for the liquid and maybe add sea salt and oatmeal?

The St. Ives Apricot also sounds good and I'm going to buy some. I think that my CVS (or maybe it was Target?) even has it in a sample size.

Laura...ever since your posts about tanning, I've been resisting going back because I just know I'd get hooked again! Ugh! Please post about your experiences so that i can tan vicariously through you! 

~Marin

NarberthMom

Marin -- Let me know what you think of the St. Ives and also where you find the sample size. My skin has been so different since chemo that I might want to retry it in a sample size before I invest in the big bottle!



OK ... still having trouble with the white eyeliner thing and have gone back to brown eyeliner top and bottom and soft black (Maybelline) mascara. I'm not sure whether it is because I don't have the Rimmel eyeliner that Beth recommended. Does anyone know?



I'm trying to work up the courage to go to a makeup counter and at least find out what "foundation color" I am!



-Hillary

Anonymous

Hillary....I tried to get the Rimmel eyeliner and they were all out at the Target I went to. So i went back to the Cargo one I got at Sephora's and it works amazingly well because it's sort of powdery and, so, the application is a cinch! Maybe that's why you're having trouble....the hard liners take too much pressure to get them on and the inside of the lid isn't the place to jam a pencil down on  - ouch!

Also, I'm finding that using Maybelline Great Lash in Dark Brown, topped immediately with a coat of Lancombe Defencils Waterproof mascara really adds alot of length that stays all day and even all night too! I have to be alot more careful removing it because the waterproof quality causes it to really stick and I pull my cherished lashes out if I'm too rough & insistent, but it's worth it for the great look.

~Marin

abbadoodles

Just went online and ordered the Cargo eyelighter.  Also, the PhotoFinish, which I love, and am also trying the O-Gloss for lips.  Oh, boy, can't wait to try my new stuff.

Yesterday I took a look in the mirror and thought my skin was looking lousy, kind of dehydrated and yucky.  I am using some professional Vit A products which may be drying me a little, but I was wondering what the best cream might be (probably a night cream) for skin that's hitting the skids!!!  I think I need something quite rich for the cold weather.  Do those collagen creams work or is that wishful thinking?  What does work?

Tina

Anonymous

MARIN...I have not used the tan beds....only because I have run out of time. I have done MUCHO sunless tanning lotion...But a few words to the wise: don't apply it after a couple of glasses of wine. Yikes...I'm a mess! LOL  

Okay...I have to admit...I was a little confused about the white eye liner. I got my hair colored Tuesday and was looking through one of those books with all the great photos - different hairstyles, colors, etc. Almost every model had the white liner on! It really does look good.     

 

Hmmmmm....several of you have talked about the photofinish...is it really a great product? If so, I might consider the foundation...can you please advise? Thanks.

abbadoodles

Laura, aren't you leaving for Mehico tomorrow?  I'll bet you are happy to be leaving the snow and ice behind.  We're getting your stuff (weather) here today in New England.  Maybe up to 12".  Grrrrr and Brrrrrr.  Well, have a great time.  How long will you be gone?  A week?  We're gonna miss you.

YES!  The PhotoFinish is wonderful.  Makes a HUGE difference under your foundation.  It's a first step before the foundation, so you use any foundation you like.  To tell you the truth, I think the PhotoFinish even softens lines if used alone, without foundation.  Smashbox also has tinted versions of the PhotoFinish to correct for ruddy complexion or sallow complexion. 

Tina