Cosmetic things that worked for me - sharing girly stuff

barbe1958

Sorry I can't help you Deb, I was able to avoid chemo this time. I hope someone who experienced it can help.

lago

DebDylan are you still doing chemo? Chemo makes your skin very dry. Also if you are in a dry winter area of the world like me (midwest) that too can dry your skin. 2 things you must do on chemo and continue after chemo is drink plenty of fluids (no caffeine or salt and alcohol doesn't count) and moisturize. I know I have aged but lets face it I did go through chemo pause and it's been 3 years. There is a big difference. I know the lack of estrogen isn't helping (thanks Anastrozole) but I still look damn good for a 52 YO. 

BTW most people do not drink enough fluids. Best way to plump up the skin.

auntienance

Deb, I've had very good luck with Mac eyebrow pencil. It's the only one I've found in a shade light enough for me.  It's a very thin pencil and easy to use.  Best of all, no sharpening.

auntienance

I use an eyebrow brush or a pointed  qtip.

luvmygoats

Deb - the eyebrow brushes are cheap. ELF (Eyes, Lips,Face) has one I think for a dollar. Maybelline has them too.  I too blend eyebrow powder with a brush but have been known to use Qtip for smudgy eyeliner using dark eyeshadow.

auntienance

The pointy q tips are in the section where you'd find makeup sponges and cotton balls.

lago

I use Anastasia brow duo. It's a powder and goes on by patting a brow brush. They have kits with stencils too but I just used it to fill in.

WaveWhisperer

Thanks to lago's suggestion, I've been using Anastasia for almost 2 years. My brows never came back after chemo. Anastasia is great -- and what a difference it makes to your face to have brows!!!

slv58

another thumbs up for Anastasia. I have both the powder (you use a thin slanted brush) and the twist pencil. I find if I'm in a hurry, I use the pencil and the nice thing about this one is that the other end has a great brush! I use to have great brows/eyelashes, I gave those up for PCR! 

TwoHobbies

Deb, I know you can get the Anastasia at Ulta and Sephora.  I was using Smashbox Brow Tech to Go which has the color on one end and the brow gel on the other.  It works pretty well too. 

Anyone have a favorite lengthening mascara?  Thankfully my eyelashes are growing back quite thick but they are maybe half or 2/3 normal length so I wondered if there was a good mascara to length rather than volumize. 

WaveWhisperer

Deb, I got my Anastasia from Amazon, with 2-day shipping.

lago

Anastasia is also sold in most department stores in the USA. Granted I purchased mine at Ulta.

Mascara I use L'oreal telescopic mascara. I don't use expensive mascara because you really do need to change it every few months. 

or 

lago

Well every 3 months depending. Any makeup that is liquid can form bacteria. Since mascara is so close to the eyes you don't want to mess with that. Remember most of us store our cosmetics in the bathroom that tends to get warm & damp from showers so it could be even more often.

MelissaDallas

Lancome owns Loreal and I think Loreal's mascara is as good as the top rated Lancome. Probably the same thing in cheaper packaging.

lago

Yeah I use a lot of Lancome skin care products and a few Loreal as well as Nuetragena. My mom swears by Lancome Mascara. When I get "gifts" from my Lancome purchases I send her the mascara samples.

 I also used to use Great Lash by Maybelline. Also a decent product.

barbe1958

I use brown eyeshadow to fill in my meager brows. I use the sponge applicator and just flick it in the sparsely haired areas. Works great if I don't wipe my sweaty brow......

As for mascara, I need length too! I used to use a curler until I pulled out ALL my right eyelashes with a spasm!!!!! I don't wash off the mascara every night as it makes it so much faster to get done the next morning. Even in the shower I protect my face from water! hehehehehehe (probably bad for me and here I am laughing.....sigh)

lago

DebDylan I never had really long lashes. They started to grow back fine then I went on Anastrozole. My lashes and brows thinned. Also chemo put me in permanent chemopause. That didn't help either.

slv58

Deb, I finished chemo in May, my brows and lashes are much thinner than prior, but at least I have some! I'm also in chemopause. Yeah!

TwoHobbies

Deb my lashes are growing back just the same I believe.  My last chemo was 8/23 and lashes kept falling after chemo till I had two or three lashes.  I stopped using mascara at all because it was ridiculous looking.  So I have been doing the eyeliner and shadow and skipping mascara but just last week thought I'd see how I look in mascara.  They still look kind of short thus the mascara question.

Lago I'll try the telescopic.  Have you used the explosion with that funny brush?  

lago

I used to use the explosion. They were out at Walgreens so I just started using the telescopic. I like both. I might try the explosion brush with the telescopic… I've saved a few by washing them off.

barbe1958

Deb, I would think it's pretty common for us to try to take control over what we can change. And making our outsides look pretty even though our insides are torn apart literally or even emotionally is one thing we can do. There is a term known as "fake it till you make it". Same concept. MAKE yourself look like how to want to appear and you will become the persona you are looking for. Same as "dress for success". There are all sorts of validations for what you are doing. Trouble is, sounds like you did it when I did - and couldn't really afford it! BUT it all worked and my sales reflected the good feelings I had so the balance sheet balanced....

barbe1958

I will troll the expensive stores to see what the fashions are, and then buy them somewhere else. I can't STAND linen or silk on me!! One wrinkles and one makes me sweat!! And 100% cotton is just too stiff and doesn't drape right, so I really appreciate synthetic blends.

As for make-up, I am buying my second jar of Cover Girl make-up!! That's rare for me as I'm not brand loyal at all, but this stuff is amazing!! Goes on with a sponge, which is always a good thing and makes my face perfect. And I mean PERFECT!! No age spots or wrinkles or anything. It lightly fills in any pores that I think show and gives me a smooth, soft look. It's the jar stuff with a purply blue lid? Not a deep jar, either and is about $17 which is a LOT for me, but totally worth it. I don't use expensive make-up either as it just washes off and the end of the day anyway. I do wear something to make my skin-tone even and prefer a powder with sponge, but Maybelline discontinued their rectangular gray-boxed powder, so I've moved on to this new liquid stuff and now this harder cream-based jar base. LOVING it!!

lago

Great tip Barbe. I don't wear foundation but maybe some day I will. I  just wear a little powdered star bronzer by Lancome. It lasts about a year. 

People swear by the mineral make-up but it looks very drying to me. It certainly doesn't look good  over wrinkles.

auntienance

I love mineral makeup and have worn it for years and have had far fewer problems with my skin since then. Yes, it is a lighter coverage than other types, especially on pores, but I finally just accepted the fact that this is my face, pores, wrinkles and all. I'm ok with that.

luvmygoats

Barbe - what is the name of the Cover Girl makeup? I trolled on the CG site and could not find a foundation by that description. I guess it could be the Simply Ageless, they are in a purple twist off though not really "jar". What was the Maybelline product in the gray box? Doesn't sound familiar.

I did splurge on Benefit Erase Paste which I have just about used up. It is more like a "spackle" which I mix with a little moisturizer on my palm.

Nancy - pores and wrinkles yes. Dark spots and melasma (dark patches) not so much plus my growing unwanted facial hair (natural dark headed). I'm a moisturizer, foundation, concealer, blush person on days when I get out. I have been just putting on a little concealer on the worst spots at home though after 37 years there is no mystery left lol.

auntienance

Luv, I use a concealer too as well as a green product for redness.

I'm fair haired naturally but have more than my share of dark "old lady whiskers".

lago

For a light concealer under my eyes I use this but only sold at Sephora: Givenchy Mister Light Instant Light Corrective Pen

It's $$ but worth it to me because it's not as heavy as some of the other stuff. 

My second choice would be this: Lancome Maquicomplet

For old lady whiskers try this: Remington MPT3800SSB Smooth and Silky Precision Trimmer

barbe1958

Yep, the Cover Girl is Simply Ageless! It's a small jar and the sponge is soft but the cream is hard (not whipped or liquid) and  you just "skim" the top. The small sponge gets saturated with product so it stops absorbing it - that's why I don't wash it. The Maybelline product was just pressed powder but they don't make it anymore. The packaging was gray and rectangular in shape, not circular like they have now. I liked using powder (and still do!) to blot oiliness. I HATE when my face is shiny but my cousins ALWAYS have shiny faces like they want it that way??!!?

I find "mineral" products to be too drying as well. And as for concealer, Carmindy on What not to Wear said once to just use your foundation (powder or liquid) and I've done it that way ever since! Easy peasy!! The models have some dark circles and so do it, so I'm in fashion!! hehehehehhe

crystalphm

I will be out looking for the CoverGirl too...thanks for sharing about it. Has anyone here had the courage to try these products that are mascara for 28 days? I suppose it is a dye, I see it in magazines, but I am also just concerned about eye health. I have such a hard time with mascara because when I wash it off, I don't think it all comes off and makes my dark circles under my eyes ever darker.

For those of you who remember me, I did master the eye liner :-) Physician's formula makes a liquid that stays on me and does now smudge!!

I love my eyes now...wearing glasses and such thin eyelashes, the eye liner really helps me.

lago

crystalphm I don't use waterproof mascara. Too difficult to take off.