Make-up hints
Anyone interested in starting a new thread to help "beautify the landscape," ie. our lovely visages? Share what you've learned the hard (and expensive) way?
Here's a tip: If using eyeliner pencil, sharpen it before at least every other use. You need a fine point to make a line that is very deep into the lash base so it will look as natural as possible. After making the line with lots of little strokes or points, smudge it all in together with a pointy sponge tip or pointy Q-tip.
Also, go as dark as you can short of looking like Bride of Dracula. I went darker and darker until I could see it was too dark, then backed off to the previous color. I ended up with a Chocolate Brown.
Same with mascara. True black is too harsh for me. Brown or brown/black is too light. Maybelline's Soft Black is just right!
Next?
Tina
Comments
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Okay, I have a question. How can you keep the crayon part of the eyeliner pencil from breaking off when you sharpen it? This is so annoying.
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always hope -- Put the pencil in the freezer for a while, that always worked for me.
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Good idea, Tina! Way back when, I proposed that we have a separate forum for beauty stuff and call it something suggestive of the 'Look Good, Feel Better' theme, but it never took off. I was interested in topics from makeup to hair to recomending good products to discussions about hair extensions, botox, hair removal, etc. I actually found a few message boards on iVillage to participate in, but like it better here among my bc chicas!
ANYWAY, I'm sure I'll come up with more, but my most important easy make-up tip is to heat your eyelash curler with your blow dryer before curling. It makes a huge difference and the curl really stays! I waited so long for my eyelashes to stay put after taxol and I want to show them off! Oh....make sure you test the curler with your pinky tip before using on your eyes though...it could be burning hot!
~Marin
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-I've found that using eyeshadow for filling in my brows works better than pencil--I use an auburn shadow.
-Also, I use eyeshadow, deep brown, to line my eyes.
-I have read and believe, don't use mascara, only liner on lower lids when you have wrinkles, it makes your eyes look much younger.
-After the age of 30, no shimmer or super shine on eyes, shows off lines. About the same for older lipes. enhances the wrinkles.
-Skip heavy foundation, makes one look older. Tinted moisture is the trick. I use the mineral foundation to smooth out my skin color and help hide the too red cheeks and chin. LOVE IT>
-As we age and our lips get older: use a lip liner, every time! Makes a set of lips look larger, and keeps lipstick inside the lines.
-I love MAC pro lasting lip color--it really stays all day and never feels like dried paint.
-Marin, I have one of those battery heated eyelash curler. Got it at CVS and it gives just the right amount of heat. (when I Finally got lashes back with that revitalash, I didn't have chemo, but tamox took a lot of my lashes)
-Mabelline makes a two ended mascara: one with white which helps thicken the lashes before you use the color end to enhance them.
-I also use a baby toothbrush to separate lashes after they dry. It removes any clumps, too. The separated lashes look more natural.
----Now, I don't use all this stuff all the time, Mostly just moisture and eyebrows and a touch of mascara. I do the lip thing all the time tho.
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sunscreen is a must
I love the outdoors and I get these lines around my lips now, like I smoked (and I didn't)...must be lack of estrogen I guess.....aaarrrggghhhh
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iodine, I've read that about the shimmery stuff and found it to be too true about the lips. I've always stayed away from shimmery eyeshadow as it never has been my cup of tea.
I have always had "small" lips and they have always been pretty dry. Guess what. They're no better now that I am 60 (today!). However, I have found that drawing on a line outside my natural lip line only makes me look like a clown, no matter how it's done. My solution is to only use tinted lip gloss in a subtle shade that gives me some color but doesn't draw attention to my mouth. I play up my BIG eyes for all they are worth for focus on my face.
I cannot use mascara on my lower lashes because it always ends up on the skin under my eyes. Must be from skin oils. All that smudgy is not a good thing. A bit of liner is good.
Yes, by all means use either a toothbrush or one of those brow/lash comb/brush combos. They make a big difference in grooming. I remember when I was a teenager, I used to use a common pin to separate my eyelashes! Eeeek!
Has anyone tried Tarte Cheekstain? I swear by it. My shade us Flushed but a good all-around shade for light to medium skin is Tickled. There is definitely a learning curve with this product as it is VERY concentrated, but it looks as natural as a pinch on a baby's cheek and it DOES stay on all day until you wash it off. No word of a lie.
And, I never have to use foundation. Ever. Unless I'm feeling particulary girly and want to play with make-up. I've tried tinted moisturizers and they are good but I have trouble finding one with a more pinky base rather than beige. So, I found a shade of foundation that matched my skin and blend that in my palm with moisturizer. Gee, I must use it about twice a year. Maybe I should look in the mirror more often.
Maybe I could use a little more "improvement."Tina
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Oh Tina...I still use a straight pin to separate my lashes! Sometimes I use an old, cleaned-up mascara wand, but I usually can't find it and resort to the pin. I only occasionally poke my eye
! And Dotti, I also use that Maybelline mascara with the white stuff on one end...it works better than any mascara I've tried.Cheekstain...I've never seen Tarte (but love the name!), but use Revlon Pinched Cheeks or something like that. You need to be really careful not to use too much or get it on your counter or sink because it's kind of hard to get out, but it also lasts all day and needs no touch-ups.
Foundation I'm ambivalent about because it makes me feel stiff-faced or like my face is dirty. I've been using a Clinique one though that is very light and I apply it before my moisturizer dries. It really evens out my facial tone and hides weird little blemishes and sun marks.
I'm "ashamed" (huh?) to admit that no matter how often I try to wear lipstick, I end up rubbing it off and replacing it with chapstick. Only on special occasions do I keep it on and have been using MAC lipglass...it stays on forever. The Burt's Bees tinted Lip Shimmers are really nice and feel natural to me...I use the Watermelon shade, but they have darker ones.
Eyeshadow? I love the shimmery mineral ones from Neutrogena and Physician's Formula....they last almost all day and stay smooth too.
Oh, and for brows, I had them tattooed on after they came back so sparsely following chemo. No makeup needed! I'm even considering permanent eyeliner....when I win the lottery!!!
~Marin
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Ladies,
I think a separate section for "looking good, feeling better" tips under the "going through treatment" section is a wonderful idea. I have been hitting the "suggestion box" pretty hard lately, though. Perhaps y'all could suggest it again?
There are just some tips that are unique to someone doing chemo that so many would benefit from.
One thing I wanted to mention about the lipstick/chapstick/dry lips thing: I try to keep lipstick on, but it usually wears off within the first hour. I am not one of those girly-girls who primps alot throughout the day, so once it's gone--it's gone. I have found that increasing my water intake helps tremendously with the dry/chapped lips which naturally helps with the lipstick issue.
Diane
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I found that some of the lip treatments and lipsticks include an exfoliater, like Lancome--actually made my lips worse.
I don't line my lips outside of the natural lip. I do it INside at the very edge. Also using a light shade is very important--no reds or browns.
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I learned a new tip, instead of using a dark color eye pencil to line the eyes. you can use white eye liner pencil and it softens your features. Thanks for the tip for the tooth brush. Since we are on the subject. I'm alergic to mascara, I have tried all the brands even Mary Kay. Does anyone know of a substitde sp, for mascara?
Thanks, Sherry
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I know of some asthetians or beauty shops who will dye your lashes, maybe that would help.
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My favorite beauty product for getting through chemo: the Anastasia Brow Kit. It has two shades of brow powder, a brush, and stencils so you get it in the right place. Also, wax to set the powder, and a highlighting thing for eyelids. This kit makes my brows look more natural than anything I've tried.
I've been using a gel eye liner. Especially good because I have no lower lashes. It stays put all day, even when my eyes water from the Taxol! Got it at Sephora.
Also - check out the ELF (Eyes Lips Face) products at www.elf.com. Most are only $1!! They sell brushes and the wands to separate your eyelashes after you apply mascara. You can also buy the products at some Target and KMart stores. For only a buck, you really can't go wrong!
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Marin, I second the Burt's Bees lip shimmers. My shade is Watermelon, too! I must have a half-dozen of those tubes around the house, in my car and in my purse.
iodine, I've tried those lip exfolients and found they didn't improve anything. As Diane says, it's important to keep hydrated and even then I have to just keep re-applying my Lip Shimmers all day long. I think I started using Avon's Lip Dew way back when I was in my 20's and I haven't had a bare lip since. Not much in the way of lipstick, just gloss or Chapstick or one of those things.
I tried Lip Fusion and was thinking I liked it but recently I think it's not much better than the Lip Simmers or Aveeno's lip treatments. Nothing really plumps my lips and I'll never be an Angelina and who would want to be anyway? I would not even THINK of injecting anything into my lips.
Those ELF products sound interesting. I'll check Target whenever I get near one. I live in the country so it's a trip to get to the stores. I'm mostly an online shopper.
I know it's not exactly make-up, but I want to mention Deva Curl products if you have curly hair. Or even very dry hair. Before chemo I had just wavy to straight hair but it had gotten very dry over the past few years. My hairdresser put me onto the Deva products because they are excellent for ALL dry hair. They have shampoos (I like the NoPoo) and conditioners, for untreated or colored hair. They really made a difference with my hair and I am using them again now that I have my hair back (super curly).
Tina
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Oh, I did forget to mention that I also use Sally Hanson Lip Inflation lipgloss that really tingles and feels fun! It's supposed to plump the lips and crap like that, but I don't think it does and, besides, I really hate that fat lip look. I saw a movie recently with Meg Ryan and she obviously had had her lips injected with whatever...looked seriously scary and bizarre! BTW, I had a friend who had her lips done, in addition to having Sculptra injected into her undereye area....she said that the pain from injections to the lips is excruciating! No thanks!
Anyway, try the Sally Hanson if you want a good, inexpensive lipgloss...
~Marin
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Avon has a plumping lipcolor called Beyond Color and its on sale on their website right now. Normally I don't use Avon products - I don't remember how I stumbled across this lipcolor, but I LOVE it! I wasn't sure it was helping my lips until my daughter used it and her lips definitely looked fuller and plumper. Nothing extreme. Just pretty.
I have auburn hair and the skin coloring to go with it - I use the color Twig - did I mention I LOVE it!
They also have a clear you can use and a plumping lipliner. The Natural Spice coordinates with the Twig.
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I think my best beauty tip for getting through chemo without looking like the walking dead was use of a facial bronzer. A subtle, light touch is essential here or it looks obviously false. My favorite is Physicians Formula (about $12) which is a brush-on powder. I feel there is much more control in a powder formulation than in a creme or gel. I rarely wear a foundation either and am fair and blue-eyed, so you can imagine that chemo had me looking mighty pale and pasty.
I put a rosy blush lightly on the apples of my cheeks first, as my skin tone is naturally pink-based, and then swirl a large brush across the bronzing powder (I think the brush that comes with it is inadequate). I apply it first to my forehead, just above my temples on each side, dab for a little more powder, then apply a little in the hollows of each cheek, blending back towarrd my ear, then a smidge under my chin, blending back under my jawline. Then I take the empty brush and blend it all - taking it across the bridge of my nose, sweeping it across my forehead, even blending it gently across my eyelids (makes my eyemakeup even more subtle and 'set'). The whole process takes about 60 seconds.
I can't tell you the number of times I had people tell me "Well, at least you're not looking all haggard and drawn like most chemo patients!" Yeh, - you should see me when I first wake up in the morning!BTW - the www.elf.com link take you to an automotive lubricant site. But www.eyeslipsface.com will do the trick!
Lisa
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Oh - another BTW:
For peeling, dry lips (which I have had in spades due to an autoimmune condition that destroys all moisture-producing glands, including salivary glands) an easy, safe and inexpensive way to treat it from the inside out is to add a little L-lysine supplement daily. If you are on chemo, it also is incredibly helpful in minimizing mouth sores. The second weapon in my arsenal for smooth lips is plain ol' Carmax. I diligently apply it every night at bedtime - and of course off and on during the day if I am not wearing a lip color. Third thing is to always wear a sunscreen on your lips. Lips have no melanin-producing cells and are therefore helpless against both UVA and UVB rays your lifetime long. Your skin has these cells, it is the melanin that reacts to UV rays to produce a tan or freckles. If your lip color does not have an SPF stated on its packaging, either don't buy it (and tell the manufacturer why) or apply sunscreen, allow to set for 20 minutes, blot and apply lip color. I like the Clinique Super City Block - it is not greasy (don't even have to blot it),is wide spectrum, and I can get it on those areas on my upper lip that are beginning to wrinkle, too.
Lisa
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Oh, the carmex was the worst at drying out my lips and making them peel.
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Lots of good suggestions of products to try!
I had a spell of very irritated lips a couple of years ago (maybe from using a too old and contaminated lip gloss) and nothing was helping until I tried the Neosporin Lip Treatment. This can be found at most drugstores and is pretty inexpensive. Also, no smell like the Carmex, which I tried, too.
http://www.neosporin.com/liptreatment/liptreatment.asp?page=3
Lisa, I have to say that during chemo was the first and only time in my life that I had a lovely, rosy complexion! My husband could not get over how "glowing" I looked. Must have been the anti-nausea Decadron I got on Day 1,2,3 of my tx. Wow, I looked fabulous. (Well, having hair would have helped.
LOL) But, I do think I could use your method NOW to perk myself up a bit from time to time....Ladies, don't forget this thread is for all of us, both during and after chemo.
A smile is the best make-up.
Tina
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I just wanted to put in another vote for Physician's Formula. I have used their mineral face powder and love it. I have extremely sensitive and dry skin; I have to cleanse with unscented baby bath and moisturize with neutrogena for extremely sensitive skin or I look like a beet. Physician' Formula cosmetics are the only ones that don't exacerbate and accentuate the redness and flakiness.
I get comments all the time on how good my "color" is (I guess I'm supposed to look like the corpse bride or something, huh? lol). It is definitely a light touch with the PF cosmetics that makes it so.
Also, Roux is the company that makes eyelash and eyebrow tint. I have seen it at Sally Beauty Supply. I was a cosmetologist, once-upon-a-time, and was trained how to use the product. It is VERY dangerous to use! It MUST be applied with extreme care by someone who really knows what they're doing. It is really the same formulation used for the hair on your head in a smaller bottle.
Diane
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Oh, Diane, I just want to say that your avatar is absolutely adorable! Are those your cats?!
I'm adding that the Physician's Formula Cover Tox concealer is also excellent...it applies with a brush and I always rub a bit of moisturizer on the area before applying, then smooth it all out with my pinky. It doesn't dry out or look cakey and the colors are quite natural and, so, blend in well.
~Marin
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Marin,
Not my cats, but a reasonable facsimile thereof! LOL When I found the avatar online at photobucket, I only had one large grey kitty. She looks similar to the one in the picture. I must have been having a "psychic moment" or something because my son's girlfriend gave him a kitten later the very same day who looks exactly like the white faced one! I haven't gotten the two kitties close enough to each other to photograph them yet. The new kitten does snuggle with my boxer, though--I'm going to try to get a picture of that.
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Anyone have suggestions for a good cleanser? I know it's not good to use soap (too drying) but some of the no-soap cleansers are pretty drying, too, even those that say "non-drying." My skin is really not dry, more like normal (used to be oily) but is drier around the eyes, mostly. I don't think cold cream would be good for me.
Tina
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Tina...I use Oil of Olay facial cleanser with microbeads and also the foaming cleanser. The foaming one is less drying, so you might want to try it. I actually bought the Target brand awhile ago, but I hate the smell, so I'm gonna stick with the real thing from now on.
~Marin
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Oops! You're right Lisa - www.eyeslipsface.com is the right website.
I agree about bronzer - I too am very fair to begin with, so I began using bronzer during chemo. Not only did I look a little livelier, it made me feel better mentally to have a little color in my face.
I also want to give another vote for the Bert's Bees lip shimmer. LOVE the stuff. Hardly ever use lipstick anymore because I like the lip shimmer better!
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I have a question for those of you who wear eye shadow. I've found that Neutrogena mineral sheers has the very best consistency for me in that it goes on smoothly and stays that way all day. It only comes in nudes and neutral colors though and I wouod love to find a pale blue or mint green mineral-based shadow. Physician's Formula has a nice grey, but again, it's very neutral and sort of blah. I can't use any dark or bright shades because they end up making me look sick and fatigued. Does anyone know of any pale pastel mineral eyeshadows that they can recommend?
~Marin
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Where has this thread been ???? I need to read this later when I have time to read it all!!
First thing I am going to do tomorrow is try my eyelash curler and heating it up!
Oh and I saw a girl the other day and asked how she had it stay all day. I use a base for eyeshadow but it still comes off ... she said its call MAC paint for eyes.
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I, too, recommend MAC. I also mix my neutrals with a MAC bright color to tone it down. It works for me.
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Are the MAC shadows powder?
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The ones I have are powder and very intense in color so you use only a small amoun to have the colory you see in the pan.
Unlike some that you have to apply multiple times to get the color,.
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