The Daily Beauty Break

( Wouldn’t it be cool if drugstores still looked like this?)

Good morning my beauties! SO, my mom’s best friend Joanna ( a total Clinique devotee) has been feeling the “crunch” of the economy just like the rest of us. When she told my mom that she wanted me to tell her what drugstore items she could buy to replace her 1-2-3 Clinique System, I could just feel a post coming on……Joanna has Rosecea and has all the usual skin concerns the rest of us have (do I really need to list them?):

1. CLEANSER: No surprise, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (<$10) is my top pick for cleansing irritated, sensitive skin. I was turned on to it by my dermatologist as a teenager and began my longterm ride on the “retinoid rollercoaster”.

2. TONER: I LOVE Neutrogena’s Alcohol-Free Toner (<$6).  This a definitely a “cheapie but goodie”. Just make sure that whatever toner you use, it doesn’t have alcohol……

3.SERUM…I made a big mistake and gave my first bottle of Loreal Skin Genesis Daily Serum Concentrate (<$15) to my mother….Only to go out and buy yet another. I love this stuff because it contains a large amount of Hylauronic Acid…perfect for getting skin to retain moisture. I’ve been using it to combat the dryness and itchiness I get from “cedar fever” here in Texas. It does have a slight scent, but not enough to notice…Oh! and make sure you use this under your moisturizer day and night.

4. MOISTURIZER: Same as the cleanser, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream ($<12) is my top pick. It is soothing and comforting…. It’s even thick enough for the eye area…..and the girls at D Magazine have found other great uses for it!!! The cream also comes in a handy-dandy tube, perfect for your purse or travel…I use this in my kit for all my clients before a makeup application..

5. SUNSCREEN: I’ve gotten more friends and clients addicted to Neutrogena’s Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 45 ($<13) than I can count…..If I’m especially dry or irritated, I will use it after the Cetaphil Cream…..It is one of the only moisturizers with SPF that trully does keep sunspots away….Works great for the backs of hands too!

So there you have it my beauties…Just a few of my top Drugstore Picks for when your skin get irritated…What are your top picks? Do tell.

Be Beautiful Ya’ll………

Question:

I’m writing you because I’m hoping you have some advice about how to deal with redness at the outer corners of the eyes.  I am VERY fair and have some natural redness in my skin.  I am able to even it out using concealer and foundation, but I’ve been reading lately that you shouldn’t put concealer around your eyes except for the inner corner (where the dark circles tend to perpetually live).  I am starting to get some lovely laugh lines around my eyes and don’t want to make things worse by using a drying concealer everyday.  I’ve tried using only foundation instead of concealer on the outer corners, but foundation doesn’t seem to have the staying power to cover up the redness all day.  Any suggestions?

- Jen from Cali

Answer: Ah Jen……First off, how annoying. I have seasonal allergies and get that all the time…my outer corners like to run especially out in public, after I have taken the extra time to apply “fancy” eye makeup usually.

But before I run for cover, I like to do what I can to eliminate the redness. Around the eye area, I recommend using a touch of Aquaphor Healing Ointment at night before you go to bed….preferably after you cleanse or tone or get out of the shower. Aquaphor is an occlusive humectant barrier. It will trap the moisture in your skin without irritating it further ( for most people).

If you can’t stomach the Aquaphor, another product  that I really like to tone down eye area redness is called Elta Creme…I got this one from my derm and it eliminates eye redness STAT. If it is a re-occurring problem for you (and it sounds like it may be) you may skip the Aquaphor trial.

Now, when it comes to covering the redness you are right…the outer corners of the eye are not the best location to load up with concealer if you want to retain some semblance of “youth”…..I recommend Bobbi Brown Brown’s Creamy Concealer Kit ($32). It’s creamy enough not to highlight any flakiness, but thick enough to give you redness coverage. Application is really the key to hiding these spots successfully.…you want to use a tiny concealer brush so your product covers the redness and nothing else!

Be extremely light-handed and as EXACT as you can…..Set it all with the loose powder….and don’t worry….the powder is SUPER fine so it really won’t highlight krinkles!

I wish I could give you a drugstore equivalent, but unfortunately I’ve spent probably MORE money myself buying drugstore concealers that don’t work at home than if I would have just gone to Nordies and bought “prestige”…….

Hope this helps Jen from Cali…and thanks for joining me in my adventures in beauty!

-Josi

P.S. Got your own question for the Ask it Beauty Basket? Email me…..