Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

Our make-up, skincare and beauty guru solves all your beauty dilemmas

Dear John,

As I have aged (I'm in my 40's), I have lost much of the plumpness under my eyes (now just thin, crepey skin over the bone). When I'm tired my eyes look hollow and sunken in addition to having dark circles. All the eyecreams I look at seem either to address puffiness or dark circles, but not hollowness. Currently I'm just using moisturiser, plus Touche Eclat and MAC concealer under my eyes. Can you suggest a good, reasonably priced all in one eyecream that will deal with my 3 problems: hollowness, dark circles, and dry/crepey under-eye skin.

Huge thank you!

Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth,

You are going to have to settle for two out of three petal. Hollowness around the eye is something that only a filler is going to address. There IS a product by Medik8 called HTP 3, which addresses the loss of volume in the skin, but it is not really made for the eye area. Dark circles can be treated with Strixaderm S.O.S. This product is proven to minimise dark shadowing by 60% in a month. And it will tighten some of the crepey effect as well. Natura Bisse Diamond Eye Extreme is a well-rounded product that will do a bit of everything but the cost will be double the Strixaderm. And I think you will see more visible action from the former. Sadly, there is no miracle cure for your trio - but with some patience and perseverance you can make a dent in the overall appearance of the eye area.

Sorry I couldn't give you exactly what you were after,

Johnny

 

Hello,

I used to suffer from quite bad acne and now have some reddish scars and a few ice pick scars. What would be the best type of make up to cover these scars up so that they don't look so bad? At the moment I am undergoing biobrasion and hydradermie treatment at my beauty salon, which has dramatically helped with the appearance and smoothness of the skin. Also what brushes should I use to apply my foundation, concealer and powder to get the most natural looking application? Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Felicity

 

Felicity,

I would want a product that gave the illusion of cover without the heavy weight. Something like the new Dior Nude Skin. Very natural but great coverage. Chantecaille Future Skin is another one that allows you to vary the coverage according to when you need it and where. They also do exactly coordinated concealer to allow maximum cover where you want it. Bobbi Brown is another range that gives you all of the foundation and covering products in exactly matched and named shades - plus all of the consultants are makeup artists so they can help teach you how to apply them to get the effect you want. For brushes, I really like the Louise Young brushes. The prices are extremely reasonable and Louise herself is a working makeup artist and truly understands what a brush needs to perform like. I am also fond of the Shu Uemura synthetic brushes for foundation and concealer. There are many different widths so you can choose exactly which ones will get the job done for you. And again, the consultants are makeup artists so they can help you make the right choice and teach you how to use your new tools. Good luck with your treatment Felicity and I hope you continue to see the results you are looking for.

All the best,

John

 

Dear John

I'm going on holiday to California for 3 weeks in June/July this year.  I'm 47 and have sun-damaged skin - due to my ignorance of SPFs in the 80's, not sun beds or even sun worshipping - that turns an unpleasant blotchy brown/grey/almost black when in the sun, and I end up just looking plain dirty. I now always use an SPF 15 in the winter and last summer used Clarins SPF 40 sunscreen on top of my moisturizer, which I really liked, but it has to be topped up during the day and therefore was unable to wear make-up, which is one of my must haves.  Even with the SPF 40 I still have grubby patches and used Alpha H white gold at night, which was quite effective.  I have tried City Block but I got spotty, and Alpha H's Ultra Protector 30+, but it was very heavy and left a white, shiny geisha-like film on my face (not very attractive) this has discouraged me from experimenting with expensive products.  I would like to know if you have any suggestions of a regime that would allow me to wear a light foundation/tinted moisturizer through the day, protect my skin and perhaps a night treatment that will help repair any damage that has occurred during the day.  I feel like I'm asking a lot, and I am prepared to spend some money if it will make a difference, but I can't afford any expensive mistakes. I adore your page, it always gives sensible advice that is based in reality for real people with real lives: it's fab!

Ali

 

Ali,

My skin is exactly the same. I use the highest factors and still I get some pigmentation damage. Once you get back from your holiday and the summer has passed, you should perhaps consider going and having an IPL laser treatment. This would "kill off" the bothersome pigment and bring you closer to square one again. It is not a permanent solution since, if you go in the sun, you are predisposed to getting the pigment. But at least it will clear the colouration for you. I was given a new product only yesterday that I am very anxious to try. It is an N.V.Perricone product that is claims 100% of the trial subjects reported a reduction in dark patches. So we will see... The next thing I wanted to say was that the Clarins product would only need to be reapplied if you were sitting out and using it as a sun product. For daily use there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to reapply. Since you liked it and it worked for you, I see no reason to fiddle around testing other things out. I myself use this one and I really like it. The other one I personally use is the Shu Uemura Protector SPF50. It is a little bit heavier than the Clarins, but still leaves the skin without the "geisha" quality! Last but not least, the foundation/tinted moisturiser issue could easily be solved by a trip to the Becca counter. Their Luminising Skin Tint comes in 28 shades and has a built-in SPF25. And then there is a stick foundation to top up the areas where you have the pigmentation that comes in 30 shades and contains an SFP30 block. And for your regular care products, I would suggest a minimal ingredient deck product like ProFerm or Strixaderm Face. I like the Perricone range as well, and if the pigment product turns out to be effective, you could end up killing two birds with one stone.

Have a great holiday and be sure to bring me back a present,

John

 

 

Got a beauty question? ASK JOHN

Do you have a hair dilemma you want to put to the experts? Then email us at hair@ukhandbag.com or click HERE to send us your hair questions

 

Please note, John's answers will be published on the site weekly as he cannot reply to emails personally.

Share this Print this