Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

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

Dear John,

I hope you can help me. I think this is a fairly common problem, but all the advice out there is confusing me, and it's so hard to know what to trust! I am Indian and now, at the age of 20, have finally stopped getting spots. However, I have pigmentation marks on my forehead and chin. I can kind of cover them up with MAC's Studio Fix Fluid and Studio Finish Concealer, but I hate having to pile on the makeup, and having to be so self conscious when my boyfriend sees me first thing in the morning! I'd love to try to fade them out so I can wear less make-up, especially now that summer's coming up. I've been using Bio Oil for the last month but its just making me break out, so may stop soon. Any advice is much appreciated!

Verghese

 

Verghese,

I love Bio Oil but it can be a little bit heavy. Ask your GP to prescribe a product called Dermatix Gel for you. You can buy it without a prescription, but it will cost you £35 instead of the NHS prescription price! This is a scar reduction gel and it is a little miracle. You use the tiniest amount a couple times a day and it can reduce the scarring by as much as 90%. The other option is to have some sort of micro-dermabrasion or a light peel done. Nothing too intensive, but they really do help to even scarring out. Try the Dermatix first since it is the cheaper option, but the peel with also help to brighten the entire complexion for those times you want to be au natural!

All the best,

John

 

Dear John,

I have very oily skin (more so in the summer, whereas I suffer from very dry patches in the winter) and have lots of blackheads and open pores. They are on my nose, cheeks, chin and forehead, mainly the t-zone area. I am currently using Dr Nick Lowe's foaming face cleanser with Estee Lauders Daywear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Lotion SPF 15 and the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation with a Mac pressed powder for cover up. Is there anything I can use or do to either get rid of them or reduce the appearance of them? My foundation does give a good coverage but when I don't wear make-up they are very noticeable as is my uneven skin tone. Do you have any recommendations? Any advice would be great whether it be products to use in cleansing and moisturising or make-up or both. Are primers any good?

Thanks very much,

Becky

 

Becky,

I don't really have any issues with the current routine you are doing so long as the cleanser is not leaving you feeling tight. Having dryness in the winter and blockages in the summer leads me to believe you might. A good decongestant cleanser like Eve Lom, Temple Spa In The Beginning, Amanda Lacey Pomade, or Clinique Take The Day Off could keep the pores more malleable and less prone to blockages. Steaming and immediately following with a cleansing mask would also help you to maintain a clearer skin. Dr. Lewinn's has a Peel and Reveal mask that combines glycolic and salicylic acids to pull out the blackheads on the spot. And then following with a moisturiser like Lauder Daywear should prevent the oil from oxidising and continuing the cycle. And primers ARE good but I don't think they are addressing you current problems. They are more to give staying time and easier application to the foundation you are using.

Any help?

John

 

John,

I have medium toned black skin and am finding it increasingly difficult to find make-up that doesn't look grey on my skin. Up until recently, there were several brands that catered to my colouring, but I am finding it harder than ever before. Is it just me or can you suggest where I can find nice make-up that will not make me look ridiculous?

Thanks,

Tamara

 

Tamara,

It is NOT just you. I went to try to find something for a shooting the other day I had a dickens of a time getting the shade I wanted - that I knew would still look the shade I wanted on a darker skin. I was shocked. I thought that it would be pretty easy to find, yet all the ranges that were made for black skins seem to have up and disappeared. I found I had the best luck at counters that are made for make-up artists. Bobbi Brown had both foundations and colour with enough pigment for even very dark skin - but the colours were neutral. Shu Uemura had colour but no foundation. The two places I finally found what I was looking for were MAC and Illamasqua. Everyone knows MAC, but not many know Illamasqua. This is a pure colour range exclusive to Selfridges. Fabulous colour. And the sky is the limit. The pigments are intense and when I used them for my job, I got exactly what I was after. Another couple of ranges you can look at for foundations are Clinique and Prescriptives. The quality and range on both are excellent - though you may have a hard time finding other complimentary make-up from either of them. Thanks for bringing this to light and don't be surprised if you don't find something on handbagTV in the not too distant future!

Warmest regards,

John

 

 

 

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