Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

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

Dear John,

First off, many thanks indeed for your features and columns - they've steered me towards many super products, which I might not have tried otherwise.

I hope, therefore, that you may be able to help with my current problem - I'm sure I can't be the only one that has it. After a couple of false starts, I'm a recent convert to minerals instead of traditional foundations/powders. I'm currently using a combination of Laura Mercier & BE products, & am flirting with the idea of trying out the new Prescriptives when my current products run out. My false starts, however, were down to the brushes. I've tried Laura Mercier & BE kabuki brushes, but have found that they shed horribly. I've followed the usual instructions & have diligently washed them in an attempt to get them to the non-shedding stage, but without much success. Not the end of the world, I know, but it takes more time than I usually have to get rid of all the shed hairs. I've had a bit more success with the Too Faced kabuki but I find that the application isn't as effective with this. It's good enough for me to stick with it for now, but I can't help thinking that - especially as so many companies seem to be jumping on the minerals wagon - there must be a better alternative. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Either way, thanks again - you must be bored of people saying they're huge fans, but I suppose that's the price you pay for being fab!
All the best,
Joanna

Joanna,

Bored of having people tell you they appreciate what you do? As if. Plus I have far too large an ego to let that bother me! LOL. I too really like some of the mineral products and have encountered the same shedding problem. The brush I have been using with mineral foundations as of late is the Guerlain Foundation Brush. They intended it for use with liquid foundations - something I cannot understand, which you will see when you go to look at it - but it is idea for powder foundations. The brush has a normal head of natural bristles that hold the mineral foundation in a sort of "reservoir". Then, sticking out about another 50% are longer white synthetic bristles. These softly blend the mineral foundation to allow for that building effect you need to do with this sort of product. I find it virtually perfect. I have never had a shedding problem and it is easy to keep clean. Laura Mercier has a similar larger brush, but it sheds, smells, AND bleeds black colouring every time you wash it. Paints an attractive picture, huh? The price is about £35.00 and you can get it anywhere that you find Guerlain products. Oh...and the Prescriptives mineral powder foundation that you are thinking of trying is lovely. Great texture and range. Thank you so much for writing and I hope you will enjoy the recommendations.
Warmest regards,
John

Hi John,

I suffer from really dry eyes. A red dry flaky patch appears just under my eyes every so often. At first I thought it was my concealer (YSL Touché Éclat or Boots No7 Instant Radiance) but as I have stopped using all of these for the past 3-4 months I am struggling to see what it can really be as I don't really use much make up and only the most basic moisturiser. It first appeared in February and I went to see my GP who told me to keep it moisturised (I used Vaseline and the Nivea moisturising lotion). It has since returned and I have now been prescribed hydrocortisone, which sadly, hasn't helped. My GP kind of avoids prescribing me anything else, still telling me to put Vaseline and moisturiser on it, but now the redness is getting sore and stings and last time it became inflamed it was extremely swollen. I am desperate to start using concealer again (I have really bad dark circles!) but I know that I can't do this while the redness is there as it goes all flaky and looks almost worse! I have also tried an emollient (prescribed by the doctor) and E45 Cream-neither of which helped at all.
Are there any ideas you can offer?
Please Help!
Many Thanks
Katie

Katie,

I would have said it was your Touche Eclat at first, but then with everything else you added, I would vote for stress-induced eczema. And one of the worst things you can do is apply something like Vaseline. This is a really common problem and it occurs when the barrier function of the skin breaks down. If you use a product like Vaseline, it seals the skin off and becomes the barrier. This then disallows the skin to repair barrier function. Hydrocortisone usually will sort it out, but it also thins the skin and you are most likely to have a rebound infection the moment you stop. But all is not doom and gloom! Barefoot Botanicals has a product called S.O.S. Rescue me that is a homeopathic remedy for eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. You can get it from Boots or on-line from their website at barefoot-botanicals.com. You get a huge 100ml. tube for £17.95, or a 50ml. tube for £9.95. It is also great for other dry or itchy areas like knuckles and elbows. The cream is approved by the homeopathic and eczema societies and is without Hydrocortisone or steroids. I have both of my sons using it and it works wonders. You can even mix a little bit of your concealer with it so you can get a little coverage without looking like you have potato chips under your eyes! There is another fantastic cream called TriCeram from Osmotics. This is an American cosmeceutical product that is clinically proven to sort out eczema in 20 out of 21 cases in only 21 days. Again, it is inexpensive at £16.00 for a 100ml. tube and you can order it on-line from osmotics.com. What you need to do is stop stressing about it since that will do nothing other than make the problem worse...
All the best,
John

Dear John,

Firstly, I'd like to say how much I enjoy your Q&A and how many problems they have solved for me over the years! I'm hoping you can help with this one; I have acne-prone skin, which is quite well under control through a dermatologist. However, I still get clogged pores and the medication means
that my skin can be prone to dryness. I'm looking for a non-comedogenic foundation and concealer. I don't want heavy coverage - I use MAC select tint at present and it's great, but I can't find out if it's non-comedogenic, and the same with their moisture cover concealer. I've tried the various mineral foundations but these seem to accentuate any flakiness, as do the 'blemish control' concealers available. My skin is medium tone and very yellow-based. It seems impossible to find a formulation that is non-comedogenic and isn't powdery or drying! Please help!
Thanks so much,
Madeleine

Madeleine,

Virtually all products, including the MAC ones you are currently using, are non-comedogenic. I don't know why you have had a problem finding this out from them. The only thing I can think of is that the test that used to be used for non-comedogenecy was done on the inside of little bunnies ears, so maybe companies are not so forthright with that phrase anymore - though I still see it printed on most press releases. Other companies that you will find good yellow-based foundation/concealer products that are non-comedogenic/non-acnegenic on are Prescriptives, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and Becca. I agree that mineral products might make the problem appear worse and the same goes for blemish controlling concealers. This may be a case of "better the Devil you know"...especially since you are quite happy with what you are currently using and it fills the criteria. If you have any other questions or need to check on a product, please drop me another line and I will hunt them down!
Regards,
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 ask us your hair questions

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