Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

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

Hi John

I would love to be able to use mascara but I get bad headaches and red sore eyes. I am 53 and have always had this trouble. I tried Almay but that brand didn't work either. Please could you suggest something, as I think that mascara really finishes off the makeup?

Kind Regards,

Linda

 

Linda,

How very odd! I don't mean that in a bad way, but this is a confusing one. I am not sure whether the problem is that when you get headaches your eyes get sore and red, making the mascara run. Or if the mascara is what triggers the headache and the sore eyes? I would be tempted to try tinting your lashes regularly so you don't have to worry about either. If that doesn't work, there are two pairs of products - the same but from different companies. The first set are mascaras that go on in little tubes. They coat the lashes and you simply remove them with warm water and by "pulling" the tubes off of the lashes like little straws. The two companies that make them are Blink and Becca. The second set are two mascara that have thermal reactive binders that only come off when you place a hot wet flannel against your eyes to heat the mascara to about 38 degrees. Once this happens, the formula falls apart and the mascara comes off in flakes instead of smears. The two companies with these are Clinique Lash Power and Kanebo 38 Degree. All are allergy tested and hyposensitive and would cure the problem of mascara coming off if you get a headache and weepy eyes. But if the problem is that the actual mascaras are triggering the problem, you will have to trial and error them - or attempt the tinting solution. I hope this helps you, but if not - and you can be more specific - please write back and I will take another stab at it.

I would love to hear how you get on Linda,

John

 

Hi John

I am a natural red head with pale and sensitive skin and freckles.  I currently use Maybelline concealer and Dream Matte Mousse to completely cover my face and throughout the day have to continually reapply or touch up as it cakes on my face and looks blotchy. I'd love to find a lighter foundation that stays put all day but still offers a good coverage to even out my skin tone and complexion.

Any ideas?

Many thanks,

Charlotte

 

Charlotte,

I would be really interested to try a mineral powder foundation on you. As you will be aware, everybody does them now. It will just be a matter of finding who does one that is the best colour for you. This is exactly the sort of skin and coverage issue these foundations are made to deal with. I would also highly recommend Lauder's Doublewear Light Foundation. This is a lightweight product that offers medium coverage and is completely transfer-proof. That quality gives it extra long staying power and should help keep you covered for the day without having much more weight than the Maybelline Dream Mousse. These are a lovely set of products, but I agree with you that they are prone to sliding around a bit during the day. Lancôme also has a similar product called Teint Idole Ultra that you can try if you don't have any luck getting a shade from Lauder. But my first choice for pale skin like yours? A mineral foundation. Give it a go...

Best,

John

 

Hi John,

Hope you can help! I have very pale combination skin and it took ages to find a foundation that was the right shade and texture. The perfect one was the palest shade of L'Oreal Airwear - light and breathable, with just the right amount of coverage to hide the odd blemish - but they stopped making it! Can you please recommend something like it - something that doesn't feel heavy on the skin and comes in pale shades?

Thanks,

Carrie

 

Carrie,

I don't know why all of these foundations have disappeared, but almost all of the companies that did them have taken them away. I don't know if it was a formulation problem, but I loved them. From YSL Teint Singulair to Lauder Ideal Matte, they are dropping like flies. The good news is that Chanel has brought theirs back - Double Matte Perfection (but they may not be light enough), was and is a beautiful foundation. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse is still around and Dior has one called Icone. But if you don't have any joy getting a shade in that small band, you could try Becca Luminising Skin Colour, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, or Prescriptives Traceless or Virtual Skin. They all have very pale shades and the weights are lovely and light while still offering coverage. You have a lot to go on there and I would be amazed if you can't find something in this bunch.

Happy shopping,

John

 

 

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