Dear John,
You're a shining star on the complex make-up scene, and I hope that an old-fashioned girl like me can be so lucky as to benefit from your infinite wisdom. I haven't renewed my foundation in a few years and have now resigned myself to the fact that I have to go and get a new compact foundation. I have used Clinique for the past century or so, and wonder if I should go for the same old thing again or if there is something better out there that I should try. I'm in my late 30s, fair complexion with reddish blonde hair, and have rather good skin. I want to have something on but hate the 'powdery' look. Also, do you apply under eye concealer before or after the foundation?
Thanks a million,
Isabel

Hi Isabel,
Way to suck up to the makeup artist! LOL. How on Earth could I not respond after that glowing question? The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a creamy compact or a powder compact. I know you say you don't want a powdery look, but you can get a radiant finish with a few of the newer powder compact foundations as well. I love the Guerlain Parure Compact. The base is crushed pearl so you never lose the natural shine of the skin. Really lovely finish. Paul & Joe do both a creamy and powdered version and I have to say I really like both. In a creamier compact, look at the new Shiseido or the Chanel Teint Innocence Compact. All should have a colour that will work with your skintone. Bobbi Brown could also have a selection for you to look at - but if your paler complexion is English Rose - you may have difficulty with the shade. But if you have used Clinique successfully for the last hundred years, ask yourself why you are thinking of changing. They have updated technology as it has been developed and they have some really good offerings.
In answer to your final question, it would depend on the format of the foundation. With a creamier compact, I would apply foundation and then the concealer. You don't want to rub all of your hard concealing work off as you apply the foundation. With a powdery one, concealer goes first, as it is really difficult to apply creamy concealer over a powder. Hope that helps and thank you so much for your lovely letter.
You are welcome a million...
John

Dear John,
I love reading your beauty advice, and I love and already use quite a few of the products you recommend. Finally, after many years, I think I've found a skincare routine that really works for me - in the past I'd been trying to cure problem skin with brute force, using harsh cleansers and scrubs, but now I treat my skin very gently, mostly with products for 'normal' skin, and as a result it's behaving normally! There's just one thing worrying me. My absolute couldn't-live-without product is Shu Uemura cleansing oil: I can give my skin a good massage with it (sometimes for up to 10 minutes for a really good but gentle clean), I can actually feel where the dead skin cells on my face are and gently rub them off with the oil, and it takes off make-up no problem as well. Afterwards my skin feels clean but still supple. Seriously, I love this cleanser. So the thing that is worrying me is why I don't think I've heard you mentioning it at all! I think its main ingredient is 'mineral oil', and I've read things about mineral oil being bad for the skin. I know it's doing my skin good at the moment, but am I going to pay for my daily addiction to the stuff later on? Or is it okay because the oil doesn't seem able to absorb into the skin when I'm cleansing with it? Or is the worry about mineral oil a load of rubbish?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
Claire

Claire,
If I haven't mentioned the Shu oils often enough, it is not because I don't like them. I really love them. Especially "Fresh". I don't find a huge difference between them and tend to recommend people choose them by smell. If you want to boost them a little bit more, try a gentle occasional scrub with a face flannel before you emulsify and rinse. I do really like these oils and you have inadvertently landed on a favourite product of mine without my help. Don't know how I feel about THAT! LOL.
All the best,
John

Hi John
I stumbled across your Q&A's on handbag this evening and now can't believe how many hours I've spent reading them and just had to mail you in the hope you can give me some advice.  I've just turned 30 and to be honest used to be really good with my skin care routine but then had a major depressive episode a few years ago and I've never really pulled myself back round properly.  Things are now on the up and up from a depression point of view however I now find my skin totally confusing, I've used Elemis for years but now I seem to go from greasy one day to tight the next with blemishes galore! I've always had combination skin but now my dry areas are flaky and patchy and my hair and jaw line are permanently oily and blemished and I can connect the dots with the blackheads and open pores I have.  To make matters worse my finances are now tighter than ever and I'm running out of cleanser and toner and will probably have to look at changing over to a high street brand in the next few weeks, moisturiser will probably get me through the next couple of months and with the problems I'm having now I don't know where to start and am really concerned that I'm going to make things worse, I know I need to get this back on track, any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Wendy

Wendy,
I am so glad to hear you are on the mend and know just how debilitating depression and its knock-on effects can be. What you really need to do is to simply get yourself onto a basic, normal skincare routine and allow your skin to balance and tell you what its new condition is. If you are only running out of cleanser/toner, could I suggest Bliss Fabulous Foaming Cleanser? It very gently exfoliates and cleanses your skin and won't strip it of its natural oils. That should help you to calm the oilier areas, clear out he blockages that are causing the breakout, and not break the bank either. It costs £15 and you can use this with the rest of your Elemis moisturiser and let your skin come to a balance. This is really important to do as if you can't quite figure out the current condition; you can't ever hope to get it back on an even keel. Simplicity is the key. You can get Bliss at major department store and larger Boots stores, so it should be easy to find. Good luck on the road to full recovery my friend, and if you need anything further, please write again.
Warmest regards,
John

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