Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

Dear John,
I have an issue with under eye make-up. It seems that the concealer always falls into the creases under my eyes. I only use products that are specifically for your eyes hoping that would help. I have used liquids and sticks. I have bought cheap and expensive. I get the colour one shade lighter than my complexion but still look tired especially with all the creases. Any advice on colour, type, what lasts longer, and the best way to apply?
Thank you

Hello!
Under-eyes are a notoriously difficult place to conceal. Often, the more you do the worse it looks. Getting the balance between not looking too dry and being so soft it moves into creases is like walking a tightrope. If you can afford to spend a bit more, Chantecaille Bio Lifting Concealer has a firming skincare core running down the centre of a small stick concealer. Soft coverage and the firming core helps keep the area taut. Lauder Doublewear is a transfer resistant concealer that is made to stay in place all day. And it does work well. This one is applied with a little sponge wand and is best done by applying a few little dots under the eyes and then tapping with a fingertip to blend. I have found that if I don't apply concealer all the way to the very edge of the under eye line that there is no product to collect in the fine lines immediately underneath. Another good under-eye concealer is MAC Select Cover. Really creamy with excellent cover and staying power. I apply this one with a brush and again; use it sparingly. Let me address the colour issue next. Don't go a shade lighter. The darker the shadow the darker the concealer. If you try to apply a light concealer you will always look ashen underneath. Match it to your skintone on your upper cheek to keep the coverage seamless.
My final note would be to evaluate what you are using before you try to apply concealer. If all concealers do the same thing of creeping into lines, it may be something other than the concealer causing the problem. Residue from eye make-up removal is always a suspect. If you use your regular face moisturiser around your eye area that is definitely a possibility. Likewise, wearing too much of an eye cream or using it too near the eye will cause movement. Have a look at all of this as a total picture and I am sure we have a solution for you here!
Best regards,
John

Dear John,
I think I can honestly claim to be one of your most loyal, long-term followers! I was a student in the UK when handbag got started and have read your columns and Q&As faithfully every week wherever my humanitarian international work brings me. There's always so much wisdom in your writings! Currently I am posted in a hot, but mostly dry climate, and since it's time to update and renew the base-part of my make-up bag, I decided to send you a request to ask what's new and best on the market these days. No matter the location I'm in or the sort of people I meet, I want to look neat and presentable, and almost always wear some powder foundation.
I'm in my mid-30s and have fair Scandinavian skin of mixed type. I like using compact power foundations that are quick to apply. What would be the best products that I should look for when finding myself in front of a cosmetics counter again? I want a product that is 'absorbed' into the skin, prevents it from shining, doesn't show a powdery or caked look, and gives an appealing finish. I would also really appreciate it if you could throw in a suggestion or two of an easy-to-apply fluid foundation and matching powder for those days when more time is spent on getting ready.
As a footnote; which version would you typically advise using - compact power or fluid foundation?
Many thanks,
Sophia

Sophia,
Bless you, bless you, bless you. I got such a tickle from your letter! Do you realise that in all of the years that handbag has been around (10 - believe it or not), there is nobody that has been here for longer than me? Nobody. That is until you came along! LOL. We are the only two people that have been there since day one. So from one lifer to another, here is your reply...placed on a silver platter...served by a butler...who looks remarkably like George Clooney...naked. I love powder foundations. For all the same reasons that you do. They are easy, portable, and give a great finish and allow touch-ups without a sack full of products. If I had to choose a favourite at the moment, it would be Guerlain Parure Powder Foundation. It is a mineral enriched compact powder makeup based in crushed pearl. The finish is a radiant matte and it contains a much higher than usual SPF20. You can get a really soft cover by using a powder brush, or more complete cover with the little sponge. You should find a colour for your complexion as I am of Scandinavian background as well and can find a match. Next up would have to be Dior Forever Compact Foundation. This one is a little more sheer, but the colour range includes a few lighter shades. The nice thing about this one Sophia is that they do exact match liquid foundations as well. So if you wanted the combination, the liquid can go down first and the powder foundation can set it and be used for touch-ups. Now if your skin is REALLY pale, the best option for you will be Chantecaille Powder Foundation. The names Shell, Petal, and Peach should give you a clue! Finally, Shiseido has just launched a new powder compact foundation that gives a little bit heavier cover. Again, the convenience of Shiseido foundations is that the colours are always the same in all of the formulations so you can match them up without ever straying from the colour you wear. But I have to ask - if you really love the finish and application of a powder foundation, why even bother to have a liquid? There is really not a better or a worse. I choose the one for the model/client based on her skin and her own preferences. That is how you should choose yours as well. No need to have both if you are happy with the one you know works well and that you can do faultlessly. Spend your money on something fun to wear OVER the foundation. Phew! Thank you so much for you letter and for your loyalty - I hope we have many more happy years together...
Fondly,
John

Hello John,
My name is Pravesh and I am from India. I want to tell you my problem and hope that you will take care of me. I have black spots on my nose since two years ago which look ugly and many of my friends laugh at me because of it. One thing more, that I am from a middle family and can't afford expensive products. Please could you suggest something that will fix this for me?
Thanks and regards,
Pravesh Kumar

Pravesh,
I would be delighted to help you. I do have a slight problem though in not fully understanding the sort of black spots you are talking about. There could be several different sorts and the solution would change depending on which sort of spots you are talking about. If they are black spots or blackheads caused by pores that are blocked, this is an easy problem to fix. Steaming your face over the sink with a towel over your head will soften the skin and loosen the pore openings. Then apply a deep cleansing mask to gently lift the blackheads out. Regular exfoliation will help to keep them from coming back, as will using a moisturiser that has anti-oxidant vitamins.

But if the black spots are more like moles, freckles, or pigmentation, there is not really a product that will effectively solve this problem. For that you would be talking about seeing a cosmetic dermatologist and most likely having a course of IPL light laser treatments. These would kill off the pigment marks but the treatment will cost a bit of money. Not as much as you might imagine, but not as inexpensively as going in for a mask and an exfoliator. If you don't think that either of these sounds like the sort of marks you are talking about, please write back and give me a little bit more information and I will do what I can to help you. And shame on your friends...you seem a lovely girl and they should not be making you feel self-conscious about something you may have little control over. I hope this either takes care of the problem or that I will hear back from you so we can get this sorted out together.
All the best,
John