Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

Hi John,
I currently use the Clinique 3 step skincare set (3 I think) for oily skin. My skin gets very greasy very quickly, and I have large visible pores and generally fairly red skin, I was thinking that especially coming up to summer I could do with an SPF moisturiser, but I do love my Clinique Dramatically Different gel, so I was wondering what products you would suggest? I thought about a Clinique one which it says online goes on after the 3 step routine, Superdefence I think, and No7 Protect and Perfect day cream with SPF, but as I'm only 23 I'm not sure if I need a moisturiser with anti-wrinkle properties just yet! Any help would be great.
Charlotte

Charlotte,
If you really like the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel, then the easiest solution for you is to simply add Clinique City Base SPF25, or SPF40. Superdefence will be too heavy for you, but it is not really anti-ageing either. It is a protective UV and anti-pollution product. That being said, you still love your DDML. So the City Base products allow you to have the protection for daily use within a range you know and trust, and the price for either of them is an affordable £15. Just a quick note, there is also a protective base that is used over moisturiser or can be used instead of for oilier skins within Clinique called Anti-Redness Solutions Protective Base SPF15. This one has green corrective pigments to help you to tone down excess redness and is even less at £14. Go and have a look at these and I think you will find exactly the solution you want from someone you feel comfortable with already.
Warmest regards,
John

Hi John,
I really hope you can help me, I've always had a problem in finding the right foundation to match my skin so I end up buying blindly with what ever people have recommended, and I've realised that my skin has become so bad and ultimately dry and most of all its lost its natural glow and instead is really dull. I've never experienced any break out of spots or having any dark patches on areas of my face and constantly during the day I'm always moisturising my face as it feels stiff. Just recently both MAC and Bobbi Brown have left me traumatised as I just wanted a light foundation with good coverage but instead both of their make artists pasted my face with tons of foundation and I felt completely fake and pasted on to like a blank canvas, as three to four different shades of concealer were applied just around my eye area. unfortunately I'm getting married in June and I can't have my skin feeling like this so please John I need your help in how I could get my skin looking good again as I feel foundation isn't the thing for my skin. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Henna

Henna,
I am so sorry that they obviously didn't listen to you. This is why so many women have lost faith entirely in the cosmetics industry. Don't give up. You are going to have to do the rounds. Some of the companies that do really stunning light foundations are Becca, Paul & Joe, Chantecaille, Dior Nude, and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturisers. I think your best bet might be to go and have a consultation with a makeup person that doesn't work with a specific brand. Sit with them and tell them exactly what you do and don't want, both for your wedding and for every day. Also tell them of the bad experiences and see what you come up with. This is the sort of service I offer in Fenwick of Bond Street, and they also have a make-up artist with Personal Shopping named Frey-ja Barker, who I would trust implicitly to advise: not sell. This would solve all of your problems and give you some help choosing your make-up for the big day at the same time. Appointments with me would be on a cancellation basis and cost £100, of which £50 is redeemable. Frey-ja's appointments cost £50 and that entire amount is redeemable with your booking. Have a think about it and I believe you will agree that this is a one stop answer to your predicament.
Congratulations,
John

Dear John,
Following a recent illness I have been left with a droopy upper eyelid. Although I wear glasses which hide it a bit, I am conscious of it and ask if there is a treatment I could use to help tighten the skin which is puffy. I also have a noticeably dark circle under the eye. I use Touche Éclat as a cover-up but can you also recommend a treatment to try and lighten it please.
Finally - professional make-up palettes - are these available to buy? I love experimenting with colour!
Thanks for your assistance John, much appreciated.
Michele Digby

Michele,
Well, I hope you are on the mend now. I think I will have to bang on about the Strixaderm S.O.S. Eyecream for you. All of the results are tested by the American Medical Association and they were able to prove that in one month of using S.O.S. twice a day, puffiness was decreased by 40%, discolouration by 60%, and it has a patented 5-minute tightening effect to deal with the lift and tightening you need. There really isn't another eyecream that I think would give you results this visible this quickly. For professional palettes, one of my absolute favourites is Nouba. You can get these from bebeautifulboutique.co.uk. There are loads of different ones in combinations of shadows, blushers, lips, and all sorts. Great quality and affordable prices. I have about 6 different ones that get tucked into my kit when I want to economise on space. You can also find palettes at places like Claire's, Urban Outfitters, Superdrug, and Boots. Sometimes they are promotional, but most have sets all year round. At Christmas time you will find yourself completely spoiled for choice...but that is still 10 months away (...but only 10 months! Yikes!!!) Some companies like Aveda, Shu Uemura, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and Chantecaille allow you to create your own palettes, but they will be more costly and are probably better suited to someone who wants to condense there collection rather than have a playground to run riot in!
Have fun,
John