Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

Hi John,
I'm trying to reign in spending lots on products and am just about to come to the end of my Sisley Sisleya Eye Cream - which I must say, is excellent. Prior to this I used SKII eye gel which was great but not as good as the Sisley. What I'm after is a great anti-aging and reduce puffiness eye cream which is less than £40. Trouble is, there are too many brands to choose from and I'm now very confused. Can you help?
Tina King

Tina,
A really good eyecream for under £40? It is not that they don't exist, but I am really afraid that since you have used two incredibly good eye creams as your recent two, whatever you use next in that price range will feel like a step backward. You may even see a slight deterioration in the eye area. That is the problem when you go from luxury to mainstream and/or mass cosmetics. So truthfully, I think you are looking for a maintenance eye product more than one that is going to give you blinding results. For that, I really like the Clinique All About Eyes, Natura Bisse Stimul Eye Gel, Lauder Timezone, and Molton Brown Eye Rescue. They all fall between the £20-£40 mark and should keep up the results you have gotten from the Sisley and the SKII. But again Tina...don't be too disappointed if you are a little bit spoiled - your eye creams have been "le crèmes"!
Bon chance,
John

Hi John,
I watch all your videos and read your advice religiously! You used some false eyelashes for the bridal beauty video which were not the individual ones but not a whole strip - you called them Smokey but I cannot find them anywhere - what brand are they?
Thanks!
Deviani

Deviani,
So sorry if I didn't make that clear enough. Sometimes it happens in editing and others - I am just plain old! LOL. I have just gone down to my kit and fished a set out so I can give you the exact details. The lashes are from Shu Uemura and are called "Partial Flares". You get 5 sets of ¼" segments and they are re-usable for as long as you are careful with them. There is another that is similar, but a little bit heavier called "Partial Soft Cross". The difference is the latter are roughly double the thickness/fullness and have a fairly heavy line at the base, which means you generally will need to use a liquid liner to blend the ends. With these you only get 4 sets, but if you like a little drama, they are beautiful. For beginners? Try the "Partial Flares"...and don't forget to get some glue!
Cheers,
John

Dear John,
I am an avid reader of your advice and have found it very useful - I suspect I was one of the many people with normal-combination skin who was treating it like oily skin and stripping it and therefore making things worse. Having read your advice to others and trying products for normal skin, I now use Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm and am trying the 3 step program from Clinique as well, and having started using the cleansing balm my skin seems to be getting better.

My concern is that I am getting married in April and want to know how to make the best of my skin and make-up! My skin is sort of normal-combination - my cheeks are a bit sensitive and they can on occasion become dry in the winter, however my nose, chin and forehead get a bit oily and shiny and I have blackheads on my nose and chin. I generally use the above cleansing balm with a simple toner, pore minimizer from L'Oreal and a standard moisturizer with SPF15 from Olay. I hate the black heads on my nose and chin but don't know how to get rid of them, I am told I have lovely skin but would love to improve these areas ready for my wedding, do you have any ideas, is Clinique 3-step a good way to go? I don't have a particularly big budget and am planning on doing my own wedding make-up with help from my bridesmaids as I can't afford to hire a make-up artist, and people have said my make-up always looks nice. I am thinking of having a wedding makeover by Bobbi Brown as I like that sort of look and could then copy it on the day, but want to use Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation as I don't get too shiny with this. Do you think these would be good choices for my wedding make-up and good for photos? I'm sorry to have waffled on so much and ask so many questions, but I really want to look my best on my special day and am worried that I will make some poor choices and be disappointed, please, please help!
Mellissa

Mellissa,
You haven't waffled on at all. But I admit to being confused where you say you are using the Clinique 3-Step, but then follow saying you are using a combination of L'Oreal and Olay. On the skincare front, I do love the balm as it doesn't strip, but if you still find there is a blackhead problem: Bliss Spa Steep Clean Pore Unclogging Cleanser works a treat. It is a self-heating lotion that you can rinse off or remove with a flannel. The heating effect will help open the pores so the cleanser can remove blockages. There is also a moisturiser to compliment it. They are a thought if you have not already invested in the Clinique. But I do like the Clinique as well - I am just thinking with the time you have left and the results you are looking for...you may have better luck with Bliss. No problem at all with your foundation choice as it really does last and last. You might want to also have a look at the new Clarins 15-Hour Matte that just launched. Looks like it will be really heavy at first, but it settles beautifully and makes skin radiant. Finally, you choice of seeing a Bobbi Brown makeup consultant should be a good one. Remember you may not like everything, so look at it in parts and absorb what will help you on the big day. Maybe have three or four counter consultations and see what options people come up with. Most are free of charge so you have nothing to lose but the time. This is not a good day to experiment with a new look. Look like the best version of you possible - your photos are your memories of the day and you want to remember for the right reasons!
Have a wonderful day,
John