Hi, John

I am 56 years old but still feel I am in my 30s - that is until I look at myself in the mirror! I have had a really tough couple of years - two operations, my mother died and my husband had a cardiac arrest - and I think this has had a disastrous effect on my skin and feeling of well-being. I carry very little weight and my face appears to have lost muscle, especially around the lower cheeks, leading to deep wrinkles, sagging skin and lack of definition around the jaw line. I cleanse, tone and moisturise every day, using the Boots refine and rewind serum followed by Elemis pro collagen marine cream. Am I using the right products and are there any facial exercises that may help.
Hope you can help,

Ann

Ann,

And I thought I'd had a crappy couple of years! Stress and illness can wreck havoc with your skin - but don't fear...you are young enough to put right the damage. The products that you are using are good ones. I might want to upgrade the Boots serum to something that can lift and fill the skin out a little bit more effectively. Lancôme has a new serum called Renergie Morpholift that does that exact thing. I also really like Natura Bisse Essential Shock Concentrate and Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Lifting Formula. There are also course treatments that revitalise skin after you have suffered an illness. They tend to cost a bit, but can make a huge difference in a hurry. La Prairie Ampoules, Sisley Sero Botanique and the Sisleya Ampoules, and Clarins Super Restorative all give you a super kick up the backside. Once the course is finished, you can go back to whatever product you were using before. The difficulty for those of us that don't have a lot of extra weight is that once you lose that subcutaneous layer of fat in the face: you can put it back. Facial exercises WILL help, but only to a point. And if I were going to embark on those, I would want to go to a Eva Fraser studio and be taught which exact ones will help with your specific problems and be shown how to do them properly for the maximum result. Being aware is the smartest thing you could have done. Try to make an improvement before it gets completely out of control. And in the end? Don't worry too much about it. Look at what your alternatives were?

I wish you well, Ann.
John

Dear John,

I tend to have problems with redness around my face, particularly at the sides next to my nose. If I cover this with foundation it often looks too cakey. I have normal skin but an oily t-zone. How do I create a natural looking base that is an even colour and also helps reduce the redness? Would really appreciate the help!
Many thanks,

Harriet

Hi Harriet,

I have found a fabulous little product that works miracles on making this sort of redness look less visible. It is a Shu Uemura Green Base Control that uses lighting technology to change the way we perceive the colour red. Unlike other green correctors, this one doesn't even really need to be covered up! A small amount applied over your moisturiser and under your foundation will act like an insurance policy against redness shining through like a beacon during the day. As a coverage product, I would then look into the newer formulations of powder foundation or perhaps a mineral makeup. These would not only allow you great natural coverage, but would give you the more matte finish most oilier skins crave. These are now available in all price ranges from nearly every company. Choose according to who gives you the best colour match rather than the price. This is one of those situations where they are all similar in the way they work.
Hope that helps,
John

Dear John,

I used to follow your columns slavishly - as I got so much out of them! But after having given birth to my baby boy over a year ago, I never seem to have enough time for the things in life that really matter ... such as keeping up to date with developments in skincare and make-up. I badly need your advice on is what really good under-eye concealers there are out there now. Being blonde with fair skin, the shadows under my eyes, large to begin with, have got frighteningly darker over the past 18 months with the constant lack of sleep that my wonderful son causes me, and I would need something that really works to ‘rein in' these dark circles.

I would be so grateful for your help.
Thanks,
Sophia

Sophia,

How could I possibly not answer your question? LOL. I would invest in a product by an American pharmaceutical skincare company called Strixaderm MD S.O.S. The results are proven in an independent clinical trial by the American Medical Association, so they are pretty much irrefutable! Strixaderm S.O.S. was found to reduce dark shadowing by 60% in only 4 weeks, and puffiness by 40%. Use it twice a day on the entire eye area...right up to the lashline and over the lids. Best of all? The price is only £49.00. I even mix it with concealer to give the concealer treatment capabilities! To get your actual coverage, beware of making the under-eye look like a couple of potato chips. Lancôme Longue Tenue and Lauder Disappear are both very moist - though you may have a problem getting the colour light enough. If you can plump for it, Chantecaille Bio Lifting Concealer comes in the paler shades and has a core of skincare running down the centre of the stick. If you are having trouble finding a great match, look at the Becca Concealers. You get two different weights of the coverage in each little compact and the shade range is an incredible 34 shades. But this is one where you might need to pat over it with a little bit of eyecream. Not that it is heavy or dry, but I find that it looks more natural when you do. Personal experience as dark under-eye sufferer myself. Glad you still have time to come to handbag to solve your little beauty problems and congratulations on your bundle of joy. Best thing you ever did, isn't it?
Take care,

John

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