My Concealer Favorites

And here we are, bored by the ins and outs of CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia and our funky skin.  Well, fear not, I've been busy trying to find the concealers that I like most for "our skin." "We" all too often have skin problems due to hypersensitive and dehydrated skin and HOW we hate those wrinkles, be they cute or elegant, depending on the look you think they give you. In fact, I think there are very few American women who think that they have good skin.  Yes, we American women have a problem with anything and everything when it comes to the "looks" category, no matter how badly or wonderfully we look to the rest of the world.

Well, today I thought I'd take on a few of my favorite concealers which I've found to be a huge help, especially at this time of year when the cold weather combines with the dry conditions in our homes or at work.  Add to this dryness factor the rapid yoyo'ing of winter's temperatures and we end up feeling pretty darn awful about ourselves.  Then you throw in the insomnia and you had better have pretty good concealers if you plan to go out of doors where people will see you.  Really, we DO owe it our fellow citizens to allow concealers to protect some of us from huge pores, hyperpigmentaion, wrinkles that'll soon reach and connect with our neck. Oh the problems which take over our faces are not only humdingers, but almost too numerous to count.  But I thought, present three concealers: that's quite doable.  Plus, the three I'm discussing come in two different forms, so that should add a bit of spice to our lives. One last thing to keep in mind, make sure you put some sort of eye cream around your eyes!  After a certain age, not having used a eye moisturizer can become a real problem. (And reviews on several eye creams are coming up!)

So let the games begin!

• Lancome EFFACERNES Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer.  I've literally been using this since my senior year in HS or freshman year in university and I couldn't stand not having it in my arsenal.  The back of the tube (which lasts forever) says you can use this under or over foundation when wishing to camouflage under eyes to a matte finish. (I use it around my nostrils as well.)  Fantastic product.  I think I'd rather be impaled than lose this gem of a product.  And ALWAYS remember to put eye cream on around your eyes, very gently (very thin skin there, so use your non-dominant ring finger to pat it into place).
• bareMinerals multi-tasking minerals with the SP 20 sunscreen is a powder I love. It's the concealer I've mentioning which DOES require a brush for application. (Yay!)  Unfortunately, the only problem is that as you get older, you need to be careful that the under eye area doesn't look too wrinkled/crepey because you can get a cakey look for your troubles. I've also heard it said by various makeup artist that these powder foundations are really good one to use if you plan to have pictures taken.  The the powder form of the SPF in the mineral doesn't go nutso, making lights bounce all over the place and thus make your face look glowing - as in really shiny - and your head doesn't look almost-alien like.  Having worn this off and on for the last 4 or more years, I have to say that I agree! 
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer with SPF10 . Perfect. Nothing else needs to be said. I carry this in my little bag of essentials each time I go out, but most especially when I have a hair appointment and know that there'll be little makeup left on my face by the time everything's over.  Furthermore, concealer is a must after the eyelashes are done.

Concealers can be applied with a brush or with your fingers. I've always used the finger technique but have started loving the brushes so much that I've decided to join the 21st century and its love of makeup brushes. Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?

And that's it!  Here's to everyone not just looking great but feeling their best, only better!  Ciao and Paka!

Skinceutical's CE Ferulic Acid

In honor of our wedding anniversary today: lots of dancing!

Call me fickle, but I do so love to play around with different beauty products.  I suppose this is what happens when there is little else you can do in your life, although that's probably not the only reason.  My mom, too, has always been keen about skincare.  As a child I always thought of it as a European thing - although because of little discretionary income (hardly any!) my mom stayed with a couple of tried and true products. But I well remember when an occasional package would come in the mail from NYC, with a jar of "something" so exotic and expensive that no one but my mom was ever allowed near the product.  As years went by, I learned that the package would come from from a French-Russian lady living in NYC who made her products in her home and had quite a following in the immigrant communities. 


I always remember my childhood years, too, with my mom's very quick application of a DYI  "mask" of some sort to her face, applying a mysterious (to me) concoction made of honey and an egg yolk left on for twenty minutes before heading out the door for any event, including going to church.  As a reaction to my mom, I never cared for any skincare products but - sigh! - eventually we all do pretty much become our mother's daughters.  


And so, with that said, one of  the workhorses in MY personal supply of "stay as young as possible" products is Skinceutical's CE Ferulic treatment.  Its main ingredients are Vitamin C with a touch of Vitamin E and, of course, Ferulic Acid.  The C is there to clarify, brighten and lighten hyperpigmentation, whereas the E protects the skin from being further damaged by those pesky free radicals.  The Ferulic Acid, according to Skinceutical's PR, "neutralizes free radical activity."


I've been using this treatment on and off for four months now, approximately once or twice a week and have been thoroughly impressed with the progress my face has shown.  My old "freckles" (age spots, mom!  NOT "little flowers"!) are getting lighter.  In fact, it was because of the success of this treatment that I started using other treatments and different brands.  I think I used to believe nothing really worked so, in true "me" fashion, once I saw one product work, I went from seemingly nothing to seemingly everything.  I'm such a product of extremes! (Another sigh: this one for those of us with the DD and know our "all or nothing" tendencies all too well.)


Most importantly, perhaps is that this Skinceuticals product is intended for those who have sun damaged skin which is also dry and sensitive and  for those who wish that their skin were smoother, softer and, that panacea we're all after, radiant. I like it too because it's meant to be used in the morning.   It often seems, to me at least. that most treatments are recommended for evening/bedtime use.  While using this product, however, one absolute "must" is the use a good SPF - unless, perhaps, you happen to be like me and live in some sort of version of Batman's bat cave and never see much light.  On the other hand, I've read that this CE Ferulic and SPF work synergistically - thus one reason for its recommended use in the AM.


After applying a few drops to my dry, cleansed face and throat (I skip the chest since it's just too sensitive for anything) I usually end up putting a moisturizer on after the Ferulic application or a good SPF that also acts like a moisturizing cream, LaMer's sunblock in my case, or a BB cream.


In the beginning, I found that in applying a drop onto my skin, the skin just absorbed the drop without giving me a chance to smear it around.  It was very puzzling as to how in the world I'd ever manage to smear the recommended 4-5 drops all over.  In fact, at first I dabbed a bit of each drop on a targeted area (where the age spots were the worst) and hoped for the best.  Happily, after a month of use I found that the dryness had improved so much that the drops actually did now begin to slide around my face.  Now that's what I call improvement!  


I also have large pores on my nose and I've found that they appear less deep and the skin on my nose is smother, less bumpy when using the CE Ferulic.


So, all and all, this is a product one can't help falling in love with, especially when considering the funky skin those of us with CFIDS/ME/fibro all have to deal with.

Now, since I've stopped eating honey (in my attempt to get my body back on some sort of "good" track) that means that there's a rather large bottle of it in my kitchen; tonight I may try my mom's honey and egg concoction and see if, indeed, it will firm up my skin yet leave it soft and radiant.  Today is our wedding anniversary, so perhaps I should give myself a good facial to bring out the youth in my skin before hubby gets home!  (OK: I'm rolling all over the floor with laughter with that last bit!).


In the meantime, here's to hoping all are doing their best, only better - boy, some days I really do love fibro-logic!  I just hope fibro-brain wasn't too evident in this post!


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