Cornstarch! Adult Acne’s Best Friend!

Mineral Veil, HD Microfinish Powder, Light Reflecting Setting Powder.  I see these a lot among my clients’ makeup arsenals, chiefly because my clientele all have breakout issues.  Summer can really be gross.  There’s very little that’s worse than a greasy mess over layers of makeup.  These powders are not just setting powders, they do serve a great purpose for oily skin; they absorb oil like no one’s business and the white ones don’t clog pores or irritate inflamed skin.

Thing is, considering they run anywhere from $20-50, and considering most are made with just one ingredient, the white ones in particular, do we really need this?  In my opinion, this is really one of the things we can indeed save money on.  Like I said, these powders are great.  But they’re not all there is.

Cheek Breakouts and the Blush Brush Conundrum

Have you ever experienced breakouts along your cheekbones that just don’t go away no matter what you do?  While there are several possibilities that could explain this annoying problem, my first go-to in diagnosing the problem is to look at your blush and bronzer.

You may have also come to a similar thought, but from a different angle.  After asking at Sephora, or perusing Pinterest, there's no doubt that you've come across the advice to wash your makeup brushes.  It only seems to make sense that your dirty makeup brushes would cause breakouts, right?

Actually? NO !  

As I always tell my clients,

 "It's  the blush, not the brush!"

A Changing Of Seasons... For Your Makeup?

Ah, seasonal changes... Going from summer to fall brings us pumpkin-spiced goodies, mugs of warm tea, time to spend with loved ones, and... swapping out your makeup? It seems that changing out your skincare or makeup products by season is a universal thought -- often backed by bloggers, fashion magazines, and perhaps even your own family!

In my most humble opinion -- no matter what season you're in, the type of foundation you use (whether it's a cream, liquid, a tinted moisturizer, or a BB cream) really depends on your preferred coverage. Our skin certainly changes with different weather conditions, but should makeup even be involved? If you're concerned about hydration, sun protection, and pore minimization it would seem that any changes in your skin from one season to the next should be taken care of with quality skincare products.  

I've never really been a fan of using makeup as skincare considering that makeup products are designed to sit on top of the skin and not penetrate, where as skincare products are supposed to penetrate. Another way to look at makeup-as-skincare is that if foundation (that is not supposed to penetrate the skin) has skin-enhancing ingredients, how much effect is it actually going to have?