Makeup, skincare, hair!

[FireHair]

As a thank you to all the wonderful people who have been giving me a hand (or a fin), I'd like to offer up a thread about hair and makeup and skincare, which are the three things I am best at besides drawing haha. I am currently enrolling in a beauty school but my aunt who does hair and makeup for commercials has taught me many of her tips and tricks to achieving health or that perfect look, be it a a casual date or a grand affair. I also am teaching myself theatrical makeup and am quite handy with prosthetics. Once I can figure out how to upload pictures I shall show you some examples :)

Feel free to ask me anything you have questions about and I'll do my best to answer to your satisfaction. Thank you all so much again, you've been a huge help :D

[Ayla of Duluth]

Best way to get rid of and/or cover up acne? I have blemishes and they're not bad, but I do get flare ups and my face looks like I have the chicken pox something fierce and it's just embarrassing. How does everyone else seem to have such flawless skin?

[FireHair]

Well to be honest, I know only one person with nearly flawless skin, and she gets that from her genetics, lucky landlubber.
For skincare:
I can recommend a few homemade scrubs and facial mask receipies to you. First of all, what kind of skin do you have? Oily, dry, somewhere in between?? Also, are you allergic to anything??
For coverups: I recommend getting some tinted moisturizer and using that on the days when your skin is good. Using a lotion with just hint of colouring can help reduce breakouts. Caking on foundation isn't always the best thing for your skin because it clogs up your pores, and can be hard to scrub off completely. If you do the tinted moisturizer, I recommend two things: 1. Find one with a little sunscreen in it. If you're like me and have fair skin or just don't like the sun, it's great to have and not make your face all greasy haha. And 2. You should also get a concealer stick and a tiny makeup brush. Rub the brush on the concealer stick until you have a little of the product on the brush, then use it to cover only your red spots and acne. If you do this it shows off more of your beautiful skin anyway ;) and when you go through out the day, be sure to pick up blotting pads. If you haven't heard of them, they are these awesome little strips of a plastic-like paper that you use to boot the sweat and oil off your face. Make sure not to get the ones with any sort of powder on it. I recommend the brand Clean and Clear because it's cheap and just as good as the expensive stuff. You can find them at any Walmart and I've seen them in a few drugstores. Another think that makes your skin look bright an healthy: dab a little concealer under your eyes if you have shadows. It'll make your eyes brighten up too :)

Another thing you can do to reduce breakouts is to not scrub your skin really hard. Try opening up the pores on your face first with a warm washcloth and then gently massage either some facial scrub or soap on your face. Always make sure to rinse completely (believe me, I've done everything on this list wrong a few times haha) otherwise the soap or other cleaning product could irritate your skin if left on for too long.

Let me know what your skintype is and I'll give you some scrub skin wash receipies that you can make at home. Masks too :)

[Mermaid Annariea]

WOAH. this thread is brilliant.
hmm. okay so i have a few questions.

- what is the best way to waterproof makeup that isnt already waterproof?

- whats the best shampoos and conditioners for really long, semi-thick hair that is naturally wavy/curly? i want it to be nice and silky and smooth, but i also want it to curl well. right now i use suave shampoo and tresemme conditioner. also, are there any tricks for fixing dead/split ends without cutting them off? any hair serums or anything? my mom mentioned warm olive oil on the tips...

[FireHair]

Hi Brianna, glad you like it!
Ok, first off your mother was exactly right with the olive oil, but it doesn't cure split ends :'( hair is comprised of dead skin cells. Keyword dead. So any products that claim to "renew" your hair are making them sound like they do more than what they actually do haha. Now, I am not saying they're technically lying, because hair products do help strengthen hair and make it more tensile, but your hair can't heal its split ends. But as far as hair products go, I favor Aussie because it works pretty well and smells GREAT. You can mix and match shampoos and conditioners to suit your hair's needs. Back to the olive oil for a minute: if you want silky smooth, shiny hair, then warm up some olive oil in the microwave or on the stove until it becomes just warm enough that you can touch it with your bare hands. Take it and massage it into your hair, starting from the ends and working your way up to the scalp. If you're having someone help you I highly recommend asking them for a scalp massage ;) feels great. Now here comes the interesting part. Wear some pjs you don't mind getting oil on and wrap your pillow up with a towel. Wrap your hair into a loose bun and get ready to wear that on your head to sleep (personally, I put mine on the top of my head because it feels wonky any other way. Looks pretty funny too, so I don't recommend doing this during a sleepover with easily amused people haha). When you wake up in the morning, shampoo your hair and rinse out all the water. You won't need to use conditioner. I am guessing since you have really long semi-thick hair it takes you forever to try it out naturally, so blow dry your hair on low with the dryer set to warm or cool. Hot air on your hair can further damage it if you do it too often. Same goes for heated curling irons or straighteners.

Back to hair products. Aussie works wonders. But be warned, the sleeker your hair, the harder it is for the curls to stay unless you use a bucketful of hairspray. I recommend trying something like this out: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZ2QGq0n4A
thats a link to an example of no heat curls which is better for your hair, but takes. Little longer. Another think you can wear to bed and wake up looking fabulous the next morning!

and as far as waterproofing non waterproof makeup? I am not so sure there is a way to do that, but if you'd like I can give you a list of inexpensive but effective waterproof products that do an excellent job? :)

[FireHair]

By the way, I am all about finding the best working products for the lowest prices I can find, not counting ELF products or store knockoff brands. :)

Oh also Brianna, if you want to disguise your split ends even further, massage a smoothing product onto the ends of your hair. There are a few products from Suave and L'oreal that work nice. Trick is to not use too much. Dime sized amounts only. Too much and by the end of the day your hair is all gross. Trust me, done that too xD massage the ends or lightly brush it through your hair with your fingers after rubbing the product between your hands. A little goes a long way. :D

[FireHair]

Oh one last thing, only use the warm oil treatment once a month for best results. Extra virgin is the best way to go :D

[Ayla of Duluth]

Well to be honest, I know only one person with nearly flawless skin, and she gets that from her genetics, lucky landlubber.
For skincare:
I can recommend a few homemade scrubs and facial mask receipies to you. First of all, what kind of skin do you have? Oily, dry, somewhere in between?? Also, are you allergic to anything??
For coverups: I recommend getting some tinted moisturizer and using that on the days when your skin is good. Using a lotion with just hint of colouring can help reduce breakouts. Caking on foundation isn't always the best thing for your skin because it clogs up your pores, and can be hard to scrub off completely. If you do the tinted moisturizer, I recommend two things: 1. Find one with a little sunscreen in it. If you're like me and have fair skin or just don't like the sun, it's great to have and not make your face all greasy haha. And 2. You should also get a concealer stick and a tiny makeup brush. Rub the brush on the concealer stick until you have a little of the product on the brush, then use it to cover only your red spots and acne. If you do this it shows off more of your beautiful skin anyway ;) and when you go through out the day, be sure to pick up blotting pads. If you haven't heard of them, they are these awesome little strips of a plastic-like paper that you use to boot the sweat and oil off your face. Make sure not to get the ones with any sort of powder on it. I recommend the brand Clean and Clear because it's cheap and just as good as the expensive stuff. You can find them at any Walmart and I've seen them in a few drugstores. Another think that makes your skin look bright an healthy: dab a little concealer under your eyes if you have shadows. It'll make your eyes brighten up too :)

Another thing you can do to reduce breakouts is to not scrub your skin really hard. Try opening up the pores on your face first with a warm washcloth and then gently massage either some facial scrub or soap on your face. Always make sure to rinse completely (believe me, I've done everything on this list wrong a few times haha) otherwise the soap or other cleaning product could irritate your skin if left on for too long.

Let me know what your skintype is and I'll give you some scrub skin wash receipies that you can make at home. Masks too :)

I am gonna be lurking on this thread like my life depends on it. :) [I was never one to get into all the beauty aspects of life and only recently started using a foundation makeup]
I used to have oily skin in high school, but since graduating my skin has taken on a somewhat calmer demeanor. Its not oily anymore but its also not dry. I guess it all really depends on the weather too, my skin has just recently begun to get dry and flaky from the temperature change. The type of blemishes I get are [and I don't even know if they're considered blemishes because apparently this is normal] like oily pore plugs. I don't know how to describe them, they're like blackheads without the black head. They're just little things that get all over my nose and if I get real up close and personal with a pin or something, I can take the little plug out and that pore suddenly looks all open. Those are the annoying ones about my skin, other than that I get red spots on my cheeks and chin and I get whiteheads on my nose and forehead.

My regimen for this is to take a hot shower to open my pores and do my hair while the steam works on opening them up. after I shampoo and condition, I turn the hot water down to a lukewarm so as not to irritate my skin and I wash my face with Up&Up or St Ives apricot scrub, depending on which one I have. [I think St Ives works a little better though.] I do also have a Clean & Clear morning burst apricot scrub that I use after the St Ives scrub, just because I feel like the more liquidy soap gets in my pores better.

One thing I do notice is that when I've used one face scrub for a few weeks or months and then I suddenly change to a different product, my skin clears up really well. Maybe my skin grows a tolerance to the product I use. I try to change it up every now and again though. I found that Avon has a blemish clearing soap scrub that worked really well, it was minty and I loved it so much, but then I couldn't find it anymore. :(

I'm not allergic to anything at all.

As for makeup so far, prettymuch the only thing I use is Neutrogena Skin Clearing Foundation. It covers really nicely and I only use a thin layer and since I don't have a makeup brush, I blend with a cotton ball.

[FireHair]

Sounds pretty good! I personally love St. Ives apricot products. They work lovely. Another thing you could try are some skin cleansing pads. There are quite a few kinds out there, but I recommend Clearasil

http://www.target.com/p/clearasil-ultra-pore-cleansing-pads-90-count/-/A-11389725

Now you have to be careful with using these because they can dry out your skin very easily. If you end up trying these, then I suggest swiping it gently on the acne affected areas of the skin and then when the product dries use a decent amount of lotion to keep your skin from drying out and flaking. Changing up products can be a good idea because your body is constantly changing. Also, before you test out a skin product on your face, you should try a little on the back of your hand first. Sometimes your skin will react badly to a single ingredient, whether you're allergic or not. I tried looking for the minty Avon soap you described, but alas, no cigar.

Something else than can help is when you notice a pimple forming, take an ice cube and rub it over the top of the pimple. You can then take a little spot healing product and within a day or so (for some people, a few hours) poof! It should be history.
I also personally recommend trying out this formula for smoother skin which I tested awhile back:

Take a cup of honey, a 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of baking soda and mix it together into a paste. Apply it on your skin and wait for it to dry. Wash it off and wallah. You've been exfoliated and conditioned all at once. And you smell pretty sweet haha

[Sea Pearl]

This is such a great thread! Thank you for starting it :)

For all those out there who suffer with the dreaded acne, I sympathies with you completely. I suffered with it a lot when I was in my late teens and it is only now that it has finally calmed down and cleared up. I have oily skin so it can be difficult at times to keep on top of but after starting up a good skin care routine using a Clean and Clear pore cleaner, toner, moisturizer (all oil free) on a daily basic, it has worked very well since. I was also recommended to start using oil free make up too. Also just having a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water in general too is good for the skin :) It has really helped me.

Thank you for the tips on hair care. I have curly hair that can get quite dry at times, especially the ends. I use a shampoo and conditioner but is there anything else that I could do to help keep it healthy?

[FireHair]

Well thank you for liking it :D
Quite a few things can affect how your skin and hair fairs, like climate, what you eat, and how much you drink. It's important to stay hydrated (as a mermaid that should't be a problem ;D ). Since our bodies are mostly made of water, we need to replenish ourselves often. Drink a lot of water or drinks with electrolytes like gatoraide which help you absorb the water and hydrate yourself. This will help your skin which in turn helps your hair. Everything is connected :)
The occasional trim is also good for your hair. Taking vitamins or other supplements can be beneficial towards your health. Omega 3, vitamin A, and vitamin D are three such vitamins. These three can help your skin and hair. Being a western Oregonian, it rains a bunch out of the year, so I never get enough sunlight, and without sunlight you won't get your fix of vitamin D. So my advice, eat healthy, and go for some lovely walks (or swims) in the sunlight. You wouldn't believe how beneficial that can be for your mood as well haha :)

[SilverSiren]

Two things that have worked miracles with my hair and skin, I have bad acne btw and waist length hair.

1. coconut oil... best and cheapest thing EVER for hair. Protects, moisturizes, and penetrates the hair shaft all the way to the core. Then of course I stay far away from any shampoos and conditioners with silicone and sulfates... if I can't read the ingredients and the list is long, it goes back on the shelf! Also, if you have the patients, you can switch to Co-washing, washing with just a light conditioner. It takes a couple weeks for your hair to adjust, but the result is sooooo worth it. My hair is as soft as silk. I still shampoo every great once in a while though and after my workout in the mornings I wash just around my hair line and lightly on my scalp, but never run the shampoo through my entire hair length unless I am having my rare full cleansing day.

2. Wrinkle cream... I'm not pullin your tail, this stuff have been the ONLY thing that gets rid of my acne! Olay Pro-X is my personal favorite, I've tried others and they don't work. Sure, its expensive, but a jar lasts me for months and it does what I need it to do, that's all I care about. I have skin that gets complements from everyone, even straight as a board men. I think its mostly because wrinkle creams are designed to help your skin cell rate go more quickly, getting rid of dead cells more easily, which results in a brighter complexion. So, as a result, no dead cells hanging around, nothing to clog your pores, no pimples! Also, it moisturizes really well, so you skin doesn't freak out and overcompensate by producing a oil slick on your face, which combined with dead skin cells = more pimples.

For cleansers I use one that has a combination of salicylic and glycolic acids. I only recommend those to anyone with all over oily skin as they can be very drying otherwise! But it's great if you have really oily skin and get those really tiny itty bitty bumps that never go away on your face. The combination of those two products makes my skin look like a genetic miracle.

There, that's my two cents. lol

[FireHair]

SilverSiren brought up an excellent point with only shampooing the roots. Shampooing all of your hair every dat can dry it out and make it frizzy, no matter how much conditioner you use, especially with curly hair. And I agree, coconut oil is awesome, but I never thought to use if for my hair, I'll have to try that. I've been using it as a hydrator for my skin lately as a substitute for Shea butter, but now that I think about it, why not use it on your hair? It's organic and definitely a lot cheaper than a lot of hair products.

And the wrinkle cream is also another excellent idea. One of the foundations I use is maybelline's instant age rewind, and it works nicely too when you have a break out and need that flawless look fast haha. The downside is that it doesn't have the same effects on your skin as the lotion mentioned above, but it is still under the same lines of a product meant for a different age group that works better on ours (laugh)
http://www.maybelline.com/Products/Face-Makeup/Foundation/Instant-Age-Rewind-Eraser-Treatment-Makeup.aspx

One last thing I could have mentioned to you Ayla is that if you take gell vitamin D capsules, break them open and rub the oil on your skin, it speeds up the regenerating process.

Anyone else who has tips and tricks are welcome to share :D I know I'm always willing to try out new things haha

[FireHair]

Something to try:
I'll be honest with you, I have very pale and sensitive skin so finding the right lotions and/or acne removal products has always been difficult, but I found by changing a couple things in my makeup routine that the following can help me reduce the amount of acne I get.

Before I put on my makeup, be it tinted and natural for everyday use, or the full shebang for a night out or a work-related shindig, I always make sure to gently scrub my face. I open my pores with warm water on a soft cotton wash cloth and then gently, but firmly, massage the scrub over my face and then rinse. Now here's the trick. I tend to get very visible pores on my nose and on the inner parts of my cheeks next to my nose, so I found out that you can shrink them by rubbing an ice cube over your pores for a few minutes. Warning: it's cold xD haha
then I use my regular regerative lotion and wait for that to dry before I use my tinted moisturizer or foundation. Not a cure, but it's definitely a big help :)

[SilverSiren]

Thanks FireHair, and yes, the cold does help shrink those darn pores for a short time. I do something similar, wash with warm water and really massage the cleanser in, then rinse with warm, then give a couple final rinses with crisp cool water... really wakes ya up in the morning! lol

[Jadestone]

What a great thread!

I too suffer from acne, but mine is genetic, so there wasn't much I could do with just proper skin care that had any effects.

As a result, I go to the dermatologist at least once a year, and have a lot of experience with both topical and oral meds. If anyone is thinking about going that route because their acne just won't go away, I can go more into detail with the various brands I've used :)

Right now I'm actually on Accutane/Clevaris, since mine was just really persistent. It's basically a hyped up version of vitamin A, and essentially stops your skin from producing oil... as someone with previously oily skin it sure feels different, I can tell you. I've only been on it for a month and a half (I'll be on it for around 6 months total) but I can see a difference already in pore size and breakouts. I still get some acne, but reduced. It DOES really dry me out though! I have constantly chapped lips, I'm super addicted to Aquaphor now. It also dried my scalp out a bit, but I expected that going in so bought Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner before I even started the meds to make sure my hair stays nice and healthy :) So far no problems with flaking or anything, so I think I'm good on that front. Never hurts to be too careful though.
The thing about Accutane is it's a real pain/process to get it... it causes birth defects so they make you jump through 8 million hoops to make sure you're not pregnant while taking it. I have to get monthly blood tests and either swear abstinence/be on 2 types of birth control. Oof.

But I'm happy to answer questions about it/any of the other products I've used (Zoderm, Differin, Epiduo, Finecia, Bactrim) if anyone has them.

[FireHair]

Well now I have a question for you Jadestone. If I were to get something topical over the counter instead of having to go visit a dermatologist, what would you recommend? Price is no issue. I have an allergic reaction to the sun if I am out in it for too long, and a few months ago I got a really bad sunburn while camping... It caused a horrible break out all over my back and shoulders and is still not healed all the way. I am taking medicine for it, but a cream would be nice too :)



And if anyone has any makeup questions and wants a step by step tutorial, I can make a video and post a link to it here. Honestly I need the practice too ;)

[SilverSiren]

Jadestone, my acne is also genetic. I would be really careful on Accutane, it's not just birth defects it can cause, but also weird personality disorders. I have had two friends do it. One girl turned into a complete recluse, she was terrified about going out of the house, she used to want to go out ALL the time. Then my mothers boyfriend did a course of it and turned from a really nice guy to a bit violent. That stuff does weird things to your skin too, like making everything peel... everything. I really think you should try my method. I've been there done that with the dermatologist thing, every med but Accutane, and nothing works as well as what I do. Have you also tried taking the pill? I do that too on top of my daily skin care. I make sure I get full strength double hormone types though, like ortho tri cyclin. If you want to try that pill, insist that you want it and you know its works for you, or they will try to give you single hormone or a low dose version and it does NOT work as well or at all in some cases, heck, the single hormone one was just terrible, made my acne WORSE!

As for dandruff, there is a MUCH better way than Head and Shoulders, that stuff is terrible! It only coats your scalp, it does NOTHING to heal it or prevent the dandruff from progressing. I also have dandruff (seems that it goes hand in hand with acne? *sigh*) I use.... Apple Cider Vinegar. Yep, you read that right, vinegar.
It MUST be Apple Cider Vinegar, preferably organic, you'll know if it is cause it looks cloudy with sediment at the bottom. After you shampoo (preferably a shampoo without and sulfate) carefully pour some on your head and massage it into your scalp, leave it while you wash, shave etc, rinse and use conditioner, then rinse with cool water. Yes, you'll smell like a salad all day, but its only one day. The vinegar will balance out your scalps pH levels and make it chill out, dandruff gone. Also, it makes your hair super soft and shiny! Bonus! Just repeat that every two weeks or when it comes back. When I started I used it once or twice a week, now its balancing out more and more and I use it once or twice a month. No more icky dandruff shampoo!

[SilverSiren]

And if anyone has any makeup questions and wants a step by step tutorial, I can make a video and post a link to it here. Honestly I need the practice too ;)

Well, yeah, do a mermaid one! Something we haven't seen! Lots of vids on youtube and all but but I am always very entertained watching people do fancy makeup. I myself am a FX artist and love watching what others do. I might pick up something new, never stop learning. Something Da Vinci said once about never thinking your perfect at your art because then you wont learn and progress any further. " It reflects no great honour on a painter to be able to execute one thing well."