Ask a cosmetologist (me!)

May 21, 2013

Nayab B.

My question is how to get rid of double chin? any suggestions??

May 22, 2013

Asha L.

I have what I've heard called "marionette lines", a dark discoloration that runs down from my nose and around my mouth, where my smile lines are. I haven't had luck keeping it covered- I've tried concealers and foundations and both either fade or crease, no matter if I use a powder or primer. Any advice?

May 22, 2013

Kristen H.

Hi Dina,
I have insanely oily skin that nothing seems to work. My foundation comes off within hours. I also have hereditary dark circles which concealer always looks cakey! Finally, my lovely lashes often decide to just fall out! Any suggestions?

May 22, 2013

Dina U.

Alisah- There are a few reasons why your foundation could be acting this way. The most common one is that your skins chemical composition and the make ups don't work well together. How you apply it is the next most common issue, you could be using too much or too little but I suspect too much. I suggest you invest in a different brand and a primer as well. Primer helps balance out the chemicals and the pH of your skin so that makeup will look its best for as long as possible. A cheap hack you can use is Monistat anti-chafing, this has the same main ingredient as Smashbox's primer.
It can be hard to find the right products for your skin, and its a struggle that everyone goes through at some point, but don't fret there are so many products available these days its guaranteed that there is one out there that will be perfect for you!

May 22, 2013

Dina U.

Nayab- Oh if only! Being a thicker woman than I used to be, I struggle with this too! I've heard of a temporary fix and there are a few 'exercising' things as well but quite honestly I've never tried many of them.
Caffeine can make it shrink for a day or so. There are a few chin exercises that you can google and I know there is actually a chin press product that was on an infomercial a few years back. I had a friend who loved silly infomercials and he got it as a gift once and was very seriously excited by it. But I have not personally tried any of these so I can't attest to their results.
Good luck! Let me know if anything works!

May 22, 2013

Dina U.

Asha- I would recommend using a skin lightening moisturizer, this will help lighten the color of your skin in that area. I'd suggest getting a foundation color that more closely matches the color of that area too so that if it fades or creases it won't be quite as noticeable.
Primers and setting sprays or powders would also be a good idea for you to consider.
Is it just skin discoloration or do you have skin ceasing as well? Fighting skin creases can be a challenge, and again the chemical composition of the make up you are using might be fighting with the chemical composition of your skin so just switching to another brand might solve your issue.

May 22, 2013

Dina U.

Kristen- Overly oily skin can be caused by over cleansing and under moisturizing, I wrote a similar reply for Sharilyn. As for the concealer, you might be using one with the wrong hue. Concealers come in 3 different varieties: yellow, green, or coral. Each of these serve to cover a different kind of blemish. yellow for slight pinks in the skin, green for major amounts of red like rosacea, and corals for people with darker gray/blueish skin discolorations.
Visit a make up store and talk with them about your issue, the artists there will be able to help you find which kind of hue you need. From the sound of it though I think you'll need something in the coral family.
Lashes will naturally fall out when their growth cycle has stopped so I wouldnt worry about it too much. If however you're a mascara addict that might be a part of the problem, some waterproof formulas have very strong grips and will remove the lash when you try to remove the mascara. Try using the water at a very warm temperature and let that soak on your lashes with a cleanser for a minute or so before you try to wipe, this should get the mascaras bonds loose without too much damage.

May 23, 2013

Dina U.

Alma- If youre happy with the current state of your hair don't worry about it! It sounds like you put a lot of thought into the health of your hair, and everything I'm hearing sounds good. 'Dry' is a relative term, so if your hair feels better to you then it has before, you're doing something right!

May 23, 2013

Alma M.

Thank you Dina  :-)