Removing Eye Makeup

For many of you, removing eye makeup is just another part of your everyday routine.  But this step is actually very important.  Any time you apply eyeliner, mascara or eye shadow to your eyes, you are bombarding your eyeballs with chemicals that may be irritating.

This is why the recent development of "lining the waterline" is confusing to me.  That is as close to your eyeball as you could possibly get.  Actually, it's TOUCHING your eyeballs, and people from all over are always trying to find a brand that doesn't bother their eyeballs.  Hello!  It's bothering your eyeballs because it doesn't belong there to begin with!  Sheezaloo! 

OK.  I will get off my soap box now, I just had to get that one out of my system!  But back to removing your eye makeup: when you remove your eye makeup it is important to do so very gently.  If you scrape or stretch out your eyelids and the skin surrounding your eyes, you will get wrinkles much faster, and we don't want that.  This means that you must be very picky about the chemicals and the type of swabs you use to remove your eye makeup.

A person I know, and I won't mention any names, started to use ProActiv toner to remove her eye makeup and I screamed at her: "OMG, what are you DOING??  STOP IT!"  I quickly handed her my own eye makeup remover, relieved to have avoided an emergency call to the local poison control center.  People, please do not use anything that was not intended for your eyes on your eyes!

Instead, let me give you a couple of tips: in my experience, the oil-based eye makeup removers are the gentlest on your eyes.  The formula is smoother, and the application is the gentlest on your skin.  Just be sure to shake the bottle before use, because the oil tends to separate from the rest of the liquid.  The one I'm finishing up right now is by Shiseido, shown below.

Also, please use cotton balls rather than cotton pads.  Cotton pads tend to scrape the skin around your eyes, and the feeling is rather harsh.  It may get the makeup off faster, but trust me, it is not helpful with wrinkles.  In the picture, take a look at the paper-y grooves in between the fluffy parts of the cotton pad: these are the culprit and they are not your friends.  Cotton balls are ALL fluff, and in my opinion they are the gentlest on your eyes.  If you need proof, try testing both out.  

I hope this helps, and please keep those toners away from your eyes!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Select Sheer vs. Blot Powder

Having acquired two more powders from MAC, I tried to figure out the difference between these two, along with the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Select Sheer Powder makes your skin matte and creates a soft focus finish for your makeup.  The name may be misleading, because this powder actually has some color to it (mine is NC25).  My makeup artist told me that because it has color, it can be useful for when you need to set your makeup.  It can also be great for issues with wrinkles, because it has a special coating that creates a look that minimizes the appearance of fine lines.  If wrinkles are a concern for you, I would probably go with this product. 

Then my makeup artist explained the Blot Powder to me.  She told me that it, too, is great for setting makeup, but without adding any color or texture.  And it is especially advantageous for people with oily skin, because it is geared toward shine control.  From my own experience with this product, I agree that it is great for shine control, but I will have to disagree with the claim that it does not add color.

I would argue that there IS color in Blot Powder, and there is also a color difference between when you first apply it and at the end of the day: it is lighter when you first apply it, and by the end of the day it gets darker from absorbing all the oil on your face.  Currently, I have the Medium Dark version of Blot Powder, but I am thinking about switching it to Medium because of its tendency to get darker over time.  I am kind of disappointed in this product because of this issue.

I guess it all depends on what your concern is.  If you are worried about wrinkles, I would go with the Select Sheer Powder.  If you have issues with shine control, I would go with the Blot Powder (but I would go with one shade lighter because it turns darker).  

Personally, I do not use either of these products right now.  They are sitting in the back of my drawer gathering dust because I am setting my makeup with Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, and if I need any touch-ups throughout the day, I bring along my Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation.  Eventually, I may carry around the Blot Powder with me instead, but right now I have it in the wrong color.  If you are interested in either of these products, they are shown below: Select Sheer Powder is on the left and Blot Powder is on the right.  You can get the Select Sheer Powder and the Blot Powder for $21.00 each at www.MacCosmetics.com.

I hope this helps you with your decision between the two products.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  And thanks for visiting!

Love,

Geneys  :o)