The look of Rosacea....is NOT the look of love!

As I get older I am becoming far to aware that I may be one of millions across this earth that suffer from the effects of Rosacea.  The exact causes of this ever so bothersome condition are unknown, but it is clear that it does run in the family.......THANKS MOM!!  Additionally, it is believed that hormones play a strong role, as many women notice rosacea flares when they are menstruating or during the menopausal years.  If you suffer from rosacea, you probably also have some component of sensitive skin......yep, that's me, my red face flares up at the slightest touch to my skin.....love that.  Flare ups can also be triggered by the application of rich emollients, glycolic acid or astringents containing alcohol.  Keeping this in mind, we must be very selective and extra cautious in our selection of skincare products!

So you ask...HOW DO I TREAT ROSACEA?  Don't hate me, but although it cannot be cured, there are a variety of treatments available that can help keep it under control! Yipee!
The most common treatments include oral antibiotics, in particular within the tetracycline family, and topical antibiotics such as mentronidazole.  Advances in peptide technology have been found to be effective at calming inflammation as well.  Although there are no OTC medicines approved for treating rosacea, choosing skincare products that are formulated for hyper irritable skin may help keep your skin calm and less likely to react adversely.  Look for products geared toward sensitive skin, or with slight green tints to them that can help reduce the appearance of redness on your skin.  *I use Smashbox's green colored primer under my foundation sometimes*

KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS!!  
*Sun Exposure
*Smoking
*Red Wine
*Heat - hot or steam baths, radiant heat, saunas and warm environments
*Spicy foods......LOVE THEM!
*Hot Drinks
*Caffeinated Beverages.......ummmm, I know this DOESN'T mean coffee!!!
*Anxiety, embarrassment and stress
*Physical exertion
*Cosmetic and skincare products containing high levels of alcohol or acetone, as well
as fragranced products

BEAUTIES...NEVER FEAR, MAKEUP JUNKIE IS HERE to help you in this battle!!  I am using (and can't live without) the great SOOTHE REGIMEN by Rodan + Fields.  This is a 4 step regimen that relieves your skin of dryness, redness, stinging and burning.  With continual use, your skin WILL feel more at ease, smooth and have visible redness reduction.

After 2 weeks of use, participants experienced the reduction of the following:
67% reduction of redness
80% reduction of peeling
74% reduction of dryness
90% reduction of stinging
72% reduction of overall irritation!

AND, the SOOTHE Gentle Cream Wash (#1) doubles as a calming shaving lotion to help reduce razor burn and irritation, AND the SOOTHE Sensitive Skin Treatment (#2) doubles as an aftershave treatment for those men with sensitive skin!!!  WOO-HOO!!!

If your face can't take anymore, follow the links to these most amazing products and be free of the constant irritation, and remember all is not lost ladies, and gentlemen......although we can't stop rosacea, we can sure fight like the dickens to reduce its appearance!!!

BE BLESSED!!!! 

Curse those 0ver 40 dark under eye circles!!

O.k. so I'm back on track here with my over 40 makeup tips, sorry, been sorta outta sorts here lately?  Any who, I am starting to battle with those gorgeous, ever so flattering dark under eye circles and I'm not liking them one bit!!!  I know I have posted a blog pertaining to why we get them and blah, blah, blah, but I want to be able to do battle and conquer those stinking unattractive demons!

So as you know that as we age, the skin under our eyes becomes thinner, tones are uneven and those beautiful fine lines form.  For some of us this is all due to heredity and you are dealing with these at a much younger age....sorry!  The idea is to lighten or brighten that area as best you can with the best product that works best for your skin and skin tones.

First you want to discover what color your under eye circles gravitate to, such as, are they more on the blueish/purple side or are they more of a yellow/green tone? Most of us will fall under the blueish/purple side, and in the color wheel you want to combat those shades with their opposites as to neutralize those shadows.  So the blueish/purple will be best fought with a yellow or peachy toned concealer.

Now, to apply your concealer there are so many different ways to approach this......You can apply under your foundation, with a concealer brush, under the eye area and making sure to get the inner eye area where some shadows are usually darker.  After applying, blend with your ring finger as to not have any distinct lines, then "set" with a very light dusting of your face powder, but not too much, you don't want it to look too cakey.
You can also apply your concealer over your foundation.  Put a very light coat of foundation as you usually would, but apply your light concealer after, using the same method as above.  I have found a Lancome product that I use that works really well and it's not thick like a lot of concealers.  It's the Teint Miracle highlighter pen.  It has a push button applicator brush and I apply it over my foundation and then blend with my ring finger.

Another concealer I play around with is by the great Laura Mercier, it is called

 "Secret Camouflage" in SC-3(voted best concealer by Allure Magazine in 2009 & 2010!).  It has a light and a dark panel of concealer and she recommends blending the two to get the best color....I'm not that talented.. YET!  So I use the lightest shade and apply it from my bottom lash line to outer circle area, it's a pretty big area, but I want to get it ALL!!  I blend it and "set" it with face powder.  I purchased the Laura Mercier at Sephora, or you can order online.

ANOTHER OVER 40 MAKE-UP JUNKIE GIVE-A-WAY IS COMING THIS WEEK ...STAY TUNED BEAUTIES!!!

Cure for the "Redface"...How? (Get it...How, Indian, Redface?)

So, I have chronic red splotching on my cheeks, hate it with every fiber of my being!  I am getting back into a really good, really regimented a.m. & p.m. taking care of my face program!!!  I have added some more items to my course of action; one is a

Pumpkin Enzyme Peel by Peter Thomas Roth, sold at *Sephora*...I haven't received this yet but it says that this pumpkin smelling peel gently dissolves dead surface skin cells and stimulates cellular turnover, which to me sounds like all the cell phones we go thru in this house of 4!!

Another thing I have added is the *Clinique* Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector, LOVE this so far!!  My skin truly does feel and look a lot smoother just after 1 week of use.......signs are good for this one!  Woo-Hoo!

*Clinique* carry's a REDNESS SOLUTIONS REDNESS REGIMENT, and in that is an "Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder", you use this before and after foundation where needed and the reviews on this are great, I will be purchasing this in the next few days and pray it does what it says, or it's going back!!!  I will let you know how I fair!
~If any of you beauties have this same problem and have found some great solutions... PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK~  OR If you suffer from Rosacea, I would LOVE to know what you have tried that helps, I have a  friend who is in need of some solutions for this problem and is seeing a dermatologist, I passed on to her the Clinique Redness Line to give her some idea's of where to go, but if you know of something tried and true, I know she would appreciate your input!

By the way......You ladies have been so very supportive of this blog and if you only know how much I adore  your input, thanks so much for taking your time to read my some times humorous, sometimes rambling ideas......it means a lot.