Come on, Get Happy: Concealing the Shadows

The one thing–and I do mean the ONE thing–that makes the biggest difference between looking haggard/sad/hung over and looking fresh/happy/sober is this….are you ready for it? Concealer. Bobbi Brown had it right when she called concealer “The secret to the universe”. A good concealer covers your circles, firms your bags, and brightens your face immeasurably. When proving the powerful effects of concealer to a client, I like to apply it to only one eye and hand them a mirror. The reaction usually goes something like this:

“Oh my god. I look like I’ve been punched under the other eye. I had no idea my circles were so dark. But THIS eye….makes me look younger. And happier.“

Is it really possible to make someone look happy by hiding their circles? Or a better question: How do dark circles make us look unhappy? What do they suggest?

Dark circles are a visual indication that someone is suffering in their life somehow.

When we see people with dark circles, we make a mental note of it (even if only subconsciously). Of course, as a society, we tend to let those sufferers slide when we learn something about their situation.

New mothers are certainly happy (right?), but they don’t sleep. They have shifted from a state in which they worried only about themselves to one in which the weight of the world has been heaved (all 8 pounds of it) onto their shoulders. We understand their suffering, and expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. They never are.

Students are happy (right?), but they rely on all-nighters to study for exams, write papers, and participate in college culture (read: drink). We understand that they’re working hard now so that they may one day be unfulfilled in their jobs and turn into responsible citizens. We expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. They’re not.

Entrepreneurs are happy (right?), but they worry constantly about their investors, their loans, their mortgages, and whether or not their first business success will prove to be a “flash in the pan”. We applaud their talent and their bravery, and expect their shadows and worries to be temporary. Ha!

So look around–happiness doesn’t always show up on our faces in ways we might expect. Happy people often look unhappy, and here’s another blow–unhappy people look even worse, which doesn’t do anything to help their mood.

Dark circles are largely hereditary and hormonal. They are partially influenced by skin tone (the fairest tones and olive tones often have it the worst), and partially affected by lifestyle (stress, lack of sleep, diet). Circles are caused by a collection of blood under the surface of the skin–and no, surgery to cauterize those blood vessels is NOT the answer.

When I was 12, I found a natural recipe which claimed to bleach undereye circles with a blended mixture of raw potatoes and yogurt. It worked. That is to say, it bleached my SKIN, thereby lightening my purple shadows a shade or two. If having slightly paler purple or green circles is enough to inspire you, then rush out and buy some potatoes. What really works, though is makeup. It is easy, it is effective, and it has the added bonus of making you look happy. I will leave my house without lipstick, without mascara, and without blush. If I ever leave my house without undereye concealer, rest assured that it is on fire.

The concealer I currently use (and no, it is NOT green) is Bobbi Brown’s creamy corrector/concealer. It is the very best mainstream concealer on the market. Trust me, I’ve been around. On the department store end of things, I have tried Dior, Chanel, YSL, Nars, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Armani, Laura Mercier, and Trish McEvoy. From drugstores I have tried Physicians Formula, Covergirl, Mabelline, L’Oreal, Max Factor, and Almay. (Circles plagued me from a young age). For some time now, I have been obsessed with finding “green” concealer options. I will not stop until I find one that I can feel good about using everyday for the rest of my life, even if I have to make it from scratch myself. (I guarantee there will be no potatoes in it).

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

Suki Concealer in Flax or Linen: I used this liquid product at a fashion show, and didn’t like the way it went on. (I worked with another artist and she had the same experience): it tended to “roll” under the eye, rather than gliding and blending. Also, limited by two tones. Really? There are only two colors of women out there?

Josie Maran: I’ve written about this one before. Three stick shades, all of which are too tan/orange for a fair skinned person, and too light for a dark skinned person. Application was fine, but I didn’t find it “buildable”, without it looking cakey, which is important. Also, I hate having to read labels when a company brands themselves as clean.

Dr. Hauschka: The wand is a popular concealer tool, and you can’t fault ol’ Hauschka on ingredients, but the coverage is too sheer, and the shades (there are three) don’t embrace even a majority of the population…except maybe the population of Germany.

Eco Nvey: I was SOOOO excited to try this little pressed pot of concealer (nice and green) BUT with only two shades to choose from…..are you seeing a theme yet? I will say that the consistency of this one was great. It was buildable, creamy, and blended really nicely, but the lighter shade looked positively yellow on me, and I wouldn’t get tan enough for the darker shade even if sailed around the world twice.

Sheer Cover: I was curious about this mineral makeup brand a while back. I had tried Bare Minerals, (who hasn’t?) and found their recommendation for powdered undereye concealer to be suitable for only those women who are naturally very moist/greasy under the eye (who is?). Sheer Cover had a selling point: a two toned creamy concealer with less offensive ingredients than most on the market. Result? It works. It’s buildable, blendable, and moist. And here’s a shocker: they offer a shade that matches my skin. It’s a decent option for women who are already using their mineral line, though I won’t continue to use it (not green enough for my blood).

If I’m willing to compromise a little, I’m willing to compromise a lot. Until I find my dream green concealer, I’m going to keep using the one I love. Everyone’s got their sticking point. Concealer’s mine.

No laughing matter: Lines, lines, everywhere lines.

I have laugh lines and I have pout lines. Thankfully I’ve done more laughing than pouting, but both lines are getting deeper, spreading!, and generally running amok across my once youthful visage. Why is it that I’m so proud of the deep lines in my palm (makes for easy palm reading) but not willing to accept them in my face?

I don’t care to discuss my Freudian hangups at the moment, I just want to get rid of the evidence. While I’ve never considered Botox, (injecting poison into my face is somewhat antithetical to my mission as a green makeup artist–not to mention my fear of needles), and I’m not interested in wearing a face-lift wig (see illustration), I do work in the beauty industry and am acutely aware that the older I get, the more desperate I’ll undoubtedly become. I’m trying to head those fears off at the pass by taking care of the small stuff while I still can. Cue the anti-aging creams, wrinkle serums, lifting lotions and miracle elixirs.

Skincare, I find, is the one area in which green cosmetic companies seem to perform well. How hard can it be to hydrate my face without poisoning me or making me break out? (worst case scenario, just throw a bucket of water at me) The cleaner the skincare line, the better results on this front. But when we begin talking about firming, lifting, minimizing, and brightening, we’re talking about serious stuff. Such potions are never cheap, and while the green versions may not hurt you (they tend to leave the poison out), they may not do anything at all.

And unlike many consumers who are willing to give a product a full 30 days before expecting results, I want to look better immediately. I haven’t got all day, and neither do my clients. If it’s supposed to firm, I want to FEEL IT FIRMING, if it’s supposed to lift, then it had better START LIFTING NOW, and if it’s supposed to plump with antioxidants, I’d better feel like Violet FREAKIN’ Beauregarde, rolling out of the chocolate factory as a giant blueberry.

Here are a few products I’ve tried, and my immediate impressions of them:

Aubrey Organic Lumessence Rejuvenating Eye Cream: A clean product which feels more like a serum than a cream. I used it for 2 weeks, am and pm. I found hydration to be only minimal, (and I count on things like hydration around the eyes), I experienced no measurable lightening of my morning under-eye circles, and also didn’t feel any firming whatsoever.

Earth Science A/B Hydroxy Acid Night Rejuvenator: This product claims 10% alpha and beta acids, has no parabens, but does contain dimethicone, polyprepolymer-2, and nylon-12. For hydroxy acids, I expect a hearty prickling/stinging sensation, letting me know that it’s burning off my dead skin. Wow, that sounds gross. Unfortunately, I felt as though I had only used a good toner. (ie, slightly refreshing tingle). After two weeks of use, I was not rejuvenated in the least. My pores weren’t smaller, my skin wasn’t smoother or brighter, and my lines were not diminished in the slightest.

Earth Science Beta Ginseng Cellagen Renewal Serum: Won some awards in the UK trade show, but failed to do for me what it claimed. Did take down redness in my husbands face, (he’s a willing guinea pig), but it didn’t do the plumping or firming it’s supposed to do. 25% hylauronic acid, (which helps the skin retain moisture), but perhaps I need a serum with 75%. Still dry as the desert.

Zia 15-Minute Face Lift: Love this stuff! I’d originally gotten this product for use with bridal clients, or their mothers on the Big Day. While it does have long term effects, it’s meant to make the biggest difference when used before applying makeup. The tightening/lifting lasts for up to 8 hours. (and no, your face doesn’t fall like a smashed pumpkin at midnight, it’s just less “pulled”) The product uses clay (I love clay’s beneficial long term properties) with which you make a little mask. Comes with a nice brush for painting it on, then you lie down and let your face begin pulsing. It really does what it says it does. Immediately.

Burt’s Bees Repair Serum: A delightful, generously bottled collection of soothing oils for the face. While the product doesn’t reduce my lines, it is supremely luxurious, smells like heaven, and gives me a luscious glow. Use sparingly. (It really should come with a dropper, I think. Most folks are heavy handed when given the chance, and too much of this one could cause issues for acne prone people). Otherwise, divine.

Frownies: An old “Hollywood Secret”. These things work. They’re weird, but they’re natural and they work. Essentially, Frownies are little bits of stiff paper. Before you sleep, you moisten the backs (if you lick them, they taste like the paste of your childhood. I’m told.) and you stick them to various spots on your face. If you want to be rid of frown lines, there’s Frownies for the forehead. There are laugh line Frownies, and Frownies for the deep lines around the mouth. I like to call these lines parenthesis (since I clearly like parenthesis and the word Marionette gives me the creeps.) Frownies have been used for ages, and several celebrities swear by them. The way they work is simple. Once they’re attached to your face, they prevent you from making the crazy faces you inevitably make in your sleep. (That’s 8 hours of frowning and smiling that happen when you’re not even trying). Once you stop making these faces at night, your lines diminish SIGNIFICANTLY. I go through bouts of using Frownies, and every time I use them, I’m always surprised how something so simple works so well. So why, then, would I keep looking for miracle creams? Because I’m lazy. You really do need to use Frownies consistently for at least 3 weeks at a time to experience the results. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a great lifting serum to keep your results longer……by the way, don’t forget to take your Frownies off in the morning, or someone else will remind you to.

I speak from experience.

Green Eggs and Hair

I’m not the kind of girl who can wash and wear. I’m a mostly natural blonde with fine hair that prefers to be curled (I like to use steam curls–the ions make my hair shiny, the heat doesn’t dry out my ends, and the steam makes the curls last longer). Funny thing about San Francisco–it’s FOGGY and WINDY–two factors that constantly put a damper on my style. As a result, I’m always looking for “The Perfect Hairspray”.

Five years ago I forayed into the world of “natural” hair products, and was mildly appalled at the results. Two that I remember were Aubrey’s Miist, which made me sneeze uncontrollably. Aubrey hair products all have a very distinctive scent (is it the nettle?) that lasts and lasts. I could smell it on my hair all day, to the point of distraction, and considering that it’s not a particularly pleasant scent, even if the product worked spendidly (which it didn’t), I couldn’t consider using it.

Another one I tried was Giovanni’s Organics Hairspray. Though sold in most natural food stores it was not (and to this day is not) a clean product, (chock full of pvp’s and other unsundries) and it still didn’t manage to hold my hair–instead, it lied heavily upon my carefully placed curls and actually made them limp! That was as experimental as I got with green hair products. I would not use them in a box, I would not use them on a fox. After two weeks of bad hair, I decided to give up the green hair, and go mainstream.

I quickly found hair heaven with “Freeze It”, John Frieda’s “Blonde”, and Frederick Fekkai’s “Sheer Hold”. Nevermind that they’re all aerosol and full of chemicals I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy…they work.

But five years of great chemically-bound hair later, and now I’m the Green Makeup Artist. And it just won’t cut the mustard to use mainstream hair products while touting the importance of clean ingredients. So I’m back to the trial and error (emphasis on error) that is Green Hair. I know my green brides will thank me. At least, I hope so.

Here’s what I’ve hated so far:

Giovanni’s Organics L.A. Hold Hairspray: I decided to try Giovanni’s hairspray again. (I figured five years was long enough to work out the kinks. Apparently not. I’m waiting for “San Francisco Hold” to come out.)

Aubrey’s Miist: Okay, I didn’t actually try it again, but I smelled it and promptly began to sneeze. Why won’t they make something inoffensive?

Jason’s Finishing Spray: (with Aloe & Bergamot) It’s paraben free and non aerosol, but contains acrylates, copolymers and alcohol, which many folks don’t love. Did it work? Yes. Minimally. It sort of stiffened the hair, and held it somewhat in place without having any extra perks. (I compare everything to my mainstream favorites). The thing I really didn’t like was the smell which NEVER WENT AWAY. Since high school, I’ve not been a fan of hair that smells strongly of anything. (Remember Aussie products? The hairspray and scrunch spray smelled of green apples, and at an all girls school, I recall swimming in the scent of apples all day.) Hair should be seen and not smelled. Especially if it smells like Bergamot. Each time I used it, I couldn’t wait to shower it off again.

Jason’s Thin to Thick Hairspray with Biotin: Why did I try another Jason product? I’m a sucker for packaging. I want to have thick hair. I like the idea of biotin. Result? Within 30 seconds, I looked like I’d been caught in a thunderstorm. My steam curls went completely flat. This is NOT A HAIRSPRAY!! Granted, it is a product that you can spray on your hair, but why would you want to? I’m writing this in a cafe, and I wish I’d brought a hat.

So that’s the search so far. Not only am I bothered by the current state of my hair, but I’m also troubled by the lack of truly green hair products on the market. Alba Organics, Avalon Organics, and a few others have staked out shelf space in the natural aisles of my local market. On first glance, one might get the impression that I’m being a sissy. There seems to be plenty to choose from, right? I encourage you to take a product off the shelf and read the label. Does it contain the very ingredients (in however small a quantity) that you’re hoping to avoid by not buying the stuff you’ve been using for years? If so, why bother? For the glamour of the word “organic” or “all-natural” or “pure”? What is the advantage of using a pure petrochemical?

If you will not use them on your face, should you use them anyplace?